“Washing one’s hands of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless means to side with the powerful, not to be neutral.” ~ Paulo Freire
If you aren’t standing for the powerless, you’ve already chosen the side of the powerful.
The idea of being “neutral” is often a luxury afforded only to those who don’t have skin in the game. When we witness a struggle between the powerful and the powerless, stepping back doesn’t leave the scales balanced—it leaves the weight exactly where the powerful placed it.
A View from the Tracks
Maybe my perspective is shaped by where I started. I grew up in a four-room, cold-water flat near Boston, just fifty yards from the thundering railroad tracks. My world was a grit-stained landscape of factories and bars. It was an immigrant neighborhood—a melting pot of Italian, Portuguese, Polish, and Russian families. While they didn’t always share a language, they shared the heavy, daily reality of being poor.
Growing up without the advantages of the wealthy gave those of us in that neighborhood an unseen edge: the necessity of resilience. We learned to work tirelessly and never give up. We discovered that by working harder and staying laser-focused, we had a fighting chance to escape a lifetime of poverty.
The Changing Face of Struggle
However, the “edge” we had is being dulled for the vulnerable today. The poor in my city now face barriers I never had to climb. When I was a child, I never feared the government snatching my mother or father away. I never lived in terror of an official demanding proof of my citizenship.
It is fundamentally impossible to build a successful life or “work your way up” when you live in constant fear of the very agencies that are supposed to protect you.
Choosing a Side
Paulo Freire famously argued that washing your hands of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless isn’t neutrality—it’s an act of alignment with the oppressor. When we remain quiet in the face of systemic injustice, we aren’t staying out of it. We are choosing a side.
Something to Think About:
As you read this, ask yourself: In what areas of your life or community are you currently “washing your hands” of a conflict, and what would it look like to stand with the powerless instead?
Reader’s Question: Does the “unseen edge” of struggle still exist today, or have modern systemic barriers made the “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” mentality a thing of the past? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
