F asks whether the stories we tell ourselves keep us in a certain position, keep us feeling bad about ourselves and the world around us. I take her to mean 'race' politics - whether seeing the world in those terms, in black and white, keep us acting within those terms. Made me think. Do I create the problem by framing the world that way? I mean, do I see things in 'race' terms, and therefore I see racism?
And then I remembered that F has never worked in the mainstream despite wanting to work there, having a brilliant brain and great skills. And that, I believe, is because of the realities of racism in Britain today. Some people just don't get certain kinds of jobs, - the ones with prestige...particularly... Actually seeing the issue doesn't trap me, it gives me something to change.