In defence of complaining

Those who lodge legitimate complaints in effect point out how things could be better, yet are often dismissed. People who say “stop complaining” always have the right to stop listening. But for marginalised and stigmatised groups – racial and religious minorities, women, the poor, people who lack civic rights – complaining is the first step in removing the shame from a lifetime of being told one’s problems are unimportant, non-existent, or even a cause for gratitude. In May, President Obama told an audience of African American graduates at Morehouse College, a historically black college in Atlanta, that “there’s no longer any room for excuses”. He chided young black men for seeing their race as an obstacle, because “whatever hardships you may experience because of your race… pale in comparison to the hardships previous generations endured – and overcame”.