We chose our Word of the Year, in part, because of noteworthy stories of those who have refused to be complicit. In the face of oppression and wrongdoing, this refusal to be complicit has been a grounding force of 2017:
We saw an estimated five million people participate in the the worldwide Women’s March on January 21
We saw NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s 2016 protest against systemic injustices gain even more traction in response to President Trump calling for players who kneel during the National Anthem to be fired or suspended
We saw women, as well as people of all genders, come forward with personal stories of sexual harassment and assault with the hashtag #metoo
We saw high-profile resignations from the Trump Administration, perhaps most memorably from the Arts Council, who submitted their letter of resignation in the form of an acrostic spelling of the wordRESIST
In fact, the third biggest spike in searches for the word complicit was in response to this refusal to be complicit. It happened on October 24 when Arizona Senator Jeff Flake (who has voted in line with President Trump’s position 90% of the time according to FiveThirtyEight) announced his retirement saying “I have children and grandchildren to answer to, and so, Mr. President, I will not be complicit.” He urged fellow Republicans to speak out because “silence can equal complicity.”
So, Why Complicit?
This year has seen a real awakening to complicity in various sectors of society, from politics to pop culture.
As we do the hard work of processing what this all means, we must examine our own behavior and ask ourselves some difficult questions. Could I have spoken out in the past . . . and didn’t? Did I go along with something because it was the path of least resistance?
Silence does not always equal complicity. We also must consider the very real reasons why we choose not to speak out. This includes fear of retaliation, fear of endangering one’s safety or the safety of loved ones, or knowledge that nothing will change. Silence may come from a place of self-preservation. Those whose lives have been negatively impacted by assault or violence or social injustices don’t owe their stories to anyone. It’s important to remember that sometimes speaking out is a privilege in itself.
Our choice for Word of the Year is as much about what is visible as it is about what is not. It’s a word that reminds us that even inaction is a type of action. The silent acceptance of wrongdoing is how we’ve gotten to this point. We must not let this continue to be the norm. If we do, then we are all complicit.