Sick and tired of your ism schism games
Channeling some Bob Marley today.
I couldn’t avoid this one. I’ve been trying, but it got too big. So much anger is being displayed against inclusion, and my brain is not coping well.
In my opinion, equity is essential to society. There is no argument for denying access to people that makes sense. We’ve used all kinds of excuses: women are too emotional to be in business; nursing is not for a man; black people don’t have the capacity to be academic; Chinese are good for mining work, and so on. As time passed, we’ve gradually realized that these are all very stupid, weak and disgusting excuses for protecting the privilege of a few.
Sadly, humans are human, and we can justify anything using any argument. We have used texts that speak of love to excuse horrible behaviour, and then used more of the texts to condone more atrocities. We have a web of illusion that allows us to pretend that “others” do all the wrong and we are blameless, but if we’re honest, we all contribute to division or to inclusion.
There are all kinds of arguments to protect ourselves from the hideousness of our actions. We argue that “those people” are lazy, incompetent, or otherwise undeserving. We argue that we have earned our position, and shouldn’t have to yield it up because we’ve just climbed the hill. But really, how does extending the same rights and privileges to everyone prejudice anyone? How has recognizing women as persons denied men their rights? How has recognition of the accomplishments of people of all races diminished the work of anyone? How has admitting that people have a variety of diverse opinions, thoughts and ways of doing things made life poorer?
Racism, sexism, and all the other “ism’s” work to justify hatred and ignorance. Our general reaction to pull back into small, exclusive groups is understandable only in a very narrow sense. Yes, it’s comfortable in our ruts, where we can pretend that things fall into a neat order, and that there are classes of people who exist only to serve us. But really, diversity and equity are our strengths. In the most simplistic view, a menu of boiled grains and water daily could provide some nutrients, but it’s much better to try a variety of foods. Same with people — exposure to a wide range of people, ideas, concepts and cultures makes us better human beings.
Having said all this, it’s also important to acknowledge the value of our own core experience. We don’t need to toss everything in order to benefit from wider diversity. Yes, it’s scary as an adult to admit that we’re not in control, that life is challenging and that it hasn’t worked out as expected. But we do have an obligation to ensure that society is open, just and welcoming. We also have to ensure that we are always working to improve the conditions of our fellow humans. We may not be able to implement sweeping changes, but every day, let’s try to do one scary thing that makes life better for someone else.
I couldn’t avoid this one. I’ve been trying, but it got too big. So much anger is being displayed against inclusion, and my brain is not coping well.
In my opinion, equity is essential to society. There is no argument for denying access to people that makes sense. We’ve used all kinds of excuses: women are too emotional to be in business; nursing is not for a man; black people don’t have the capacity to be academic; Chinese are good for mining work, and so on. As time passed, we’ve gradually realized that these are all very stupid, weak and disgusting excuses for protecting the privilege of a few.
Sadly, humans are human, and we can justify anything using any argument. We have used texts that speak of love to excuse horrible behaviour, and then used more of the texts to condone more atrocities. We have a web of illusion that allows us to pretend that “others” do all the wrong and we are blameless, but if we’re honest, we all contribute to division or to inclusion.
There are all kinds of arguments to protect ourselves from the hideousness of our actions. We argue that “those people” are lazy, incompetent, or otherwise undeserving. We argue that we have earned our position, and shouldn’t have to yield it up because we’ve just climbed the hill. But really, how does extending the same rights and privileges to everyone prejudice anyone? How has recognizing women as persons denied men their rights? How has recognition of the accomplishments of people of all races diminished the work of anyone? How has admitting that people have a variety of diverse opinions, thoughts and ways of doing things made life poorer?
Racism, sexism, and all the other “ism’s” work to justify hatred and ignorance. Our general reaction to pull back into small, exclusive groups is understandable only in a very narrow sense. Yes, it’s comfortable in our ruts, where we can pretend that things fall into a neat order, and that there are classes of people who exist only to serve us. But really, diversity and equity are our strengths. In the most simplistic view, a menu of boiled grains and water daily could provide some nutrients, but it’s much better to try a variety of foods. Same with people — exposure to a wide range of people, ideas, concepts and cultures makes us better human beings.
Having said all this, it’s also important to acknowledge the value of our own core experience. We don’t need to toss everything in order to benefit from wider diversity. Yes, it’s scary as an adult to admit that we’re not in control, that life is challenging and that it hasn’t worked out as expected. But we do have an obligation to ensure that society is open, just and welcoming. We also have to ensure that we are always working to improve the conditions of our fellow humans. We may not be able to implement sweeping changes, but every day, let’s try to do one scary thing that makes life better for someone else.
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