{"id":449,"date":"2023-08-08T12:01:00","date_gmt":"2023-08-08T12:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/?p=449"},"modified":"2023-08-01T05:03:40","modified_gmt":"2023-08-01T05:03:40","slug":"why-dei-fails-when-anyone-gets-demonized","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/2023\/08\/08\/why-dei-fails-when-anyone-gets-demonized\/","title":{"rendered":"Why DEI Fails When Anyone Gets Demonized"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Do others have the right to force you to adjust your behavior? From whose vantage point?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cOne man\u2019s terrorist is another man\u2019s freedom fighter.\u201d <\/p>\nGeorge Galloway<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

I wonder if this search for a \u201csafe\u201d space is all it\u2019s cracked up to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re halfway through 2023 and already in America, there have been over 200 mass shootings, defined as the killing of 4 or more people in a single event. More than 14,000 people have died from gun violence so far, including those who have suffered suicide. The average number of degrees of separation from one living American in 2023 to one dead American who died from gun violence has been estimated to have shrunk below 3.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u00a9 Grand Comics Database under CC BY-SA 4.0.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The gun worshipers are correct when they point out that mental health treatment is scarce in this country. Unfortunately, it is the same people who have prevented universal healthcare (or, at least, national health) to exist, which is what makes their pleas for thoughts and prayers so hollow. But this isn\u2019t about guns. It\u2019s about fear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DEI initiatives continue to be bumbled through, as though every program was being managed by a combination of the ham-handed and earnest qualities of Clifford the Big Red Dog and Baby Huey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mostly, there is a lot of performative DEI going around. \u201cWe promise.\u201d \u201cWe commit.\u201d \u201cWe pledge.\u201d \u201cThe check is in the mail.\u201d (I\u2019ll stop there.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People in groups that have real issues dealing with the fairness of their plight continually seek out more safe spaces to be their authentic selves. This sounds lofty, but without follow-through, it just turns into more empty promises, commitments, pledges, and the universal disparagement of the United States Postal System. Don\u2019t worry, however \u2013 all the groups in need of a level playing field are used to empty promises. But this isn\u2019t about DEI. It\u2019s about fear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Women are tired of being objectified in the workplace (and elsewhere). And yet they continue to be objectified in the workplace, even by other women who are tired of being objectified in the workplace. There is a fuzzy logic to \u201cprofessional clothing,\u201d although the expectations are far different among women within the same company (and men, for that matter). \u201cDon\u2019t wear that low-cut blouse\u2014it\u2019ll show your bosoms,\u201d says one woman to another. \u201cI don\u2019t care,\u201d replies the woman showing her bosoms. \u201cThis is my authentic self. I should be able to wear whatever I want in a safe space. Tell the lunatic men and women not to react to my boobs. I have a Ph.D., for chrissakes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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I was listening to \u201cThe Ethical Rainmaker\u201d podcast, hosted by Michelle Shireen Muri. It was recommended by a development director I met recently. The last episode happened on December 29, 2022, so I don\u2019t know if it is a going concern. Still, I listened to that episode, entitled, \u201cThe Hidden Danger of Purity Culture,\u201d which featured Lorraine Nibut. For this article, it doesn\u2019t really matter what they do, except that they are both skilled professionals in the nonprofit world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anyway, Nibut and Muri were commiserating on the unfairness of the way women are treated in the workplace. At least, they seemed to speak for all women in all workplaces, although I\u2019m sure that even they would tell you that their stories were anecdotal and not particularly scientific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nibut spoke with some angst at the lack of feeling safe for women, particularly women of color.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s not until you\u2019re able to, even on a micro level, exist in a space that feels safe enough to be exactly how you are, without judgment, and be embraced in that way, that you\u2019re like, wow, there could be an alternative.\u201d<\/p>\nLorraine Nibut<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPurity culture\u201d has many meanings. I had always associated it with a religious (Christian Puritan) bent. That notion\u2014that evil happens to women and men who date too frequently, have premarital sex, and fall in lust, thinking it\u2019s love\u2014is a great way to subjugate women. It allows for women who have been sexually assaulted to be blamed, for example. So, you might imagine that I was surprised to see it in the title of the episode: \u201cThe Hidden Danger of Purity Culture.\u201d It’s not as though the dangers were all that hidden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, in Muri and Nibut\u2019s definition of purity culture, women are generally subjected to unwanted lust, just because they\u2019re women. Similarly, some women are jealous of women who are generally subjected to unwanted lust. And what I gleaned from Nibut\u2019s statement above, as well as a majority of the show, is that people of all genders, colors, and backgrounds deserve to be their authentic selves. They want to be judged for their deeds, not their looks. They want the toxic people to change their actions, not them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ay, there\u2019s the rub.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If one group of people can be allowed to be their authentic selves, why can\u2019t another? For every person in a group that has experienced discrimination, bigotry, sexism, ageism, and all the other cultural daggers that sow fear into their hearts lies another person in a group whose authentic selves find anything other than Pleasantville (the black and white part of the movie) to be revolting, insulting, and frightening.<\/p>\n\n\n

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That\u2019s why the talk of insurrectionists being \u201cnut-jobs\u201d or \u201cinsane\u201d is counterproductive. They knew<\/em> what they were doing. They wanted<\/em> to do what they did. They still do.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Provoked or no, they felt (and continue to feel) frightened about their futures in this country. They were already mistaken that they enjoyed \u201csafe spaces,\u201d and yearn for an America that can be safe to them again (which it never was).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a good reason why people can\u2019t be their authentic selves. The problem arises when you apply that kind of thinking to those with whom you not only disagree, but fear. That\u2019s why the search for a \u201csafe space,\u201d one in which someone can feel free, is a search for something that has never existed in the history of mankind. If we all lived in completely \u201csafe\u201d spaces, we would never interact with others. It is in the interaction\u2014the search for \u201cdiversity\u201d and \u201ccultures not our own\u201d\u2014where the danger lies and safety ends. It\u2019s also where life and progress exist. The search for a \u201csafe space\u201d distracts people from dealing with the messiness, peril, and incongruity of relationships. Demonizing people who might well be demonizing you does not make either of you any less of a demon. There can be no equity when anyone believes that there is only one acceptable path to follow to get there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Based in Kirkland, Washington, <\/em>Alan Harrison<\/em><\/a> is a writer and speaker specializing in nonprofit organizations, strategy, the arts, and life politics. His columns appear regularly in major publications. Contact him directly at <\/em>alan@501c3.guru<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re feeling generous or inspired, just <\/em>click on the coffee cup<\/em><\/a> above. You don\u2019t have to, of course, but if you can afford it and find some value here, please provide the desperate need for caffeine.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alan is always looking for good opportunities to write and consult for nonprofits that need a hand. And, of course, that elusive <\/em>Perfect Opportunity\u2122.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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BIG NEWS: Alan\u2019s new book, \u201cScene Change: Why Today\u2019s Nonprofit Arts Organizations Have to Stop Producing Art and Start Producing Impact\u201d will be published in January. CLICK HERE TO PRE-ORDER IN THE UNITED STATES<\/a>. If you live in the UK, CLICK HERE<\/a>.<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Alan will be speaking next week (August 16) at the Association of California Symphony Orchestras’ annual conference. If you’re in Southern California and would like to join him, just click on this link and register: https:\/\/www.acso.org\/conference<\/a><\/strong>.!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few more copies may be made available for those booking conferences, reading engagements, and speaking engagements. Recruit your local bookstore, conference panel, or boardroom to get a visit from Alan. Let Alan know if you want <\/strong>bulk copies for your board!<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I wonder if this search for a \u201csafe\u201d space is all it\u2019s cracked up to be.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":450,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,20,40,32,29,28,23,24,19,18],"tags":[62],"class_list":{"0":"post-449","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-culture","8":"category-board-of-directors","9":"category-change","10":"category-charity","11":"category-dei","12":"category-diversity-equity-inclusion","13":"category-executive-director","14":"category-freedom-of-speech","15":"category-leadership","16":"category-nonprofit","17":"tag-safe-spaces","18":"entry"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/My-own-true-self.jpg?fit=1300%2C952&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1342,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/2025\/03\/25\/nonprofit-arts-success-in-a-changing-environment-tip-6-dont-talk-about-it-do-it\/","url_meta":{"origin":449,"position":0},"title":"Nonprofit Arts Success in a Changing Environment, Tip 6 \u2014 Don\u2019t Talk About It; Do It.","author":"Alan Harrison","date":"March 25, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Doing the right thing is always the right thing to do. 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