{"id":837,"date":"2024-04-02T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-04-02T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/?p=837"},"modified":"2024-03-21T03:32:33","modified_gmt":"2024-03-21T03:32:33","slug":"useful-idiots-harmless-kitsch-and-nonprofit-arts-organizations-doing-the-right-thing-no-matter-what-part-one","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/2024\/04\/02\/useful-idiots-harmless-kitsch-and-nonprofit-arts-organizations-doing-the-right-thing-no-matter-what-part-one\/","title":{"rendered":"Useful Idiots, Harmless Kitsch, and Nonprofit Arts Organizations Doing the Right Thing, No Matter What (Part One)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A two-part column about you, your nonprofit arts company, and the power of your choices<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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You’ll never be this person. Until you are. (photo by nappy on Pexels)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In these heady days where the mere act of watching RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race self-qualifies you as an expert on the LGBT community (it doesn\u2019t), where putting a \u201cWe support the Black Community\u201d manifesto on your arts organization\u2019s website self-qualifies you as an equity activist (it doesn\u2019t), and where your company\u2019s most important metric of success has to do with how many people buy tickets (it doesn\u2019t), it isn\u2019t surprising that there\u2019s a lot of anger and mistrust among those thrown into the middle of the arena by folks who want to prove that those people <\/em>are not up to the job of leadership (by actively setting them up for failure).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cI play it the company way\u201d (How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, 1961)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first impetus from the \u201cuseful idiots\u201d (na\u00efve or unwitting allies to a harmful movement) who have bashed their heads into proverbial brick walls, glass ceilings, and otherwise is to try to keep peace. That\u2019s not a particularly bad thought, although it will cost years off one\u2019s lifespan. Playing the role of leader is not actually leading when the prior hallowed leadership model has been tainted by bad acts and toxicity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But they\u2019ll do what others (White folk, too) have done before them. Try to keep their jobs, to get a good recommendation, to get a better job, to get a recommendation, to get a better job, etc., ad nauseum all over their nice clean shirt. And how to do that when you don\u2019t look like the people on your board\u2019s dominant social group (a nice way of saying, \u201cthose rich, old White people, mostly men)?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They do it by trying to get along, even if they don\u2019t agree with the direction of the activity. They’ll agree to spend weeks, money, and reputation producing harmless kitsch, just to go with the flow and avoid the hard conversations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They\u2019ll especially do that if the weird, inefficient activity has been done before. A gala where $100,000 is raised (at a price of $99,000). A \u201cfriend-raising\u201d dinner to thank the donors that costs more than the donations of the people who choose to attend. The bowing and scraping to certain donors who are toxic to the company because, for example, their companies kill people and let\u2019s face it, you don\u2019t want to be associated by the implied endorsement of, you know, killing people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The useful idiots have leaned hard into people-pleasing behavior. Ultimately, that will cause their own downfall, even if they feel \u201cwell-supported\u201d and \u201cwell-loved\u201d now. Jennifer Guttman wrote about it<\/a> in 2019 in Psychology Today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People work to please those in their lives in order to secure a feeling of indispensability and reduce fears of abandonment. Unfortunately, this can lead to much deeper compulsive behavioral patterns and complicated mental health issues, such as fear of rejection, resentment, frustration, anger, low self-esteem, addictions, bullying, and eating disorders.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

And they\u2019ll do all that until an ulcer acts up. Or irritation boils to the surface. Or the people who work with them start to steer clear, hoping against hope that the stink of moral compromise doesn\u2019t cause the board to intimidate them (or their successor) to fire them. Or all of the above. Because they think that if they just \u201cfall in line,\u201d even against their own moral values, they\u2019re doing what\u2019s best for the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
You’re not this XY-palmed person, until you are. (By Kenji-Baptiste OIKAWA – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Which, of course, they\u2019re not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It may not occur to you, but as Oskar Eustis, the longtime artistic director at New York\u2019s Public Theatre, once told me when I started to fall apart psychologically when dealing with a small group of right-wing board members in Alabama, \u201cAlan, sometimes they\u2019re just wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which opens a door to a bumpier, but better way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Continued next week)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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If you’re in the Atlanta region or within a day’s drive, come and see Ariel Fristoe of the world-renowned Out Of Hand Theater and me talk at Charis Books and More. We’ll have some news, there will be a presentation from Out Of Hand about health equity (and the lack thereof), and we’ll talk about why companies like Out Of Hand “get it” about the purpose of local arts organizations serving the folks who need help the most. Mostly, we’ll have a lively conversation about the purpose of art, toxic stakeholders, and how nonprofit arts organizations are charities, just like your local food bank.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Friday, April 12, 2024 – 7:30pm — Click here to reserve your free ticket!<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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Click on the image for address, info, and other things you might need.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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\"a<\/a>
You’re going to want to pick some up for your board and your arts administration students. Contact alan@501c3.guru for a substantial discount on orders of 25 or more or visit bulkbooks.com<\/a> to order up to 1,000 copies.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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\"a<\/a><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It isn\u2019t surprising that there\u2019s a lot of anger and mistrust among those thrown into the middle of the arena by folks who want to prove that those people are not up to the job of leadership (by actively setting them up for failure).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":838,"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":[21,20,22,100,40,32,29,28,23,19,18,17,99],"tags":[10],"class_list":{"0":"post-837","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-board-of-trustees","10":"category-book-recommendation","11":"category-change","12":"category-charity","13":"category-dei","14":"category-diversity-equity-inclusion","15":"category-executive-director","16":"category-leadership","17":"category-nonprofit","18":"category-nonprofit-arts-organizations","19":"category-scene-change","20":"tag-impact","21":"entry"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/pexels-nappy-936019.jpg?fit=1920%2C1280&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":989,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/2024\/07\/01\/this-just-in-a-new-and-unedited-review-for-scene-change\/","url_meta":{"origin":837,"position":0},"title":"This Just In: A New (and Unedited) Review for \u201cSCENE CHANGE\u201d","author":"Alan Harrison","date":"July 1, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"\"It clearly comes from a place of love for the subversive and utopian possibilities of the arts.\"","rel":"","context":"In "Arts and Culture"","block_context":{"text":"Arts and Culture","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/category\/arts-and-culture\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Collective-Ink-Book-Cover.jpg?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Collective-Ink-Book-Cover.jpg?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Collective-Ink-Book-Cover.jpg?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Collective-Ink-Book-Cover.jpg?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Collective-Ink-Book-Cover.jpg?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1517,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/2025\/10\/07\/a-punchy-outspoken-argument-for-how-nonprofit-arts-organizations-should-be-run\/","url_meta":{"origin":837,"position":1},"title":"“A PUNCHY, OUTSPOKEN ARGUMENT FOR HOW NONPROFIT ARTS ORGANIZATIONS SHOULD BE RUN.”","author":"Alan Harrison","date":"October 7, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"\"An example-driven new map to success in the realm of nonprofit theater.\" \u2014 Kirkus Reviews.","rel":"","context":"In "Arts and Culture"","block_context":{"text":"Arts and Culture","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/category\/arts-and-culture\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Scene Change, Scene Change 2, and Scene Change 3 - 3 books to improve your arts organization","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/3-book-titles.jpg?fit=1200%2C606&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/3-book-titles.jpg?fit=1200%2C606&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/3-book-titles.jpg?fit=1200%2C606&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/3-book-titles.jpg?fit=1200%2C606&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/3-book-titles.jpg?fit=1200%2C606&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1048,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/2024\/09\/17\/nonprofit-arts-organizations-whats-a-community\/","url_meta":{"origin":837,"position":2},"title":"Nonprofit Arts Organizations: What\u2019s a \u201cCommunity?\u201d","author":"Alan Harrison","date":"September 17, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Say it, out loud. What is the definition of \u201ccommunity\u201d to your nonprofit arts organization? It may not be the community to which you claim membership.","rel":"","context":"In "Arts and Culture"","block_context":{"text":"Arts and Culture","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/category\/arts-and-culture\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/inigo-square.jpg?fit=1000%2C864&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/inigo-square.jpg?fit=1000%2C864&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/inigo-square.jpg?fit=1000%2C864&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/inigo-square.jpg?fit=1000%2C864&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1687,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/2026\/02\/06\/hello-carol\/","url_meta":{"origin":837,"position":3},"title":"Hello, Carol.","author":"Alan Harrison","date":"February 6, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Are nonprofit arts leaders simply more susceptible to groupthink, even to their own detriment?","rel":"","context":"In "Arts and Culture"","block_context":{"text":"Arts and Culture","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/category\/arts-and-culture\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Penguins-on-an-iceberg-1.jpg?fit=1000%2C562&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Penguins-on-an-iceberg-1.jpg?fit=1000%2C562&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Penguins-on-an-iceberg-1.jpg?fit=1000%2C562&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Penguins-on-an-iceberg-1.jpg?fit=1000%2C562&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1683,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/2025\/12\/30\/scene-change-3-just-named-to-kirkus-reviews-25-best-indies-of-2025\/","url_meta":{"origin":837,"position":4},"title":"“SCENE CHANGE 3” Just Named to Kirkus Reviews’ “25 Best Indies of 2025!”","author":"Alan Harrison","date":"December 30, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"If you're serious about succeeding as a nonprofit arts organization, you're going to want to pick up the trilogy at your favorite bookstore.","rel":"","context":"In "Arts and Culture"","block_context":{"text":"Arts and Culture","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/category\/arts-and-culture\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Scene-change-3-with-sky.jpg?fit=1200%2C640&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Scene-change-3-with-sky.jpg?fit=1200%2C640&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Scene-change-3-with-sky.jpg?fit=1200%2C640&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Scene-change-3-with-sky.jpg?fit=1200%2C640&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Scene-change-3-with-sky.jpg?fit=1200%2C640&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":208,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/2023\/01\/24\/those-people-does-your-arts-organization-understand-equity-really\/","url_meta":{"origin":837,"position":5},"title":"\u201cThose People\u201d – Does Your Arts Organization Understand Equity? Really?","author":"Alan Harrison","date":"January 24, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"So why do some board members, executive directors, and other nonprofit arts folks feel so empowered as to speak for those people in their own community who do not share their background, experience, and, let\u2019s face it, their privilege? Not only empowered, but confident in their opinion about \u201cthose people.\u201d","rel":"","context":"In "Arts and Culture"","block_context":{"text":"Arts and Culture","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/category\/arts-and-culture\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/pexels-los-muertos-crew-7613564.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/pexels-los-muertos-crew-7613564.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/pexels-los-muertos-crew-7613564.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/pexels-los-muertos-crew-7613564.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/pexels-los-muertos-crew-7613564.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/837","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=837"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/837\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":849,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/837\/revisions\/849"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/838"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=837"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=837"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=837"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}