A clear and thoughtful
exploration of the challenges
underpinning today’s Social
Justice Movement.

An Excerpt from The Old Black Lesbian Elephant in the Room

So this is not a joke. Some self-proclaimed “DEI Disruptors” are suggesting that it is inappropriate to ask colleagues where they’re going for their vacations. The reasoning? Because we don’t know the emotional effect that such a question might have on someone, a) if they were part of a marginalized group, and b) socially oppressive wage gaps leave them unable to “go away.” They opined that instead, we might ask, “How can I support you in having a wonderful time off?” They’re suggesting that this is somehow “Allyship in Action.”
I have no doubt they are earnest. But this is not allyship. This repressive brand of politicised, illinformed, DEI is crippling the field and our collective ability to move forward. It amounts to little more than performative allyship at best, and incendiary rhetoric at worst.
These “disruptors” must STOP infantilizing minoritized peoples by trying to bubble-wrap the world. These ever-expanding “do and don’t” lists are untenable. Not only does this approach infer that we (the marginalized) are all emotionally fragile, it also requires that the world walk on eggshells around us.

Don’t say “these are the steps I’m going to take” because some people are in wheelchairs

Don’t say “brainstorm” because some people feel it is offensive to people with brain disorders

Don’t say “spooky” this Halloween because Black soldiers were called “spooks” during the 2nd World War. I know it originated as a Dutch word describing apparitions, ghouls and ghosts in the 19th century, but…

Oh yeah, and don’t dress up for halloween in school because some kids don’t celebrate Halloween.

This is not empathy.
This is not compassion.
This is a funhouse-mirror representation of everything that inclusion and equity should be.

Equity is about systemic change. It’s fundamentally about righting the ship so we can sail on it together. It doesn’t require sinking the ship we have. And make no mistake, this approach is taking some good divots out of the hull.

Inclusion doesn’t mean excluding those in positions of power. It doesn’t require demonising everything they know as normal or hold as dear. Inclusion is about how we can work to create cultures where people feel truly safe, like they truly fit. … And you don’t accomplish that at the expense of other people’s sense of safety and fit. 

In a recent NPR poll, some 52% of Americans said they were against the U.S. Getting More Politically Correct. So I guess some 52% of the country are just a bunch of racists, sexist and homophobes hey? Or maybe it’s not that. Maybe it’s because the vast majority of them equate “political correctness” to this kind of repressive and arbitrary nonsense.
Of course disruption can be good, but disruption for disruption’s sake is not. And when your approach drives so much friction that it actually winds up being counterproductive, it’s not disruption … it’s stupid.

Coming Spring 2024

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