Time For Sweeping Culture Change
The most appalling reality being revealed when powerful men use their positions of power to bully and assault women is that too many of us are not too shocked. And that is a large part of the problem.
A culture change of any kind requires an incredible amount of prolonged effort by a minority force. I say minority force because if it were a majority group that wanted change it would be that much more easier to attain than not. Whether it is in the entertainment business (Bill Cosby, now Harvey Weinstein), the criminal justice system (Blue Line Culture), Politics (Take your pic), the problem lays with the status quo acceptance of dysfunction and criminality.
The movers that must be at the forefront of the initiative are the ones in the midst. By this I mean that men in particular need to get more involved and check and correct other men when they see or even hear of inappropriate behavior targeting women. Police officers need to check and correct other police officers when they see or hear of inappropriate behaviors towards minorities or the underprivileged. Teachers need to check and correct other teachers when they see or hear of inappropriate behaviors targeting students. The invisible wall goes up all to often when someone from 'outside' the realm cries foul but all the 'proper' things are said from those within. Movements don't start by accident. The Civil Rights Movement wasn't an accident. It was thoroughly planned, practiced, and rehearsed. Next time someone makes what you know is an off color comment or joke, and you don't set a boundary, you are implicit in that behavior. That is a good place to start.
The cultures that are predatory, oppressive and inappropriate will not change overnight but are changeable if we mindfully pursue the changes we know need to be made. Courage is contagious.
#elliotyi
#paradigmleft
#habits
#mindset
A culture change of any kind requires an incredible amount of prolonged effort by a minority force. I say minority force because if it were a majority group that wanted change it would be that much more easier to attain than not. Whether it is in the entertainment business (Bill Cosby, now Harvey Weinstein), the criminal justice system (Blue Line Culture), Politics (Take your pic), the problem lays with the status quo acceptance of dysfunction and criminality.
The movers that must be at the forefront of the initiative are the ones in the midst. By this I mean that men in particular need to get more involved and check and correct other men when they see or even hear of inappropriate behavior targeting women. Police officers need to check and correct other police officers when they see or hear of inappropriate behaviors towards minorities or the underprivileged. Teachers need to check and correct other teachers when they see or hear of inappropriate behaviors targeting students. The invisible wall goes up all to often when someone from 'outside' the realm cries foul but all the 'proper' things are said from those within. Movements don't start by accident. The Civil Rights Movement wasn't an accident. It was thoroughly planned, practiced, and rehearsed. Next time someone makes what you know is an off color comment or joke, and you don't set a boundary, you are implicit in that behavior. That is a good place to start.
The cultures that are predatory, oppressive and inappropriate will not change overnight but are changeable if we mindfully pursue the changes we know need to be made. Courage is contagious.
#elliotyi
#paradigmleft
#habits
#mindset
Courage is contagious. I like that line!
ReplyDelete