This is a post with a few brief, random points.
The first is based on something from this week’s coming reflections and news post:
GLAAD has reported on how dangerous (see here for some commentary on that) social media platforms are for LGBTQIASB+ people - and what those platforms should do to fix the matter;
The recommendations GLAAD provide cover, IMO, the bare minimum that is required - and that includes training everyone.
In addition to that, my opinion is that, if people will not complete that training, or do not do so genuinely, then they are a bad fit for the company, and the company should dismiss them (or maybe give them the option of resigning, although that does cover up their determination to be bigots).
That does mean the company will lose some talent, which will be a short term hit to their performance, but in the longer term, they will be able to create a workplace where people can bring their authentic selves, and that is known to boost creativity and productivity.
To some extent, this is perhaps a harder version of former US President Barack Obama’s “don’t do stupid s**t” foreign affairs philosophy and a similar philosophy adopted by an AFL club and some businesses.
If DEI policies had been given harder enforcement, it is quite possible that we would not still have so much racism, sexism, and other forms of discrimination in workplaces.
Linked to this, I want to re-emphasise, regarding forgiveness of bigots/abusers, when those people have genuinely overcome their flaws of character, they MUST back off and allow time for their victims to grieve those who did not make it, and to heal.
Insisting on celebrations is continued abuse, forces toxic forgiveness onto the victims, and will kill the future of such measures.
On workplaces (and other situations - noting, in particular, a comment about political candidates being based on whose turn it is next, rather than merit, in some parties), I think I am going to start using the term “my turnism”, which mucks a lot of things up.
Something else I might see if there is a catchy term for, or make one up, is the problem of those people who are so focused on their own priorities and what they consider important that they don’t notice more pressing issues - such as, to invent an example, the person focused on getting a valve closed who refuses to heed warning that the tank is splitting on the other side, or who is so focused on profit numbers they don’t notice the discrimination and abuse that will lead to a court case that will cost the company all its profits and possibly its very existence.
Another matter I have been thinking about is political party’s policy platforms.
Nominally, these are important - in principle, they’re supposed to be complied with, but that may not happen for sometimes valid reasons (things like the GFC, or the COVIC-19 pandemic, or wars, etc - things that are major, but not good), and sometimes for shallow, superficial, contemptible political expediency - and Australia’s worst ever Prime Minister once invented a post-election division into core and non-core promises.
In my opinion, those labels are not quite right:
- non-core policies are those that will cost more votes than they will win - usually (in Australia’s past) as a result of being too progressive, but with younger voters coming through in increasing numbers, doing enough on things like climate change will have to become core, rather than non-core policies;
- “core” policies can also be those that can be snuck past voters without losing too many votes - or perhaps not losing a number of votes that cannot be made up by increased funds from corporations who like the “core” policies and have perhaps captured the party concerned.
The big key here is that the dividing line is moving - it has to, if humans are to survive, or a reasonable number of us with a reasonable quality of life.
The next few points are, to quite an extent, related to children, and should be considered in light of this:
“The Propaganda We Teach Our Kids” https://usamomingermany.substack.com/p/the-propaganda-we-teach-our-kids “How Glittering Generalities Create Blind Loyalty” from “USA Mom in Germany”
The points are:
- Critical thinking should be taught in schools (and the adults who are willing to learn - especially if they have been caught out by a scam), and the success of that teaching should be measured by the rate of people caught in scams (who have had the training, obviously). If the rates are lower in graduates of the critical thinking course, the course is probably good; if not, then tweak the course, rather than throw it out, until it does start to work.
- Children should also be taught flexibility regarding life aims and goals. They should be emotionally and mentally able to adapt, including giving up old goals when circumstances change - such as new, transformative inventions. This will help to future proof them and the jobs market.
Examples of past changes that required such adaptation are the domestication of fire, agriculture, the invention of telephones, shifting from horses to cars (a lot of horse experts lost their careers), the Internet, smartphones, and AI.
Older children should be taught that their children may have disabilities or differences, and they should be prepared for that if they are thinking about having children. (And their children may choose to have different values/worldview/life choices, which they should also be comfortable with.)
- On that, everyone needs to accept and be comfortable with diversity - which, for the sake of the benefits that DEI brings business, needs to be taught at school.
And as a final, personal point, I am finding alternating nostrils with my breathing exercises is no longer as crucial as it once was: I get good results just from using the cycle.
As a postscript, I have just written a poem: The night cat café
The experience that led to that poem, of sharing affection with one of the neighbourhood cats, was a good reminder for me that the purpose of life is spiritual love, and there are countless acts of kindness everywhere that express that purpose and lead to joy.
If you appreciated this post, please consider promoting it - there are some links below, and there’s also other options.
Note that I am cutting back on aspects of my posts - see here.
(Gnwmythr is pronounced new-MYTH-ear)
Remember: we generally need to be more human being rather than human doing, to mind our Mӕgan, and to acknowledge that all misgendering is an act of active transphobia/transmisia that puts trans+ lives at risk & accept that all insistence on the use of “trans” as a descriptor comes with commensurate use of “cis” as a descriptor to prevent “othering” (just as binary gendered [men’s and women’s] sporting teams are either both given the gender descriptor, or neither).#PsychicABetterWorld and may all that I do be of value and actively BPM used for and by the nonphysical BPM
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