Suddenly Anything is Possible

What makes us react and why?

The unconscious bias work that Howard has been exploring in the context of diversity and cultural competence over the past 7-8 years is fascinating. It is not fascinating simply because it has become one of the pillars of our approach to the work we do, but more poignantly because it shapes so much of how each and every person responds to the world.

Everyday, we read or hear about some tragedy that happened somewhere. At times when it is closer to us either in proximity or emotional affect, we react to it in a way that is reflective of our compassion for the people who were harmed, or with disdain for those who were responsible for the harm done to another person, place, or thing. Our reactions on a conscious level often seem to be logical and "values" based in that the values we subscribe to are "good values". Maybe not all of us feel this way. Others of us may feel that our values are not all that good and admire values that are opposite of ours--we might call them "anti-values". "Anti" in the sense that they are anti-me.

So, yesterday, after logging out of my hotmail account, MSN was running a Newsweek story about a lady who killed her husband. He was a pastor, they had a family together and she murdered him, pleaded temporary insanity on a post traumatic stress disorder defense, and served about 60 days in a mental health facility and was released without prison time. Some people would be outraged about this, but in the context, others wouldn't. The story indicated that the husband had been abusing her for a long period of time and bascially, she snapped. Now, this women was not famous or infamous. I doubt most Americans would know who she was sat in the room with them. Yet, she is a murderer based on the crime she committed. She is also a victimized and abused wife.

Think for a second as if she was your next door neighboor and she killed your best friend (her husband). Would the reaction be different? Of course, that is a silly questions, right? What if she was your best friend and lived next door and you knew that her husband was abusing her and that she was scared and angry and depressed, etc.? Would what she did be justified? Murder is murder, true? Punishment should reflect the crime, correct?

Well, we know this is not always the case. Here is the dynamic, when we stand back and look at the situation with our values compass, we will without a doubt, each evaluate the situation in a different way based on our experiences, learned norms and values, and biases which are most of the time unconscious.

Yesterday it was annouced that Michael Vick is going to admit his guilt in a federal case against him for dogfighting. In Atlanta, where I live as reflected throughout the country, many black people feel that he is being unfairly targeted and many whites feel that he did something heinous and he should pay the price and be kicked out of the league (lose his job forever).

We react to the Michael Vick situation in the ways we do because of our biases. Whether we are black or white or another race/ethnicity, we react because we love dogs and other animals (at least those we don't eat); we react because of athletes being arrogant and doing stupid things thinking they can get off the hook and "when they are making 'all that money' they should know better"; we react because we wanted to win a Superbowl as Falcons fans and he disrupted the chances; we react because of race whether we are black and feel like he is being targeted or white and feel like "this is not about race, so the 'race card' doesn't apply".

Every opportunity to really look at our biases is an opportunity to see what lies under the surface of our decision making and responses to the world and how the influence of our biases has to be taken into account if we truly want to live, work and play in harmonious and inclusive environments. It is not about who is right and wrong; instead, it is about authentic communication, personal introspection, and transformation.

I am not a big news person, but I have begun to take inventory of my responses to what comes on when I do read it via the web or otherwise. My personal biases are there and I am glad I get the opportunity to see them. They become more conscious than unconscious over time.

Which Way Will it Be?--Howard Ross

A new study has focused even greater attention on why a breakthrough is needed on how we deal with issues of diversity. Harvard’s Robert Putnam, whose 2000 book “Bowling Alone” focused on the issue of declining civic engagement, and who is seen as one of the seminal thinkers in the country on issues of social capital, a concept that identifies the advantage created by a person's location in a structure of relationships, has released a new study which shows that the greater the diversity, the greater the decline in civic engagement.

Robert Putnam on Declining Civic Engagement and Diversity

The study is drawn from detailed interviews with over 30,000 people from all across the United States. The study is particularly seen as noteworthy because Putnam has long been seen as a strong supporter of diversity.

From my way of thinking, there are two interesting dynamics at play. The findings, and people’s reaction to them.

The findings themselves are not surprising at all for most people who have lived or worked in changing environments. It is more challenging to create a sense of community in diverse environments then it is in homogeneous ones. There is no secret to this. People tend to feel comfortable with and gravitate towards other people who are more similar to them. It feels safer. It is easier to trust.

The converse of this is that fear tends to cause most people to withdraw when their environment begins to diversify, and in this withdrawal (Putnam cleverly refers to it as “the turtle pulling its head inside its shell”) is a natural decline in broader community participation and a greater focus on more parochial concerns. Creating community requires reaching out to others who are different. Understanding that difference. Listening and learning.

Putnam’s findings are balanced by others which show that there is enormous value that diversity brings when we find ways to understand it. Scott Page, a University of Michigan professor, for example, has recently released a brilliant new book called The Difference: How the Power of Diversity Creates Better Groups, Firms, Schools, and Societies, in which he proves, using empirical formulations, that diversity actually trumps quality in creating productive, effective teams.

Diversity Trumps Quality

The more interesting dynamic, to me, is the way people are responding to the findings.
As one would expect, conservative groups are responding to the study as evidence for their anti-immigration policies (as if stemming the tide of diversity is any more possible then stopping the sun from rising in the morning!) and, also not surprisingly, many liberals are struggling to find a way to dismiss the findings. Unfortunately, our positionality, on both sides, can often replace thoughtfulness.

We are dealing with a fundamental reality in our society. It is called diversity. Regardless of what some would like to do to stem the tide of it, it is here to stay. The demographics of our country are changing radically and will continue to do so. Putnam is right. If we do nothing to address the dynamics that it creates it will undermine our collective community structure. But Page is also right, addressed with awareness, consciousness, and thoughtfulness, diversity can, and will, make us better than we have ever been.

The question is which it will be. Will we build walls around our communities and borders and try to keep “them” out in the hope that we can hold on to the homogeneity of the past? Or will we embrace the future, learn what diversity means, and learn to relate and thrive in a new way.

The fork in the road is in front of us.

The choice is ours.

Minorities Surpass Majority in 10 Percent of U.S. Counties

We consistently talk about the growth of minorities communities throughout the country. This article (below) highlights that approximately 10 percent of U.S. counties are now majority people of color and some of the responses certain people have about it.

A story like this, as do many others, brings up people's feelings regarding immigration. Some counties are putting laws into place that restrict public services to illegal immigrants. Many people might agree with this action. However, when we look at children born in the U.S. to illegal immigrant parents, we may essentially be denying U.S. citizens needed services. This is not a new conversation, but one that we need to address in a manner that not only allows us to consider the law, but also our unconscious biases and the practicality of our responses to the issue.

Howard is currently working on a book (that will complement our new Exploring Unconscious Bias course) which will allow us look at issues like immigration and other hot-button topics where diversity on all levels is at play.

CNN Story: Minority Majority in 10 percent of U.S. Counties