Happy St George's Day. Everyone.
Hugo Willis
People expert with 30+ Years in Organizational Transformation, Cultural Change and Leadership Development
St George is not the patron saint of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). Indeed, in the UK he is often seen as embodying something exclusively white, defiantly nationalistic and largely male. Not very diverse, equitable or inclusive I hear some of you say. Like Basil and the Major both these views are fictions, but unlike the harmless characters in Fawlty Towers neither are based on a healthy understanding of where our myths come from.
'Facts'
Historical sources indicate that St George was not white-skinned, not a knight and never visited England. He was probably:
Myths
Several myths arose around St George; some of these include:
领英推荐
Celebration
Since his death and myth-creation, he has become celebrated as:
So what?
If you think this real or imagined character has nothing to do with you, maybe think again. This brown-skinned Greek Christian soldier from Turkey stood up to oppression and one of the most powerful men in the world, paid in Israel with his life for his beliefs and impacted the lives of people of all faiths in the Middle East and beyond. Maybe not your perfect poster-person for DEI but, there again, we are all flawed. Like Basil and the Major.
(Context: The meme was shared this morning by a friend and soldier on a whatsapp group. It made me laugh, because I know people who really are like Basil and the Major and because I also happen to be a retired major. It made me think, because it reminded me of the need to laugh - sometimes at ourselves and especially when things are not so rosy in the world - and do something.)
(Postscript: Thumbs up to so many posts today highlighting his global resonance ??)