State of the Union

This will undoubtedly upset and offend some folks, so the standard disclaimer applies - the following content consists of my own ideas and opinions, and should be taken as such. This is not an official communication of my current employer.

If this post offends you, feel free to remove me as a Connection. If you disagree and want to discuss it further, feel free to start a private conversation - I’m not going to participate in a contentious back-and-forth in front of an audience this large. The fact that I’m comfortable enough posting this on a business-focused social media platform is itself an expression of the privileges I enjoy.

If this post doesn’t seem business-related, then you are asserting that the society in which we live, and its pervasive issues, are not relevant to business. Of course this is business-related, it’s just talking about the underlying fabric that makes business possible.

First, a poem by someone who is very dear to me, and which probably states my thoughts and feelings more effectively than the rest of what I wrote.

silence

no more voice

multitudes fight for a voice and require intervention to be heard

pandemic of human inequality

fear of illness but already infected

"i can't breathe" 

paralyzed in his steps

silenced 

I will lend my voice

I can be one in a chorus of those willing to speak

Give life to the dead dry bones of apathy

breathe for those who cannot

make sound for those who have been silenced

It’s time to take sides, folks. Either what’s happening in our country is ok, or it’s not.

I say it’s not.

The system is not working well for virtually anybody anymore.

For people of color, it never has.

For women, it never has.

For those who are LGBTQ, it never has.

It’s been easier to ignore when you’re white, male, and heterosexual, but enough’s enough.

Here’s a baby step for all of us white males - at least acknowledge that life is harder for other people that aren’t white males.

And either agree that equality for every American is important or quit pretending that you’re not sexist, racist, and bigoted.

You can’t have it both ways - you can’t say, “I condemn the riots, and the looting, and the anti-police bias” and also ignore what brought us here in the first place.

Rioting, looting, and violence are wrong - but you can’t pretend to be surprised when this is the outcome of our deeply unequal, pervasively racist, and fundamentally unfair society.

You can’t shout “Law and Order” when what you really mean is, “Laws that Primarily Benefit Me and My Definition of Order.”

Even if you want to use a business lens that ignores racism, sexism, and homophobia, how is wage stagnation, a broken healthcare system, and a debt-financed educational system good for business?

So, fellow privileged white dudes, if you think the system is “generally fair for everyone” and “we’re making great progress in the areas of racism, sexism, and homophobia” please do some research.

If you don’t already understand that many of our laws (and law enforcement) disproportionately target communities of color and other marginalized groups, you’re willfully ignoring reality.

If you think the American Dream is still alive and well for all Americans, you’re willfully ignoring reality.

Quit pretending things are ok…