Why Do They Do that?

Often when I see posts by people of color (so to speak) from the global diaspora, and others, their profile headline often has words like "anti-colonial" or "anti-racist" in it. The words often precede their title. Even if that person is not in DEI and works in an unrelated field, I have seen it. I have seen white people use it that are sympathetic to the cause and feel the same way.

Although I probably prefer to see those adjectives than not see them, I sometimes feel they are really over used. Seeing another anti-racist, de-colonizer, profile headline can make my eyes roll. Like I said, however, I am glad they are there. They tell me that the person is concerned about the issues of racism and colonialism. It raises awareness of those issues. And that is a good thing, as I view those things as serious problems that need to be talked about.

However, in the 1960's, during the war on poverty program created by the federal government, a cottage industry was created around the need to alleviate poverty. It was created to reduce poverty in the United States, by improving living conditions and providing greater economic opportunities for low-income Americans. The poverty program created a similar frenzy, like those wanting to be seen as anti-something on LinkedIn. Everybody wanted in.

The cottage industry came about because of the federal investment dollars being dedicated to the programs. Non-profit businesses were being created, new social workers were being minted every day, and more. All sorts of endeavors were being created to serve this ever growing population in the country.

Recent efforts around DEI feels like a less effective reincarnation, albeit much more short-lived, of those early poverty alleviation programs. During that era, these professions were sometimes referred to as "poverty-pimps" in the media, as the cottage industry "needed" poor or disenfranchised people for their survival. It is how they got their federal dollars.

I think the thing that bothers me about the use of those adjectives in people's headlines is that it can sometimes feel like too much. Like everybody is either in DEI, or wants to be in DEI. And it reminds me of that period of the 1960's, when many were sucking at the teat of the money being poured into the important concern of alleviating poverty.

This morning, as I perused LinkedIn, I read a post by a Brazilian woman in tech. I then went to have look at her profile, and there it was. Her headline stated she was an "anti-colonial" and "anti-racist" person in tech. I find it interesting when people with established careers in fields other than in "the helping professions," especially people in other countries, want to include those phrases in their profiles. It encourages me, a little anyway.

According to Copilot, "colonialism is a practice of domination and subjugation where one nation establishes and maintains its control over another territory and its people." When I see people from other countries use those adjectives, it tells me that person has a grasp of global world affairs. Slavery and economic servitude, racism and the like, are all related to colonialism. And many countries have experienced it.

When a person from another country, like the Brazilian lady on LinkedIn, says they are anti-colonial, etcetera, it is like a stick in the eye of the oppressor. It is a well deserved stick in the eye of the United States, of slavery, of racism, and our neo-colonial behavior in the world. We deserve the stick in the eye.