11 Nov 2022

Diversity Lens - Issue 150

Diversity Lens - Issue 133 Diversity Lens - Issue 132 Diversity Lens - Issue 131

The work Christmas party season is approaching. Does this feel you with dread?
Dressing up, being plied with booze, making small talk with drunk colleagues - there can be a lot of negative feelings associated with the work party. These feelings could be exacerbated in recent years by the fact that most of us don't work alongside our colleagues in an office environment every day, and haven't established a foundation of trust.

If you're in charge of organising your work do, how about sending round a poll for everyone to have a say in your plans? You can't please everyone but you can take check of the general feeling and make sure you're listening to everyone, not just the loudest few.

Book:
Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies, and Bucks

An Interpretive History of Blacks in American Films

Donald Bogle excellently analyses black representation in US films since 1900 and manages to categorise all black roles over a 120-year period as being at least partially constructive of just five stereotypes. The book carries huge significance, revealing how film not only represents biases and prejudices of black people within society but reinforces them. It is relevant beyond the US due to the huge influence of their film industry and gets to the core of why black people are viewed by many societal structures (consciously or sub-consciously) as being passive/subservient (“Tom”), clownish or intellectually inferior (“Coons”), Tragic (“Mulattoes”), content with servitude (“Mammies”), or violent (“Bucks”). We highly recommend this transformative book.

STORY OF THE WEEK

‘Words We Don’t Say’ is a Tender Exploration of Black Father and Daughter Relationships

Written and directed by Ella Ezeike, this short film takes a gentle yet probing approach to father-daughter relationships and "Black intergenerational communication". The film follows this unique dynamic - estranged father and daughter - through infancy, childhood and adulthood. It offers a perspective free of anger, showing understanding of the complexities of fatherhood and black fatherhood specifically.

As the title indicates, Words We Don't Say offers a window into a vulnerability and openness that we don't often hear from fathers. “I had no voice. Then suddenly it was my job to teach you how to use yours”, the voiceover confides in us in a kind of spoken word that immediately establishes intimacy, intercut with mundane but poignant home-movie style videos.

IN OTHER NEWS

The Future of Trans Rights is on the Ballot

Republican candidates used anti-trans policies in their midterm election campaigns to "rile up their base". Politicians pledged to limit the rights of transgender children and adults further via millions of dollars of anti-trans TV ads, with one campaign stating that "the radical left will destroy America if we don't stop them."

Conservative school boards and states all over the country have already enacted or tried to enact anti-trans legislation, including restrictions on gender-affirming medical care, sports participation, and bathroom policies. "This focus, to me, is false, disgusting, and a sense that they’ve completely lost touch with reality", LGBTQ program director for watchdog Media Matters, told VICE News.

Boys Need to Talk More About Feelings and Fight Inequality, Report Says

With the help of the Global Boyhood Initiative, adults will be better equipped to raise boys who value healthy masculinity. It was co-founded by The French charity Kering Foundation violence against women and the American gender equality organisation Equimundo. According to the 'The State of UK Boys' report, traditional ideas of masculinity, such as physical, sexual, and intellectual strength, as well as heterosexuality, still take centre stage even as attitudes toward gender and boyhood change. Recent data suggests that schools are in fact slowly moving toward less gendered practises. However, it pointed out that gender and equality issues need to be addressed immediately in organised sport and physical education as a priority.

Private Renters Twice As Likely As Homeowners to Have Anxiety, UK Study Suggests

There is a clear link between financial insecurity and poor mental health. Anxiety Nation monitored 12 symptoms associated with anxiety including sleepless nights, feeling depressed, and lacking in energy. Private renters were at least twice as likely as homeowners to report 10 of the 12 symptoms, which may come as little surprise to anyone who has had to navigate the treacherous rental market in the recent months, or even years. Once in a rental home, the anxiety doesn't stop there with little protection against rent surges or unreasonable demands from landlords. The report, commissioned by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, calls for more security in renting, including the long-promised ban on no-fault evictions.

WORK SPHERE

Do We Have to Go to the Work Christmas Party?

The Christmas party can be a daunting event for many people, but they can feel like a mandatory part of a job. For people who work from home or suffer from anxiety, the idea of travelling and spending time with people they don't know very well, as well as making a good impression in such an unusual setting, can be very intimidating. And with 1 in 35 people currently being shown to have Covid, for anyone who is shielding or at risk, the Christmas party could feel particularly unsafe.

However, while individual companies may have guidelines, there aren't any laws that mandate attendance, so make sure you aren’t forced into anything you don’t feel comfortable with and voice your concerns.

Acne Is Still Seen as Unprofessional In The Workplace. That Needs to Change

Work can be a stressful place, without the added concern that you may be judged, or given unsolicited advice, because of your acne. With people sharing how they have previously been encouraged to wear make-up to cover their acne or scars, it isn't surprising that almost half of 200 women interviewed in a 2014 study said they had difficulty concentrating at work due to their acne.

However, Hayley Wester, a certified nurse who has experienced some of these reactions, hopes that as younger generations enter the workforce with a more “take me as I am” outlook, the negative attitudes and unsolicited advice will diminish. For now, Wester says she is happy to be the person to shut those conversations down “if it means they won’t ask other people about their skin conditions.