The Disorienting Dilemma

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Good friends will give truthful feedback, even when it’s embarrassing, because they care. It’s the spinach in teeth moment or the toilet paper dragging from the shoe. Better to hear it from them than to secretly get roasted by others who, see the missteps but, say nothing. Melissa Mackay is that kind of good friend.

While driving along listening to the Cancel Culture episode from Season One, she was yelling back at the speakers about all the things she thought Chris and Jake didn’t get quite right. She reached out to Jake with some feedback and generously agreed to jump on the mic to help diversify the conversation.

In this episode we talk about the issue of Sexualized Violence. We recognize this topic can be challenging and encourage you to take care as you listen. Below are some resources in the event you need support or want to learn more.

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Resource and Support Links:
US: National Sexual Violence Resource Center | National Sexual Violence Resource Center
(NSVRC)
Can: Ending Violence Association of Canada Find Help Across Canada - Ending Violence
Association of Canada

Can you hear me now?: “By looking past the negative connotation that accompanies the phrase“cancel culture,” we can begin to hear the voices of those who were previously silenced by their marginalized and undue place in society’s hierarchy. Anne Charity Hudley, the chair of linguistics of African America at UC Santa Barbara, explained to Vox, “From my point of view, for Black culture and cultures of people who are lower income and disenfranchised, this is the first time you do have a voice in those types of conversations.”

Cultivating Space to Learn: “There are blurry lines between being held accountable and getting cancelled. We live in a society that is seeking to redress historically imbalanced levels of accountability while still relying on a punitive justice system. We’re trying to fix an imbalanced system with broken tools. Advocating for accountability falls short when it doesn’t revolve around empathy. Restorative justice is the answer—but we’re not there yet.”

Reverse Cancelled - Amber Heard: “Although jurors were considering civil libel claims and not criminal abuse charges, the verdict largely vindicated Depp’s allegations that Heard lied about abusing her. During testimony, Heard detailed dozens of instances of assault, and Depp
emphatically denied ever abusing her. In 2020, a U.K. judge in a civil libel case found that Depp assaulted Heard on a dozen occasions. For Scartz, who directs the clinic at the University of Georgia’s law school, the concern is about the assumptions some will make that women are lying. She fears abusers may be newly emboldened to paint their accusers as liars in retaliation for them coming forward.”

Can I come back yet?: “Thanks so much to our industry for once again telling us that survivors don’t matter,” tweeted writer and producer Sarah Ann Masse. To outraged critics, Louis CK’s comeback was like five years’ worth of progress undone. But looking back, it’s hard to believe we were ever so confident in our ability to permanently separate a massively successful entertainer from an audience that still clamoured for his work. Even when Louis CK began popping up at comedy clubs in late 2018, the response from media folks and comedy scene critics was a chorus of “too soons” — as if their opinions mattered, when audiences at these events greeted him with wild applause.”

Trevor Noah on Twitter: “I said counsel Kanye not cancel Kanye”: “If you like me, or if you like anyone in your life, I hope you’d have the ability to say to that person, ‘Hey, I think what you’re doing here is wrong. I think you may be headed in a dangerous direction. And I’m saying that to you because I like you. I don’t discard you as a person,’” Noah said, before going on to hint that he hopes West can redeem himself in the eyes of the public. “I think we have gotten very comfortable discarding human beings, immediately tossing them away and making them irredeemable characters,” he said, in an apparent reference to “cancel culture.” “I think all of us should be afforded the opportunity to redeem ourselves. All of us should have an opportunity at redemption.”

It’s about damn time: “Shortly after the post and the song's rerelease, disabled people praised Lizzo for being so receptive and for responding well to the community's feedback. Thompson noted, however, that she was not surprised that Lizzo responded the way that she did. Having done work in Black progressive spaces, Thompson has seen Black people who are not versed in disability but who actively work to do better. They know the importance of understanding when they've messed up and being inclusive to everybody. Grace and room for correction are typically not given [to Black people]. The double standard of inconsistent reactions is profound. They don't trust Black people to do the right thing," she said.

BOOK: We Will Not Cancel Us: And Other Dreams of Transformative Justice, by Adrienne Maree Brown: “Cancel culture addresses real harm...and sometimes causes more. It's time to think this through. ’Cancel’ or ‘call-out’ culture is a source of much tension and debate in
American society…Originating as a way for marginalized and disempowered people to address harm and take down powerful abusers, often with the help of social media, call outs are seen by some as having gone too far. But what is ‘too far’ when you're talking about imbalances of power and patterns of harm? And what happens when people in social justice movements direct their righteous anger inward at one another.”

Is cancel culture good for women?: “When it comes to strategies for pursuing ideals of justice in the real world, a practice mostly neglected by philosophers but with considerable real-life purchase is that of refusing or withdrawing a public platform or position. There are various reasons for thinking that supporting what is commonly referred to (mainly by its opponents) as “cancel culture” would further women’s interests, but I will argue that due to the background sexism in society, cancel culture is in fact bad for women.”

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Over 25 years ago, Scott Lynch, along with other local “punks”, participated in a series of grassroots anti-racism efforts in Halifax, Nova Scotia.  He sits down in studio with his friends, Jake and Chris, and shared why he joined the Ku Klux Klan and what it meant to him as a place of belonging and identity. He also discussed how truly leaving White power groups is more complicated than cancelling monthly membership dues.

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Bronwen & Yaffa (Moving Towards Tolerance): “This documentary presents two young women from Halifax who are organizing rock concerts to raise money for the group Eastcoast Against Racism. Bronwen and Yaffa believe that the universal language of music will help unite the community. At the same time, they struggle to renew their friendship with Scott, a former Ku Klux Klan member. This moving film is set against a vibrant soundtrack of punk and rap music.”

PODCAST RECOMMENDATION - Africville Forever: “In 1969, the last home in the Black community of Africville was flattened. The bulldozer was hired by a city that had schemed to claim this valuable land for generations. In this 5 part series, we tell the story of this unique and beautiful place. Born out of adversity, it thrived as a safe haven for people of African descent in Canada. If you care about racism, displaced peoples and social justice, then you need to know the story of Africville Forever. Hosted by Eddy Carvery III & Alfred Burgesson.

KKK in Kanada?: “The Canadian expansion of the KKK was buoyed by inter-war anti-immigrant sentiment, the usual white nationalism that had deep roots since Confederation and concerns over vice—alcohol, drugs and non-heterosexual monogamous sex that was often prejudicially associated with ethnic minorities. In the United States, similar concerns were in play, but the biggest reason for the revival of the anachronistic post-Civil War-era “Clansman” group at the start of the 20th century was the concern in the south that black Americans were making real political and economic gains. It was a backlash.”

Getting out can be lonely: “Having friends, community, and purpose, make it possible for people to sustain the new life they’ve created, but it can be extremely difficult. We believe people are more likely to disengage from hate groups if they have a different community waiting for them so part of our work is to convince the public that these people should not be given up on, that they can take responsibility for their past and change.”

Hate in Canada: A Brief History: “These are the remnants of older groups that operated predominantly in the 20th Century. This includes the KKK and the Creativity movement, which are considered to be still present, but considerably weakened. The ideas (particularly RAHOWA) and symbols promoted by these groups continue to carry significance in the hate movements. Additionally, there are signs that the Klan and people sympathetic to its aims exist in Canada today; in 2017, flyers claiming to be from the organization were distributed in British Columbia. There have also been some reports of limited online activities in the late 2010s”.

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Chris and Jake chat through the difference between radicalization and wokeness, and how sometimes they appear to be the same thing from the “outside”. In considering the influences of politics, religion, and social media on their DEI work, Jake and Chris end up admitting that some days, it feels exhausting to keep having these conversations and give themselves some permission to pause… but not quit!

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Oh, for the love of God: “The clear goal of Christian nationalism is to seize power only for its mostly white evangelical and conservative Catholic followers, no matter who else gets hurt or how many elections have to be overturned. This is the unholy force that incited the failed coup of Jan. 6, 2021, brought us the recent spate of theocratic Supreme Court opinions, and has inspired multiple wave upon wave of dangerous misinformation about elections, climate change, and COVID-19—all in direct contrast to Jesus’ teachings of love, truth, and the common good.”

We get it, dude. You’re woke: “For some, “woke” symbolizes an awakening to the injustices around the world, a sort of enlightenment. While others view the term as being commodified to attract attention from progressive movements. In today’s world, wokeness has been reduced to social media activism. Like a lot of things, people have taken this powerful word from the Black community and converted it into a one-dimensional trendy term.”

What is radicalization?: “It is important to recognize that radicalization, or having radical thoughts, is not illegal or necessarily problematic in and of itself. The Canadian Constitution, through the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, protects Canadians' freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression. Radicalization to violence occurs when a person or group takes on extreme ideas and begins to think they should use violence to support or advance their ideas or beliefs. These beliefs can fall along a wide spectrum of ideologies, including political and religious ideologies.”

Hate Scrolling: “It’s hard to argue that YouTube doesn’t play a role in radicalization. This was first pointed out by technology sociologist Zeynep Tufekci, who illustrated how recommended videos gradually drive users towards more extreme content. In Tufekci’s words, videos about jogging lead to videos about running ultramarathons, videos about vaccines lead to conspiracy theories, and videos about politics lead to “Holocaust denials and other disturbing content””

BONUS: Book Recommendation – Men Who Hate Women by Laura Bates: “This normalization of so-called ‘low-level’ misogyny is what forms the foundations from which men and boys become capable of climbing the ladder towards radical ideologies, which are both a symptom and cause of the epidemic of violence against women. Men Who Hate Women is a wake-up call to how seriously misogyny at all levels needs to be taken in order for society to tackle violence against women”.

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Chris shares some ‘rules’ he learned as a child that he came to understand (later in life) were not exactly universal, but rather preferences and meanings specific to his family. Jake and Chris explore how this phenomenon of ‘hidden rules’ or, more accurately, ‘hidden curriculum’, comes into play when thinking about education practices, supply chain procurement, and everyday encounters. If we are unaware of the hidden curriculum we’ve learned throughout our life, and the way it affects people in groups different than our own, we will make judgements and assign meaning to experiences that promote exclusion and trigger suspicion.

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Hidden curriculum: a set of lessons "which are learned but not openly intended"  to be taught in school such as the norms, values, and beliefs conveyed in both the classroom and social environment.

VIDEO: What is the Hidden Curriculum? (3:45 mins)

BOOK - Culturally Responsive Teaching and The Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor Among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students: To close the achievement gap, diverse classrooms need a proven framework for optimizing student engagement. Culturally responsive instruction has shown promise, but many teachers have struggled with its implementation―until now. In this book, Zaretta Hammond draws on cutting edge neuroscience research to offer an innovative approach for designing and implementing brain compatible culturally responsive instruction.

Understanding Behavioral Symptoms in Tourette Syndrome: “Educators are more likely to punish a student whom they see as BEING the problem. If the educational team recognizes that the student HAS a problem and is not deliberately causing the problem, they’ll be more likely to provide unique and creative strategies for that student. When educators consider what they can do FOR the child and not what they can do TO the child, strategies are more positive, proactive and effective.”

American Progress is an 1872 painting by John Gast: “American Progress visually portrays the process of American westward expansion. The figure of Columbia is ushering in an era of modernization, development, and advancement to the West, which in the painting is portrayed as a dark and savage place, especially when compared to the eastern side of the painting. But, with the ushering in of these developments, the indigenous people living in the West and their way of life is cast out.”

Specimen Days: Human Zoos at the 1904 World’s Fair: The Philippine Reservation was but one of a panoply of “living exhibitions” available at the exposition’s human zoo, in which indigenous people from around the globe –– as well as their food, dress, architecture, games, and religious rites –– were converted into fairground attractions. Exhibition organizers hoped to demonstrate to the world that ethnic groups could be definitively ranked according to biological and cultural markers of civilization –– and that in this ranking, the United States came out on top.

RECOMMENDED READING - The Imperial Cruise: A Secret History of Empire and War: In 1905 President Teddy Roosevelt dispatched Secretary of War William Howard Taft on the largest U.S. diplomatic mission in history to Hawaii, Japan, the Philippines, China, and Korea. Roosevelt's glamorous twenty-one year old daughter Alice served as mistress of the cruise, which included senators and congressmen. On this trip, Taft concluded secret agreements in Roosevelt's name. Roosevelt was bully-confident and made secret agreements that he though would secure America's westward push into the Pacific. Instead, he lit the long fuse on the Asian firecrackers that would singe America's hands for a century.

Prosper Portland: We are the economic and urban development agency for the city of Portland. We focus on building an equitable economy by carrying out a comprehensive range of economic development programs that support small business, improve access to workforce training, and create jobs for Portland residents. We work with partners to drive public attention and resources to different areas of the city, which helps Portland realize capital projects – parks, streetscape improvements, community centres – that would not happen on their own, making it a better place to live for all Portlanders.

Portland Means Progress (PMP): 130+ companies are working together already on DEI initiatives throughout the Portland Metro area. Companies have reported $200M in direct spend with diverse suppliers in the last 3 years through PMP. Join today if you aren’t already involved!

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When someone tells you that you don’t belong here, it can hurt – a lot! What happens when that
voice comes from inside your head? This week, Chris and Jake take on “Imposter Syndrome” and
interrogate how something so common place can be experienced differently by folks from historically
marginalized communities. Chris offers a few tips on how to navigate feeling like a fraud while public
speaking and Jake explains why he uses an alias when ordering at his local coffee shop.

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Started studying in the 70s: “In the past five years we have worked in individual psychotherapy,
theme-centered international groups, and college classes with over 150 highly successful women --
women who have earned PhDs in various specialties, who are respected professionals in their fields,
or who are students recognized for their academic excellence. However, despite their earned
degrees, scholastic honors, high achievement on standardized tests, praise and professional
recognition from colleagues and respected authorities, these women do not experience an internal
sense of success. They consider themselves to be “impostors.” Women who experience the
impostor phenomenon maintain a strong belief that they are not intelligent; in fact they are convinced
that they have fooled anyone who thinks otherwise.”

Excluded from the Study: “The impact of systemic racism, classism, xenophobia, and other biases
was categorically absent when the concept of imposter syndrome was developed. Many groups
were excluded from the study, namely women of color and people of various income levels, genders,
and professional backgrounds. Even as we know it today, imposter syndrome puts the blame on
individuals, without accounting for the historical and cultural contexts that are foundational to how it
manifests in both women of color and white women. Imposter syndrome directs our view toward
fixing women at work instead of fixing the places where women work.”

A Human Experience: “Do you feel like a fraud? Many of us do. Perhaps you started a new job and
believe you have less experience than you need, despite being the perfect candidate on paper. Or
maybe your boss trusted you with an assignment that you feel totally unprepared to lead, regardless
of your flawless track record. There is a name for this feeling: imposter syndrome. Around one-third
of young people suffer from it, and 70% of everyone else is likely to experience it at some point in
their lives.”

Public Speaking Tips: “Screwing up will make the audience like you more. No, seriously. It’s called
the Pratfall Effect, and it’s a known psychological phenomenon. When someone makes a mistake,
we feel like they are human and vulnerable and we like them more as a result. So remember: the
audience is on your side (unless they’re sociopaths, they are in the audience because they like you),
and those little mistakes are just going to endear you to them.”

BONUS: Podcast Recommendation – Work Life by Adam Grant: “I can’t do this.” “I didn’t
deserve this promotion.” “When will they find me out?” If you’ve had thoughts like these, you aren’t
alone. Nearly 70% of people have experienced imposter syndrome—even some of the most
successful ones! The difference is in how they can use imposter thoughts as fuel, rather than a fire
to burn them out. Adam shares three steps you can take to harness your own self-doubt as a fuel for
success, and why we stand to gain more from embracing our insecurities rather than hiding from
them." 

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Chris uses his hot question “hall pass” from Jake as he tries to understand a lived experience that he
never considered until now. They discuss why going straight to “asking your Black friend” for the
answer can be a costly short cut to valuable learning and brain changes. The discussion prompts
Chris to think about his White privilege and his responsibility to work toward dismantling systems of
oppressions to ensure the next generation is better off.

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Resources/materials:
Nudges to Increasing Diversity: “Attracting, hiring, and retaining talent is the result of
organizational decision-making dynamics. Organizational procedures result from the leadership’s
decision making and enable organizations to function. In theory, such decision-making processes
seem rather straightforward: a goal is defined, and a course of action is set out. If a problem
emerges, the possible options and actions are identified for achieving and solving the problem. The
different options are then analyzed and weighed, and the most effective one is selected and adopted
by the organization.”

Hardwired to Exclude Others: “We are each entitled to our own personal world view. But
unfortunately, when it comes to interpreting information and trying to make objective sense of reality,
human brains are hard-wired to make all kinds of mental mistakes that can impact our ability to
make rational judgments. In total, there are over 180 cognitive biases that interfere with how we
process data, think critically, and perceive reality. There is no simple way to get around these basic
human instincts, but one thing that we can do is understand the specific mistakes we make and
why.”

Do No Harm Guide: “Personal and organizational efforts to foster diversity, equity, and inclusion
(DEI) need to extend not only to our internal processes of hiring, promotion, and professional
development but also to our external communication efforts to represent the people and
communities we focus on. To that end, we need to consider how to apply a DEI lens not just to the
words, colors, icons, and other elements in our writing, graphs, charts, and diagrams, but also to the
process of crafting these communication products. This guide and the associated checklists and
toolkits focus on the often hidden or subtle ways that data analysts and communicators fail to
incorporate equitable awareness in the data they use and the products they create.”

From colour blind to Anti-Racist: “For many people, their skin colour matters very much because
they experience racism on a daily basis. To say “I don’t see colour,” is to say we don’t see the
racism people face. What matters is people’s own experience of being racialized. Believing that
ignoring skin colour will solve all of our problems fails to consider the very real experiences of racism
that occur in daily life. As a result, this attitude helps to maintain inequities and systemic racism. We
need to see to believe."

Employee Volunteering: “You’ve been tasked by your company to operationalize purpose – big
commitments to “make an impact” on an important social issue – maybe it’s childhood hunger,
STEM education or homelessness. You’re charged with engaging employees around this critical
issue – at scale. You’re reminded that it’s important that you consider this critical issue through an
intersectional lens because diversity, equity and inclusion are a priority for your company. You’re told
that it would also be fantastic if you could find a way to make it connect with your company’s
sustainability goals, as well (thanks so much!)”

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Jake playfully tries to convince his Dad that his conservative and traditional “Canadian” values are under attack and they need defending. Chris worries aloud that he might be oversharing before telling his own story about when he defended his turf. Throughout the episode, they wind their way through a discussion about inclusion that touches on identity politics, intersectionality, critical race theory and so much more.

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Resources/materials:
Traditionalism Under Attack (IOTBW): “It’s okay to be white,” appears to be a literal, or denotative, message, but when we read it in context — against the backdrop of institutionalized Eurocentrism and current anti-racist political movements like Black Lives Matter — we see that it is far from benign. The poster believes that white identities are no longer accepted at the university. He believes a double standard exists in conversations of cultural diversity. This attitude is aligned with the alt-right, a U.S.-based white nationalist movement.”

Meeting at the Crossroads: “Now more than ever, it's important to look boldly at the reality of race and gender bias -- and understand how the two can combine to create even more harm. Kimberlé Crenshaw uses the term "intersectionality" to describe this phenomenon; as she says, if you're standing in the path of multiple forms of exclusion, you're likely to get hit by both. In this moving talk, she calls on us to bear witness to this reality and speak up for victims of prejudice.” 

Theory of Social Learning – Selective Moral Disconnection: “Advantageous comparison - Mainly, this defensive mechanism involves making comparisons between one's behaviour and one considered much worse, in such a way that by comparison the first does not seem so serious. The typical expression "... but I have not killed anyone" would be a simple example of such a comparison. It is also common to use as an excuse to perform the immoral act the fact that another or others have done something worse. Own locus of behaviour, by reinterpreting the facts based on that comparison.”

Unclean Hands: “The no-touch soap dispenser most likely uses some kind of light sensor to detect when a hand is beneath the contraption. Apparently, a dark-skinned hand wasn’t light enough to register on the sensor. This simple problem would have been avoided if it had been tested on a variety of skin tones. That, of course, requires people working in the industry from a variety of backgrounds. There are plenty more examples of this. Soap dispensers, for one, seem to be particularly bad at dealing with different skin tones. In the past, Flickr and Google were both forced to apologize when their automatic image labeling systems were tagging photos of black people with “ape” and “gorilla". Additional information: 'Coded Bias' Paints a Terrifying Picture of Facial Recognition's Real Impact On Lives.

We Shall Overcome (when it’s good for them too!): “Interest convergence is a theory coined by the late Derrick Bell, law professor and spiritual godfather to the field of study known as critical race theory. Interest convergence stipulates that black people achieve civil rights victories only when white and black interests converge. The signature example is Brown v. Board of Education, which happened because it advanced white interests too, Bell argued. Specifically, desegregation raised the nation's prestige in world politics during the Cold War. Eventually, when interests diverged, the enforcement of civil rights was curtailed: Brown was undercut by later cases that sanctioned segregation for decades.”

BONUS - Fun Fanta Fact-Check: “(He) used his connections in the Third Reich to gain a position overseeing all Coca-Cola plants in Germany and the territories it conquered. This allowed him to spread Fanta across Europe and save other subsidiaries from shutting down. The German branch sold about 3 million cases of the drink before the war was over.” 

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TW: Within the first 10 minutes of this episode, Chris and Jake reference in passing an incident of institutionalized sexual abuse and despite having permission have beeped the name of their friend throughout. Forward to the 12:25 mark of the episode to skip the reference and discussion.

In this episode, Chris tells the story about misunderstood generosity and the important function it can play in building inclusive community. Jake shares about when he had to choose a Black option or not for a work event. They also discuss how painful it can be to experience exclusion (like actual physical pain) and why companies ought to pay attention to ensuring the conditions for belonging
are in place for employees from historically marginalized communities.

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Resources/materials:
Exclusion - A pill for what ails you: “Research has shown that physical pain and social pain are influenced by some of the same biological processes in the brain and body. Based on this research, we thought that acetaminophen, which is commonly used to treat physical pain, might also be able to reduce social pain”. https://neurosciencenews.com/acetaminophen-forgiveness-exclusion-pain-
15704/ & https://academic.oup.com/abm/article/53/12/1045/5485256

Seen, Safe & Supported: “We asked our interviewees what they wished their organizations and
bosses would do differently and what advice they would give their CEOs about DEI efforts.
We learned that these employees feel marginalized, under-appreciated, and poorly understood. In
many cases, they know that their organizations support DEI, but they judge their efforts — for
example, anti-bias training or the creation of affinity groups — to be inadequate. They told us that
they lack strong coaches and mentors and still don’t feel that they can “bring their whole selves to
work.” Asked to name a company that was doing things right, none of them could.”

Generous or Genius – Community Building through Giving: “There is an element of risk in this
game, because if you contribute anything to the shared pot there is no way of knowing, and no
guarantee that anyone else from the group will do the same. So what is surprising is that low status
individuals are willing to take a bigger risk, with fewer resources, than the high status individuals. In
other words, you take a risk by being pro-social because you have no idea if it will be reciprocated.”

Switching It Up: “Based on our research and the work of others, we argue that code-switching is
one of the key dilemmas that black employees face around race at work. While it is frequently seen
as crucial for professional advancement, code-switching often comes at a great psychological cost. If
leaders are truly seeking to promote inclusion and address social inequality, they must begin by
understanding why a segment of their workforce believes that they cannot truly be themselves in the
office. Then they should address what everyone at the company needs to do to change this.”

Why Rejection Hurts: “Though it may seem far-fetched to claim that social rejection can actually
“hurt,” an overlap in the distress associated with physical and social pain makes good sense from an
evolutionary perspective. As a mammalian species, humans are born relatively immature, unable to
feed or fend for themselves. Because of this, infants, in order to survive, must stay close to a
caregiver to get the necessary nourishment and protection. Later on, connection to a social group
becomes critical to survival; its members benefit from shared responsibility for gathering food,
thwarting predators, and caring for offspring.”

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In this episode, Jake reminds Chris of the time some well-intentioned soup kitchen volunteers wanted to help “Billy-bob” change his life by sending him off to the church farm to be reformed. While cautioning against living by lists and checkboxes, Chris contemplates the how 12-step programs, such as Alcoholics Anonymous build group cohesion, overcome labelling stigma, all while embarking on personal growth and reflection journeys. They also explore the concept of the purpose economy and urge leaders to be guided by principles when attempting to instill lasting change to organizational culture and climate.

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Resources/materials:
What is the BigBook and the 12 Steps of AA?: “One can not simply read the 12 steps and be done with them. In order to have a spiritual awakening, an alcoholic must do the 12 steps with another alcoholic. The alcoholic must learn to be vulnerable with other people again, as most alcoholics that are well into their disease live life in an isolated fashion, based out of fear.”
 
Does AA work?: “Surprisingly, we found that AA and related 12-step clinical treatments demonstrated the ability to produce higher abstinence and remission rates at a much-reduced health care cost as compared to other well-established clinical treatments.” 

No quick fixes: “DEI is not a one-and-done effort. To be most effective, consider implementing an evolving practice that addresses concerns and conversations as they develop. As our awareness grows and changes regarding issues that are important to our team members, so, too, should our DEI training.” 

Brain work: “Habits emerge without our permission. We live our lives driven by cues, routines, and rewards that quietly develop over time. The more we do something — eat nuts while watching TV, ride a bike, play an instrument, study a new language — the stronger the neuronal circuit that supports that habit becomes. What this means is that we have the power to grow new neural pathways by practising new habits.” 
 

Purpose Economy: “People don't go to work just to get a paycheck; they want to feel what they are doing matters to the world and that they are growing in the job.” 

In this episode, Chris and Jake attempt to dig into what matters most about Will Smith slapping Chris Rock during the 2022 Academy Award show. By interrogating what else was happening in that moment, they discuss how traditional responses to incidents of workplace violence often focus to narrowly on the behaviour and miss the broader context. Chris asks Jake what a restorative approach would look like in response to this incident and that has them paying attention to a whole bunch of related and connected topics like – hyper-masculinity, intersectionality, racialized violence, workplace conflict and bystander interventions.

White Outrage: “Most people agree the slap shouldn’t have happened. But there’s something that feels precious at best, and downright racist at worst, about white people’s reaction to the now-infamous smack.”

Toxic Masculinity: One study published in the Journal of School Psychology uses the following definition to explain the term, describing it as: "The constellation of socially regressive [masculine] traits that serve to foster domination, the devaluation of women, homophobia, and
wanton violence."

Damsel in Distress: “Although men defending a woman's dignity may appear as an appealing romantic concept, it also assumes certain weaknesses in women. Perceiving women as weaker and more vulnerable is a form of protective paternalism that leads to "benevolent" sexism.”

A Trauma Response: “In 2021, Smith wrote in his self-titled memoir that, in his childhood, he felt guilty for not standing up for his mother when she was being abused by his father. To some extent, I guess his behavior at the Academy Awards can be seen as chivalrous; it’s an example
of a Black man defending his Black wife from an insensitive joke about her hair. But I wouldn’t feel ‘rescued’ by Smith’s actions, and I don’t want my significant other to attack people who disrespect me.”

Bystander Effect: “When I speak to them about violence, most understand their role in leading the change. Some of the young people have home lives riven with trauma and they, more than most, embrace the need to feel safe and violence-free and the tools to do so. There is a saying that the standard you walk by, is the standard you accept. Our young people give me hope of a world where violence is never acceptable.”