Total System Failure

Is EWB a Cult?

SUMMARY

 

 

Luna Taguchi, former president of the McGill University chapter of EWB, discusses what it was like to realize that the organization she supported was concealing decades of discrimination and abuse. She, like some other ex-EWBers, turned to cult literature to understand the internal dynamics of the organization and why some people inexplicably continued to make excuses for EWB. Luna and Chelsey discuss the "collective trauma" inflicted by the lying and corruption of self-absorbed institutional leaders who eject anyone who challenges them (often deeming them disloyal, radicals, or heretics).  They ponder what it takes to heal and move on, including struggling with feelings of anger and fantasies of revenge. These are part of the process and can be harnessed and turned towards breaking one's silence and standing up for justice and equity.

Host: Chelsey Rhodes

Guest: Luna Taguchi

For more info: www.totalsystemfailure.org

GoFundMe for Aakhil: https://www.gofundme.com/f/aakhil-lakhani-legal-support-fund 

Musical theme: Shades Lawrence https://shadeslawrence.com/ Buda Bap Beats https://www.instagram.com/budabapbeats/

Ontario Liberals Cover Up Sexual Harassment

SUMMARY

 

 

Sam Nami, ex-President of the UofT Scarborough Young Liberals, talks about the resistance he faced trying to get the Ontario Liberal Party to address sexual harassment within their ranks.  Fake investigations by friendly insiders, assailants receiving promotions, bullying, racism, and organizational silence are well known to followers of TSF, but now show the hypocrisy of political parties that publicly proclaim their lofty principles while operating very differently behind closed doors.

Host: Chelsey Rhodes

Guest: Sam Nami

For more info: www.totalsystemfailure.org

Musical theme: by Buda Bap Beats https://www.instagram.com/budabapbeats/

WE, EWB, and Doing Harm by Trying to Do Good

CW: abuse, institutional violence

SUMMARY

Aakhil Lakhani and Chelsey Rhodes, two of the co-organizers of Total System Failure, talk about the WE Charity scandal and draw comparisons with EWB.  They refer to Boris Martin (above left) and George Roter (above right) as the "Kielburgers of EWB."

To kick off the episode they discuss the reception of Chelsey's recent profile of Aakhil's experience at EWB, in Briarpatch Magazine: "What do we do when humanitarians are the disaster?"

They go on to discuss labour issues in the nonprofit and charitable sector, the use of unpaid internships, lack of employment protections or union representation, and abuse in the workplace.

Chelsey draws distinctions between isolated or seemingly disconnected "victim narratives" versus a larger political critique, the latter being the intended focus of Total System Failure. Aakhil emphasizes that sexual harms in these organizations are connected to a larger culture of supremacy that operates globally.

They also discuss EWB's ties to the mining and extractive sector; the myth of Canada's foreign benevolence; NGOs' relationship to the crushing of dissent; and EWB's refusal to critique the engineering profession and their role in globalizing capital, militarism, and unfettered industrial development that is harmful to people and planet.

The episode concludes with a discussion of how to shift from a traditional aid model to mutual aid or reparations, and the urgent need for more people to speak up about these issues.

Hosts: Aakhil Lakhani, Chelsey Rhodes

For more info: www.totalsystemfailure.org

Musical theme: by Buda Bap Beats https://www.instagram.com/budabapbeats/

How do You Stand Up to Your Own Organization?

CW: abuse, institutional violence

SUMMARY

In this episode, Aspen Murray (above right) and Juliette Escande (above left), co-presidents of the McGill University chapter of Engineers Without Borders Canada/ EWB, explain the events leading up to their chapter boycotting the organization.

Their brave and powerful action kicked off a wave of boycotts, with other chapters soon joining them. As of mid-July 2019, nine university chapters are boycotting EWB: McGill, Concordia, Alberta, McMaster, Queens, ETS, Manitoba, Polytechnique, and York. 

Aspen and Juliette lend their wisdom on a wide range of topics including bystanderism, rape culture, fake allyship, careerism, groupthink, standing by one's values, whistleblowing in a social media era, the history of workplace harassment, institutional memory, and how people in their own lives have reacted to their activism.

What's Next for EWB?

Towards the end of the discussion, Juliette imagines an 'impossible', ideal future for EWB: apologies, a brand new Board of Directors, a new CEO, independent investigations, and a full reckoning with past wrongs. Reflecting on that, she states, "That's not even a hard thing to do... I think that's what's so exhausting and draining is that what is simple has become impossible-- when in reality it's just the right thing to do."

Aspen closes off by emphasizing that it's difficult to change an institution when everything is built on a shaky foundation.

Guests: Juliette Escande, Aspen Murray

Host: Chelsey Rhodes

For more info: www.totalsystemfailure.org

Musical theme: by Buda Bap Beats https://www.instagram.com/budabapbeats/

Should EWB Exist? (Part II): A System of Abuse

CW: abuse, institutional violence

SUMMARY

As the philosopher Sara Ahmed notes, "The experience of identifying and challenging abuses of power teaches us about power."

Aakhil Lakhani and Chelsey Rhodes continue their conversation with a discussion of how a culture and system of abuse can emerge in an organization, fostered by self-absorbed leadership, lack of accountability mechanisms, and then enabled and re-inscribed by passive participants and followers (who become complicit in the abuse).

In this conversation they begin to map out the shape of institutional violence at Engineers Without Borders Canada (EWB), from persistent interpersonal harm and widespread silencing tactics, to issues around over-identification with an institution to the point of developing cult-like dynamics and becoming impervious to important critiques.

Together they begin to point to harassment, discrimination, and bullying as symptoms of deeper structural and ideological failures.

At 20:11 Aakhil hints at this, saying "the theology has been bad from the beginning."

Guest: Aakhil Lakhani

Hosted by: Chelsey Rhodes

Musical theme: by Buda Bap Beats https://www.instagram.com/budabapbeats/

Should EWB Exist? (Part I): Another Survivor Comes Forward

CW: sexual violence, racism, victim-blaming, institutional retaliation

SUMMARY

Aakhil Lakhani talks about their 5 years of experience with Engineers Without Borders Canada (EWB), including their own experience of sexual assault as a Junior Fellow (JF) on an overseas placement, and the botched response of the organization. Aakhil is a chemical engineer who works as an organizer for environmental and social justice.

AAKHIL’S STORY

3:18: “I was so deeply personally impacted by the trauma of being involved in EWB that I felt that it was important to lend my voice and my story.”

4:10: “I so distinctly remember after being assaulted in Ghana, coming back and talking to George [the former CEO] about it, and him just looking me directly in the eyes and saying to me, “assault doesn’t happen to our overseas volunteers.””

IS EWB EQUIPPED TO SUPPORT THEIR OVERSEAS STAFF/ VOLUNTEERS?

Aakhil and Chelsey discuss the systemic issues at EWB, including health and safety issues and sexual violence response (or lack thereof).

7:49: “When I asked for services and follow-up, the response was unanimously, “we are not equipped to provide this service”… Folks who were in management positions did not have the training to do support.”

11:52: “I firmly believe that the sending of JFs in this cohort was wholly unethical.”

13:24: “It seems that they don’t know what they don’t know through wilful ignorance.”

CAN EWB CHANGE?

Aakhil and Chelsey ask whether EWB has the capacity to change or be accountable.

14:08: “We’re looking at the symptoms of a systemic problem here. The symptoms of systemic injustice.”

22:13: “EWB ideology is governed by two white men with no international development or anti-oppression frameworks for understanding the world… It’s an echo chamber.”

24:12: “In a situation in which we were able to build a functioning Board, that might be one of the only mechanisms that change could be effective without going through the legal system.”

SHOULD EWB EXIST?

Aakhil and Chelsey discuss EWB’s problems with white saviourism and paternalism, lack of diversity, lack of a coherent strategy, suppression of critical thought, the ill-advised move to a “venture/social enterprise” model of development, and possible solutions to the issues at the organization.

[*Note: brief mention of “Dorothy.” For EWB’s description of this concept, see Chapter 4 of their unfortunate publication “Good Luck and Don’t Have Sex”.]

Aakhil and Chelsey wrap up Part I of their conversation by pondering the question, “Should EWB exist?”

 

Guest: Aakhil Lakhani

Hosted by: Chelsey Rhodes

Musical theme: by Buda Bap Beats https://www.instagram.com/budabapbeats/