The world has been clouded by inequality and inequity for quite some time. But it has become more evident in the last 3 months and has hit us hard, right in the gut these last 3 weeks. Be it the way that migrant workers have been deprived of their basic human rights, or the end of George Floyd’s life in the most inhumane of ways. Be it the ludicrous behavior of leaders from Level 4 countries or mainstream media consistently and conveniently neglecting the coverage of important news in favor of clickbait and sensationalism to increase viewership. Not to forget the imposition of trade debt on emerging countries. There is discrimination everywhere and at multiple levels. This discrimination may have different labels - rich/poor, black/white, upper caste/lower caste, your god/my god, high IQ/low IQ, male/female/other, strong/weak, etc., But it is this same pervasive discrimination that has already put humanity through two world wars, and so much bloodshed, injustice, loss of life and tyranny.
To comprehend the world around us, we created language to classify and differentiate everything. Well this differentiation may have helped us in some aspects, but in recent times it has done more harm than good (it could be my recency bias). I’m surprised that we have advanced so far in Science and Technology that we have managed to send astronauts to the International Space Station not once but 395 times but we are still unable to figure out sustainable solutions to solve one of the core problems holding humanity back, that of treating each other as equals and moving forward into the future together.
I may be accused of oversimplifying the complex and insidious webs that discrimination, prejudice, racism, bigotry weave but I have to try. How do we go about solving the inequality that is at the root of it all? How do we take action? What should I do? What can I do, really? What can you do?
“Things which are equal to the same things are equal to each other” - Euclid’s First Notion
The first step to solving any problem is recognizing that there is a problem. Then comes understanding the problem, and figuring out possible solutions, then follows taking action, and lastly comes iterating based on progress to sustain results satisfactorily. We all know that no solution is a perfect solution and every solution requires that constant iteration as situations, circumstances and other factors evolve.
In my life, I have spent the majority of my time in three spaces - Home, School, and Workplace. These are the spaces where I have been exposed to all kinds of opportunities, learning, challenges and all other life experiences.
Home
This is the most secure place where most habit development happens in a human being. This is the place where the roots of equality or inequality are formed. Here are some ideas I can think of to teach equality at home
Empower all kids to have exposure to similar experiences and opportunities irrespective of gender, social background, religion, community or race .
Inculcate the habit of sharing from a young age.
Teach them the true strength that lies in being kind, understanding, compassionate and open-minded
Show them how to express themselves, their thoughts and emotions without causing hurt, harm or disrespect
Curtail exposure to any form of racial slurs or media and entertainment content that is discriminatory in any form.
Openly have conversations about the different types of discrimination children need to be aware of and teach them how to handle it if they catch themselves thinking that way and also how to deal with it when they witness it around them.
Normalize interracial, intercultural, inter-religious, intercaste friendships, relationships and marriages irrespective of gender, sexuality, social background or abilities.
School
This is where we learn, form our social circles, and start identifying ourselves with a tribe. In general, we can all agree that the way education is delivered in schools has to change. There is no better time than now for that change. Although the current classroom structure may have been designed with the right intentions, it is failing to deliver the intended outcomes. It doesn’t take into account the factor that every individual has different learning capabilities. Because of this, average kids like me get left behind in the learning process. From my personal experience, this leads to further inequality and inequity. There are some ideas I could think of to change this:
Stop labeling kids based on their IQ. Here’s an interesting piece on why IQ is a pseudoscientific metric.
Deliver education in a customized and highly personalized way with world-class teachers to match the learning capabilities of each individual.
Place emphasis on learning humanities subjects like Sociology, History, Culture and Communication studies among others
Welcome kids from different economic backgrounds to the classroom to broaden perspectives
Structure inclusive activities for kids to interact with others from diverse backgrounds.
Make education accessible to everyone in the first place.
Workplace
This is a space where we spend the majority of our life-time (8-10hrs a day, for 30yrs). We better get things right at the workplace. These are some ideas I could think of to fight inequality at the workplace:
Have a zero-tolerance policy for racial and sexist viewpoints and jokes.
Fire hateful customers, it’s okay to take churn in the short-term in order to build more meaningful relationships for the long-term.
Have a diverse group of people in leadership - welcome people from different genders, races, nationalities, backgrounds etc.,
Be intentional about investing time in developing the talents of people from underrepresented, underserved and underprivileged communities.
Give a voice to everyone and listen to all perspectives.
Look at your team, do they all look like YOU? Then there’s a problem right there. Change that. Organizations everywhere are focusing on diversity and inclusion. Where do you stand on that with your organization?
Provide equal opportunities to everyone. This should already be a given in every company’s policies, but how about truly ensuring it?
Everything that’s happening around us and in the world out there is painfully digressive to us as humanity. Black lives matter. Migrant lives matter. All lives matter. Surely, you and I, we can s fight against divisive forces, actions, conditioning and behavior, in the way we think and act, in what we allow around us, in our homes and our places of work, in our families and among our friends, and most importantly with how we raise the children around us. They say it takes a village, but the world needs each of us to do our bit. Because however small or infinitesimal it may seem, every step, every conversation, every decision and action in the right direction will move humanity forward in a far-reaching manner. We need to believe in that. We need to hold each other to that.
My understanding and learning about inequality and inequity is still a work in progress. I would appreciate any book suggestions, ideas, and thoughts on solving inequality and inequity. I’m ready to take action.
“The place to improve the world is first in one's own heart and head and hands” - Robert M. Prisig “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance”
P.S: Some interesting reads that I came across on these issues -
Blood on all our hands - https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/a-moment-for-civilisational-introspection/article31705361.ece
Diversity in Marketing -History will remember the complicit - https://sairamkrishnan.substack.com/p/history-will-remember-the-complicitBarack Obama’s voice - https://medium.com/@BarackObama/how-to-make-this-moment-the-turning-point-for-real-change-9fa209806067