I would suggest that the real choice is between seeking excellence first or diversification first (and I am specifically not referring to the politics of all this, but rather the artistic results).
OK, but nobody's talking about enforcing diversity. That's politics.
The choice is between limiting diversity and having diversity. Having diversity is looking out the window and seeing what's out there, instead of looking inside and just seeing people that look like you.
But since I'm one of the few — if not only — Black person here, maybe I shouldn't be commenting on this.
would suggest that the real choice is between seeking excellence first or diversification first
Does being left handed count?
As soon as you show me how film cassette openers are biased towards right-handed people, I'm fighting for you, man !
But it doesn't work that way. If you don't consciously promote diversity, we end up with homogeneity. History has proven this time and again, again in just about every social context.Diversity of thought, participation, and human output should be emergent consequences from striving for excellence and nothing more.
But it doesn't work that way. If you don't consciously promote diversity, we end up with homogeneity. History has proven this time and again, again in just about every social context.
Do you reckon that there just weren't many women classical composers? There would have been more if we hadn't systematically barred them from becoming composers. There would have been if we hadn't forced them to publish their works under the name of men. We would have realized there were more if we had actually given them airplay a little earlier than we only fairly recently started doing. It's a great example of what happens if you unconsciously allow a field of arts to slip into homogeneity. For the largest part, participants and audiences in that field wouldn't have been interested in trying to limit diversity, but it's the emergent behavior they found themselves locked into, for the most part without even realizing it. Happens every time. Every single time. Corporate management culture? Same thing.
I don't care what the narrative is; it's what I've seen happening with my own eyes, as well as how things tend to change if you turn it around, especially in an organizational context.This is certainly the contemporary narrative.
Odds are that you're judging whatever changes you've seen by a set of conservative values.having seen the outcomes of this view flogged in corporate leadership doctrine for the past decade.
We can discuss areas like business and arts. That's what we're doing. Once it gets to policy, we draw a line; I think we've steered clear of that so far.However, to say more would take us well outside the reasonable edges of this forum, so I'll just leave it at that.
I don't care what the narrative is; it's what I've seen happening with my own eyes, as well as how things tend to change if you turn it around, especially in an organizational context.
Odds are that you're judging whatever changes you've seen by a set of conservative values.
We can discuss areas like business and arts. That's what we're doing. Once it gets to policy, we draw a line; I think we've steered clear of that so far.
I do agree we should drop this though, since it's clear that our views are fundamentally different. As far as I'm concerned there should be no place for the kind of views you've set forth here in either the arts, or business. It's the kind of short-sighted conservatism that has gotten us into very deep trouble over the past century or so.
In this respect I consider your views ultra-conservative. Whether that is representative to your views or attitude in general I couldn't say and I'm very much aware of that.
Btw, the 'ultra-conservative' perception is not intended as a normative statement, although it's clear that I personally have little affinity with that bias in this particular matter. And perhaps 'reactionary' is a better term than 'ultra-conservative'.
The word "conservative" has become pretty meaningless. It draws in too many ideological associations - all different depending on who uses the word.
I have no quarrel with any of that. It is when diversity itself is made the prime purpose of the work - whether diversity of subject or of creators - that the work falters. I want to see the best possible work, and when we do, diversity is emergent rather than a concious intent glued onto the work.
With photography, there's less interest in the artist than in the work. When someone looks at a photo, they either like it or don't. Most people don't know or care who the photographer is. Think of the thousands of photos you see in magazines, newspapers, on the web, on TV for ads, editorial, current events, science, nature, etc. We have little idea who shot them. It's what makes photography so democratic.
Well, I'm certainly to the right of Marx and Engels
Encouraging diversity by targeted opportunities and hiring practices is justifiably an attempt to rectify an imbalanced system. Cancel culture (likely to the horror of the proponents) is actually fascism.
Is the problem with diversity quotas or with "cancel culture"? They're not two sides of the same coin. Encouraging diversity by targeted opportunities and hiring practices is justifiably an attempt to rectify an imbalanced system. Cancel culture (likely to the horror of the proponents) is actually fascism.
But what are the relevant criteria? That's part of the box constituted by the status quo. People generally find it very difficult to break through that boundary. Yet, it's essential.Like I said, the environment is almost entirely performative.
But what are the relevant criteria? That's part of the box constituted by the status quo. People generally find it very difficult to break through that boundary. Yet, it's essential.
Wow. I rest my case.The current pressure for diversity solves no cuirently meaningful problem
Wow. I rest my case.
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