Many of the issues are created when too much separation exists between the established norms which are built up through habitual decrees of those at the top of the power structure and blindly followed by those at the bottom simply because "that's the way we were told to do it, because that's the way it has always been done".
It is in this way that the dominant culture also suffers because it becomes mired down in the mud of their own complacency and further serves as the catalyst to their own struggles with deleterious class conflicts.
In a corporate environment, for example, the executives and members of upper management may believe that the punitive approach to demands on productivity may yield the most measurable benefits. However, it can often be seen that the demoralizing effects of the Machiavellian leadership style is followed by a decrease in the quality of overall performance, a strain on the sense of loyalty within an organization, and instability ultimately among the inner circles of leadership.
I just watched the President's (Trump's) address to both houses of congress. Rarely has there been such an example of what can happen when the sheer magnitude of financial and celebrity power, in a culture that reveres both, meets the methods by which to seize the ultimate power of government.
Within his inner circle, no one would ever dare to tell him to think more carefully about a decision that he makes impulsively. And outside of his circle the message is controlled, sanitized, repackaged, or outright omitted if it is deemed to be ill-suited for his unstable sensibilities.
Creating a more level playing field, or "equalizing power differentials", as is suggested in (Weil, Reisch, & Ohmer, p. 43, 2013), could prevent a lot of suffering among his administration and, more importantly, throughout the whole country. Indeed, by allowing dissenting voices to be heard and for more two-way communications within his organization he could be persuaded to try to be more empathetic towards some of the groups that he has vilified and therefore less fear and hopelessness among those same groups.
Weil, M., Reisch, M., & Ohmer, M. (2013). The Handbook of Community Practice. 2nd Edition.
Tim, you are absolutely correct - the dominant culture too suffers. By being unwilling to include the ideas and perspectives from other cultures the dominant culture is prohibiting themselves from a wealth of knowledge and the opportunity of progressing forward cohesively. However, society it too fixated on placing the blame onto someone else for its own failures/flaws that the cultural divide remains - and perhaps is increasing. It's upsetting that this issue is very real throughout our society and motivates to have the challenging, and necessary, conversations about the current cultural divide.
ReplyDeleteI was just watching a show on MSNBC and the host said something to the effect that Trump lacks empathy. I am not sure he is capable of attaining it given his world view and privilege. Rocky road ahead!
ReplyDeleteHi Tim :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting. I found myself recalling the situation in Ukraine-and the documentary we watched regarding a few years ago. When the government becomes an "echo chamber" (but with a negative agenda) and does not have outside perspectives to challenge the decisions/viewpoints, then it can become a very dangerous, steep slope. It's hard to determine if someone has empathy when we do not see them in person and speak to them/know their pst experiences, (just like diagnosing Trump as some people are doing, which doesn't seem ethical to me-but that's a different story...) but I do think that recent actions are very much so lacking in compassion for citizens.
See you soon :)