One of the common themes in my diversity workshops, is the idea that we all view the world through the lens of our own experience.  Therefore, the same set of circumstances can be viewed differently by various people.  The information coming into our senses passes through a series of filters, such as perception and experience.  I would also like to add that one of those filters is expectation.


Yesterday, I watched an extremely disappointing Super Bowl ( not because my team didn't win, but rather because they didn't compete). I remembered thinking that the ads were also disappointing and I was hoping that the half-time show would, at least, be entertaining.  I wasn't too thrilled about the band Cold Play or Beyonce, but I like Bruno Mars so I settled in to watch.  What I saw was a decent show, as these things go.  Bruno and Beyonce had a dance-off.  There was sensory overload with bands, and dancers, and psychedelic colors, and umbrellas and rainbows....you know...Super Bowl Half-time stuff.   No one blew me away.  There were no wardrobe malfunctions.  All in all, I thought it was a good show.  Then I woke up this morning.

I expected the usual "Beyonce is the greatest thing since sliced bread" and "Beyonce is the devil incarnate."  because, you know, she is a very polarizing figure in pop culture.  But what I didn't expect to hear was that there was controversy and that people we threatening to boycott her concerts.  What did I miss?  I asked myself, desperately thinking back over the show and trying to understand.  She was half-naked, but she is always half-naked.  She was dancing provocatively, but she always dances provocatively.  What was boycott worthy about her appearance?  Well, it seems that her song was "political" and "anti-police"  Apparently her dancers were dressed as Black Panthers and in the video she released there was graffiti painted on a wall that said "Stop Shooting Us."  And she was poised on top of a police cruiser that was sinking into a flooded street in New Orleans thereby symbolizing her hatred for the police. 

Huh?  I saw the same thing everyone else saw and didn't draw any of those conclusions.  I even laughed out loud as I read the article.  Maybe I'm dense, or just not artistic enough to have caught all of the unspoken messages in her 2.5-minute appearance during the half-time show.  Or, it could be, that even though I am not a fan of Beyonce, I am also not an anti-fan.  I wasn't looking for things to disapprove of, so I didnt see any.  I wasn't expecting to be offended, and so I wasn't.  I have noticed this phenomenon frequently in our society today.  We assign different motivations to one group of people exhibiting the same behavior as another group of people, based on our perceptions of those people.  If a sideline camera catches Arizona Quarterback Carson Palmer thrusting his groin at fans, he is just excited.  If Marshawn Lynch grabs his crotch, he is everything that is wrong in our society, a poor sport, a bad example to children, and a thug.  If a Trump supporter sucker punches a protester, he is either defending liberty or a racist *#*hole. 

I don't think this is anything new, think of all of wars fought over whose religion was better, or who had the right to enslave whom.  What is new, is how quickly internet lynch mobs form and how passionately people are holding on to those opinions.  Whatever happened to agreeing to disagree?  Whatever happened to simply opting out of something that didn't interest you?  Like I said, I am not a Beyonce fan.  I can probably name two of her songs.  But I don't have any passion for her one way or another.  I simply assume I am not her audience, and move on with my life.  The call for a boycott was hilarious to me.  I am guessing that the people who were offended by her performance weren't lining up to buy tickets to her concert anyway.   Her performance wasn't for them.  It was for the multitudes of people who hail her as "Queen Bey." 

Inclusion365 Tip #13
I will recognize that the filters of my perception and expectation color how I see things, and I will not always assume everyone sees the world the same way I do.

 

I don't even need to comment on this article.  It says everything so perfectly.  It is amazing how we are constantly looking outside of ourselves to place blame, when the problem is inside of us all along.  

Inclusion365 Tip #11
I will always assume the problem of "ism" belongs to someone else.  I will examine my own heart, motives, and intentions first.

Read this:  http://aol.it/1T5dd7r