Issue 7: In living color
Or, how everything seems to loop back to middle school
There was a boy in my grade school who, even as young as the third grade, proudly declared Republicanism as part of his identity. He proudly led chants around recess with phrases like “Clinton SUCKS! Clinton SUCKS!” with the joyful glee of a prepubescent that has recently learned the dirty connotation of what that meant. Likely fueled by his parents’ ideology, and access to talk radio and South Park, he used words I didn’t always understand. He seemed to parrot well, and loudly; it was from him I learned what a “wetback” was, a regrettable part of my elite private school education (here’s a great LA Times story that will paint the picture better than I can).
What I strongly remember however is his criticism of anything we read for English class that seemed to be put there to give us a multicultural lens of the world as we looked from it from our verdant campus on a hill.
“Pfft!” he’d scoff, when our librarian revealed her monthly table of curated picks for the month, especially in February - when she’d staple paper cutouts of Martin Luther King, Jr., George Washington Carver and Rosa Parks to the columns in the reading area. I remember him loudly declaring The House on Mango Street as overrated, on the curriculum because we needed to learn more about the people who cleaned the buildings.
I think of him whenever I see reports of children sneaking white power symbols into their yearbook photos and claiming it was a joke. He would always say, when someone, red-cheeked, objected - that he was joking, his dry hands extended in a gesture of, Come on, I’m just pulling your leg. Let me make you laugh. And we would hold on and accept the apology. He was, problematic content aside, funny. He used his skinny, clumsy limbs as accessories for odd, physical humor, tripping himself on his oversize skate shoes for a laugh. He could make goofy noises and make epic armpit fart noises, sending the classroom into a giggle fit. He even shared his Gushers.
He is a lobbyist now, and seems like a perfectly normal human who wears a lot of loafers and seems to hang out, or at least be photographed online with, people that seem very similar in class and background to him. From his wedding website, he seems… nice. But I have no idea if he has grown.
It can be difficult to convey what it feels like to be othered when there is a limited surface area in which a person can experience otherness. To quote actor Steven Yeun:
“Sometimes I wonder if the Asian-American experience is what it’s like when you’re thinking about everyone else, but nobody else is thinking about you.”
So how can we - as professionals and as people, help expand the surface area of our experiences? How can we seek to understand the perspectives of others without direct contact with the underserved?
For me, my pledge has been to expand what I read and listen to. Sure, that means explicit learning: I’m reading both The Nickel Boys and How to be an Antiracist. But it can mean reading, listening and buying from those who have been othered. I wonder how that boy would have reacted to mandated books if it had been more “normal” for a Black person to carry a major motion picture; or if at home the spines in the library had Latinx writers next to all the Ayn Rand and Jared Diamond and Milton Friedman.
As marketers, we must ensure that our “off the clock” media diets are relevant and inclusive. Our personal experiences shape what we do, how we do it and who we consider worthy. But not every piece must “feel” like school. It’s up to you to take what you read, watch and listen to, then apply to how you lead your personal and professional life. A few things that I’ve learned from, and deeply enjoyed:
How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe, Charles Yu: In a genre so full of the supposed perspective of aliens, I can think of very few books in which the protagonist isn’t white. Yu’s writing is beautiful and gutwrenching and explores more inner than outer space.
The Jemima Code, Toni Tipton-Martin: There is so much of American cooking and food that comes from women of African descent. I loved this almost anthropological look through heritage cookbooks and recipes.
Pachinko, Min Jin Lee: We learn nothing about Korean history in American schools. Change that with this searing historical fiction book that will sear your insides.
On Earth, We’re Briefly Gorgeous, Ocean Vuong: A beautiful novel that mixes poetry with an intimate look at how war can affect for generations.
Transcendant Kingdom, Yaa Gyasi: This is not what I was expecting. I read Homegoing, which is good but felt like work. This book, I gobbled. It tackles a first-generation immigrant’s inner tension between intellectualism and faith. It’s also about the relationships we have with our family and ourselves.
Still Processing, Wesley Morris & Jenna Wortham: This podcast is excellent, and you will both laugh and learn.
Hunt for the Wilderpeople: This film was not at all what I had expected. Taika Waititi takes you to New Zealand and explores rural living and adoption.
Levar Burton Reads: Reading Rainbow, but for adults and with short stories. I love how Burton brings in stories from diverse perspectives, and just gets so delightfully nerdy.
Fairest, Meredith Talusan: Talusan writes about her experience as an albino immigrant and attending Harvard. she also discusses her transition. This is a book I think of a lot.
Instagram: There is a lot that is problematic about Instagram. But, I will say that I’ve enjoyed learning in a really easy way, more about Black History this month, especially from @magthehistorian. And if you’re wondering about why, right now, you’re seeing a lot of content re: attacks on Asian elders, allow @heyberna to explain in the video below.
That list is small, and just the beginning of more diverse perspectives in your “for fun” feeds. What other books, TV shows, movies, etc. from diverse perspectives have you enjoyed lately?
What else should we put on our collective lists?
Interesting Communications Roles
Target, Senior Communications Manager
Braze, Communications Manager
Freshly, Internal Communications Manager
As always, thank you for listening. Please reply to this newsletter if you have any feedback, questions or just want to say hi.