Tag: ageism

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Inclusion is Inclusive
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Recently I encountered an excellent Tech Based social justice program which proclaimed it’s benefits were “For All.”

Of Course I say Brava to social justice programs ! It’s an excellent program ! Of course I say Brava to “For All” because I deeply believe in, and do my very best in all situations to act on  Inclusion and Diversity !

Then, I read the details, claiming that this program provides extended opportunities in computer science for kids  … coding etc … which is AWESOME …

However, I recognized a familiar paradox.

Every proclamation including the words “For All ” … by definition does imply inclusion.

Here’s A Thought …

In this “age of information” …

During this unprecedented expansive phase of  universal universals …

I’m thinkin’ … how ‘bout including adults groups in many programs designed exclusively for kids, to create opportunity actually “For All” … which benefits us all as a planet.

As I see it, our spinning blue green sphere needs ALL the help we can get, which means “all hands on deck.”

I’m thinking of citizens who might be temporarily homeless or impoverished but who are dreaming of a means to express their individuality within the framework of a society they may have found too confining, or so-called senior citizens with minds potentially more agile than 20 year olds and with a desire / motivation to solve problems which may surpass an average millennial , or mothers pining to remain involved in the world, even after giving birth, individuals living with physical / mental health challenges/addictions who need a way back with passion , unemployed individuals desperate for hope,  disabled individuals with hidden talents/ abilities, runaways seeking harbor in meaningful work, transgender adults escaping discrimination, individuals emigrating from other countries with a love for our country and a desire to lend a hand, individuals who may have lost hope but who might find new pathways thru education and opportunity …

… all those “labels” are,  of course LABELS by which these individuals disappear.

I think it’s high time for global cultures to stop labelling, as labels remove dignity, thereby dismissing human beings as  …  "not interesting" and basically express via disempowering language and “policy” … that, as a culture …. “we’re just not that into you.”

I’ve had the honor of working with / getting to know a few “elderly”/”mature” actresses + actors / crew / musicians in the entertainment industry, all of whom should, not only be working more often (and who’s health would probably be much better, had they been able to work more in their field especially after proving their success as stars or known craftspersons AND after making a ton of money for those in charge and in the 1 percent ) … but all of whom, are definitely intelligent enough + curious enough to have become far more tech-literate than they currently are, if only they’d had the opportunity + encouragement from our profit / conservative / one-ups-mans’ /  youth / male / alpha / commercialized centered cultures.  

I personally experience challenges as an emerging artist carving a path of purpose, and I have also experienced the struggles of “the other”  in my endeavours to help others , including homeless individuals, so-called “senior citizens" and those considered “minorities,” (all of which are labels again) all of whom are equally intelligent / qualified to embrace tech and RAVENOUS for opportunity, but are no longer in school.

As #Tech #STEM grow exponentially,  it’s important to be inclusive of adults who might fall thru the gaps.

I think it’s unhealthy to keep intact a message that  plagues our societies/cultures and damages WOMEN + GIRLS but which also affects boys + men.

That message is, that “you are only truly interesting to our society / culture when you identify as … this or that …  or are … between the ages of …this … or that … ”  

… of course the message adds, this window of time and mental space in which a Girl is perceived as “interesting” or “valuable” is a shorter AND NARROWER  .

As a young adult, now looking back at my experience as a teenage, gay, multi-cultural artist who raised myself in spite of an abusive childhood …

Due to my drive, cheerful attitude and achievements, and pale skin  everybody thought I was just a privileged “white girl,” nobody thought to ask me if everything was ok at home, as I rode the subways late at night alone in NYC and travelled back and forth to LA, surviving as a sorta …“ Runaway with a Scholarship ©" … (excerpt ©Cali Lili™ all rights reserved)

I realize that after graduating with a Masters Degree and honours at a SUPER YOUNG AGE …

no matter how much inclusion I experienced in liberal schools … with AMAZING teachers …

no matter many awards + scholarships + grades skipped for early graduations I earned …

when I got out into the “marketplace” / “workplace” … this “PLACE “ is,  a much less welcoming place than I had been prepared to expect … which is not unusual,
but it was far less welcoming,  for “someone like me.”  With all my apparent “white privilege" I have never aspired to fit into the mold, that forms the “cage” into which some of us define as “success.”  

Pigeon Holes are Definitely No Privilege, they are in fact, Prisons for both mind and soul and I found solace in the fact, that I was never interested in simply “fitting in,” no matter how difficult this might make the journey.

If one is blessed with an undeniable and urgent sense of purpose,  seeks to forge a new path, share new ideas, new perspectives with innovation in mind and heart, no privilege, white or other, can hold a candle to the relentless hard work that it takes to fulfill a self motivated path of action.

It’s as if, my innovative ideas and the passion with which I express them, which led to all my achievements as a student, which led to rewards, are now seen in some “real world” … “one percenter driven” circumstances,  as “undesirably disruptive” …

… or what is far, far more damaging : met with blithe indifference.

I persevered and now have the very BEST team, and supporters ! I’m SO grateful for the men and women who believe in my work!

Even in this new atmosphere of “innovation for the privileged ” + “pro disruptive for the few” … there are qualifiers that provide filters designed by tired patriarchal paradigms.

It’s quite a shocker if one is unprepared for that bias, believing falsely that the inclusion experienced in school, is necessarily embraced by society/culture/workplace.

Young Female acting roles are more often geared to show off my “assets,” which is fine when the character has a mind, soul, … something ! 🙂 In fact, just being “female” is it’s own special form of challenge in every industry, including the entertainment world with it’s own “special” brand of patriarchy.

When I began to put my own projects/vehicles together … it was rather interesting to observe the disempowering behaviors of some ancient caveman patriarchy lingering into the 21st Century halls of power.

Investment bankers with lofty humanitarian claims and Academy Award winning producers alike, signed onto my actress/director projects, lauding my creativity and beauty, but were reluctant to consider their investment in my projects on an equal footing with my colleagues who were male, less talented, less hardworking and less innovative.

In school I had seriously assumed that in the 21st Century, a “liberal” culture embracing “parity” was a “no brainer.”   

With technology moving so fast, we run the risk of “discarding” individuals in ever-evolving “subcultures,”  at ever younger ages, in service of some commercialized / corporate phallic culture that exists mostly in service to the acquisition of financial profits + competition in the world marketplace.

Culture must end the use of the term “subculture” or “alternative” because every “body” is a component of “global culture” on this planet, or are we simply unwilling to let everybody into the club?

Discounting the value or “humanity” of any fellow human being, of course “dehumanizes” the individual, fomenting war as an option for the solving of local and global problems, which if course, it is not. The dehumanization /  killing of any body is the killing of us all.  

Profit + Competition definitely have their place, but let’s have a look at how we over-emphasize the “value” of  "might" or “power as war machine”, and that nebulous subjective concept of “youth,” geared for making babies and winning more wars … even as we discount the equally valuable … i’d say absolutely crucial, importance of providing ONGOING educational and entrepreneurial opportunities that are TRULY INCLUSIVE Across the Board, that is, for ABSOLUTELY EVERY ONE ,  an inclusive concept devoid of discrimination, a consequence of bias, especially damaging for Girls/Women.

I suggest that in a world so often geared to “overpowering” the female / the vulnerable  … it’s actually a discriminatory and dangerous practice to force any Girl or Woman to reveal personal details / age / income / address etc … for any reason whatsoever and I’d go further to include men, but certainly any individual who may be vulnerable to the “might makes right” balance of power. I’d also suggest that all women should be provided a weapon for self-defense.

By handing over  information, details, we as individuals are giving up too much of our dignity, and in doing so, we enable culture to continue down the path of eroding respect for the individual.

Our planet faces tremendous challenges as result of an overvalued “value” on the “alpha” characteristics that tend to “win wars.” We need ALL capable individuals of EVERY age, heritage, creed, height, weight, sexual orientation … etc … to become empowered in service to the global family.

We’ve focused so heavily on “Alpha” or “Phallic” strengths, that in my view, we’ve turned them into weakness, and … into a war against our own survival as a species / planet.

True inclusion, would be a cultural space which welcomes vulnerability, and in fact recognizes, that often vulnerability is indeed STRENGTH. True inclusion, not only empowers those of us who’ve been held under the glass ceiling, in danger of losing our voices, but also teaches us the truth, which is, that True Power is the result of empowering such “vulnerable” and “human” qualities, as “kindness” or dare I mention the word, “love.”

Yes. There is unequivocally, no greater power than love.

So, let’s fix, let’s rebuild broken global cultures with a “new paradigms glue” and save … not just our planet, but literally,  Our Selves … Every Single One of US … by not only recognizing, but acting with haste and with True Inclusion because, duh,  inclusion is inclusive.

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