Christmas Traditions: Unwrapped

A guest blog by friend of Global Learning, Joseph Lévesque

Most Christmas traditions, characters and images are known to us. Starting sometime shortly after Halloween, we are surrounded by Santa’s, Scrooges, lights and music. Popular modern customs of the holiday include gift giving, Christmas music and carolling, an exchange of Christmas cards, church celebrations, a special meal, and the display of various decorations, including Christmas trees, lights, nativity scenes, garlands, wreaths, mistletoe, and holly.

Traditionally, Christmas is an annual commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ, celebrated on December 25 as a religious and cultural holiday. Biblical accounts state Jesus was born to Mary, assisted by her husband Joseph, in the city of Bethlehem. According to popular tradition, the birth took place in a stable, surrounded by farm animals (although neither of the two biblical accounts state a stable specifically, one does state that the child was placed in a manger, a feeding trough for the animals.)

If this is how it all started, how did hanging a stocking by the fireplace become a tradition at Christmas? Why decorate an evergreen tree to commemorate the birth of Jesus? I wanted to take a look at some traditions that may seem a little disassociated with Christmas.

Why do we give gifts at Christmas?

Exchanging gifts is one of the core aspects of modern Christmas celebration. Historically, gift giving was common in the Roman celebration of Saturnalia, an ancient festival which took place in late December and may have influenced Christmas customs. Christmas gift-giving during the Middle Ages was usually between people with legal relationships, such as tenant and landlord. Later, Christmas gift giving was banned by the Catholic Church due to its suspected pagan origins. It was later rationalized by the Church on the basis that it associated St. Nicholas with Christmas, and that gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh were given to the infant Jesus by the Magi (wise men) in the bible.

Why do we hang stockings?

St Nicolas (a progenitor of Santa Claus) was a Christian priest in 4th century AD Greece. A wealthy person who travelled the country, he had a reputation for secret gift-giving, such as putting coins in the shoes of those who left them out for him. St Nicolas thus became the model for Santa Claus, whose modern name comes from the Dutch Sinterklaas, itself from a series of elisions and corruptions of the transliteration of "Saint Nikolaos". (Of note: At the Reformation in 16th–17th century Europe, many Protestants changed the gift bringer to the Christ Child or Christkindl, corrupted in English to “Kris Kringle”.)

There was a nobleman whose wife had died, leaving him and his daughters in despair. After losing all his money in bad inventions, his family had to move into a peasant’s cottage. As the daughter’s became of marrying age, the father became more depressed as he would be unable to furnish each daughter with a dowry for them to marry. St Nicolas wanted to help the family, but he knew the father was too proud to accept any charity.

One day after washing their clothing, the daughters hung their stockings over the fireplace to dry. That night, when all were asleep, St Nicolas crept down the chimney and dropped a bag of gold into each of the daughters’ stockings. When the girls and their father work up the next morning, they found the bags of gold coins and were overjoyed. The girls were able to marry and live happily ever after.

This led to the custom of children hanging stockings or putting out shoes, awaiting gifts from St Nicolas. Cultural variations abound. In France, children place their shoes by the fireplace. In Holland, children fill their shoes with hay and a carrot for the horse of Sintirklass. Italian children leave their shoes out the night before Epiphany for La Befana, the good witch. And in Puerto Rico, children put greens and flowers in small boxes and place them under their beds for the camels of the Three Kings.

Why do we kiss under the mistletoe?

We find the source of "kissing under the mistletoe" in Celtic rituals and Norse mythology. In Gaul, the land of the Celts, for instance, the Druids considered it a sacred plant. It was believed to have medicinal qualities and mysterious supernatural powers. They believed that a potion prepared from mistletoe would make sterile animals fertile, and that the plant was an antidote for any poison.

In Scandinavian mythology, mistletoe was the sacred plant of Frigga, goddess of love and the mother of Balder, the god of the summer sun. Balder had a dream he was going to die. Frigga, alarmed by this, went to air, fire, water, earth, and every animal and plant seeking a promise that no harm would come to her son. But Loki the Trickster saw that Frigga had overlooked one plant, as it grew neither on nor under the earth but in the trees: the mistletoe. Loki fashioned an arrow with mistletoe in the tip, which was used to strike Baldur dead. After three days, Baldur was restored from the dead by Frigga. The tears she shed for her son turned into the pearly white berries on the mistletoe plant. In her joy, she kissed everyone who passed beneath the tree on which the mistletoe grew. The story ends with a decree that whosoever stands under the mistletoe, no harm should befall them; only a kiss, a token of love. Mistletoe was thereafter considered a plant of peace, under which enemies could declare a truce or warring spouses kiss and make-up.

Later, the eighteenth-century English credited not with miraculous healing powers, but with a certain magical appeal called a “kissing ball”. At Christmas time a young lady standing under a ball of mistletoe, brightly trimmed with evergreens, ribbons, and ornaments, cannot refuse to be kissed. Such a kiss could mean deep romance or lasting friendship and goodwill. If the girl remained un-kissed, she could expect to not marry within the following year. In some parts of England the Christmas mistletoe is burned on the twelfth night lest all the boys and girls who have kissed under it never marry.

Why do we decorate a tree?

Evergreens have been associated with seasonal celebrations since ancient times by various nationalities and religious groups around the globe, including the Egyptians, the Romans, the Druids, the Vikings, the Anglo-Saxons, the Spaniards and the Slovaks. These celebrations usually occurred around the time of the winter solstice, and the evergreens (be they palm rushes or fir trees) were considered a symbol of the triumph of life over death or of everlasting life. 

In the 14th century, when very few people knew how to read, churches mounted “miracle plays” to explain the stories of the bible to the populace. These plays were held at special times of the year in accordance with the Christian Calendar of Saints. Every December 24, which was Adam and Eve’s Day, the play depicted how Eve was tempted by the serpent, how she picked the apple from the tree and how the couple was expelled from Paradise. But finding a live fruit-bearing apple tree in December proved difficult. In Germany, they solved the problem by cutting down an evergreen tree and tying apples to its boughs. They also tied round white wafers to symbolically represent the redemption brought by Jesus. Before long, many German families were setting up Paradiesbäume or Paradise Trees in their own homes, and this custom persisted long after the miracle plays disappeared. Over time, more edible items decorated the tree, such as gingerbread cookies (in the shapes of hearts, bells, stars and angels), gilded nuts, and marzipan candies. Gradually, metal and wood ornaments replaced some of these edible decorations.

The first recorded Christmas tree in Canada was set up in Sorel, Quebec in 1781 by Baron Friederick von Riedesel. He selected a handsome balsam fir from the forests that surrounded his home and decorated it with white candles.

Bonus question: What is and why do we celebrate Boxing Day?

Boxing Day is a bank or public holiday that occurs on December 26, or the first or second weekday after Christmas Day, depending on national or regional laws. It is observed in many Commonwealth Nations, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. In Ireland, it is recognized as St. Stephen's Day or the Day of the Wren. In South Africa, Boxing Day was renamed Day of Goodwill in 1994.

The etymology of Boxing Day is unclear. There are many possible origins. One can be found in the carol “Good King Wenceslas.” According to the song, Wenceslas, who was Duke of Bohemia in the early 10th century, was surveying his land on St Stephen’s Day (December 26) when he saw a poor man gathering wood in the middle of a snowstorm. Moved, the King gathered up surplus food and wine and carried them through the blizzard to the peasant’s door. 

The Church of England may have started Boxing Day. During Advent, Anglican parishes displayed a box into which churchgoers put their monetary donations. On the day after Christmas, the boxes were broken open and the contents distributed among the poor, giving rise to the term Boxing Day. Or…

In the UK, it was a custom for tradesmen to collect "Christmas boxes" of money or presents on the first weekday after Christmas as thanks for good service throughout the year. This custom is linked to an older English tradition: in exchange for ensuring that wealthy landowners' Christmases ran smoothly, their servants were allowed to take the 26th off to visit their families. The employers gave each servant a box containing gifts and bonuses (and sometimes leftover food) and this came to be known as Boxing Day.

Whatever your traditions, a Happy Christmas to all who choose to mark the day!

"One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas day.  Don't clean it up too quickly."  ~Andy Rooney

HR: Be Prepared. Be Honest.

For those that keep up with the diversity news in the business world, you very well may have heard of the HR and Transgender client’s rights situation that Macy’s found themselves having to publicly respond to recently.

@Macy’s Response:

“We do not comment on personnel matters. At Macy’s we recognize and appreciate the diversity of our customers and associates.”

A bit of fence riding for me, but their swift reaction to both the issue at hand and to the media certainly speaks clearly that they have diversity on the table, and that this in no way caught them off guard.

A 27 year old former employee has filed a religious discrimination civil rights lawsuit against Macy’s after having been terminated from a Texas location. Using the other side of the faith sword that she swings, she prohibited a transgender client from utilizing the women’s fitting room, claiming that her religion instructs her to not believe in the existence of transgendered people. I wish I was making that part up.

Macy’s has very specific LGBT customer care policies in place that allow for transgendered clients to utilize the dressing rooms that they deem as the most appropriate to their identity. Texas is one of 29 states where a business can legally deny services to a member of the LGBT community. So with Macy’s already being a change agent and having this policy integrated into their organizational mandates, it’s quite clear they have a very specific stance when it comes to protecting the rights of their LGBT clientele, and even more specifically the transgendered community.

The employee violated Macy’s public, organizational policy; therefore she was let go.

 

Religious Discrimination in the workplace is a very real thing. According to the  Huffington Post, workplace religious discrimination complaints doubled over the last ten years.  When we falsely claim vulnerability however, like the boy who cried wolf, it dulls the response when it’s sincerely needed.

 The Huffington Post has offered several articles on the event, but “Religious Discrimination: Right To or Protection From?” by Erica Keppler truly hit the nail on the head for me.

 

Belief is a personal matter. Faith is a personal matter. We each have our own space that operates within a larger space. Much like a Matryoshka doll, we must learn to maintain our own space, underneath the umbrella of the organizations space.

I am also reminded of a line from one of my favourite films, “Dirty Dancing”:

 

“This is my dance space; this is your dance space. Let’s Cha Cha! Spaghetti arms!”

When we are at work, we must learn to “Cha Cha” with others appropriately. Figure out how you can best represent your beliefs and feel respected, while maintaining a dignified, defined experience for the clientele you are employed to serve.

I’m a big fan of finding the balance between following the rules and challenging them. We must follow the rules to operate in a sane and functional fashion. However, very often innovation can also stem from stepping out of the bounds.

When we are faced with a rule that leaves us feeling as if a personal belief is being compromised, most of us tend to adhere to a “fight or flight” reaction. This sense of justified defiance can cause an adrenaline-fuelled reaction that only serves to create chaos and often irreparable damage, emotionally and financially for both the employee and employer.

Sometimes rules aren’t well thought out, or they don’t exist where they should. Other times, it’s just a personal gut feeling when it comes to disagreeing with a rule.

Whether we are breakers or followers, we must understand what the rules are before we engage. That applies to any number of situations including communicating, new jobs, as well as new relationships. Even if we feel the rule must be broken, there is always an appropriate route to take action.

Any good leadership team has the task of circumventing an issue before it even becomes a possibility to cause any sort of loss of revenue to an organization. Valuable resources are spent to create diversity-driven initiatives and to establish protocol when it comes to representing an organization legally as well as publicly. Macy’s is one of those organizations.

As an employee, when faced with a potentially sensitive issue, don’t just react. Assess. If you are confused on how you should respond, immediately contact a manager. No one can be expected to have a full scope of your beliefs. If you feel your religious duty outweighs your organization’s duty when it comes to dealing with specific clients, be sure you have clearly defined those parameters before starting the job. If you don’t, an organization is within its right to let you go or to not hire you at all.

When applying for a new job: read the policy hand book before signing on the dotted line. If it’s not offered to you, ask for one.  You have a right to know what is expected of you as a member of any organization and by doing so at the outset; it will help thwart situations like these before they even happen.

It’s up the employer to clearly define what is expected of an employee. It’s up to the employee to understand exactly what it is they’re signing on to do. It’s a symbiotic relationship designed to benefit both parties.

More importantly, I highly recommend any business, large or small, to take Macy’s lead. Create HR policies. Decide where you and your organization stand, specifically when it comes to diversity-related issues. If you don’t know where to begin, you can contact us here at Global Learning. We will do our very best to assist you. And if we can’t help you, we will point in the right direction.

“Forewarned, forearmed; to be prepared is half the victory. “
- Miguel de Cervantes

 

Why Your Organization Should be Thankful to @LadyGaga

I set out to find a recording of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade; however, I am thankful I found instead the ABC Holiday Special “A Very Gaga Thanksgiving”. Sung from her high school cafeteria, which had been “Gaga-fied” for the occasion, I was fortunate to catch the performance Lady Gaga gave of one of her hit songs I had not yet heard.

“Hair” is an anthem to those who did not have a seat at the cafeteria table, rallying them to be proud of their personal identity and to have faith that each one of us deserves respect for our own individuality. It is also an ode to her realization that, rather than assimilate to the masses, she'd prefer to emulate her mother.

Ms. Gaga equates herself to being one of those children who didn’t have a seat the cafeteria table of her choice when she was younger, and very much identifies as a victim of bullying. Our society has been facing the grimmest of circumstantial outcomes when it comes to bullying. With tragic youth suicides more common in our headlines, bullying has become a distinct glaring problem.

Bullying has been on Lady Gaga's bulls-eye with laser point ferocity. She offers her battle cries not to nay sayers, but rather to those being arbitrarily “nay sayed”. Therefore not only inspiring people to understand the deeper wounds of bullying, but to also create a race of her “little monsters” who are nothing but proud to defend themselves and their own thoughts.

I have encountered more than a few raised eyebrows when speaking of Lady Gaga and her outside-the-box art. Fan or not, however, anyone that proudly utilizes their public voice to amplify a message of acceptance, respect and individuality should be praised. People such as Lady Gaga are the game changers and innovators.

With similar intentions, actions and outcomes we now know that bullying isn’t just a schoolyard experience; it also happens in the workplace.

The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety has compiled some great examples of toxic behaviours you have every right to avoid encountering while at work, such as:

• Gossip – Spreading rumours, false or true information.
• Excluding or isolating someone socially.
• Physically abusing, threatening physical abuse, or using intimidation.
• Using inappropriate, 'obviously offensive' humour in conversation or digitally.
• Violating privacy and personal space by pestering, spying or stalking.
• Yelling or using profanity.
• Criticising a person persistently or constantly.

Some more workplace specific experiences might be:

• Undermining or deliberately impeding a person's work.
• Withholding necessary information or purposefully giving the wrong information.
• Belittling a person's opinions, creativity or innovation, regardless of success.
• Tampering with a person's personal belongings or work equipment.

Indications of “bullying” from management may include:

• Having areas of responsibilities removed without cause.
• Constantly having work guidelines changed.
• Not afforded responsibilities, creating a sense of uselessness.
• Unwarranted disciplinary actions.
• Blocking applications for training, leave or promotion

According to the Ontario Safety Association for Community and Healthcare Workplace Bullying Handbook one in 10 Canadian workers has been the subject of harmful bullying, intimidation or belittlement by a boss or co-worker. In 70% of the cases, the bullying only stopped when the victim quit or was let go. In a further 17%, the victim was transferred. Even worse, the bully suffered consequences in only 13% of cases.

It's safe to say Lady Gaga is devoted to teaching society the following:

1. Being your complete self can be a source of innovation.
2. Everyone is welcome to the table.
3. Discrimination and Bullying are never acceptable.

Aren’t these the same concepts we hope to instil within our organizations to help them function with higher quality?

Business leaders from here on out should be thankful to Lady Gaga. She is encouraging and coaching our youth to be better people, which in turn will lead them to become better employees and employers. It will only cost our organizations more in the long run when we have to spend our resources combating an issue like bullying – something we all had assumed was just “kids being kids”. Lady Gaga’s efforts are securing a safer and more innovative workplace of tomorrow. We must follow her lead by taking the time to address the cause and effect of bullying that our youth face on a daily basis now, so that we do not expend great resources in the future combating these identical issues in our workplaces.

In tribute to those denied acceptance, throughout Ms. Gaga’s performance, she continued to add additional hair pieces to her ensemble. The first being a turban of golden brown hair, and finally a long teal hair extension that she bobby-pinned into the top of her freshly placed hair hat.

She states while adding the final piece of teal hair:

“Just one more piece of hair; and this one is for all the kids who are bullied at school who are afraid to be themselves. I’m going to put this big funny piece of teal on my hair and tell you that I feel fabulous because it is my freedom and my choice to do so, and I hope that every day at school you remember, you remember that there is somebody who is fighting for you.“

"I've had enough, this is my prayer, I'll die living just as a free as my hair" ~ @LadyGaga

We also recommend you get to know The Born This Way Foundation , @eGlobalLearning was one of the first diversity minded organizations to be followed by @BTWFoundation and we couldn't be more honoured!  

At the 11th Hour of the 11th Day of the 11th Month by Joseph Lévesque

(The following is a guest blog by friend of Global Learning, Joseph Levesque. Joseph is a professional classical singer, government employee, and proud Canadian.) 

Remembrance Day (also known as Poppy Day, Armistice Day or Veterans Day) is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth countries to remember the members of their armed forces who have died on duty since the First World War.

Remembrance Day is observed on November 11^th to recall the official end of World War I on that date in 1918. The major hostilities of World War I were formally ended "at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month" of 1918 with the German signing of the Armistice. The day was specifically dedicated by King George V, on November 7^th 1919, as an observance of members of the armed forces who were killed during World War I.

Every year on November 11, Canadians offer a silent moment of remembrance for the men and women who have served, and currently serve their country during times of war, conflict and peace. More than 1,500,000 Canadians have served in Canada’s military and sadly the country has lost more than 100,000 fallen heroes. They gave their lives and their futures so that we may live in peace.

The red remembrance poppy has become a familiar emblem of Remembrance Day due to the poem “In Flanders Fields”.

 

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie,

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

Its’ opening lines refer to the many poppies that were the first flowers to grow in the churned earth of soldiers' graves in Flanders, a region of Europe that overlies parts of Belgium, France, and the Netherlands. Canadian physician and Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae is popularly believed to have written it on May 3^rd, 1915 after witnessing the death of a fellow soldier and beloved friend, Lieutenant Alexis Helmer. The poem was first published on December 8^th, 1915 in the London-based magazine Punch.

In 1918, American YWCA worker Moina Michael, inspired by the poem, vowed to always wear a red poppy as a symbol of remembrance for those who served in the war. At a November 1918 YWCA Overseas War Secretaries' conference, she appeared with a silk poppy pinned to her coat and came bearing 25 more for fellow attendees. She then campaigned to have the poppy adopted as a national symbol of remembrance. At a conference in 1920, the National American Legion adopted it as their official symbol of remembrance.

Following the First World War, a French woman Madame E. Guérin, suggested to British Field-Marshall Earl Haig, a founder of the Royal British Legion, that women and children in devastated areas of France could produce poppies for sale to support wounded Veterans. In 1921 she sent her poppy sellers to London, where they were adopted by Field Marshal Haig. The first of these poppies were distributed in Canada in November of 1921, and the tradition has continued ever since. It was also adopted by veterans' groups Australia and New Zealand.

A white poppy is also not uncommon. Some people choose to wear white poppies as a pacifist alternative to the red. The white poppy and white poppy wreaths were introduced by the UK's Co-operative Women's Guild in 1933. Today, white poppies are sold by Peace Pledge Union or may be home-made.

On November 11 especially, but also throughout the year, we have the opportunity to remember the efforts of these special individuals. In remembering, we pay homage to those who respond to their country's needs. On November 11, we pause for two minutes of silent tribute, and we attend commemorative ceremonies in memory of our war dead.

I want to conclude with another poem, this one by Mary Elizabeth Frye. While this text has no direct correlation to Remembrance Day, Canadian composer Eleanor Daley has set the poem to music as a part of a Requiem – entitled “In Remembrance”. It is often sung in Canada as part of memorial and remembrance services.

“Do not stand at my grave and weep” by Mary Elizabeth Frye (1932)

Do not stand at my grave and weep,

I am not there; I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow,

I am the diamond glints on snow,

I am the sun on ripened grain,

I am the gentle autumn rain.

When you awaken in the morning’s hush

I am the swift uplifting rush

Of quiet birds in circling flight.

I am the soft starlight at night.

Do not stand at my grave and cry,

I am not there; I did not die.

"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive the Veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by their nation."

- George Washington

Where Did You Come From? Where Did You Go?

Immigration is woven into the DNA of mankind. According to National Geographic, there is a theory that over 25,000 years ago, when the 7 continents are believed to still have been connected, thousands of people emigrated on foot from what is now known as Siberia to Alaska.

This alone proves immigration is nothing new. When we are not satisfied with something, we have the motivation to walk away and find what we need somewhere else. 

With all the current public discussion of immigration law reform in the U.S. and the ballooning backlog of immigration applications here in Canada, I was inspired to take a look into the history of immigration to North America. I trust you will find these glimpses as interesting as I have.

Every Canadian and U.S. citizen has immigrant roots in their personal history.

But back to our Siberian nomads. Once arriving in the Alaska area, also known as the Bering Land Bridge between Asia and the Americas, the people were met with two massive glaciers insurmountably blocking their path forward. With no way to move on, the population decided to create their society there on the land bridge and essentially wait it out. 

They would colonize, cultivate and survive in sharp, frigid, Siberia-like conditions for the next 10,000 – 20,000 years. That’s not a typo: a 20,000 year rest stop. Eventually the Earth’s environment began to shift, and a path beyond the glaciers presented itself. This enabled the population to immigrate into what would become Canada and the United States, as well as parts of Mexico and South America. They would become the indigenous people of these continents. 
 

Around the year 1000 AD, it is believed that Norwegian explorer Leif Ericson would land on the coast of what is now Newfoundland and Labrador, leading the first-known European expedition to step foot on North America. While there are two tales behind if he landed there on purpose or by mistake, he and his crew would nevertheless settle there to explore what they would name “Vineland” – named for the discovery of ample amounts of grape vines.

Most of us know the saying “in 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue”. Italian explorer Christopher Columbus would set out to find India on the dime of the Spanish Queen. He would miss his mark and land on an island in the Bahamas, and then continue on to Florida.  

Columbus is regarded by many as the man who discovered the “New World”. Protests by Native American historians and activists still occur to this day regarding Columbus’ claims of discovering a place that was already inhabited and the alleged crimes of humanity he committed against its inhabitants. 

Regardless of how you feel about either Ericson or Columbus, it would be these two men and their crews that would pave the way for a future of other Europeans to immigrate to North America.

 

We must also lend the proper recognition to the history of slavery, and the understanding that not everyone chose to immigrate to North America.  African people were being forced into slavery and transported to our continent as early as 1619.  

The first Chinese immigrants to North America landed in Nootka Sound on Vancouver Island in 1788 with British explorer John Meares. 70 Chinese carpenters built him a boat and then, it is thought, they married into the native communities of Vancouver Island, and their cultural traces were quickly assimilated. For centuries before this, it was forbidden to emigrate from China and it was considered a capital crime.   

 

The pioneer Japanese immigrants known as the “Issei” first arrived in Hawaii in 1868 and then in Canada between 1877 and 1928. 10,000 Japanese immigrants were settled permanently in Canada by the year 1914.

Canada is most certainly known and praised for its multicultural and multinational historic diversity. The latest Statistics Canada census recorded just over 6 million foreign-born people in Canada.

This represented virtually one in five or 20% of the total population. This is the highest proportion in 75 years. In 1901, there were 25 reported ethnic origins represented in the Canadian population. The most recent Statistics Canada census results accounted for over 200.

We must welcome with care the people that opt to leave their countries behind so they can share their lives with us here in North America. Our everyday actions should never agitate the oftentimes already turbulent process immigrants’ face. Why disrespect anyone that sets out to instil a sense of courage, adventure and security into their own family legacy?  

Patience, mindfulness, empathy and respect are key to smoothly integrating the emigrated into our teams and communities.

“Remember, remember always that all of us, and you and I especially, are descended from immigrants and revolutionists.” ~ Franklin D. Roosevelt

Socially Speaking...

Social networks, such as Facebook and Twitter offer each of us personally and organizationally a platform to champion something sincere that we believe others should or might also appreciate. This civil right shouldn’t be taken lightly. 

 Over the last decade we have watched our global society grasp the concept of utilizing their personal digital spaces like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to express their very specific individual – oftentimes political and religious – views. But more recently, I believe this digital liberation is leaving us with a societal predicament. The outcome of expression carries a deeper responsibility than some are willing to or have ever been taught to properly recognize.

The story isn't new: person doesn't like something or even worse someone; person posts content on the internet that says as much; person's comments offend, manipulate, and hurt anywhere from one person to millions of people. I believe it's the familiarity of this story that has created a sad sense of common complacency. 

Two teachers, one in Florida, and the other more recently in New Jersey have gained international media focus for posting their aggressive anti-LGBT and faith-based opinions on their Facebook and Twitter account. These accounts were clearly not secured enough to prevent from mass public viewing – a mass public that includes their students past, present and future.

The teacher from Florida, after having been temporarily side lined from his teaching duties while the school board investigated his actions, was eventually found to be within his civil rights. The school board declared that as long as his activity was within legal standing, they had no right to discipline him for actions that took place on his own time and in a public forum.

The case of the New Jersey teacher is still under investigation by the school board. However, Edward Barocas, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union in New Jersey, released the following statement:

“Although we do not agree with the sentiments expressed on Ms. Knox’s personal Facebook page, her beliefs and comments are protected by the First Amendment.” 

We will never know if these two teachers thought of their students before pressing the all-mighty "send" button. But that’s the very moment we should focus on. I can almost guarantee that it will forever alter the degree of comfort that should be required to extend to all students. LGBTQ students run a wide range of being “out”. Not all students have the capabilities or confidence to speak out about their discomfort of being educated by someone who has so openly displayed an aggressive distaste for a specific demographic.

Before we press the “Share” button – be it literal or the metaphorical – we must all ask ourselves:

• Why am I am saying this?
• Why am I saying this now?
• Why am I choosing to use this forum to express this opinion?
• What are the potential outcomes of my making this expression?
• Who if anyone will be effected by my expression, directly or indirectly?
• Do I care that it may affect them?
• If I don’t care, why not?

It may seem silly to think: “Oh right, I should ask myself seven questions before updating my Facebook status”! As naïve as you perhaps consider this to be, the answer for all the right reasons is, yes you should.

By quickly thinking over these very simple questions before we engage in any type of communication, online or off, we are already avoiding countless volatile conflicts. 

This topic is extremely relevant to the diversity conversations we all should be having. Civil rights provide us with the right to speak our minds freely. But it’s up to us to learn the art of speaking freely appropriately.

“But I... never could make a good impromptu speech without several hours to prepare it.”

 ~Mark Twain, 1879 speech

UPDATE 1/13/12: 

According to www.Towleroad.com:

"The Union Township School District has made its first steps toward firing her (Ms. Knox):

The Union Township school board has filed tenure charges against Viki Knox, the high school English teacher whose anti-gay remarks on Facebook raised a firestorm over her free speech rights and her role as a public school teacher.

The board formally filed the charges against Knox in late December, a step that begins the lengthy and costly process to fire Knox, school board president Ray Perkins said. He could not comment on the findings of the district's three-month investigation of Knox's conduct."

 

Generational Diversity: The Inclusion of Andy Rooney

For years I have watched the news magazine program 60 minutes every Sunday, usually alongside my family. Something traditional we have always done as a sort of simple immediate family occurrence to end the weekend and start the fresh work/school week together. 

This past weekend the iconic Andy Rooney sang his swan song after spending time with us in our living rooms for over 40 years. He launched his writing career in 1942, reporting for the U.S. Army newspaper Stars and Stripes.


During this time, his personal history gained experiences such as being one of six correspondents who flew on the first American bombing raid over Germany during WWII, and being one of the very first journalists to visit a Nazi Concentration Camp – an experience that forever changed his mind-set on the validity of war. He began writing for CBS in 1964 and then joined the 60 minutes desk in 1978. This last Sunday he offered us his final tidbit of curmudgeonly wisdom one last time with his “Few minutes with Andy Rooney” segment.

Realizing that his sense of experience and awareness is his draw, Mr. Rooney struck an unexpected chord with me. Andy Rooney is a wonderful example of how diversity of thought and, more specifically, generational inclusion has incredible value not only historically and socially, but also creatively and economically. Even his colleagues, such as Morley Safer (who will see his 80^th birthday this coming November), exemplify the strength behind utilizing both the Boomer and Silent Generations.

 Mr. Rooney is retiring at the age of 92, although according to him, “writers never retire”. He also wants to be very clear that he never considered himself a television personality, but rather a writer that reads what he writes.

60 Minutes is the most successful broadcast in U.S. television history based strictly on ratings. The program secured classic TV ranks after being the top-rated program for five of its seasons, joining suite with equally historic hits All in the Family and The Cosby Show. This achievement has been surpassed only by the goliath that is American Idol. However, 60 Minutes was a top ten show for 23 seasons in a row (1977–2000), a title they still hold today.

Viewers are tuning in expressly for an experienced generational opinion – another example of how cross generational conglomeration provides exciting and out of the box experiences for an audience or clients.

As we live in a society of the “here and now”, we often classify people very quickly when it comes to age. The toxic stereotyping of “younger equals ‘naïve’, while older means ‘out of touch’” is harmful to the emotional work environment, as well as the organization as a whole.

Human beings are living longer, healthier lives. With the global economic dive that we are still recovering from, many people must continue working well past their anticipated retirement age. However, this naturally imposed work-life diversity should be recognized as the privilege it is. We must consistently embrace the gift of generational diversity. It is with the inclusion of any demographic and co-operative ideas that our organization’s potential can be continuously elevated. To reject any idea purely based on its origin is a disservice to yourself, your business, and quite frankly an emotional assault on the courageous thinker.

Andy Rooney is most certainly that: a courageous thinker. Despite the fact that he has offered more than a few opinions that raised an even larger number of eyebrows, 60 Minutes would not have been then nor will be in the future the same without his presence.

We must be, and fill our lives with, courageous thinkers. Our personal histories will always play into the decisions we make and the ideas we create. Including people whose personal histories are unequivocally more experienced and rich in navigating those decisions and creations can only be considered a wise option.

“I believe if all the truth were known about everything in the world, it would be a better place to live.”

-Andy Rooney