Impactful Inclusion Toolkit

ACTIVITY 37Go Beyond Performative Gestures

“Actions speak louder than words.”

—Proverb

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When what we say and do in public is incongruent with what we say and do in private, it is considered performative and hypocritical. Social movements like #MeToo, Black Lives Matter, Gay Rights, or Stop Asian Hate tend to reduce us to performers and hypocrites when we want to be perceived as caring about justice and equality for marginalized groups. But wouldn't it be easier to just be authentic than be discovered a fraud? For many individuals and organizations alike, the answer is absolutely not! The pressure may be too intense. Perhaps there's guilt in not caring or we just want to jump on the bandwagon and get congratulated for being there. The last thing we want is for others to believe or suspect us to be racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, or xenophobic, especially when it takes minimal effort and no commitment to equality and justice to showcase a Pride mug or other symbolic gesture on our desks to assuage the guilt and pressure. In doing so, we get to feel better about ourselves and reassure our marginalized co-workers or staff that we're one of the good ones. In essence, we're saying “I am on your side. I support you,” without having uttered a word. The truth is that symbolic gestures never equate to action (See figure 37.1). They are just words and symbols masquerading as support, and eventually people will discover the truth. How will one respond if ever called on to ...