Curated Insight! - Marginalization or Discrimination....Difference?

Recently I have had the wonderful opportunity of meeting several leading men and women who operate some of the most successful companies in the world.  Ultimately these conversations revolved around best practices and ideology of corporate structure and long-term success.  It was amazing to be exposed to many different theories and philosophies involving human resources, capital investment, strategy, public vs. private entities and return on investment.  Rarely did the conversation of corporate humanitarianism or corporate social responsibility become a topic of discussion but I took the initiative to raise the subject. 

Ultimately some of the most successful companies in the world are entities that have one common element:  inclusion!  I decided to explore economic marginalization with a few of these executives and the adverse impact this has on business, and not just their business but all business worldwide.  The most successful and profitable companies in the world embrace a diverse workforce and have incorporated non-discrimination polices in their human resource manuals.  The very idea that a company or a government or any economic based entity in the world of global competition can afford to marginalize or discriminate and remain viable is simply not a reality.  Though the human sex ratio is basically even throughout the earths population, an interesting factor exists in the western hemisphere, throughout Europe and most of the modern nations on earth and that is the female population outnumbers the male population.  If businesses in these countries discriminated against the female population they would in essence reduce their consumable opportunity significantly.  In addition, most governments in these specific parts of the world recognize the equality of women in the workplace, however where they may not have direct laws protecting the female segment of the population the private sector typically takes the lead.  The bottom line: marginalization of any sector of the population is bad for business.  When a worker feels secure and comfortable to be open about who they are as an individual they are far more likely to provide a level of commitment to the workplace through effort and productivity than one who is continuously concerned about discrimination or unequal pay.

The LGBT community worldwide spends an estimated $140 billion dollars annually, yet of the top 20 poorest nations on earth, 13 of the 20 specifically criminalize homosexuality and in some cases it is punishable by death!  The remaining 7 do not have equal protection under the law and or do not embrace LGBT culture.  When you contribute to the economy of countries such as these you contribute to the ability for that government to continue its path of discrimination and marginalization of its people.  You are accountable through your economic decisions.  In the Caribbean consensual same-sex sexual acts remain criminalized in Dominica, Jamaica, Belize, St. Kitts and Nevis, Antigua and Barbuda, St. Lucia, Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago.  These are countries with very large tourism based economies and to specifically target the criminalization of a segment of the population that spends $140 billion dollars annually is short sighted to say the least, aside from being on the wrong side of history. 

The country of Congo has a larger female population than male, yet women represent only 9% of the government. Social exclusion (or marginalization) is social disadvantage and relegation to the fringe of society.  When we as a business, government, culture or individual choose to exclude and discriminate against any segment of the population it is statistically proven that this is bad for business, bad for democracy, bad for the advancement of societal stability and ultimately bad for us as individuals.  Social exclusion is based on a premise that we as an individual believe our personal characteristics or our socio-economic status is ultimately superior to others.  There is no basis for this assumption and it will always lead to disregard and hate.  These are elements of society that have no place in government, business or culture.  So I ask……before you as a person, business or government leader determine that a segment of your population should or can be marginalized, before you place your moral compass on the determining element of this decision to discriminate… are you willing to be transparent about your goals?

Activist or Humanitarian....Difference?

There are many scholars, laymen, politicians and preachers who lament daily on the virtues of our existence as a human race.  Many of them opine from sources that best support their position as what we as a people should or should not be doing as human beings.  Defining our purpose of existence based on standards they have developed that personally benefit an outcome they desire.  In the process of their pontifications they are keen to draw a distinction between the definition of a humanitarian and an activist, as if this distinction will somehow ordain one’s purpose.  As if there is a defining difference in the outcome.  In short the definition of a humanitarian is “one who is seeking to promote human welfare” and an activist is “one who promotes change”.   Frankly I don’t see the difference.  Change is a process that takes place every second of every day as we progress through this life.  We change our appearances, we change our thoughts, we change our careers…..we change virtually every thing about our existence, as nothing regardless of our efforts remains the same. 

The activist and the humanitarian may approach a subject matter differently but the ultimate outcome is change.  Social disparity and the marginalization of human beings are a concern for both the activist and the humanitarian.  Both have concerns for the “welfare” of their fellow human being, both will “promote” the inclusion and equality of their fellow man.  It would be prudent for all of us to remember as we witness the polarization of society whether it is through inequality, discrimination, socio-economic position that this is a detriment to all our existence and directly weakens the opportunity for a sustainable democracy.  When we witness the weak, the impoverished, the homeless and the struggle of our fellow man it would be wise to remember that these human beings are someone’s brother or sister, mother or father, aunt or uncle, cousin or friend.  They were born into this world as a human being, they will leave this world as a human being and for those of us that remain I ask, what did we do the improve the life of our fellow man.  Are you an activist or a humanitarian…and is there really a difference?