Agree! But I suspect that because Arts aren't "science", as it is commonly perceived, this will struggle for traction.
Wouldn't it be delightful if strong-minded folks in the arts community owned their intelligence and dared to assess what they saw, without delegating (or off-loading responsibility) decisions to "experts"?
I know someone, an arts person, who claims a Mensa-level intelligence, but who refuses to look at serious info because she's not a doctor...or not a scientist. It's so frustrating.
This is really well said. Clear. Just no. If you, an arts organization, or any other, but most particularly this one, feels that your only alternative to alleviate your fears, or your "customers" fears, is to point fingers at one group over another, and shun that group as the cause of your fears, excluding them from participation if they do not follow novel rules of inclusion created during a panic, then . . . close shop. There is no "public health" emergency that justifies a puritanical, pointed finger response of exclusion, ever. Ever. This we know. . . from history.
In my city the performing arts organizations simply deferred to guidance from a powerful hospital system which in addition to being a donor and supporter of the arts, also assumed the role of advisor regarding covid and covid protocols to many organizations. This was a conflict of interest because the hospital system was HIGHLY invested in pushing the shots and maintaining mandates. Attempts to inform administrators of these performing arts organizations that the shots were NOT safe or effective, and directing their attention to concerned doctors pointing this out was met with utter disregard - the "gold standard" doctors of the supervisory hospital system were the only ones lent any credibility. Having discharged personal and organizational responsibility for policies to a "higher and trusted" authority, these admins felt no qualms about discriminating against and financially punishing those unjabbed who were extraordinarily well informed on the horrible dangers of the shots and did not wish to bring harm to themselves. This was a modern day equivalent of "just following orders". And if the same push to discriminate came today from the same sources, I have little doubt how these performing arts organizations would handle it. No chastisement or encouragement from unjabbed to please not discriminate again will fall on deaf ears if they believe, as told by captured health systems, that the unjabbed are THE threat and a huge problem for workplace safety. I don't even think the tragic health consequences that a handful of jabbed employees are facing would shake them loose of that mindset. As long as a crisis is perceived, those who want to cover their behinds would rather defer decision making to an entity they perceive as knowledgeable and trustworthy than to take a hard look at what is actually happening in front of their noses.
People dependent on these quislings for their livelihood need to have a Plan B to earn their living. And if not that, hopefully they have an excellent attorney well versed in workplace discrimination laws ready to sue for any infraction. Sadly, legal action is the ONLY thing that will get their attention.
We got them to back down with the help of the City Manager, but we had to get them to drop their employee and volunteer requirement on the process. A double win.
Agree! But I suspect that because Arts aren't "science", as it is commonly perceived, this will struggle for traction.
Wouldn't it be delightful if strong-minded folks in the arts community owned their intelligence and dared to assess what they saw, without delegating (or off-loading responsibility) decisions to "experts"?
I know someone, an arts person, who claims a Mensa-level intelligence, but who refuses to look at serious info because she's not a doctor...or not a scientist. It's so frustrating.
This is really well said. Clear. Just no. If you, an arts organization, or any other, but most particularly this one, feels that your only alternative to alleviate your fears, or your "customers" fears, is to point fingers at one group over another, and shun that group as the cause of your fears, excluding them from participation if they do not follow novel rules of inclusion created during a panic, then . . . close shop. There is no "public health" emergency that justifies a puritanical, pointed finger response of exclusion, ever. Ever. This we know. . . from history.
In my city the performing arts organizations simply deferred to guidance from a powerful hospital system which in addition to being a donor and supporter of the arts, also assumed the role of advisor regarding covid and covid protocols to many organizations. This was a conflict of interest because the hospital system was HIGHLY invested in pushing the shots and maintaining mandates. Attempts to inform administrators of these performing arts organizations that the shots were NOT safe or effective, and directing their attention to concerned doctors pointing this out was met with utter disregard - the "gold standard" doctors of the supervisory hospital system were the only ones lent any credibility. Having discharged personal and organizational responsibility for policies to a "higher and trusted" authority, these admins felt no qualms about discriminating against and financially punishing those unjabbed who were extraordinarily well informed on the horrible dangers of the shots and did not wish to bring harm to themselves. This was a modern day equivalent of "just following orders". And if the same push to discriminate came today from the same sources, I have little doubt how these performing arts organizations would handle it. No chastisement or encouragement from unjabbed to please not discriminate again will fall on deaf ears if they believe, as told by captured health systems, that the unjabbed are THE threat and a huge problem for workplace safety. I don't even think the tragic health consequences that a handful of jabbed employees are facing would shake them loose of that mindset. As long as a crisis is perceived, those who want to cover their behinds would rather defer decision making to an entity they perceive as knowledgeable and trustworthy than to take a hard look at what is actually happening in front of their noses.
People dependent on these quislings for their livelihood need to have a Plan B to earn their living. And if not that, hopefully they have an excellent attorney well versed in workplace discrimination laws ready to sue for any infraction. Sadly, legal action is the ONLY thing that will get their attention.
I challenged Peninsula Youth Theatre on this just before the present article was published.
https://howtosee2020.com/discrimination/letters/pyt.html
We got them to back down with the help of the City Manager, but we had to get them to drop their employee and volunteer requirement on the process. A double win.
https://howtosee2020.com/discrimination/letters/