09_28_2018

WOW! The Power of Diverse Voices                 

Little did I know how my most recent Blog would be so relevant in topic to the recent Senate Judicial hearings that heard testimony from Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and Judge Brett Kavanaugh.  The Blog I’m referencing is titled The Complexities of Embracing Diversity.  The theme of the Blog examines the issue of the underlying anger that some white men may be experiencing as they perceive that any and all efforts by the country to embrace diversity is leading to their loss of privilege and power.

                I happened to be working in my Office most of the day on Thursday September 27, 2018 as both Dr. Ford and Judge Kavanaugh testified in front of the Judiciary Committee.  I wasn’t able to hear all of the discussion, but I saw enough to have impressions of both individuals.  Up front, I have to say that I found Dr. Ford’s testimony and responses far more credible than I found Judge Kavanaugh’s responses and demeanor.

I am quite certain that in addition to listening to both of their words, I was paying attention to their demeanor and body language.  I was listening to the tone of their remarks and what that tone revealed about their sense of entitlement.  No one seems to be questioning Dr. Ford’s assertion that she was sexually assaulted as a young teen, yet nothing in her presentation suggested that she felt she was entitled to special consideration.  On the other hand, I felt that multiple aspects of Judge Kavanaugh’s presentation were based on assumptions that were programmed in his psyche for some time: He had worked hard to get where he is today, and that should outweigh everything else.  How could people dare questions his ethics and even reference things that he did when he was younger? I read some of his anger and arrogance as stemming from a well-anchored position of entitlement, one that is established over time by many messages and practices that endow one with privileges that are generally invisible until one is willing to examine the source of those unearned privileges.

I as a lay person could spot some inconsistencies in Judge Kavanaugh’s responses to the Democratic Senators’ questions.  From the multiple articles I had read about this process in credible publications, the people that Dr. Ford said were knowledgeable about Kavanaugh’s assault on her had not denied that it wasn’t true.  Instead, my understanding is that at least two of them said something along the lines that they couldn’t recall the incident and I believe one of those named indicated that she believed Dr. Ford’s version to be true.  Yet, when Kavanaugh said that they all had denied the allegation, he was misstating the facts.  If I recognized the error of his statement,  he as a sitting judge should be much more aware of the importance of reporting findings more accurately.  It may seem like a small thing to some, but it was enough to make me question why he had to twist the truth to fit the version of reality that he thought would serve him best.  Other instances of this type of behavior were evidenced in his responses to some of the things he had written in his high school yearbook.  I didn’t understand all of the shorthand references in his yearbook, but as the Senators questioned him and as reporters and newscasters offered how the terms and phrases he included with his yearbook picture are usually interpreted, I once again felt like he was massaging the truth to cover up things he didn’t believe would be consistent with the image he presented of himself.

But apart from the two individuals involved in this hearing, let me share what impressed me as the hearing unfolded, and how I was reminded of my recent Blog from listening to some of the Senators’ questions.   This may seem political or along Party lines, but there is no getting away from some of the underlying differences and perspectives that informed the questions that were both asked during and after the hearings ended.  The Majority Members – Republicans – consisted of 11 White Men.  The Minority Members – consisted of 10 Senators – represented by 4 Women and 6 Men not all of the same race or ethnic backgrounds.

What I noticed on the first day the Committee was in session was the outrage expressed by some of the Republican Senators that Judge Kavanaugh was even being questioned.  The reactions and comments in some cases didn’t even try to grapple with the differences in facts presented by both witnesses.  There seem to be a ready willingness to simply accept Kavanaugh’s denial that he was the perpetrator of the alleged assault.

In listening to the questions posed by the Democratic Senators, I heard more thoughtful questions and suggestions that to really get at the truth of what happened, there should be an outside investigation conducted by the FBI.  In other words, since the versions of what happened couldn’t both be true, more information had to be gathered to try and sort out what really did happen.

By day’s end, I was exhausted from watching the extended hearing and from listening to evening programs that brought in a series of guests from multiple perspectives to analyze what had occurred.  Emotionally, I’m not sure where I ended up at the end of the day.  Even though I was well aware of what I felt was a very closed and uninformed view on one side of the aisle, I was encouraged by the professionalism and willingness to engage displayed on the other side of the aisle.

By the next morning, I was in a neutral space; I really didn’t know what to expect when it came to voting on moving Kavanaugh’s nomination forward to the full Senate for a vote.  I listened to each Senator’s comments before their votes were announced.  It’s not an overstatement to say that I was in AWE of the Democratic Senators comments and analyses before they each announced their vote.  The diverse composition of the Minority Members contributed to their ability to hear and value other voices.

The latter may seem like an oversimplified statement, but hear me out.  National data confirms that “1 out of every 6 American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime.”  These numbers don’t include the number of women who don’t report their experiences, nor do the numbers report the number of women who experience sexual harassment or inappropriate sexually aggressive acts in their lives.  I have yet to meet an adult woman that hasn’t readily acknowledged that she has experienced some type of inappropriate sexual aggression in her life.  It is no wonder that when women listened to Dr. Ford’s testimony they could so readily relate to her story.

But I was equally impressed by the empathy, compassion, and passion of the male Democratic Senators’ responses.   Each of them seemed to own his response, expressed in words that clearly emanated from his own grasping of injustice and the need to search for the truth.  Sure there are some legitimate differences that come into play in appointing a judge to the Supreme Court, but in most of their comments, the Senators were seeking time to gather more information to see if they could gain more clarity regarding the differences in the two versions presented to them in the hearings.

As I watched the deliberations of the Committee leading up to the vote and the surprising ending, I was reminded of the issues that I raised in my recent Blog.  The presence of more diverse voices – both on the Committee and from women who were coming forward to tell their “truths and stories”  – finally managed to stand up to and challenge the well-established power structures that have long been established and populated exclusively by white males.

Earlier in the day I had a brief conversation with a woman I admire and respect as I was completing a series of appointments.  She shared that she felt sorry for both people involved as she thought that they both seemed earnest, and she worried that both of their lives would probably be forever changed from this experience.  I shared that I believed Dr. Ford’s version was more credible than Judge Kavanaugh’s response, and that if there was any reason  to feel sorry for him, it would be that he didn’t have adults in his life that provided better guidance to him when he was younger about learning to take responsibility for his actions.

Having served in a senior leadership role at a residential college campus,  I was in a position to observe how difficult it was for students who had never been held accountable for their behavior to face learning these lessons as young adults.  We’ve probably all witnessed the shock and trauma that a spoiled and overindulged preschooler faces when he or she starts school and has to adjust to not being the center of attention or getting one’s way all the time.  It seems much more difficult for the adult psyche to have to absorb feedback about inappropriate behavior if one has never had to reckon with that before.

It’s hard for me to imagine how difficult it is for Judge Kavanaugh to have some of his former behaviors that he has not claimed begin to catch up with him.  I don’t have enough information to know for certainty that he indeed is the one who assaulted Dr. Ford, but I do believe that there is enough available information to confirm that he drank to such an extent that he frequently experienced blackouts.  How tragic that he got this far in his life without the guidance and support to acknowledge his mistakes and learn from them.  Where were the adults in his life and in the lives of his peers when they were drinking to excess on what seems like a frequent basis?

In closing, my major takeaway from these last two days is that I’m very encouraged by witnessing the power of diverse voices, voices that are able to articulate the impact on actions from many different points of view.  Embracing diversity is our path forward if we want to find a way to truly live in harmony.  At the same time, as we embrace and celebrate more inclusivity, we need to be sensitive to how we react to those who feel that their ways are no longer the only ways to view the world.      And as adults, we are all responsible for providing guidance and support to those who are moving into adult roles in which they will be required to take responsibility for their actions.