Dr. Zaheer Ahmad MBE’s Post

This post is not for or against Feminism. Infact this post has nothing to do with Feminism. This post is a reminder why we should not be rigidly opinionated, why we should not be rigidly #Liberal or #RightWing When we take sides, we stop looking. Rather we stop being curious. We stop questioning our own reasons and our definitions of values. When we take sides, we become more regressive than progressive. We start believing that all righteousness and intelligence rests on my side while all Foolishness and evil is on the side I am against. When we take sides, we become one-eyed blind. All our opinions are nothing but the Blindspots we are not aware of. Don't take sides. Stay Curious. You are an Explorer of an Infinite Truth. There is nothing called destination here.

There are hard truths that DEI needs to face... ... to address its multiple existential threats, effectively. They all boil down to one underlying tendency: ➡️ the unwavering focus on group identity instead of addressing the culture. How do we fix this? By realizing that inclusion means everyone and that group thinking leads to tribalism. - There's no reverse sexism there's only sexism. - Women are not immune to sexist behaviors. - There's no reverse racism, there's only racism. - People of color are not immune to racist behaviors. - Systems affect people but systems are not people. - When we dehumanize majority groups, we all lose and #DEI dies. - When we reduce individuals to representative of their social group, we create division. - When we collectively challenge the culture, we create connection. In short: political correctness is not compatible with collective culture change. Culture > Identity #Inclusion

Normalizing compassion for men. Not a popular invitation. ➡️ But a necessary one to create collective culture change. 🙏 Yesterday I attended a Compassion for men "Together space" hosted by Daniele Fiandaca and Lisa Barnwell. (Thanks again for doing this ❤️) It was refreshing to participate in a constructive dialogue on this issue, without: - Zero-sum thinking ❌ - #Whataboutism ❌ - Partisanship ❌ --- We talked about the barriers preventing #compassion for men to be perceived, performed, and what could be done to create change. --- Here is what I shared: 1️⃣ Narratives of Masculinity +> The hyperbolic cultural discourse on masculinity, focused on narratives about the most successful men and the most harmful men, misguides our perception of the lived experiences of the vast majority of men. +> Male disposability is the unfortunate blind spot of the gender conversation. --- 2️⃣ Decoupling Male violence from Male Pain +> Perceiving men solely through a lens of #privilege is dehumanizing. +> Framing gender dynamics solely through a lens of #power struggle is counterproductive. --- 3️⃣ Compassion for men benefits women +> When we humanize the lived experiences of men, outside of the lens of power and privilege, we unlock the possibility that they can struggle, and deserve support. +> When we unlock that possibility, we free the world from patriarchal narratives which traps men into the shameful silence of their own challenges. --- Here is the punchline: 🥊 The rightful outrage about male violence should not negate the rightful concerns for male struggles. --- ✍️ How do you show compassion for men? ♻️ Share this post if it brought you value

R-E-S-P-E-C-T Women have been raised to tolerate. To tolerate because they should be nice, kind, a good girl & take care of others. They are expected to eat their own experience for the comfort of others. Women learn to tolerate & swallow their own voice.  I am not aggressive I am assertive. Assertive lives in self respect. Aggressive lives in reaction. Know the difference.  That social norms of being less than is not okay. Women teach other girls & women to tolerate unacceptable behaviors. Women have been socially conditioned to tolerate. Do not tolerate what’s not okay.  Do not accept less than because you are a women. Women have more autoimmune & gut issues than men. Perhaps this is connected to swallowing our voice.  To stomaching things, we should not stomach. For not trusting our guts & intuition, when we should. Do not tolerate.  You will be labeled, guilted & shamed. Women are raised to accept poor behavior as acceptable as if it is unconditional love. That is not love.  Love lives in truth. If you are eating your own voice, it’s not love. It is shame. It is a belief you’re not worthy.  To all the little girls & women, you are WORTHY. Shine & stand tall without accepting  social norms that are unacceptable. No. ✊🏼 You are brave. You are smart. You are anything you want to be.  Do not swallow your voice for the comfort of culture. You will lose humans. You will not regret it.  Choosing to love, respect & honor yourself is not anything humans regret. At the end of life, they regret not saying what they wanted to say.  Trust your gut. Do not tolerate unacceptable behavior. Speak your truth. 👏🏼❤️🔥✍🏼 I Am Women. 🔥 https://lnkd.in/g6Avn_DQ  #socialboundaries #no #voice #trustyourintuition #awomansworth #yousreworthy #donottolerate #goodgirls #selflove #RESPECT

Being told, day in and day out, that you are somehow inferior, unworthy Simply Because of the color of your skin, your gender, you’re religious beliefs, or any other aspect of your identity This message seeps into the psyche, corroding self-esteem and breeding self-doubt For those subjected to segregation It's not just about being denied access to the same facilities or opportunities as others It's about being constantly reminded of your supposed inferiority It's about being made to feel like a second-class citizen in your own community, your own country, your own world But despite the challenge, there is hope Change is possible It starts with acknowledging the reality of segregation and its impact on individuals and communities Empathizing with their experiences, and to recognize the validity of their pain From there, it's about taking #action It's about building bridges where there were once barriers Fostering empathy where there was once apathy Forging connections where there was once division It's about recognizing the worth and dignity of every individual Regardless of their race, gender, religion, or background. #diversity #inclusion #leadership

I have learned from tough experiences that compassion should not be a choice. 💫 In the pursuit of social awareness and justice, many people have replaced compassion with moral superiority. This trend can lead to self-righteousness and a lack of empathy. We need more compassion in our interactions, recognizing that everyone, including ourselves, has prejudices and biases. 👉 Harmful gender vs. gender bias exacerbates divisions and prevents constructive dialogue. ❤️ Instead of judging harshly, we should be willing to forgive ourselves and others, fostering understanding and growth. Embracing empathy over judgment can bridge gaps and promote a more inclusive society. #tehminashehryar #buildingresilience

We have a media industrial complex devoted to making white people feel like they are being threatened. This media complex sends messages that white people are more important than nonwhites, Christians more important than non-Christians, native-born more than immigrant, male than female, straight than queer, cis-gender than trans. Those on the right seize upon this devotion and polarising, seeding fear. In her brilliant book, Caste, Isabel Wilkerson points out that the power of status, even when you are one rung up from the poorest and most marginalised, is strong. You do not want those ‘below’ you to take your spot. This fear is common across the world, transcending race. This culture of fear and superiority is endorsed by the winner loser game that we celebrate. The way out of this power game is to see it for what it is. To recognise that cruelty that lives in superiority. To understand that the game of division and fear has been the constant across history as those who seek power for their own gain play the people against each other. And to stop denigrating others as lesser than, not worthy of, or wrong for their gender or gender choices. We must call out, persistently and clearly, those who platform division and hate. Even those around us. For to remain silent to the first little atrocity of division and hate is to seed its progeny. https://lnkd.in/gMuj5R8w #syntropicworld #syntropicenterprise #beautyofbeginnings

Once again, whenever I post about the harmful impacts of microaggressions, there are those who feel compelled to minimize and dismiss the experiences of marginalized groups. This time, a commenter glibly stated: "Turn the other cheek. Learned that in Sunday school." Statements like this come from a place of privilege and lack of exposure to the realities that underrepresented communities face daily. For those who don't experience the constant slights, insults, and indignities due to their race, gender, sexuality or other aspects of their identity, it's easy to write off microaggressions as "no big deal." But they are a very big deal. Microaggressions are not minor annoyances - they are incessant reminders that you are perceived as "other", less worthy, or not fully accepted in majority-dominated spaces. The cumulative impact is intensely demoralizing and alienating. When you've never carried that emotional weight, it's simple to say "just ignore it." But dismissing these experiences as trivial tells marginalized individuals that their real trauma and marginalization don't matter. True empathy requires recognizing that what may seem "small" to you is hugely detrimental to others. Creating an inclusive world obligates those with privilege to move beyond trite platitudes. We must truly listen and strive to understand the unique challenges faced by communities unlike our own. Only through that understanding can we properly address systemic biases and cultivate authentic belonging. #microaggressions #whiteprivilege #maleprivilege #DEI #inclusion

👇🏼 A word from our founder Polina Changuleva 👇🏼 Once upon a time I used to feel paralysed… Paralysed by the idea that I’m an imposter. Paralysed by the idea that because I’m white surely my contributions to DEI conversations and efforts were not as valuable. Paralysed by the idea that who am I to speak on such important issues from a position of white privilege. That was until I realised that while I am white cisgender heterosexual person I am also… ➡️ A woman ➡️ A neurodivergent woman ➡️ A neurodivergent woman from ethnic minority ➡️ A neurodivergent woman from ethnic minority and low socioeconomic background ➡️ A neurodivergent woman from low socioeconomic background who is also an ethnic minority and who has spent most of her career working in places where I was “the only one”. I am thankful to the people who helped me realise that there’s so much power in using your voice to uplift and serve others, to create space and opportunities for others, to even out the playing field and fight injustice. Because if minorities win, we all win! In a divided world that likes to label things as “black” or “white” I find that more often than not the best answers are found in the grey, in the nuance of it all. So here’s to learning to use your privilege for good while also accepting your own experiences of discrimination and continuously learning from the experiences of others. You can be both privileged and discriminated against. What are your GREY truths? 💭 #dei #diversityandinclusion #privilege #JoyfulInclusion #socialjustice #diversityequityandinclusion

𝗘𝗺𝗯𝗼𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗢𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘀. Trish Ruebottom, DeGroote School of Business - McMaster University, McMaster University, Canada Madeline Toubiana, Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa, University of Ottawa, Canada 🔗https://lnkd.in/eHs7-hja What does it mean for shame to haunt you for the rest of your life? How might such shame impact organizing, organizations, and the way we resist? In this essay, we discuss how shame rooted in inferiority shapes our very bodily comportment and the ways we interact and live in the world. If we truly want to understand the impact of shame on organizational life there is a need to dig deeper into the very heart of our embodied experience. Building on work that has sought to understand how shame shapes and controls us, we push for an embodied perspective on shame to enter into our scholarly inquiry. To do so, in this essay, we draw on feminist and critical race theory to argue that felt shame can accumulate, untethered to specific episodes of shaming, and inhibit bodily expression. We bring attention to this embodied and durable aspect of shame and suggest there is a need to attend to its impacts on our organizations, the ways we are organized, and how we can organize to resist. #diversity #domination #emotions #gender #identity #InstitutionalTheory #power #resistance -------------------------------------------------------------------- Paolo Quattrone, Tammar B. Zilber