Forgive me, it seems I’m a late bloomer in noticing the way in which the world I live in does not look equal, even when in the hands of the ‘enlightened’.
I kind of get it now, the modules that Griselda Pollock taught whilst I was at the University of Leeds studying History of Art many moons ago, you know the ones about feminism, I avoided those like the plague. I preferred to get my kicks out of Hogarth’s political prints and satire, the social history of the landscape and other softer stuff it seems (Victorian Architecture and Civic Pride)
Anyway I’m fully aware that in my blinkered way I’ll be scorned either way for being way behind the times on feminist discourse, or worse than that you’ll ignore this post altogether because it’s all about being marginalised and moany. Why can’t we all just crack on you say?
Well a small disclaimer, this isn’t a bitter post about the august institution the RSA – which explores Twenty First Enlightenment, because I didn’t get a job with them earlier in the year. (I think we knew my heart wasn’t in being an employee in the first five minutes of the interview). In fact my experience with the RSA so far and the animation gives me the confidence to think they’ll welcome a friendly online conversation as a result of their provocation. I trust that I got that right?
I watched the animation above of a lecture given by Roman Krznaric ‘The Power of Outrospection’ at first in happy self congratulation, it spoke to me of what we’ve been all about here at The Culture Vulture, conversation, compassion, hosting and facilitating many different points of view. We’re not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but everything Roman speaks of resonates and it’s a great message to share. We definitely need to find better ways to have tough conversations with each other, to be curious, to walk in the shoes of others. Empathy is vitally important, and never more so in the time of great change, weak economies and the opportunity to review everything we come across, including each other. We judge and feel judged constantly, and social media amplifies this no end. As you may know we run cultural conversation, open space events, host picnics, socials and get togethers in social spaces to bring people together online and offline. So far so good!
So here are my questions
When Roman was considering his lecture could he have considered more fully the balance of his selected role models? A quick cast about on google for ’empathetic leadership’ and ‘walking in the shoes of others’ for examples returned this on Aung San Suu Kyi and Harper Lee in To Kill a Mocking Bird.
The animator from Cognitive Media did a great job of making the lecture accessible, yet had only the named role models referred to by Roman to create visible role models (Obama, George Orwell, Socrates) There are few women pictured at all, and when they are they have labels such as ‘Daily Mail Reader’ ‘Dole Scrounger’ or were cast in the traditional carer role. So could the animator have pictured more positive female roles such as the reader at the Time/Space table?
Who is the audience for this specific animation?
Is the animation attempting to provoke those that identify most with the characters within the animation?
Who needs convincing that the empathy is needed for social change? And can they acquire the desire to learn it?
Empathy is usually perceived to be a female trait, is this an attempt to add balance to that perspective?
If nothing else the animation got me thinking about how it’s all to easy to judge, like I was first guilty of, but it’s much better to ask questions, first of yourself and then others.
So what do you think?
Does the animation succeed for you on balance? Did it make you think? Develop a context that makes what you currently do easier to explain to others?
Would you go to a Museum of Empathy? (That bit did remind me a bit of GCSE History where I had to pretend to have had half my land taken off of me in the Enclosure Act, which feels oddly appropriate now too come to think of it).
Over to you or am I reading to much into a visual story telling device? I’m really open to have a conversation about this, please help me in my understanding.
(As an aside I met Mary Clear of Incredible Edible Todmorden at TedXWomen in Bradford at the weekend, who together with a group of fine volunteers have spread plant propaganda globally. Their simple message is Kindness, which is something I’m thinking of a lot. To cut a long story short the founder of Incredible Edible Pam Warhurst is now chair of the Yorkshire region of The RSA, so 2013 might well be a good time to get more involved)
Yikes – all of this made my head hurt at first. However on a technical point of view I loved the presentation it made me think of my own total and utter inadequacies around drawing but in reality it simply made me angry – who the hell is this guy ? and is all that he’s got to say “empathy = better world” hidden behind a stupid made up word and some flash graphics. At the end I simply said to myself – ‘No shit Sherlock’
Empathy is a critical tool that all of us need to understand and be better at and this must start at as young an age as possible but that will lead me into the education system and what is taught in schools or not as the case may be which is a whole other ball game. The idea of an empathy museum sounds crass and belittling to me but I guess it would depend on how it was done and curated. It might be part of the puzzle but is, in my view no way near the answer.
With regards to gender in the film, yes it was poorly handled. I think in general as a society however we are shockingly bad at getting it right with regard to proper role models in general and gender in particular. Go and look at the teaching staff in any nursery or primary school – these are the first role models for many children outside of the home. They will be overwhelmingly women – what is this telling the children?
So I’m being as incredibly un-coherent here but overall the film was poor in it’s message, and its stereotyping and gender balance. In that respect it very much echoed the world we live in.
Thanks Ian, appreciate that you took the time to look at this, and give it your consideration.
On days, like today, when I’m not feeling very idealistic (I wrote this yesterday when I was full of world changing vigour) I don’t feel very optimistic about the challenges our children face in growing up in a more equal society. Funny really if you think one of the messages was about imagining the legacy we are creating for them.
My kids are 2 and 4, and yes encountering some odd mixed messages already. And to be fair I constantly question if I’m doing the right thing by insisting on having a career, especially one as a self employed person. Yet my kids accept people for who and what they are, somewhere along the way we forget to see the world through their eyes. They could teach us a lot about compassion and empathy. My little girl I’m proud to say is very kind to her smaller brother and looks out for him, and cares about the feelings of her friends and ‘teachers’ at Nursery too.
Whilst this is really not meant to tear the animation to shreds, my desire was to question what the very best way to spread this message to the people who currently don’t think ‘No Shit Sherlock’ as you put it. I think it’s started what could be a useful discussion (here at least) about how we use language to include and exclude, and what role a very progressive organisation such as the RSA can play with it’s very influential world wide reach
I like the RSA animations, but then I like animation. I also like comics, graphic novels and graphical learning aids. I pretty much passed all the exams I’ve ever taken using Icon Books’ Introducing and For Beginners graphic guides. I’m also jealous of people who can draw. Especially those who can draw cartoons.
So I’m relatively pre-disposed to this. Is it a bit lightweight? Maybe, but it’s entertaining and gets some points across in an interesting way. It’s more likely to hit the mark than watching a video of Roman at a lectern delivering the lecture or reading a PDF. It’s made me think a bit. It’s made me write a comment. It’s made me think about some of the stuff i learned in psychology lectures. I might look up a few things. Your comments have made me think a bit and extended my curiosity a bit. Whether that curiosity will last much longer than say tomorrow I don’t know.
Also I’m a pretty empathetic kind of person and I kind of think that anyone who likes what’s being said here is already there too. Preaching to the converted. It makes people like me feel cosy. ‘Thats me that is’. Thing is most people who will probably never see this or have heard of the RSA are largely empathetic too, they just might not call it that. Does it help them?
This reminds me of Cameron’s whole Big Society ‘idea’ A cossetted Eton educated millionaire comes up with a spanking new ‘idea’ without realising that the very people he wants to help and support be part of the Big Society are already doing it. Every Day. They just didn’t have a brand name for it.
Would I go to a Museum of Empathy, yep I probably would but I’ve been to some truly terrible cultural institutions over the years……
As for the gender bias, sorry didn’t notice it but I was slightly distracted by a sick child coming in and out of the living room (see highly empathetic people share part of their lives….)
Oh and have to agree Mary Clear and Incredible Edibles is absolutely fantastic. i could listen to her speak forever.
Not sure I’ve really answered any of your questions. Maybe I need more of a think.
i survive in this wobbly world by avoiding any critical analyze , not watching tv and only reading with out squinting , so that cuts out loads of crap.
Gee it is the RSA drawing , what can you expect?
dont get me wrong i love the drawing its mesmerizing and brilliant.
But this is the world dumbed down by clever clogs who dont get dirty , dont take risks, anyone who is going to have a museum of empathy is on a downer anyway.
I try not to shine a light on silly people , let his museum stay where it is , his head.
The RSA could do millions of good things and might well do but how will many people know.
those little drawing films could be so much more use as a trailer before films .
Is it enough to have them on an app?
is it enough to pay shed loads and then let mainly the chattering classes have access to them?
Is it enough just to love them with out being critical?
probably not.
Firstly, and like others, I loved the animation style from the RSA clip.
Yes I agree it was very loaded towards male role models, and I also wondered if that was a device, given that empathy is usually associated with being a feminine trait. Although my (female…) intuition says not and that there was just a default to male role models.
I didn’t feel like I learnt anything new from the film – rather it reconfirmed the importance of empathy but at the same time the challenge of empathy, particularly across large spatial distances. His museum of empathy was interesting but hardly revolutionary – the living library concept is well established for example and we have one in Leeds.
So interesting and appealing but didn’t make me see things in a wildly different way.
Having said that, I like the frame of ’empathy’ and would like to see more conversations with this at the centre. For example, all the research about stigma indicates that direct contact, on equal terms, is most effective in challenging it – creating empathy and standing in another person’s shoes.
So in conclusion, animation good, empathy good, nothing new is less good, lack of positive representation definitely not good at all….
Hi Emma,
Here’s what I think;
Q Does the animation succeed for you on balance? Did it make you think? Develop a context that makes what you currently do easier to explain to others?
A Yes, although the concept of an organisation for ‘enlightenment’ feels a bit cringey. I think you nailed it when you suggested how we use language can instantly put people off. ‘Enlightenment’ – reminds me of when I was a kid; there was a TV series about a kid called Duffy Moon who thought he had ‘cosmic awareness’. Whatever it is called, if it brings an alternative way to look at stuff then fine. ‘finding innovative practical solutions to today’s social challenges’ – yes! forget the enlightenment bit.
Q Would you go to a Museum of Empathy?
A Yes, more out of intrigue for how the concept would be delivered than to specifically learn about empathy.
Q Over to you or am I reading too much into a visual story telling device? I’m really open to have a conversation about this, please help me in my understanding.
A I kept the first two answers brief to concentrate on this. I think it’s a good tool and explains the concept well. I agree that there are fewer feminine role models and few females in it, but I only noticed that after you pointed it out, maybe a man thing? Perhaps that is something that you/gender might pick up on and/or if it was relevant in other discussions/parts of your life at the time you viewed it. Bit like people always see more of the same car/dress once you have bought that same version.
Yes, there were fewer females, was it deliberate? probably not. Was it wrong to position them as dodgy characters? Perhaps, but then again in that particular line up of dodgy people there were 5, of which 4 were blokes and all stereotyped in some way. And… we all know that 4:1 is not representative of the gender split.
With regard to Empathy being a female trait, perhaps, never really thought about. Not sure I agree with Ian’s point re it sends the wrong message to kids if majority of primary school teachers are female. If whoever does it provide the care and support that children need then don’t really see that as an issue.
So to summarise, I think you are reading too much into it, but I wouldn’t let it worry you. However you did miss that Obama had a top Movember going on 😉 Bet you go and watch it again now!
Hmmm, ok i can see your loin re. the lack of females role models. However, I do think that men ( as a generalisation) perhaps need more to understand empathy and it’s importance – so perhaps it being geared up more for a male/ left brain audience in it’s argument is ok, for me.
I like the use of language and the idea of the museum i really like – nothing like experience and walking in another person’s shoes. I do think that introspection and outrospection are two parts of the same ‘beast’ though and both necessary and important.
In respect to CV, I love what you do and facilitate at Culture Vultures, Emma.
typo..point not loin!!! oops
HI – I enjoyed the animation – the way the RSA does these things is fascinating in itself – but I’m just not sure that the topic is strong enough to sustain your deconstruction, as it were! I rather had the sense that a theory was being floated to get people talking – and effectively you have responded by doing just that (and, incidentally, it seems to me that that is what CV is really good at, both via tweets and the blogs: at first glance, a snapper-up of unconsidered trifles which then sometimes become something much more significant because of the magnifying glass you place on them with your questions.) – Thus, the animation worked! – The issues you raise about the ‘how’ as well as the ‘what’ are right and need raising – and what is good about your article is that you are the start of the conversation, not the end – I’d say keep going – it’s a worthy topic (although ‘kindness’ somehow seems so much more attractive!)