"We Don't Talk About Bruno": Politics, Race, & Religion

Discussing Current Events in the Workplace

Ok - it’s time we talk about this. Not in an afterschool special kind of way but in a way that’s meaningful and has purpose. But what is the topic exactly? It’s a myriad of things that amount to the uncomfortable equivalent to a cold seat or a lump in your throat. That’s right…current events!

Yes. We need to talk about these and yes – at work too.

There’s an old saying that you should keep a few items off the table in workplace (and generally social) conversations: race, religion, and politics. But what happens when these worlds collide? Where religion, politics, and race intersect to form this “no-go” zone of discomfort and failed communication?

You get conversations like those after 9/11, the 2016 election, George Floyd’s murder, the January 6th insurrection at the Capital, the 2020 summer of resistance, and the government sanctioned violence (partially financed by the USA) in the Gaza Strip. Those conversations either don’t exist in general or are charged with rhetoric (i.e. the good/bad on both sides; it’s too complicated; why can’t they just…?) and often lose sight of the facts.

In some situations, there’s loss of life which should be acknowledged and grieved. Gaza particularly boasts a high count of children’s lives that were stolen in the name of imperialism, colonialism, power, and greed. The Movement for Black Lives was a culmination of resistance to state sanctioned violence much like many uprisings in the last century. In others, there’s the grief of a way of life or ideology – a resistance to change and a backlash sparked by a perceived or anticipated loss of status, power or opportunity, catalyzing fear to action. In either case, our reality is that these things are becoming harder to separate in multinational organizations, global economies, and the fading expectation that employees leave pieces of themselves at the door when entering the building or logging on for the day.

Why is it that if we do talk about these topics, it can only be done in ways that other or villainize certain groups? Why is it that accountability can’t be requested or honored by government systems? Why are conversations questioning this discouraged or met with emotionally charged responses? Why is it that our organizations only jump on the bandwagon when social justice and speaking out about oppression is popular (such as posting black squares, equal signs, safety pins, or #BlackLivesMatter on social media) leaving empty gestures doing more harm than good?

We must hold space for reflection, discourse, and education.

We must consider the secondary trauma experienced when we watch bombs level skyscrapers, hospitals, and schools. We must empathize when our colleagues and their families are told to “go back” to their country, or harassed and called “terrorists”, or are killed because of images that are propagated on the news. We can’t ignore that our work is shaped by the implications of current events domestically and abroad that impact how we show up to meetings, how we make policy, and show up in our communities. We are beyond the cloak of ignorance and the practice of silence. It’s time to start talking about these things at work.

You may ask – how we should do this? Let me be clear – I’m not suggesting corporate mandates or making people do performative gestures. I am, however, posing a counterpoint to the culture of silence. Opportunities to reflect and provisions for processing both internally and externally can go a long way. Giving permission to pause during meetings to acknowledge when the world is crumbling outside of your cubicles is the human thing to do. No answer is perfect – but we have to break the silence and start somewhere.

It’s time we talk about Bruno.