Cackling at this as someone who, while contracting for Harvard Business Publishing as a Learning & Development professional, was immersed in their preaching the authenticity gospel, which I should have rightfully recognized as a trap. But I was more naive then. It went down about the way a less naive person would expect:
HBP: We want you to be empowered with the psychological safety to be your authentic self!
Me, a lower-middle class queer person with a business degree from community college awakening to strong anti-capitalist sentiments: OK, I'm being authentic! Yay!
HBP (sweating): No, not like that! Also, we're ending your new contract 10 months early, but it's totally not for any REASONS, you see. K, bye!
Ok, I have more to add, having finished reading the rest of the piece. Now that I live in Portugal, a culture that remains less affected by notions of individualism, autonomy, and "authenticity" (I suspect this isn't even a real thing since we don't exist in a vacuum) and where people are still much more dependent on others in society for survival, especially family members, I am more aware of the pros and cons. It is a far less transactional culture, very much more relational, and I don't see this as an entirely bad thing, though it can make it a little harder for outsiders coming in who have no family or friend networks to rely on from the start. We've spent nearly 2 years cobbling together a support network from fellow outcasts, oddballs, and outsiders, and have marveled at how wonderful it is to feel truly part of a mutually supportive and caring friend group, compared to the "you're on your own unless you can pay for help" culture infecting the U.S. However, I note that several of those outcasts and oddballs in our friend group are native-born Portuguese people, but they are also outsiders because they are living openly LGBTQ lives. As strong as the legal protections are here on paper, the culture has very much not "caught up." So while I do think the rampant individualism and choose-your-own-lifestyle ways of the U.S. are quite harmful, I see how harmful homophobia is in cultures that are still more close-knit and conformist. Many, many gay people here still lead closeted lives because the fear of losing one's support network when coming out is a valid concern.
Great ending to this, and so much to think about. I think self-awareness is important, but it'd be interesting to know how many cultures throughout history, and where, valued it, and why as well as how.
Cackling at this as someone who, while contracting for Harvard Business Publishing as a Learning & Development professional, was immersed in their preaching the authenticity gospel, which I should have rightfully recognized as a trap. But I was more naive then. It went down about the way a less naive person would expect:
HBP: We want you to be empowered with the psychological safety to be your authentic self!
Me, a lower-middle class queer person with a business degree from community college awakening to strong anti-capitalist sentiments: OK, I'm being authentic! Yay!
HBP (sweating): No, not like that! Also, we're ending your new contract 10 months early, but it's totally not for any REASONS, you see. K, bye!
Ok, I have more to add, having finished reading the rest of the piece. Now that I live in Portugal, a culture that remains less affected by notions of individualism, autonomy, and "authenticity" (I suspect this isn't even a real thing since we don't exist in a vacuum) and where people are still much more dependent on others in society for survival, especially family members, I am more aware of the pros and cons. It is a far less transactional culture, very much more relational, and I don't see this as an entirely bad thing, though it can make it a little harder for outsiders coming in who have no family or friend networks to rely on from the start. We've spent nearly 2 years cobbling together a support network from fellow outcasts, oddballs, and outsiders, and have marveled at how wonderful it is to feel truly part of a mutually supportive and caring friend group, compared to the "you're on your own unless you can pay for help" culture infecting the U.S. However, I note that several of those outcasts and oddballs in our friend group are native-born Portuguese people, but they are also outsiders because they are living openly LGBTQ lives. As strong as the legal protections are here on paper, the culture has very much not "caught up." So while I do think the rampant individualism and choose-your-own-lifestyle ways of the U.S. are quite harmful, I see how harmful homophobia is in cultures that are still more close-knit and conformist. Many, many gay people here still lead closeted lives because the fear of losing one's support network when coming out is a valid concern.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Great ending to this, and so much to think about. I think self-awareness is important, but it'd be interesting to know how many cultures throughout history, and where, valued it, and why as well as how.
Thanks for reading!
Fascinating!
https://tempo.substack.com/p/what-if-i-bring-my-whole-self-to
Thanks for sharing your piece…I agree that work is unfortunately not a safe space for most…