Reflection P.1
Think of some neologisms that have emerged in your own life recently. Many have to do with new technology. ‘SMS’, ‘texting’, ‘sexting’, ‘cyber bullying’ and ‘unfriending’ are some obvious examples for me as an older person, but you may well be able to think of more recent ones. I am old enough to remember having a ‘mouse’ described and demonstrated to me in the early stages of computing, and it certainly felt a very strange idea to call a plastic gizmo by the name of a small animal. We get to know neologisms as they emerge, and soon use them without a second thought. Reflect upon how you felt as you started to use new words and phrases like this, and how long it took you to incorporate them into the things you said and way you thought.
Reflection 1.1
It is worth finding out more about the BBC’s reconstruction of Zimbardo’s prison experiment. Use an Internet search to track it down and spend time exploring what it was, how it worked and what happened. There is plenty to see, including some fascinating video footage. It is still a subject of debate as to how far this new version supported Zimbardo’s original findings. What are your conclusions? Also consider how far such a project can be truly regarded as an experiment, and how much it really tells us about being human.
Reflection 1.2
Think of an occasion in which you were put on the spot – maybe taking part in a psychological experiment, filling in a questionnaire or being interviewed about your opinions. Reflect upon the extent to which you modified what you did and said, and the reasons why. Does this give you confidence that people are acting authentically in these sorts of situations? Or do you think they have their own agendas?
Reflection 1.3
Use an Internet search to familiarise yourself with the two experiments that Darley and Latané carried out and review the data they obtained. Make some notes on the conclusions they reached about bystander apathy. What do their measurements tell us about this psychological ‘phenomenon’?
Reflection 1.4
Spend a bit of time reviewing some of these changes in psychology through an Internet search. For example, look at the websites of professional bodies (e.g. APA, BPS, PsySSA) and/or visit the websites of some of the journals mentioned in the text, focusing on their statements about what they will publish. If you can, compare them to more standard (and high-status) journals. For example, have a look at The Lancet’s publication strategy and explore how it has been challenged over its stance on qualitative research.
Reflection 1.5
Reflect upon your own situation and work out the ways in which your ‘soul’ is being ‘governed’. Look at the rules and conventions that you have to live by – for example, in your workplace, in the services you receive or in the way you are treated within your community. Also perform an Internet search on the term ‘governmentality’. Then write some notes for yourself explaining what it means, illustrating the concept with an example based on your own experience.
Reflection 1.6
Think about an emotional experience you have lived through recently – where your feelings have been aroused at least fairly intensely. It can be positive or negative or something else entirely, like feeling disconcerted or ashamed. It just has to be something you identify as emotional.
Then, write a list of, say, three or four things that influenced the way you felt on that occasion. The aim is to get a better sense of how, perhaps, your upbringing or events in your childhood may have had an impact, or your faith and/or the values you live by. It could also be the impact of the stories you watch and listen to, and how you want to be seen by others. All this will become clearer as we move through the book; for now you just need to get some sense of the way that the emotion you felt is not something ‘natural’ or buried in your genes – but has been crafted for you by your family values, your culture and the way in which your life is situated within a particular kind of the society.
Reflection 1.7
Conduct an Internet search to find out about the state benefit system operating in the place where you live. Look at official websites, but also look at websites that represent the interests of those claiming the benefits, such as CPAG and Shelter in the UK. Make some notes on how far the system for providing benefits where you live reflects a neoliberal approach or more of a welfare approach. What has this taught you about neoliberalism?
Reflection 2.1
What shouts out at you from these descriptions? What do you think is going on?
Reflection 2.2
You may want to do a bit of Internet research on the various personality theories that are included in the standard psychology textbooks. I think you will find it useful to consider why I chose just two – psychodynamic and humanist theories – to include in this chapter. Reflecting on what my reasons are should help you to understand why I have chosen to focus on what makes us human for this book.
Reflection 2.3
Think of a time when you felt unhappy about (maybe even wanted to rebel against or challenge) the rules about obligation in your own culture and/ or sub-culture. Do it twice: first in terms of your own obligations to others; then, second, in relation to their obligations towards you. Think about what your life might be like if you had more or fewer obligations towards others, and then about what it might be like if others had more or fewer obligations towards you. In Chapter 4, which is about human relationships, I describe the ways in which Chinese grandmothers expect to be treated – and I feel rather jealous of them! Their influence and the respect they are given by their children and grandchildren is (or certainly was) very different from my own! What about you?
Reflection 2.4
Perform Internet research on one or more of these identities, such as ‘nasty women’, INCELs, geeks or ‘pick up artists’. Go for the one that will challenge you the most and make you think or one that you know nothing about. Reflect on what is going on in the adoption of these identities – what people are doing it for, what they need to do to perform this identity, and what it does for them – that is, the social benefits and costs.
Reflection 2.5
Think of yourself for a bit and the pressures on you to adopt a certain kind of identity. Think especially what it would mean for you if you felt you had to take up another identity (or, indeed, it has meant to you if you have actually done so). I think you will agree that this aspect of identity is one we can recognise, but also that many of us who conform to ‘the norm’ seldom question in any fundamental way. It is something we should not simply assume is natural or inevitable. You may be in a battle at the moment – for example, with your parents, your partner or your employer – about who you should be, what they should expect of you and what your responsibilities are.
Reflection 2.6
Think a bit about the names you call yourself, and the names you really hate being called! I call myself a ‘woman’ rather than a ‘lady’ and hate being called an ‘old dear’ or ‘know-it-all’. It’s worth spending some time reflecting on what is going on when you are called names you don’t like.
Reflection 3.1
If you have ever watched reality TV, you will have spent a lot of time observing how people are reacting to and interacting with each other, so you already know a lot about what habitus is about. But you have to admit, the participants are often acting for the camera. So try this out in real life. Next time you are around people you don’t know well – queuing at the bus stop or seeing people around you chatting in a queue –try to work out some of the dispositions being displayed.
Look intensely at how people catch each other’s eyes, gesture and talk, stand or sit. Notice what you can tell about them from these aspects of how they behave. Which of them act as markers about who they are?
Reflection 3.2
For a few moments get yourself into the mind-set of the hens in this scenario. Imagine yourself ‘getting a laugh’ out of dressing up in the outrageous outfits you can buy for such events, being loud and drunk, it all spiced up by the extra offence you can cause by having the party in a well-known gay bar. Then get yourself into the mind-set of a gay man on a night out in his favourite bar. What kinds of feelings do you think you would have? Where do you think they would come from? When you have done both, reflect a little on what this activity has told you about the ways in which power is exercised and resisted in situations like this – and about what emotions like this feel like.
Reflection 3.3
For a day or so, keep a log of the extent to which you think you are open to scrutiny. Make notes of the CCTs you can spot, in places like shops and service stations, on roads and public transport, in your home and on social media. Reflect too on where you can go to get away from it. Then make two lists, one of the advantages of this level or surveillance, and another of the downsides. Reflect upon what feelings this level of surveillance arouses, and to what extent you are content with what is happening.
Reflection 3.4
To get further insight into how community psychology can contribute to creating more enabling communities, look at the work of D4D (http://d4d.org.uk) designed to counter the ‘four Ds’ – dis/engagement, dis/enfranchisement, dis/parity and dissent that people face. It has specific projects on Electric Bodies and Playful Bodies, Technology and Community. Once you get the picture, feel free to look for something similar where you live or that is more relevant to your interests. Explore the site and identify, say, the three or four key principles upon which the project is based.
This would make an ideal task to do as one or several groups, with your individual explorations followed up by a report-back and a summary of the most important insights you have gained by looking at sites like this.
Reflection 4.1
Think about your own experiences of family life. For most people this is how they spent their childhood, but many people have had gaps and a few have very little experience of being in a family at all. Whichever applies to you, reflect on the impact of your family life on your childhood experiences. Reflect too on the word ‘family’, what it means to you and to what extent a particular relationship with someone in your family has been important in your life.
Reflection 4.2
Think about what it means to be a mother and/or a father among your kin or community. Think of at least three different ways in which mothers and fathers are subject positioned by the available discourses to do their parenting in a particular way – for example, advice given by ‘experts’, what is portrayed in the media and what is expected of parents by schools. Consider the impact of your culture – whether that be white middle class, African American, Middle Class Syrian or whatever – and of the dominant culture where you live. Consider how consistent are its messages about what kind of parent you are expected to be.
Think too of the economic circumstances in which you live, and the pressures upon you from them. If you can, do talk to somebody whose heritage or circumstances are very different from your own, which will help you explore this issue in more depth.
Reflection 4.3
Think of a time when you were being cared for – in a medical setting (like going to the dentist or having an injection), equally you could think about going to the hairdresser, to the gym or having a massage. It needs to be an occasion where someone needs to touch you to do their job. Reflect on times when it was a really good experience and then on times when it felt uncomfortable, or worse. Now reflect on what it may be like for someone old and frail being treated roughly, and consider its impact on them, and especially their mental wellbeing.
Reflection 4.4
Do an Internet search to get better idea of what foster caring is like. Start off with a general search (I found Barnados particularly informative: www.barnardos. org.uk/campaigns/believe-in-me) but also examine at least one recent academic paper based on qualitative research. A good example is a study by Melanie Randal (Randal, 2013) in which she interviewed adults about their experiences of foster care. You may prefer to look at something more up-to-date or more local to you.
Get a general impression of what matters most to people when being cared for as children by foster carers.
Reflection 4.5
Make a list of, say, six things that bring joy to your life and make you feel happy and content. Do this quickly without thinking too much about them – go for the first things that come into your mind. Then look at your list and work out which ones are about being solitary and which are about doing them together with other people. Do you agree with Lyne Segal that our main pleasures are collective?
Reflection 4.6
To what extent do you think you live in a resilient community? Has this changed for you, or is it much the same as when you were a child? In respect to your own circumstances and situation, what do you think would help build better community resilience for you and those around you?
Reflection 5.1
Use this opportunity to do an Internet search on atrocities like these – sadly, there are plenty to choose from. You may prefer to find something more up-to-date – what genocide is in the news just now? Or you may want to pursue something closer to your heritage – either as a being a descendent of a mistreated group or having a history of involvement in colonisation.
Reflection 5.2
Reflect on your own binary thinking – we all do it! But think of, say, two people you know – or know of (such as a sports personality or a celebrity chef) – who you think are very different from you. Take each one in turn and first make a list of the ways in which you are different. Then think of ways in which you are similar. Put some time into this, to get a sense of how much more complicated and nuanced life is than the same/different binary. This activity would work well as a discussion among a few people. In either case, take some time after you have done your lists to reflect on the way binary thinking obscures the subtlety and diversity of human beings.
Reflection 5.3
This debate still rages, and is likely to continue. The reason is, in part, that evolutionary theory is being used by some to bolster their own sense of superiority. Conduct an Internet search to look at what is going on with the debate just now and/or where you are located. Make sure you examine arguments for each side of the argument. Reflect on the motives of each side.
This is another activity you could usefully carry out as a group. For example, you could have a debate on the following notion: “Intelligence is something we are born with, and our generic inheritance is the main determinant about whether we succeed or not in life”.
Reflection 5.4
It is easy to go back through history and track down what white, middle-class men said about issues like slavery, but much harder to find out about what slaves thought and said. Reclaiming Fredrick Douglass’ speech has made an important contribution to our understanding of what went on. How have you responded to his account? Reflect on the emotions it arose within you, even if they are difficult to face. Now try looking for other accounts from people who were Othered in distressing ways. You can include firsthand accounts, but also look at fiction. Think of films and novels that seek to ‘give voice’ to people who have been discriminated against. The aim here is to gain more insight into the impact Othering has, and a better understanding of why we must act against it.
Reflection 5.5
Consider the images displayed here of three different neoliberal identities. Then think about yourself and people you know – you could even do this in a small group discussion. Think or talk about the situations in which you position yourself according to each of these: When can you see yourself as a clever chooser? When do circumstances make you more of a mindful self-monitor? And when do you feel you have to become a buy-me boaster? How familiar do these neoliberal identities feel to you? Do they feel comfortable?
Reflection 5.6
‘Phillip’ uses the term ‘in the legal definition’ to describe a guy who sets out to rape a woman. What do you think he means by this? What do you think is going on? This is an informative topic to discuss in a group, to explore ways in which men and women argue from different positions – or, at least, some men do. I will admit I found his use of this term made me feel very uncomfortable.
Reflection 5.7
Use the Internet to access the Clinical Division of the BPS, the APA statement about transgender and gender diverse children, or an equivalent that applies where you live. Your aim is to find out to what extent psychologists are changing their approach in ways that avoid Othering particular groups. You may want to reflect on whether these actions have gone far enough – or have gone too far.
Another activity which would work really well is a joint fact-finding project, followed by a group discussion.
Reflection 6.1
Look for an up-to-date map showing the main areas of the world where wars and other forms of systematic violence like ‘ethnic cleansing’ are being waged. Include places where people are still living with its aftermath (e.g. where there are a large number of refugee camps). If you can, include conflicts that happened, say, up to 20 years ago. What do you think are the psychological impacts of living in what is or was ‘a war zone’ upon the people there? In what ways do you think women and their dependent children may be particularly affected?
Now speculate about what their situation might be like if women’s groups rather than ‘men with guns’ had led the peace talks – or were even allowed to play an active part in them? You may, of course, have firsthand experience of the impact of military action or have family and/or friends who are undergoing it. You don’t need to speculate at all. The aim here is to get others to look at the impact of patriarchy at its most brutal.
Reflection 6.2
Within this worldview of ‘what is right’, what are the values, priorities and concerns that get ignored, obscured, or even actively rubbished? Spend a bit of time making a list. (Hint: if you get stuck, think about what are seen as typically feminine or woke.)
Reflection 6.3
This one is best done with somebody else or a small group. If you do it on your own, reflect and explore a bit on the net. Make a list of ways that, in your experience of everyday life, males tend to have a greater sense of entitlement than females, and live lives of greater privilege. Note how this shows in their life- opportunities and life-choices. Don’t spend too long on this – no more than half an hour, but probably more like 5 minutes.
Here are some things to think about: What hobbies and leisure activities are followed by the adult men that you know? How much gets spent on these hobbies, and how much of an investment of time is involved? Then compare this to the women you know. How do the couples you know split up caring responsibilities (for children or for older relatives, say)? How well have each of them progressed in their careers or become qualified for a high-paid job?
Reflection 6.4
List some of the ways in which we talk about gender these days. Reflect on some of the disputes going on about these categories – for example, the conflict over trans women. Reflect on why this has become such a contentious issue.
Reflection 6.5
Use the Internet to examine the academic claims still being made that gender differences are biologically determined. You could start with something like this: www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-43346648 and trace through to the evidence provided in academic papers.
Reflection 6.6
Use Internet resources to explore the statistics that are up-to-date and relevant to where you live about the ways in which criminal behaviour – especially violent behaviour – are different for men and women. You may want to look, in particular, at acts of violence between men and women, especially those enacted within relationships, such as through googling www.ons.gov.uk/ . . . / chapter4intimatepersonalviolenceandpartnerabuse. Write a list of some of the reasons you can think of for these differences.
Reflection 6.7
Venäläinen talks of her approach as post-qualitative – that is seeking to go beyond the systematic rigour of qualitative research, in order to be able to open up research so it can convey aspects that only something like poetry can capture. What do you think? Can this still be regarded as research? Alternatively, does it tell us something different?
Reflection 6.8
Use these three terms – Takatāpui, kathoey and Hijra – to explore the diversity of non-normative sexual identities around the world. Use them to lead you to more places to gain a deeper understanding of the complex influences of culture, law, colonialism, economics and globalisation on sexual identity.
Reflection 7.1
The video theinvisiblegorilla.com/videos.html is a great demonstration of selective attention. Do have a look at this now, before reading further.
Reflection 7.2
You can experience this for yourself by making a sound recording on your phone next time you go to a crowded place, such as when you are with a group of friends.
Let it run for a good bit while you are chatting to your friends. Then listen to the recording once you get somewhere quiet. You are likely to find the recording pretty unintelligible – just a rumbling hubbub of noise with just the occasional catches of conversation coming through at random. Compare this with what you experienced when you were sitting beside the recorder listening for yourself.
You may have been able to recall hearing the conversation going on between your immediate neighbours with clarity. This was because you were selectively attending to that particular conversation (or whatever else you were attending to) and filtering out most of the background noise.
Reflection 7.3
What standpoints do you think influence your own reasoning? Notice I said ‘standpoints’, as most of us can see things through different perspectives in different situations. We can ‘be in two minds’ (or more) when ruminating over why, say, you didn’t get the job you wanted, oscillating from miserable feelings about your own failings, and then a powerful sense that it was not your fault, ‘the system’ was against you. Reflect a bit about where these different standpoints you adopt have come from, and whether they are open to change.
Reflection 7.4
Think of a time when you become aware of ‘working on automatic’ in this way. An example I can think of is how, a fair time ago now, I got upset when a friend of mine who walked on crutches got drunk at my birthday party, fell over in the cloakroom and damaged a wall with his crutch. My knee-jerk thought was that, surely, he should not drink too much if he was that unstable, not thinking just how narrow minded and prejudiced I was being. My friends soon sorted me out!
Now I am unstable myself I feel strongly that nobody should judge me if I get a bit ‘merry’, however risky it is.
Reflection 7.5
Before you go any further, make a list of the assumptions you’ve made about Jenni. Conjure up an impression of her in your mind’s eye and think of what makes her good at her job.
Reflection 7.6
In this section you have been introduced to some of the ways in which System 1 thinking operates. It uses all sorts of dodges, ruses and ploys to make thinking fast and efficient, but it has some downsides. Make a list of four or five downsides of System 1 thinking, drawing upon what you have learned from the chapter so far.
Reflection 7.7
How useful do you think these formulations are in understanding the human tendency to resort to stereotyping? About the way we hold others to blame?
Reflection 7.8
Think of a time when you get this kind of ‘gut response’ – like my friend and the coffee. Can you trace it back to a horrid experience, or maybe experiences? Anxiety tends to fall into this category, and can be aroused by being in a certain place or with a particular person.
Reflection 7.9
Think of an occasion when you have decided to change your behaviour or your habits. Write a list of the things that led to this decision. Then go through and check out ones that you think fit with the model – and those that it failed to capture. It is worth spending a bit of time on this or discussing it with others. If nothing else, I hope you will agree that it’s complicated!
Reflection 8.1
Reflect on some of the ways you experience emotion through your body – the effects of anxiety, fear, frustration, embarrassment, sadness, jealousy, desire and joy. Take some time to spell out for yourself – make notes if you like – in some detail (like the quote above) about how one or two feelings ‘write themselves’ on your body.
Reflection 8.2
Consider your own opinions about, say, people who take time off from work because they are suffering from stress. Have you suffered from something like this yourself – unexplained stomach pains or feeling sick, stress, anxiety or a phobia? Did you wonder whether it had an emotional element to it? Reflect upon this, and its impact (or not) on your views about illness and its causes.
Reflection 8.3
What do you think is going on here? It is worth reflecting for a bit and seeing what your assumptions are. What does the account tell you about the children? Can you think why Betty and her mother were not impressed? What is going on?
Reflection 8.4
Think of a time in your childhood where you can remember tensions of this kind. These may be to do with particular conflicts you experienced in your upbringing – for example, over different religious beliefs or values in your family or different expectations about your gender or sexuality between you and other members of your household. Or it could be about what Lynne Segal calls ‘moments of collective joy’. Think about times when people regularly got together – for celebrations, funerals, Sunday lunch or during festivals. Then reflect on how these experiences that were regularly repeated have shaped and formed the way you experience your feelings today – the way feelings like joy or anticipation or strength or vulnerability can be a replay of your past.
Reflection 8.5
Where else have you encountered ideas like this, where the psi complex is seen to have had a significant impact on our worldview and how we live our lives? If you cannot recall, use the index to find out.
Reflection 8.6
To what extent do you think that psychology’s lack of interest in the emotional elements of human social life has contributed to neoliberalism’s dispassionate ethos, where profit, economic growth and efficiency are held to matter more than the emotional welfare of both individuals and of society in general. Reflect upon how these priorities could be changed.
Reflection 8.7
In what ways do you think you have been required to carry out emotion work – where you have needed to adjust the way you feel (or, at the very least, the feelings you show in public)? Have you had a job in which you were expected to do emotional labour, like the trainee flight attendants? Reflect a bit on times when you quite enjoyed it, and then when you found it hard in some way. List some of your feelings, and consider what they tell you about the costs of doing emotional labour.
Reflection 8.8
Think back Chapter 7 and recall the case that Eddo-Lodge was making about the impact of structural racism on people of colour. What is Fanon saying that is different?
Reflection 8.9
Why do you think this is? Why do you think that despite the improvements made, for example, in traffic safety and cancer therapies, so many people are fearful?
Reflection 8.10
Joy means different things to different people, but think back to times when you experienced a powerful feeling of joy – something very special, bringing you intense pleasure. Do you agree with Segal that such experiences usually involve other people?
Reflection 9.1
For a day, if you can, keep a record of all the things you do that involve ICT – not just directly, such as using your phone, but indirectly in terms of activities like travelling on public transport (managed by ICT systems) or in a car (the newer it is the more it will be managed by ICT systems), spending money (using ICT systems) or booking an appointment with your doctor. In other words, whenever you do, think about the ways in which it is made possible by ICT. If you can’t do a day, then spend a bit of time just reflecting, say, on what you did yesterday or some other time.
Reflection 9.2
Reflect for a bit about what you would need to know to answer the question here to the right. If you live in Ireland or have close connections there, or even if you just read the last chapter, you should be able to answer the question fairly easily. You would know that the ‘yes’ on their T-shirts is about the referendum in Ireland to change the constitutional prohibition on abortion. This was indicated by the caption of a photograph towards the end of Chapter 8 (see Together4Yes campaigners canvassing on Grafton Street, Dublin)
On 28th May 2018, the people of Ireland voted overwhelmingly ‘yes’, following an inspired campaign by women’s rights campaigners, organisations like Amnesty and campaigning groups like Together4Yes. The picture here is of Gay and Gerry Edwards just after they had returned from voting ‘yes’ soon after the polls opened.
But to have real insight into what was at stake and why it happened you would need to know an awful lot more about why they voted as they did – about abortion and the issues surrounding it, about Catholicism in Ireland, the recent history of women from Ireland being forced to travel abroad to obtain an abortion, and the distress and hardship that this caused. You would also need to be familiar with the ways in which societies are changing across the world, and why so many reforms like this are being celebrated.
Reflection 9.3
There is a great game you can play when you get together with others. Each person secretly thinks about someone you all know, and comes up with a list of brands to describe the kind of person they are. You can use prompts, like the shoes they wear, the apps you think they use, the bars or restaurants they go to, the car they drive, etc. It’s less important that you know the right answer than that you create an identity that others can recognise. Take turns reading out your lists, with the rest of you trying to guess who is being described. The idea is to recognise just how symbolic brands are – they do say a lot about a person.
Reflection 9.4
When you use systems like FaceTime and Skype in which you can see each other, have you found it makes a difference to the ease and comfort of communication? Reflect upon some of the reasons why. Also, think about what can make face-to- face communication more difficult.
Reflection 9.5
Go back to Chapter 8 and reread the depiction that Gail Lewis gave of herself and her childhood friends responding to the Black Power demonstration during the Olympic medal ceremony. Think of when an experience like this that happened in your childhood. As you do so, connect with the some of the feelings you experienced and how you learned to ‘join in’ and build emotional signals like this into your repertoire.
Reflection 9.6
Think about an occasion where someone has made you feel uncomfortable by getting too close in a particular situation. How did this make you feel? Think carefully about what insights you can gain from reflecting on experiences like this?
Reflection 9.7
People draw on different discourses to explain health and illness in different situations. I hope you can find at least some of these that make good sense to you, and others that you at least recognise. Reflect, if you can, on circumstances where, for you, one would be more useful or relevant than another. The main point here is to recognise the extent to which discourses use language to bring a lot of ideas, beliefs, expectations and plans for action together. This is done through their textuality – including their story-telling qualities.
Reflection 9.8
Think about the politics going on where you live and/or regard as home. Can you come up with a brief overview of the ecology of political discourses operating there right now? If politics is not your thing, then pick a topic of interest to you, such as what people say about sport, food, health, sexism, immigrants, etc. When you have done that, reflect on whether things have changed from how they were in the past.
Reflection 10.1
Can you think of other ‘made up’ illnesses – or ones you think are so, at least?
Reflection 10.2
It is well worth discovering how schemes like this function – growing numbers are being set up across the world. Do an Internet search to find, if you can, a project like this operating near where you live. Or take a different tack by looking at several different countries. Play around with terminology around ‘violence reduction’ and look at government sites, charities, hospitals and journalism.
After you have got an overall impression of how and whether they seem to ‘work’, write some notes for yourself on the benefits they offer, the hurdles they must overcome and the potential they may have to cause harm of some kind.
Reflection 10.3
Look at the 2018 report (see the Resources at the end of the chapter) and read it in full if you can. It gives a pretty good impression of what this kind of data analysis looks like, and what it can do. It is quite complicated and has its limitations, but make some notes on what you think are its key messages. Pay particular attention to the nuances available through the breakdown of the data according to things like age and whether people had children. Spend some time speculating about the limitations of using surveys. What more do you think we could learn by actually talking to people and observing them discuss ‘living well’ with each other?
Reflection 10.4
Spend some time creating a list of the people in your network. Don’t bother with their names, just list them in terms of the resources to which they can provide access. Now consider what the network would be for somebody who is either more privileged or less privileged than you. Make a list of one or the other. Use your imagination to work out the sorts of people who could help them in times of trouble – both in times of crisis and when facing, say, chronic health problems or ongoing money troubles.
Reflection 10.5
Compare the Christchurch example with the town of Jasper described in Chapter 4. Each community had its own strengths particular to its social and cultural composition, but I think you will agree that they differ in some interesting ways too. Reflect upon the implications for the welfare of the people involved.
Reflection 10.6
Perform an Internet search to find out a bit more about the complex interface between religion and health – would you expect it to be simple? Make a few notes summarising the broad findings of the research that has been done.
Reflection 10.7
What do you think is the most important service that government can provide to promote the human welfare of its citizens? What service most allows people to flourish and ‘live well’?
Reflection 10.8
Conduct an Internet search to explore the policy stance towards inequality taken by the government where you live. Look, in particular, at the underlying assumptions and principles on which it is based. List these and reflect upon the implications they have for your own welfare. Now do a similar exploration of a place where the situation is very different, and then consider the impact living there would have on you.
Reflection 10.9
Conduct an Internet search to review the human rights laws that apply to you in the place where you live. Look first at the United Nations Convention on Human Rights (UNCHR), and find out which parts of it apply to you (Start by checking whether your country has signed up). Then look at any specific legislation more local to you. For example, if you live in France, you will have protections under the UNCHR, under EU law and under French law. Finally, find out if there are special provisions because of your situation – because you are a refugee or a migrant worker, for example. Do not spend too long on this as it is complicated – even lawyers cannot agree over many aspects of it. Just get a sense of what is ‘out there’ and how it might apply to you. When you have done that, reflect upon the principles behind the concept of ‘human rights’. Make some notes if you have time. This would be a great activity to do as a group, with information-finding divided up as a task to be done first and then reflecting on what you have found out in a group discussion. It could also be done as a formal debate on, say, “Human rights are the fundamental basis of human welfare’.
Reflection 10.10
Conduct an Internet search to examine a different example of the ‘protected characteristics’ covered by this law. Find out about the duties accorded to such people, and reflect on the way in which this can contribute to human welfare. Look to see what resources are available (such as organisations providing advice) to such people and the mechanisms in place to make sure the duties are fulfilled. Then reflect on how much, in practice, they actually make a difference.
Reflection 10.11
As you can see, a range of influences drove the development of employment law in Britain – including Victorian philanthropy, activism among working people, a shift in the perception of what is and is not acceptable in society (such as sending children to work down the mines) and the introduction of ideologies such as Marxism. However, today, working conditions have significantly changed because of the increased use of ICT and practices like hot-desking, as well as the shift in what is acceptable under neoliberalism. Conduct an Internet search to get an impression of the situation of health and safety legislation as it operates today where you live. Look at both what the law requires and then at how well it is enforced. Then consider its impact upon human welfare where you are.
Reflection 11.1
Use the link to the BBC website www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0b7x2nt to gain access to four video clips from the programme. The first is an interview with Owen Sheers, the poet who wrote the text; the next is of the opening part of this poem; the third is an excerpt from later on in the programme; and the final is a trailer. Taken together they give you a powerful sense of what ‘lyric reportage’, as Sheer’s describes it, can do.
Reflect on the feelings that you experience in response to this programme. Do you think it was designed deliberately to pull at your heartstrings? My hunch is that your reaction will reflect quite powerfully the values you hold dear. I hope, at the very least, it offers you insight into the human values I am promoting in this book and in this chapter.
Reflection 11.2
Think about the following four words: courtesy, compassion, empathy and trust. Jot down what each of them mean to you. Then consider the extent to which they are explicitly human qualities. Are they, do you think, to do with what makes us human?
Reflection 11.3
Conduct an Internet search to find out for yourself whether things are truly getting better. Look first at the place where you live and seek out reputable reports on health, poverty and inequality for the last 5 to 10 years. If you have time, look too at what has happened to life expectancy over that time, and what has happened to mental health. Reflect on whether this leaves you feeling optimistic or pessimistic – or actively determined to do something? This is another activity that could very usefully be done as a group, followed by a discussion.
Reflection 11.4
Are you convinced about Eddo-Lodge’s argument about the deep and pervasive structural racism that permeates white culture, organisations and institutions? Jot down a few comments about whether you agree or disagree with her. She would argue that this will depend, at least in part, about whether you are white or a person of colour. She does recognise that white people are not inherently racist, and increasing people do ‘get it’, but her book is devoted to the need to reorganise our society and its institutions in ways that strip out their structural racism. What about you, what do you think?
Reflection 11.5
Think of the last time you were faced with being somewhere completely different from your everyday life. Maybe that would be on a foreign holiday, visiting a place you haven’t been to before or getting drawn into a social event with people very unlike you. Go for the most extraordinary you have experienced, as the impact is likely to have been greater. Now reflect upon what it was like. Try to recall what it made you think about, and what your feelings were.
Reflection 11.6
Think of a time when you were stopped short by a compelling advertisement, or, say, a speech or documentary, that persuaded you to change your mind about an issue. Reflect on what it was that convinced you so effectively. Has your mind stayed changed? Or have you reconsidered?
Reflection 11.7
Flick through the book and look at the illustrations, particularly the photographs. What impression do you get when you look at them? Seeing them all together, what do you notice?
Reflection 11.8
This is an opportunity to reflect on the image(s) you deploy of yourself – whether on social media, in the way you dress and in what you do to your body. Are you happy with them, or do they disturb you? Have you, like Sarah B, presented yourself in ways that challenge stereotyping, or do you go along with what is expected of you? This is an exercise that allows you to look quite deeply into who you are, and how you would like others to see you.
Reflection 11.9
This works best if you watch Ngozi Adichie’s TED talk first. She is a powerful and convincing speaker. Then think back to the stories you were told as a child – whether by your dad, your granny, the TV, a teacher at school or books that you chose for yourself. Reflect first upon how far you could identify with the characters in these stories – were they and the things they said and did familiar to you? Or, like her, were they strange ’foreign’ children who drank ginger beer? Now reflect on what impact this had on you – how do you think the stories you were told influenced the ways in which you made sense of the world and other people within it? How much of that influence is still there? Were you (as I admit I was) incredibly humbled by the sheer range of different stories she told about her friends in Nigeria?
Reflection 11.10
Start off by looking at the project overall. Spend what time you can spare getting a general idea of what its aims were and what were its outcomes – the different stories it offered. Reflect on why they are suggesting this change, and what makes them ‘better stories’.
Then look at the four organisations involved in the project. Once again, do what is possible within your available timeframe. If you are short of time you will learn a lot from an in-depth review of just one of them. All give really useful information about strategies like ‘framing’, pursuing an evidence base and activism itself – like running a workshop. The PIRC also provides resources to pursue activism.
Reflection 11.11
If you are at university yourself or engage with a moderately large organisation of some kind (such as in your job or at the place where you worship), find about the arrangements to prevent things like bullying, harassment or simply making some people unwelcome. Remember that in many places there is legislation about treating people equally, often including a ‘duty of care’ to avoid exposing people to harm. Then answer the question honestly – could a scheme like this make a difference? And, perhaps more importantly, would it be possible? If so, what would get it started? In this case study it took just one student and one staff member to get it started. My aim here is to inspire you – but only where activism can be done safely.