FAIR Executive Director Monica Harris examines why it seems we always create division just as we're making progress. There has to be a better way.

𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗽𝘁:

“How did we get there? How did we go from a society that treated women as chattel, then unleashed a feminist movement that empowered us socially and financially, and now positions us as victims of “toxic masculinity”? Why does it feel like we’ve suddenly abandoned decades-long efforts to bring balance to sex roles and relationships between men and women?

I think it’s part of a broader pattern that’s playing out: we crave progress, yet we consistently sabotage it.

Just as we begin to make headway in healing divisions between groups, something shifts. The pendulum that was moving steadily toward greater understanding suddenly reverses course, creating new rifts where bridges were being built. And all too often these new divisions are spearheaded by those claiming to advance the cause they inevitably undermine.

I’ve watched this phenomenon play out in relations between sexes, racial discourse, and LGBTQ+ rights, and it begs the question: As humans, do we actually crave conflict? Do we unconsciously sabotage our own progress because harmony doesn’t provide the meaning or purpose that struggle does?”

𝘚𝘶𝘣𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘍𝘈𝘐𝘙’𝘴 𝘕𝘦𝘸𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘴, 𝘯𝘦𝘸𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘱𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘣𝘰𝘹. 

𝘞𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘤 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴. 𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘫𝘰𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴@𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘭.𝘰𝘳𝘨