Is a totally inclusive society a utopian dream?
We need to build a society where everyone is considered “normal”. People should not be made to feel as if they need to fit in to be normal. It is part of our duty as humans to be totally inclusive; otherwise, we not only let others who at the moment are not considered normal for some inexplicable reason down, but we let ourselves down.
Working with migrant communities
From my work with migrant communities through the Centre for Creative Practices, what became clear is that migrants either need to be different as in a multicultural society or be ghettoised in a cohesive community environment. Now we have the notion of an intercultural society, but what does this mean? It seems to be an all-encompassing idea in practice; only it revolves around migrants having to adapt and not the other elements of society. One of the main concerns is that it seems as if each stakeholder does not have a voice, or input into how to build a tolerant society, a voice that can either be that pro or anti a new society.
As much as society hates bigoted views from all sides, each voice has the right to be heard, even if we disagree with them. We need to understand where the resentment comes from or even like what we hear. No, it is crucial to build a totally inclusive society that we listen to all sides and extremist views. Censorship in any form is bad. Society hates extremism, but we need extremism to define what society is and build a better one.
Barriers to building an inclusive society
What are the barriers to building a totally inclusive society, and is this a genuinely utopian dream? Why has society neglected to engage with the issue fully? One would have to say it’s all about money! There is a perception that there is no money in equality because a totally inclusive society means no differences, and therefore, with no differences, no one has the overall power. Power is fundamental to gaining money, exacerbating the vicious cycle humans have created.
Where are we going wrong?
Maybe that’s the thing; perhaps we haven’t found the actual economic benefits of a totally inclusive society. Research proves there are substantial economic benefits of having an inclusive society, but society is so stuck in national boundaries that it doesn’t see them; it just sees the drain on the economy. We need to look in the right place as we are currently looking in all the wrong places and making unsuitable arrangements. As soon as we can see a monetary benefit, I am sure that society will be more akin to a totally inclusive society. Fifty years ago, people would have laughed at the idea of the personal computer, the mobile phone, and social media, but these we now take as granted. What if we could do the same to build an inclusive society? The rewards could be endless. First, however, we need to stop people having to be “normal”. We need to stop and consider them as ourselves.
Ian Oliver
Head of Operations
Head of Operations at Letcombe Production I have been working in the arts and culture sector for over 20 years in Ireland. I am passionate about business development for artists and creatives as well as building totally inclusive societies.
Letcombe Production
The Digital Agency For Arts & Cultural Organisations
Letcombe Production is dedicated to the arts, creative and social enterprise sectors. Our website has dedicated reels on running your creative or artistic practice as a business, articles and opportunities for artists. In addition, we can organise digital media, marketing, project management, grant writing, application assessment, and tools to help you run your creative and artistic practice.
Working predominantly with arts and social enterprises, Letcombe Production can assist in all getting projects from idea to distribution. We can look after any size of project.