DEI and Performative Allyship

So when I initially decided to do a post on performative allyship, I had a question I wanted to answer. And that was “what does allyship look like?”. The reason I needed to answer that is because of the discourse surrounding DEI and corporations. If you didn’t know, DEI stands for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Essentially, it’s meant as a way to promote minority and underrepresented groups in the workforce as well as in entertainment. But there has been a massive department from what it is supposed to do and what is actually happening.

So what is actually happening? Well it seems that instead of trying to push qualified workers or nurture more stories that include diverse characters, DEI is being used to railroad a certain perspective. If you follol any sort of entertainment news, especially in video games, you would have heard of DEI consultancies. These are companies that are founded in order to make companies “DEI compliant”.

And this is where my issue with DEI comes in, and why I decided to discuss it in a post about performative allyship. When minority groups (to which I belong to) are boiled down to a checklist, are we truly being uplifted? Or are we being given a seat at the table because it makes those around us look better? And I think that’s where the answer to my question is. Allyship isn’t just putting us in better situations. I think it’s more highlighting our scenarios and making things better for all of us, regardless of where we are or who we support. We aren’t some pity case that needs to be defended or forced into the limelight.

A lot of times, our situation is used as a way to guilt trip others into supporting a particular cause. And if we step out of line, then we’re seen as a traitor to the cause who shouldn’t be listened to. That leads to situations where our stories are used as “inspiration porn”. A way to show that anyone can beat the system if they wanted to, regardless of situation or disability.

When those stories are highlighted, and people from that community push back against the narrative, they are often met with backlash. Performative allyship is a way for people outside the group to feel better about themselves without actually making things better for the marginalized community as a whole. And to be fair, why should they? They have no incentive to make things better.

So how do we move from performative allyship to true allyship? The first step is addressing the negatives surrounding us. As a neurodivergent person (ADHD and Bipolar), I try to point out ways how schools have failed me and how they can improve moving forward. That’s not to say my perspective is the only one. I’m just one voice in a sea of voices around the world. But that also doesn’t mean that my perspective is invalid. Just as someone has succeeded despite their situation, there are others who are struggling because of their situation. Both sides need to be heard if the overall situation is to be improved.

And that’s why I think DEI as a concept is a good idea. Providing more diversity and perspectives is always a good thing. But that doesn’t mean that the way it has been approached is good. Forcing stories to be changed in order to fit a narrative or hiring people because they tick a certain box if they aren’t one of the most qualified people for the job doesn’t help. If anything, it hurts not only them, as people will look at the content or people with disdain, but it also paints the entire group as incompetent. Supporting us is okay, but forcing people to accept us will do more damage in the long run.