Survival Tool #41: Discuss the Undiscussable
My friend Steffi Bednarek is fond of pointing out how — even as the increasingly violent impacts of the climate crisis become impossible to ignore — it’s still a taboo topic in many workplaces.
Not only is it a taboo topic, Steffi observes, it’s taboo to even talk about the fact that it’s taboo.
Steffi frames this phenomenon as the “undiscussability of the undiscussable.”
And that omerta comes at a cost.
Our bodies, our spirits, our minds — they all know something is very wrong.
And yet our workplace cultures demand we simply carry on as if nothing is happening — because to start to raise questions about our response (or lack of) to the climate crisis will be so deeply uncomfortable to those most invested in maintaining the status quo.
We therefore have a choice.
We can continue to live with this muteness, and pay a growing psychic price. (Resonant World #62: Yannick Bolloré: A Case Study in Corporate Climate Disavowal).
Or we can find a way to talk about it — preferably in a space curated specifically for this purpose.
We won’t flinch from the reality of the double binds we face, and the fears we harbour. But we’ll establish enough coherence to approach these topics with the benefit of mutual support and resourcing — rather than try to figure them out alone.
We won’t be giving advice, offering quick-fixes, or assuming there is an “answer.” But the experience of syncing up together in this way to open up questions that we’re all carrying — but can’t talk about — can be transformative.
That’s why Steffi and I are co-hosting a one-day workshop at The Conduit in London on Saturday, December 7 to support a small group of people to explore the professional dilemmas they’re experiencing in relation to the climate crisis. (Resonant World #65: A New Lens on the Climate Crisis).
We called the workshop “Should I Stay, or Should I Go?” to reflect the dilemma I spoke about in a video of the same title in July last year: (Resonant World #35: Should I Stay, or Should I Go?). Tickets are £275 including lunch, and you can find out more and register here. (Places are going so please book soon to avoid disappointment!)
Summary
In a toxic workplace, the fact an issue is not discussable is itself undiscussable. Find spaces where you can speak what’s in your heart, without fear of judgment, or being offered quick-fixes or advice.
I consult on surviving toxic workplaces; and can also help you navigate your toxic workplace via the Tarot. Click here to inquire:
I write Toxic Workplace Survival Guy during my spare time from working as an editor at nonprofit climate news service DeSmog (a model workplace). Subscribing, sharing, liking, commenting or buying me a coffee helps make this project sustainable. Thank you!
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