Deep Diversity by Shakil Choudhury

Author:Shakil Choudhury
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Between the Lines

5

POWER: THE DIVIDING FORCE

Marco’s Rebellion

Marco began to hate the police. Again, they had pulled him out of his community and embarrassed him in front of his peers. The last couple of times, it was for minor infringements like stepping outside the town’s boundary and mouthing off. I wondered what he would do this time.

Jail would be another round of humiliation. Last time he had broken out and made a mess of things, running through the three neighbouring communities yelling about conspiracies and injustice. Many people didn’t even look up. He was ignored.

Part of me felt bad for him. He had no idea of the extent of the prejudice or how significantly the odds were stacked against him.

Next, the police conducted a “search and seizure” in Marco’s community, following up on rumours that drugs were being sold openly. Residents were made to stand like criminals, watching while law enforcement agents ransacked their meagre buildings and homes. This after they had just rebuilt from flash floods.

Yet again, most people from the neighbouring groups didn’t even look up. Marco and his community, Orangevale, were once again ignored.

Marco and the Orangevale residents were getting seriously demoralized. I could see a sense of helplessness setting in. Marco would soon have others join him in his rebellion. Then things would really get chaotic.

The results are consistent. I know. I’ve done this many times.

This is the City Game, an experiential activity we use in our leadership programs to teach about the distribution of social power in society. We explore the concepts of privilege—unearned advantage or status based on one’s identity—and its opposite, marginalization—disadvantage, or low status based on identity. I’ve conducted it at least two dozen times in five different countries with young adults aged seventeen to twenty-four, and the results are always the same.

It works like this. Fifty to seventy participants are divided into three groups and given colour-coded team names like Orangevale, Redvale, and Bluevale. They are told the City Game is a competitive team-building activity. Their goal is to develop the best model city using nothing more than paper, tape, scissors, and their imagination. This, of course, is not the true learning objective of the game, which is not revealed.

With everyone in the same large room, masking tape marks physical boundaries, giving each team just enough room to stand in a circle. In this tight space, team members have to collaborate to design and develop their ideal model community. Winners and losers are announced at the end of the game.

To ensure protocol is followed, peer facilitators are given roles. There is the Mayor’s Office, which has to approve all plans and budgets, and decide who the winner of the competition is. A number of people are in the role of police, to ensure that the rules are followed. The teams are given ninety minutes to complete the task. As the Game Director, I introduce the game and help it run smoothly.

What participants are not told is that the game is completely rigged. It is predetermined which community will do well and which will not.

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