Grappling with the Gray #119: Pointing fingers in all directions?

When the problem is always someone else's fault, is there any hope of finding a solution?

That's the question that drives the conversation when Deb Coviello The Drop In CEO™, Diane Helbig, and ☘️Mark O'Brien join the ethics panel to Grapple with the Gray.

Here is our topic:

A recent headline in Politico declared: “Republicans have hated universities for years. Anti-war protests gave them a reason to punish them.”

We can debate the merit of conservative criticisms of American universities. But headlines like this one do nothing to advance civil discourse or productive debate by suggesting those criticisms have no basis.

In 2015, video maker Ami Horowitz collected 50 signatures in an hour on Yale campus calling for the repeal of the First Amendment… which includes, ironically, the right to petition. This was not long after a Yale administrator was fired for daring to suggest that students should be trusted to choose appropriate Halloween costumes without faculty supervision.

The following year, University of Chicago Dean John Ellison wrote in letter to students:

"Our commitment to academic freedom means that we do not support so-called trigger warnings, we do not cancel invited speakers because their topics might prove controversial and we do not condone the creation of intellectual safe spaces where individuals can retreat from ideas and perspectives at odds with their own."

Unfortunately, his has been a nearly lone voice in the wilderness. Especially since October 7, a horrifying rise in antisemitic rhetoric and violence has made university campus spaces anything but safe for Jewish students.

Even if one disapproves of responses by the Trump administration, casting Republicans as perpetrators while ignoring legitimate, systemic problems will only intensify polarization and extremism.

How do we explain increasing unwillingness to confront issues honestly? And what can we do about it?

Meet this week’s panel:

Deb Coviello, aka the Drop in CEO, is an author, speaker, podcast host, and silver medalist curler who coaches C-Suite leaders of today and tomorrow to navigate challenges with confidence.

Diane Helbig is Chief Improvement Catalyzer at Helbig Enterprises, providing guidance and training to business owners and leaders around the world.

Mark O’Brien is founder and principal of O’Brien Communications Group, a B2B brand-management and marketing-communications firm — and host of The Anxious Voyage, a syndicated radio show about life’s trials and triumphs.

#ethics
#culture
#accountability
#leadership
#education
#media