SAG-AFTRA

Winter 2013

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A Letter from the Executive Vice President NED VAUGHN "As SAG-AFTRA members, our lives center on creativity, storytelling and sharing information. hese pursuits require that we engage points of view as varied as humanity itself." Dear Member, A s creative professionals, we pride ourselves on our ability and willingness to listen. To empathize. To inhabit the unique humanity of those who are utterly different from us. When we do this well, the result not only expands our own perspectives, it can open the hearts and minds of people throughout the world. It can prompt them to view life — and one another — with more generosity and understanding. Yet too oſten, the very characteristics that set us apart as creative artists — empathy, the ability to listen, the drive to understand others — evaporate when true diversity of thought is exercised. he last paragraph of the SAG-AFTRA mission statement begins, "It is a core value of SAG-AFTRA that our strength is in our diversity." And we are remarkably diverse. Not only do our members cover a wide range of work, but we also represent the full spectrum of ethnicity, race, gender, age, physical ability and sexual orientation. We don't merely acknowledge these differences — we celebrate them. Doing so has made us stronger as an organization and as individuals. But for all those different charac- teristics, the diversity we should prize most is diversity of thought and expression. As SAG-AFTRA members, our lives center on creativity, storytelling and sharing information. hese pursuits require that we engage points of view as varied as humanity itself. he idea that there is only one acceptable way of thinking is antithetical to creativity. 12 SAG-AFTRA | Winter 2013 | SAGAFTRA.org he recent elections brought diversity of thought into sharp relief. SAG-AFTRA members didn't just vote; many participated in the public debate by openly supporting or opposing various candidates and ballot initiatives. Performers, particularly celebrities, are sometimes criticized for expressing their political views, but such criticism is misplaced. Our public discussion is enriched when more points of view are expressed — and when that conversation is open to all, regardless of profession or profile. Of course, freedom to express an opinion does not entitle one to the agreement of others. Diversity of thought oſten brings disagreement and debate; that is one of the chief ways it strengthens us. houghtful engagement with opposing views helps us more fully understand our own views. It can help us reach better- informed, more nuanced conclusions. But diversity of thought can also test our commitment to open expression. By that measure, we sometimes come up woefully short. An unsettling example of this occurred when SAG-AFTRA member Stacey Dash, who is part African-American, tweeted a simple message of support for presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Nearly immediately, her Twitter account was flooded with negative comments, many going far beyond disagreement with her political pronouncement, much less any standard of decency. Hateful, race-based tweets attacked her as an "Uncle Tom," a "traitor," and "a house n_____." Another suggested she kill herself. he reaction was, in a word, shameful. Some might argue that such responses are part of the bargain when a public figure expresses an opinion about a topic as charged as politics. Others may hold that these responses are just another form of diverse thought. But personal attacks like these are not meant to engage an opposing viewpoint, and are certainly not aimed at expanding anyone's thinking. No, attacks like these are meant to do the opposite — to shut down a legitimate but unpopular message by viciously assaulting the messenger. his behavior weakens our society, and it weakens us as individual creative professionals. And it needn't rise to outrageous levels or carry the taint of racism to cause real harm. As members of the creative community, we owe it to ourselves, our colleagues and our society to foster an environment where people can express challenging and provocative ideas without fear of personal derision. If our strength is in our diversity, as the SAG-AFTRA mission statement holds, then it must include differences of politics, religion, philosophy and much more beyond. Rather than fearing or ridiculing the views of those with whom we disagree, we should engage them. If we embrace that diversity with respect and open minds, we will all be stronger for it. Onward together, Ned Vaughn

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