Cadets Establish Equality And Inclusion Committee

[N.E. Brigand]

1 hour ago, cixelsyd said:

I am having a flashback.  It was just 14 months ago that a quintet of protected classes (recited twice) and the name Darcie Aungst were all over a show design announcement.  Now it is an "equality and inclusion committee".

Inclusion?  Really?

And of all times, this moment of maximum irony?

Drum corps WAS a truly inclusive activity, once upon a time.  Now, it is unapologetically focused on being an advanced-placement summer camp for experienced alumni of the scholastic marching arts activities, which themselves are based largely in affluent suburbia.  Drum corps can no longer even create the pretense of being "inclusive" toward the inexperienced and/or at-risk youth that they used to routinely train from scratch back in the day.  

And now, the activity faces its own economic challenges - some of which are of its own making.  Forgive me if I do not hold my breath waiting to see how drum corps renounces its expensive ways, and instead returns to prioritizing outreach to the socioeconomically underprivileged.

Notice that the poor are not one of the groups selected for greater opportunity and inclusion in these virtue signaling exercises.

While I think drum corps never was as truly inclusive as you think, you're absolutely right to call out class as an issue that needs to be addressed.

I hope you will dig deeply into the steps that would need to be taken to make drum corps truly accessible in this way.  

[N.E. Brigand]

1 hour ago, cixelsyd said:

Notice that the poor are not one of the groups selected for greater opportunity and inclusion in these virtue signaling exercises.

Per the announcement, the "relevant distinctions" that the new committee will consider are not limited to those listed. I strongly recommend that you reach out to Cadets to urge them to consider economic disadvantage.

Edited July 5, 2020 by N.E. Brigand

[N.E. Brigand]

A few years ago, there was an Ohio high school marching band, a competition band even, that had a couple blind members. These members marched on the field, mixed in with the rest of the students. They did so with student guides who marched right behind them, with their hands on the blind marchers' shoulders. The staging was such that many audience members often didn't notice, at least not at first. (You could look around the crowd and see as various people had the moment of realization.) I daresay that making this accommodation must have come at some cost financially and/or competitvely. Has a drum corps ever had a blind marching member? Do drum corps discriminate against the blind? We are reguarly told that the most important thing that drum corps does is provide a life-changing experience for its members. If that is so, why not open up that experience to the differently abled? So what if the cost of paying for a guide means one less prop. So what if having to limit the drill a bit means a few points off the score. It's the member experience that matters most, right? Or is it?

[JimF-LowBari]

18 minutes ago, N.E. Brigand said:

A few years ago, there was an Ohio high school marching band, a competition band even, that had a couple blind members. These members marched on the field, mixed in with the rest of the students. They did so with student guides who marched right behind them, with their hands on the blind marchers' shoulders. The staging was such that many audience members often didn't notice, at least not at first. (You could look around the crowd and see as various people had the moment of realization.) I daresay that making this accommodation must have come at some cost financially and/or competitvely. Has a drum corps ever had a blind marching member? Do drum corps discriminate against the blind? We are reguarly told that the most important thing that drum corps does is provide a life-changing experience for its members. If that is so, why not open up that experience to the differently abled? So what if the cost of paying for a guide means one less prop. So what if having to limit the drill a bit means a few points off the score. It's the member experience that matters most, right? Or is it?

Marching member no but had Allee(sp?) with Court of Honor around mid 2000s. She played tymp in the pit and was on DCP for a while. No idea how CoH dealt with Allee not being able to see the DM.

 

Edited July 5, 2020 by JimF-LowBari

[skevinp]

3 hours ago, Continental said:

As a society we evolve and we reevaluate.   Some of society at least.  

The danger lies in not being able to do so and to continue to make the same mistakes. 

Such things require honest, rational, respectful discussion, actually listening and trying to understand each other.  

[Tim K]

12 hours ago, greg_orangecounty said:

Always thought of Drum Corps as more progressive than the rest of society in general.  We obviously knew who the kids of color were, who the gay kids were (for the most part), and it wasn't a "thing" since we all focused on a common goal.  

If Garfield feels they have an issue that needs to be addressed (and it's not just virtue signaling), well, good for them!

 

I’m not sure that drum corps itself is more progressive, but I do think when it comes to race, in general each generation seems to grow.

Regarding race, I do think it depends on where and when you marched. There are some corps that disbanded when “the neighborhood changed.” For some it was financial. For others, it was because of who moved in the neighborhood. This happened in the late 60’s/early 70’s, but up to the early 80’s, there at least appeared to be an unwritten rule that if you were a person of color, you did not march with Corps X. This may have been more perception than reality, but it existed. In the late 80’s, there was a predominately African American corps that marched in a July 4th parade in my hometown. I spoke with some of the chaperones and their stories of the their experiences with other corps at competitions was horrifying. 

Cadets assembling a committee to look at inclusion does not mean the corps has a problem that needs to be addressed. Many businesses are doing the same thing right now. It is better to examine things now so that if there is an issue, it can be addressed. My guess is that this will not be an isolated Cadets initiative and other corps will have similar committees.

 

[Tim K]

1 hour ago, N.E. Brigand said:

While I think drum corps never was as truly inclusive as you think, you're absolutely right to call out class as an issue that needs to be addressed.

I hope you will dig deeply into the steps that would need to be taken to make drum corps truly accessible in this way.  

The solution is simple: scholarships that enable young people to march that won’t impact college financial aid. The challenge: with so many worthwhile causes asking for money due to the poor economy, would donating to a corps so a kid can march be top on your list? 

[JimF-LowBari]

Mid 70s had a Senior corps the broke from the sponsor due to sponsors racial policy. Next year they were mixed race and had both genders in the corps but only lasted that year. Following year my mom overheard one of the ex-members saying “we’re going to come back next year, all male and all white”. No idea if this was going to be the reformed corps policy or blatherings of a racist member. Why I look at this new Cadets policy as possibly looking at how the members handle people who are “different” and not just the organization.

[Ghost]

1 hour ago, N.E. Brigand said:

A few years ago, there was an Ohio high school marching band, a competition band even, that had a couple blind members. These members marched on the field, mixed in with the rest of the students. They did so with student guides who marched right behind them, with their hands on the blind marchers' shoulders. The staging was such that many audience members often didn't notice, at least not at first. (You could look around the crowd and see as various people had the moment of realization.) I daresay that making this accommodation must have come at some cost financially and/or competitvely.  

Financially.  Two uniforms shouldn't hurt the bottom line or not being able to buy one more prop.

Competitively.  If judges feel this mm is hurting the overall section musically, yes, they may hurt the corps/band.  I'd imagine there might be some slack in the marching department, unless the marching guide is doing a lousy job.  I imagine communications between the two are allowed.

[Ghost]

In the D&BC world, if racial/gender quotas were instituted, would it be similar to what has caused frustration in the academic/business/government community?  "Yes, you had higher scores and a stronger resume, but we're obligated by law to take a lower scoring/skilled person."

Edited July 5, 2020 by Ghost