Did a committed omnivore and a committed vegan chew things over in a friendly manner? And what happened when they moved on to bullying on social media?
Attempts by cultural organisations to increase social diversity instead echo the Victoriansβ demonisation of the βlower ordersβ
Imagine the scene. Itβs a small organisation within the creative industry β an arts centre, perhaps, or a theatre group. Around a table sit people trying to craft a job ad for a senior management role. All recognise the need for increasing diversity, to encourage applications from social groups unrepresented within the organisation.
βOne group often left out,β says one of the discussants, βis the working class.β βTrue,β says another. βBut I think many working-class people are not actually working. They may be unemployed or claiming benefits.β βOr they may have been forced into a life of crime,β observes the first. βOr perhaps they are part of the underclass.β So, they craft a line to incorporate those distinct experiences: βWe welcome and encourage applications from individuals who identify as working-class, benefit class, criminal class and/or underclass.β βPerfect,β everyone agrees.
The cultural sector falls short on other measures of diversity too, with 9o% of workers white, says new report
Six in 10 of all arts and culture workers in the UK now come from middle-class backgrounds, compared with just over 42% of the wider workforce, according to new research.
And while 23% of the UK workforce is from a working-class background, working-class people are underrepresented in every area of arts and culture. They make up 8.4% of those working in film, TV, radio and photography, while in museums, archives and libraries, the proportion is only 5.2%.