own journeys as intervenors and activists through truth‐telling and fiercely honest self‐examination. Social change is hard, and sometimes the hardest obstacles to overcome are hidden; this book challenges us to learn how to balance conflict and cooperation to overcome those obstacles in order to achieve real, sustainable social change.”
—Colin Rule, CEO, Mediate.com and Arbitrate.com
THE NEUTRALITY TRAP
DISRUPTING AND CONNECTING FOR SOCIAL CHANGE
BERNARD MAYER
JACQUELINE N. FONT-GUZMÁN
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Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.
Published simultaneously in Canada.
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Dedication
To the People of Puerto Rico—no matter where they are—whose fearless disruption of an oppressive colonial system and love for their nation keeps it alive;
and
to Daleep, born on November 6, 2021 and his parents, Sibyl and Jagjit. Daleep represents hope for the future and joy in the present.
preface
“Raise your hand if you don't like Black people.” The class laughed; the Black student targeted in this remark by one of her classmates was in shock—but not at a loss for words. When her teacher took her out of the room, asked her how she was doing and if she wanted to go home, she looked at her and called her out: “What are you going to do about the girl that made that remark in class? I am the only Black student in this class, she targeted me with that comment; what will you do about her? You've pulled me out of class like this problem was my fault. How does that look to the other students?” The teacher was planning to do nothing, it seems. The aggressor, a 9‐year‐old child (as was the target), was “just too young to be suspended, and probably did not understand the full meaning of what was being said.” Nothing was said to the class, no discussion of why what happened was not okay, no effort to deal with the girl who made that remark.
Who was being protected? The aggressor? The other White students? The teacher? The school? The system? It's clear who was not being protected—a 9‐year‐old Black student who, along with so many others, experiences racism every day. This incident took place in Canada, but it could have happened anywhere. Racism is entrenched throughout our system, as is misogyny, gender‐based discrimination, xenophobia, and predatory capitalism. Our response as a society to these problems has by and large been too little, too slow, and too performative. If we don't blame the victims (which we often do), we focus on individual perpetrators, not on the systemic problems. We look for quick, facile solutions, a nice and neat end to the “conflict,” so that we can move on as quickly as possible.
Our Purpose
In this book, we look at what it takes for a system to change in meaningful ways—what is required to dig deeply enough and act decisively enough to make a genuine difference on the most embedded, serious problems we face. We do so by looking at the lessons we have learned at the intersection of our work as conflict interveners and social activists. In both roles, we have dealt with intractable conflicts and systemic problems. In both, we have worked at the intersection of individual actions, interpersonal relationships, and enduring conflicts that have been with us for years, even centuries. These problems will not simply disappear by reaching an agreement or enacting a new policy. As important as improved relationships, resolved conflicts, and good policies are, they are not the same as changing systems embedded in values, identity, power, and privilege.
We argue in this book that by promoting connections across our differences, conflict intervention efforts can play an important role in social change. Approaches such as dialogue, facilitated interactions, and restorative justice can be an integral part of struggles against oppression but only if they are in sync with concerted efforts at system disruption. Dialogue for the sake of dialogue and collaboration for the sake of collaboration, disconnected from a commitment to social change, is likely to reinforce the status quo. This is the neutrality
