WHY DON'T YOU LIKE ME?: UNCONSCIOUS BIAS AND THE CHANGING MOSAIC OF OUR NATION

By Mitchell L. Springer

Much of what is going to happen over the next 40 years in the United States is inevitable. It is already in motion. Major shifts in demographic trends will drive these changes. 

Why Don’t You Like Me? heightens awareness of the changing face of our nation. It addresses the signific

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mitchell Springer
• Release date: May 4, 2020
• ISBN: 9781946533876

Book preview

Why Don’t You Like Me?

Unconscious Bias and the

Changing Mosaic of Our Nation

Mitchell L. Springer

Why Don’t You Like Me?

Unconscious Bias and the Changing Mosaic of Our Nation

ISBN:978-1-946533-87-6 eBook

978-1-946533-88-3 Hardback

978-1-946533-89-0 Paperback

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020904175

Copyright © 2020 by Mitchell Springer; Revised and Updated 2023

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without prior written consent of the author, except as provided by the United States of America copyright law.

DISCLAIMER

The views and opinions expressed in this book are those of the author. Examples of analysis performed within this book are only examples and should not be utilized in real-world analytic products or processes as they are based solely on limited and current date open-source information. This information is provided and sold with the knowledge that the publisher and author do not offer any legal or other professional advice. In the case of a need for any such expertise, consult with the appropriate professional. This book does not contain all information available on the subject. This book has not been created to be specific to any individual’s or organization’s situation or needs. Although the author and publisher have made every effort to ensure that the information in this book was correct at press time, the author and publisher do not assume and hereby disclaim any liability to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause. The information contained within this book is provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice on any matter. Recipients of information contained herein should not act upon this information without seeking professional counsel.

For permission to reprint portions of this content or for bulk purchases, contact the author at [e-mail]

Published by Niche Pressworks; http://NichePressworks.com

With Sincere Gratitude

Why am I here? Ever find yourself asking this? What is my purpose? On May 8, 2015, I was told I had 12-14 months to live, and then, I would have simply been watching TV or walking outside, and I would have died instantly from a massive 90% blockage in my left coronary artery (a.k.a. The Widow Maker).

As I was being prepped for surgery, the most sobering moment of my life was when they asked if I wanted to see a priest. I suspected for last rites, telling me there was a possibility I could die during the procedure. Somehow, I knew this was not my time. I had been groomed from my life’s beginning to do something. To do more and be more. I just didn’t know what ‘more’ was.

I am so thankful for the positive and negative things that have happened in my life. I am thankful for the many people I have come to know and learn from and the opportunities I have had in my career in the defense industry, as well as my second career in higher education. I appreciate the skills and abilities I have been afforded, and I am thankful for the childhood I experienced living without resources. It taught me things I would not have learned otherwise.

Perhaps most importantly, I am thankful for my family and especially my wife. It was my wife who saved me. As a medical provider for a heart and lung center, she was the lone voice demanding I have an angiogram performed. She identified the real threat. She saved my life.

No book is written alone. Special thanks to my good friend and publisher Nicole and her amazing team of professionals, Kim and Kathie. Wow! Such a knowledgeable group.

With my most sincere gratitude, I say Thank You to all those who have made my life’s journey such an amazing experience. I am grateful to have been given this life—all of the good and all of the bad.

left coronary artery (with 90% blockage)

Table of Contents

With Sincere Gratitude

And the story begins…

What is This Book About?

Why Won’t You Talk to Me?

The Worst Part of Being Poor is Not Knowing How Not to Be Poor

We Control Whether it is the Best or the Worst of Giving Forward

Part 1: Three Major Tectonic Changes Shaping our Nation

The Basis for the Story is the Changing U.S. Demographics

Our Growing Racial and Ethnic Diversities

The New Minority-Majority in 2020

International Migration is Key to U.S. Population Growth

Millennials Usher in Minority-Majority

The Millennial (Gen Y) View of Diversity and Inclusivity

Our Shrinking Bench Strength—the Fewer, Newer, More Challenged Us

My First Job out of College—Education Acts as a Force Multiplier

The Shrinking Youth Population

Cohort Group—Gen Z

Gen Z Stressors

Gen Y (Millennials) and Gen Z Similarities

Our Youth Goes to College—Shifting of Life Phases; the Student Debt Dilemma

College Enrollment Impact

Our Aging Population—We’re Getting Older Really, Really Fast

Retirement and the Working Senior Population

Hiring Senior Retired Workers—A Workforce Multiplier for Success

Older Does Not Mean Dead

Part 2: Learning to Live and Work Together

Who Will You Fight For?

Facing Fears—You Most Likely Will Not Die, Unless It Is Something That Can Kill You

Fighting for Something Bigger Than Ourselves

We are More Alike Than Different—Genomically Speaking

Born with Two Basic Characteristics

Blind Spots

Whom Do We Dislike? Wow! That’s a Lot of People!

Bias as an Unconscious Behavior

The Quantitative Side of the Decision-Making Process

The Qualitative Side of the Decision-Making Process

Business Case for Diversity and Inclusivity: It’s All About Growth

Legal Implications on Changing Demographics—Can We Legislate it?

Bias and Inherent Discrimination, Coercion, Groupthink

What does Prejudice Look Like?

An Example from Higher Education—Sameness Perpetuates Sameness

Prejudice in Action—Purdue Wins 72-63, Not That it Matters

Our Legislative Environment Promotes Change

Corporate and Community Efforts—Can We Organize It?

Corporate Shifts in Understanding and Behaviors

Community Engagement and Movements

Our Personal Responses—Can We Embrace It?

I want to be a Lawyer.

Change Management—People, the Hardest Part

Activities or Phases of the Change Management Process

Managing Our Personal Change

Fear Can Equally Stifle Action

Conclusion

Appendix A—Glossary of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Terms

Appendix A.1—Citations

Bibliography

About the Author

And the story begins…

What is This Book About?

Over a holiday break, two of my family members were putting together a puzzle with hundreds of pieces. They kept looking back at the picture on the box to see how the pieces fit together. Without that bigger perspective, they would have struggled to see the whole from the pieces.

This book is a collection of seemingly unrelated topics, but when they’re brought together under a common lens, they reflect a Wow! I didn’t see that coming! response.

When these independent fragments are put together—like puzzle pieces—the result is a new reimagined perspective. In this case, why we may not feel at ease with what we are experiencing in today’s world.

Why Don’t You Like Me? is not about me. ‘Me’ is all of us. The questions become: why don’t others like us? Why don’t we like them?

The premise for this discussion is in understanding who we are and why others may cause us to feel uneasy, fearful, or any similarly negative responses.

Our world is changing.

Our unconscious biases will have magnified opportunity to manifest in behaviors that will be better, or, divisively worse.

Whether our behaviors are magnified as good or bad will depend on our awareness and understanding of what is happening and why.

I have spent my professional life heightening awareness of the behaviors of unconscious bias toward those who are looked upon differently because of who they are. Our society can only be as good as its members. Through greater understanding of ourselves and others, we can be better. We can help shape a better nation and world.

This book reflects on the changing face of our country. It addresses three significant shifts happening right now and as far into the future as we can see. The book also reviews topics tightly coupled to these three major shifts, namely: (1) the changing racial and ethnic face of our nation, (2) the shortage of younger individuals to backfill