This is largely a lens about how we treat people. When people talk about being woke or discuss groups such as LGBTQIA2S+; they are normally discussing what rights that group has (or doesn't have). "Rights" is shorthand for "how people should and should expect to be treated." Sometimes, in making sure everyone is treated fairly, it means treating people differently. 

For example, we make ramps for people in wheelchairs, we reserve seats for the elderly, and we don't expect children (minors) to pay rent. But giving certain people (and not others) "special treatment" is a divisive and sensitive topic. Many people find it hard to discuss without aggression, fear, or confusion. 

This may be because when the rights of others are discussed, people naturally use their own rights as a reference point. They compare the issue with how they are treated. This can lead people to feel as though treating someone better will result in them being treated worse.

It is an almost universal rule that when people don't understand something, they're frightened of it. 

It is an almost universal rule that when people don't understand something, they're frightened of it. It is also important to understand that new vocabulary like Black Lives Matter or LGBTQIA2S+ can be a barrier when talking about these issues. These are new terms and aren't commonly understood. With this in mind, I have tried to design an easier way to see and understand it.

The Basics

Before we continue, it is important to understand that society has been set up to meet the needs of the majority. If you are part of that majority, the natural reaction is to dismiss this. After all, life is hard so most people won't feel like they have "had it easy." The quickest way to demonstrate this is left-handed people. Everyday products like scissors, tin-openers, bags, and watches are designed for right-handed people. Bearing in mind around 90% of people are right-handed, it makes sense that most things are designed for right-handed people. But does it make sense that 1 in 10 people can't use scissors? That's about 6 million people in the UK who can't open tins. Instead, we manufacture left-handed scissors. We've been making scissors for left-handed people for over 50 years (since 1967). So, we are already making considerations for one group of people who (by no fault of their own) find it harder to function than the majority. It makes sense that we do the same for others who are different in other ways.

There undoubtedly are many groups of people that deserve extra consideration beyond left-handed people. This is because society often treats them (or people like them) badly. More importantly, these people are often treated badly because of a characteristic rather than their behaviour, e.g., people who are Black, homosexual, old, or neurodivergent.

Why create a lens?

I've set out to create a term that helps articulate why some groups of people need special treatment, i.e., groups who have been historically and/or currently treated unfairly, especially where that treatment has created systemic divisions. I also want that term to make it easier for people in roles like HR or people management to discuss extra consideration where it's needed, rather than focusing on a particular characteristic (or worse, avoiding it completely). I also wanted this language to be able to include new groups or new characteristics as they are discovered.

I had noticed that, for some sympathetic people, the language was a barrier to a better understanding.  The call to action "black lives matter" became inextricable from the Black Lives Matter charity/organisation. When LGBT expanded to included LGTBQIA2S+ the word (and so the concept) became too much to comprehend.

I later heard the term people with protected characteristics. It refers to characteristics that have been protected by specific laws e.g. race or gender.  I found this term jarring because there are undoubtedly characteristics that are still being discussed in legal terms (like transgender rights) but it's still important they feel included. 

All of this made it harder to discuss inclusivity.  With this is in mind I have tried to articulate it in a more accessible way by creating an acronym that describes the whole. So it's bigger than "black lives matter" but is more accurate than "all lives matter". 

The Acronym: PPGs

PPGs stands for People of Persecuted Generations. It refers to any group of people who have experienced persecution because they belong to a group (rather than their behaviour) for more than a generation. I've chosen these terms carefully. So I'll break them down into more detail: