Ivory Tower Syndrome and Fragile Political Privilege
Dictionary.com defines “ivory tower” as “a state of privileged seclusion or separation from the facts and practicalities of the real world”. The term is often a metaphor used in academia and leadership studies to describe an individual who is oblivious or out of touch with the larger collective, often isolated in privilege.
Career coach and corporate trainer Chrissy Scivicque writes in her 2020 article for Ivory Exec.com, “How Leaders Can Avoid Ivory Tower Syndrome”, “‘ivory tower syndrome,’ is a real thing, and employees are quick to notice it. It happens when leaders become out of touch with the people, they manage…they become isolated from the actual business and, as a result, they’re more inclined to make bad decisions.”
“Proud Boys are a Dangerous ‘White Supremacist’ Group says US Agencies”
The Guardian
Leadership studies and academia are not the only places ivory tower syndrome exist. The fallout from the 2020 elections, culminating in the election of president-elect Joe Biden, struck a chord with white supremacy and far right groups alike. Creating a striking example of ivory tower syndrome in politics. Jason Wilson writes in his 2020 article for The Guardian, “Proud Boys are a Dangerous ‘White Supremacist’ Group says US Agencies”, that “Trump’s refusal to condemn white supremacists during the debate, and his suggestion that the Proud Boys ‘stand by’ during the current 2020 election campaign sent shockwaves through American politics.” This past weekend reports of Trump rallies occurring everywhere from Washington DC to San Antonio, Texas continued those shockwaves.
Remember, ivory tower is a metaphor for operating from a place of privilege. Trump and privilege are as synonymous as supremacy and hatred. Trump’s presidency is the political case study for ivory tower syndrome. Trump has been, and continues to be, oblivious to the struggles of everyday American people and represents the percentage of American people who also live and thrive in an “ivory tower”- showing ignorance or disinterest in experiences of race, gender, sexuality, class, religion, etc.
Rewind and back track to four years ago when Trump was elected. Reports have shown that acts of racialized violence began to increase following Trump’s election. Greg Miller, in his 2020 article for The Washington Post, “Allegations of Racism Have Marked Trump’s Presidency and Become Key Issue and Election Nears”, writes that “there is now a substantial record of his actions as president that have compounded the perceptions of racism created by his words…most attributed Trump’s views on race and conduct to a combination of the prevailing attitudes of his privileged upbringing in the 1950’s in what was then a predominantly White borough of New York, as well as a cynical awareness that coded racial terms and gestures can animate substantial portions of his political base. The perspectives of those closest to the president are shaped by their own biases and self-interests…”
This past weekend, reports of “Million MAGA (Make America Great Again) March” and “March for Trump” events displayed millions of Trump supporters, men and women alike, gathering together exercising what they believe to be their right to protest the 2020 elections. To his supporters, he represents the American Dream but what many of them fail to understand and acknowledge is that the American Dream was conceived and is perpetuated for and by privileged white Americans. His controversial rhetoric and outlandish oratory skills speaks more to a dictator than to a leader because a leader leans more towards altruistic decision making, keeping in mind what is in it for all people.
This is not about rehashing why and how Trump was ill-equipped to represent the United States for four years. This is an examination of the hate-soaked rhetoric culminating in the guise of privilege that has resonated with collective groups of everyday people. That is what makes thinking about the events that transpired over the last four years completely baffling. That is why lifelong friends are now becoming enemies because why would one’s friend support a leader that condones hatred and violence?
It is easy to separate oneself from the hate rhetoric that has been present in the United States when it does not directly impact them. Everyone operates from a place of privilege. Some operated from racial privilege. Some operate from gender privilege. Some operate from class privilege. The list could go on. For them, it may not seem troubling when they fail to see past the actions of their privileged counterparts because in order to for that to occur, they would have to step outside their comfort zone, and thus, outside the ivory tower.
