• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

SafetyRisk.net

Humanising Safety and Embracing Real Risk

  • Home
    • About
      • Privacy Policy
      • Contact
  • FREE
    • Slogans
      • Researchers Reveal the Top 10 Most Effective Safety Slogans Of All Time
      • When Slogans Don’t Work
      • CLASSIC, FAMOUS and INFAMOUS SAFETY QUOTES
      • 500 OF THE BEST AND WORST WORKPLACE HEALTH and SAFETY SLOGANS 2023
      • CATCHY and FUNNY SAFETY SLOGANS FOR THE WORKPLACE
      • COVID-19 (Coronavirus, Omicron) Health and Safety Slogans and Quotes for the Workplace
      • Safety Acronyms
      • You know Where You Can Stick Your Safety Slogans
      • Sayings, Slogans, Aphorisms and the Discourse of Simple
      • Spanish Safety Slogans – Consignas de seguridad
      • Safety Slogans List
      • Road Safety Slogans 2023
      • How to write your own safety slogans
      • Why Are Safety Slogans Important
      • Safety Slogans Don’t Save Lives
      • 40 Free Safety Slogans For the Workplace
      • Safety Slogans for Work
    • FREE SAFETY eBOOKS
    • Free Hotel and Resort Risk Management Checklist
    • FREE DOWNLOADS
    • TOP 50
    • FREE RISK ASSESSMENT FORMS
    • Find a Safety Consultant
    • Free Safety Program Documents
    • Psychology Of Safety
    • Safety Ideas That Work
    • HEALTH and SAFETY MANUALS
    • FREE SAFE WORK METHOD STATEMENT RESOURCES
    • Whats New In Safety
    • FUN SAFETY STUFF
    • Health and Safety Training
    • SAFETY COURSES
    • Safety Training Needs Analysis and Matrix
    • Top 20 Safety Books
    • This Toaster Is Hot
    • Free Covid-19 Toolbox Talks
    • Download Page – Please Be Patient With Larger Files…….
    • SAFETY IMAGES, Photos, Unsafe Pictures and Funny Fails
    • How to Calculate TRIFR, LTIFR and Other Health and Safety Indicators
    • Download Safety Moments from Human Resources Secretariat
  • Social Psychology Of Risk
    • What is Psychological Health and Safety at Work?
    • Safety Psychology Terminology
    • Some Basics on Social Psychology & Risk
    • Understanding The Social Psychology of Risk – Prof Karl E. Weick
    • The Psychology of Leadership in Risk
    • Conducting a Psychology and Culture Safety Walk
    • The Psychology of Conversion – 20 Tips to get Started
    • Understanding The Social Psychology of Risk And Safety
    • Psychology and safety
    • The Psychology of Safety
    • Hot Toaster
    • TALKING RISK VIDEOS
    • WHAT IS SAFETY
    • THE HOT TOASTER
    • THE ZERO HARM DEBATE
    • SEMIOTICS
    • LEADERSHIP
  • Dr Long Posts
    • ALL POSTS
    • Learning Styles Matter
    • There is no Hierarchy of Controls
    • Scaffolding, Readiness and ZPD in Learning
    • What Can Safety Learn From Playschool?
    • Presentation Tips for Safety People
    • Dialogue Do’s and Don’ts
    • It’s Only a Symbol
    • Ten Cautions About Safety Checklists
    • Zero is Unethical
    • First Report on Zero Survey
    • There is No Objectivity, Deal With it!
  • THEMES
    • Risk Myths
    • Safety Myths
    • Safety Culture Silences
    • Safety Culture
    • Psychological Health and Safety
    • Zero Harm
    • Due Diligence
  • Free Learning
    • Introduction to SPoR – Free
    • FREE RISK and SAFETY EBOOKS
    • FREE ebook – Guidance for the beginning OHS professional
    • Free EBook – Effective Safety Management Systems
    • Free EBook – Lessons I Have Learnt
  • Psychosocial Safety
    • What is Psychosocial Safety
    • Psychological Safety
      • What is Psychological Health and Safety at Work?
      • Managing psychosocial hazards at work
      • Psychological Safety – has it become the next Maslow’s hammer?
      • What is Psychosocial Safety
      • Psychological Safety Slogans and Quotes
      • What is Psychological Safety?
      • Understanding Psychological Terminology
      • Psycho-Social and Socio-Psychological, What’s the Difference?
      • Build a Psychologically Safe Workplace by Taking Risks and Analysing Failures
      • It’s not weird – it’s a psychological safety initiative!
You are here: Home / ALARP / Adversarialism and the Politicisation of Safety

Adversarialism and the Politicisation of Safety

January 11, 2016 by Dr Rob Long 7 Comments

Adversarialism and the Politicisation of Safety

imageOne of the by-products of binary thinking is adversarialism that is, the framing of being by oppositionalism. Adversarialism shapes its sense of being by what it is not. It doesn’t know what it believes but rather what it doesn’t believe. It defines itself over against ‘the other’ who it demonises. The old propaganda line ‘if you are not for us, you must be against us’ is the lie of this mindset. Adversarialsim and oppositionalism are the great strategies of propaganda. (If you want to know more about the strategies of propaganda this is a great read http://nagasawafamily.org/jacques-ellul-propaganda.pdf ). Propaganda is also a strategy of binary safety.

I had a friend who was recently ‘counselled’ in his organization, not for denigrating the ideology of zero harm but for simply not supporting it. He was told if he didn’t actively support it, his job was under threat. The old propaganda line was used ‘if you are not for us, you must be against us’ was invoked. ‘If you don’t believe zero you must want people harmed’, he was told. What crazy binary logic.

Adversarialism-as-propaganda recently evoked outrage across Britain as David Cameron suggested that anyone who was not for his politics of bombing Syria must be a terrorist sympathizer (http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/dec/01/cameron-accuses-corbyn-of-being-terrorist-sympathiser). Politically, this is the strategy of the autocrat, total control and all those in opposition to the gas chamber.

In the end, adversarialism is not about the common good but rather self interest. It is reactive not proactive. This has been revealed recently in the Royal Commisssion into Union Corruption where safety has been used as a propaganda tool for self interest rather than safety

(http://safetyatworkblog.com/2015/12/31/trade-union-royal-commission-shows-exploitation-of-ohs/).

Adversarialism is founded on binary logic. It works like this. Ask someone if they are a Christian and when they say ‘no’, accuse them of being a witch. No other position is accepted (agnostic, atheist), you become a devil worshipper under binary logic and must be punished. Don’t suggest this is some irrelevant by-gone idea of the Salem trials (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salem_witch_trials ). When a Cabinet Minister choses to use such language to denigrate women it shows that the same binary autocratic dynamic is at work ((http://www.canberratimes.com.au/comment/turnbull-must-act-decisively-on-dutton-witch-comments-20160105-glzhky.html ). The propagandic slogan ‘You are with us or against us’ is alive and well in Australian politics and in safety. What a great strategy for burning people you don’t like. There is no in-between. A study of McCarthyism would be instructive. A study of Linkedin is similarly instructive. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McCarthyism).

Adversarialism is appealing and bounded by fear, it is simplistic and espouses security in the name of the enemy and ‘the other’.

I remember the days of the Menzies era when the old fear of ‘reds under the bed’ kept him in power but was based on a great propaganda line that kept Australia in the dark ages till the 1970s. Propaganda was the great adversarial tool of the cold war (http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/modern-world-history-1918-to-1980/the-cold-war/what-was-the-cold-war/ ). I remember being told as a kid that one either voted Liberal or one was a Communist. So Liberal was deemed ‘christian’ (sic) and Labour was Communist (apparently). This is how binary seduction, adversarialism and propaganda logic works.

Tannen’s work is helpful when thinking about the seduction and politicization of binary thinking. She particularly highlights the problem of binary language in her excellent book ‘The Argument Culture’. As a specialist in linguistics (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deborah_Tannen) she knows that the primary tool for propaganda is words and semiotics.

Anchoring people to a binary mindset and framing reality in terms of oppositionalism and adversarialism is the task of the propagandist. This is what binary safety seeks to do. It seeks autocracy through the binary politicization of safety. There is no in-between, there is no grey, everything is black and white. Safety is either fast or slow, safety is either 1 or 2. This is why Safety wants measures and absolutes, it doesn’t want subjective values like ‘good’ or ‘excellent’, ‘ALARP’ or ‘Due Diligence’. Autocracy seeks control not understanding. Autocracy is not interested in learning, it seeks self and power. Under binary adversarialism even ‘indifference’ and ‘grey’ is seen as opposition to the absolute. If one is actively grey, then one is a witch.

The paradox of course is that the binary mindset even ‘frames’ an understanding of the conversations and discussions in this blog as adversarial and oppositional. The advocacy of humanizing the workplace in safety is not a non-ideology of binary but rather an advocacy of safety as a human activity. (There are countless proactive messages and actions available on this blog that are not established by oppositionalism).

The binary mindset unfortunately doesn’t consider the idea of dangerous by-products and trade-offs in safety as a cause for reconsideration of binary assumptions. The blurring of the binary message is considered anathema to binary logic. The message of this blog and the notion of ‘being’ is not framed over and against something else (binary logic) but rather that binary logic dehumanizes the message of safety. Advocating non-black and white is not a call to oppositionalism but rather a call to de-politicize and de-binaryize safety. There is a rainbow of safety beyond just black and white.

  • Bio
  • Latest Posts
  • More about Rob
Dr Rob Long

Dr Rob Long

Expert in Social Psychology, Principal & Trainer at Human Dymensions
Dr Rob Long

Latest posts by Dr Rob Long (see all)

  • Not Just Another ‘Hazard’ - February 3, 2023
  • How to Be Oriented Towards Psychosocial and Mental Health in Safety - February 2, 2023
  • Free Download – Real Risk – New Book by Dr Robert Long - February 2, 2023
  • ISO 45003 and What it Cannot Do - February 1, 2023
  • Harming People in the Name of Good - January 31, 2023
Dr Rob Long
PhD., MEd., MOH., BEd., BTh., Dip T., Dip Min., Cert IV TAA, MRMIA Rob is the founder of Human Dymensions and has extensive experience, qualifications and expertise across a range of sectors including government, education, corporate, industry and community sectors over 30 years. Rob has worked at all levels of the education and training sector including serving on various post graduate executive, post graduate supervision, post graduate course design and implementation programs.

Please share our posts

  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: ALARP, Robert Long, Safety Professional, Social Psychology of Risk Tagged With: adversarialism, corruption, oppositionalism, politicisation, propoganda

Reader Interactions

Do you have any thoughts? Please share them below Cancel reply

Primary Sidebar

Search and Discover More on this Site

Never miss a post - Subscribe via Email

Enter your email address and join other discerning risk and safety people who receive notifications of new posts by email

Join 7,499 other subscribers

RECOMMENDED READING

viral post – iso 45003 and what it cannot do

Introduction to SPOR – FREE!!

Psychosocial Safety and Mental Health Series

Not Just Another ‘Hazard’

Psychosocial Safety, Is it possible to make it culturally normal?

How to Be Oriented Towards Psychosocial and Mental Health in Safety

ISO 45003 and What it Cannot Do

The KISS of Death in Safety

Behavioural Safety is NOT a Foundation for Tackling Psychosocial and Mental Health

The Worst Approach to Psychosocial Problems is an Attitude of ‘Fixing’

The Language of ‘Hazards’ and Psychosocial, Mental Health

Welcome to the Nightmare, Safety Creates its Own Minefield (as usual)

No Good Reason to Follow Reason

More Posts from this Category

NEW! Free Download

Please take our 2 minute zero survey

Recent Comments

  • Rob Long on Psychosocial Safety, Is it possible to make it culturally normal?
  • Rob Long on Psychosocial Safety, Is it possible to make it culturally normal?
  • Matt Thorne on Psychosocial Safety, Is it possible to make it culturally normal?
  • simon p cassin on Psychosocial Safety, Is it possible to make it culturally normal?
  • Hurak Learning on How to Be Oriented Towards Psychosocial and Mental Health in Safety
  • Rob Long on An Advanced Understanding of Culture – A Video
  • Paul Gentles on An Advanced Understanding of Culture – A Video
  • Brent Charlton on The KISS of Death in Safety
  • Rob Long on The KISS of Death in Safety
  • Brian Edwin Darlington on The KISS of Death in Safety
  • Brian on The Language of ‘Hazards’ and Psychosocial, Mental Health
  • Jaise on The Language of ‘Hazards’ and Psychosocial, Mental Health
  • Rob Long on Posture Myths and Holistic Ergonomics
  • Linda McKendry on Posture Myths and Holistic Ergonomics
  • Rob long on Welcome to the Nightmare, Safety Creates its Own Minefield (as usual)
  • Matt Thorne on Welcome to the Nightmare, Safety Creates its Own Minefield (as usual)
  • Anonymous on Welcome to the Nightmare, Safety Creates its Own Minefield (as usual)
  • Jason on How Bias Inhibits Learning in Safety
  • Rob Long on How Bias Inhibits Learning in Safety
  • Admin on How Bias Inhibits Learning in Safety

FREE eBOOK DOWNLOADS

Footer

VIRAL POST – The Risk Matrix Myth

Top Posts & Pages. Sad that most are so dumb but this is what safety luves

  • 500 OF THE BEST AND WORST WORKPLACE HEALTH and SAFETY SLOGANS 2023
  • Proving Safety
  • Free Safety Moments and Toolbox Talk Examples, Tips and Resources
  • Road Safety Slogans 2023
  • CATCHY and FUNNY SAFETY SLOGANS FOR THE WORKPLACE
  • ISO 45003 and What it Cannot Do
  • Download Safety Moments from Human Resources Secretariat
  • How to Be Oriented Towards Psychosocial and Mental Health in Safety
  • NATIONAL SAFETY DAY/WEEK IN INDIA 2023
  • 15 Safety Precautions When Working With Electricity

Recent Posts

  • Not Just Another ‘Hazard’
  • Psychosocial Safety, Is it possible to make it culturally normal?
  • How to Be Oriented Towards Psychosocial and Mental Health in Safety
  • Free Download – Real Risk – New Book by Dr Robert Long
  • Proving Safety
  • ISO 45003 and What it Cannot Do
  • Harming People in the Name of Good
  • An Advanced Understanding of Culture – A Video
  • Risk and Safety Maturity
  • The KISS of Death in Safety
  • SPoR, Metanoia and a Podcast on Change with Nippin Anand
  • Behavioural Safety is NOT a Foundation for Tackling Psychosocial and Mental Health
  • The Worst Approach to Psychosocial Problems is an Attitude of ‘Fixing’
  • SPoR Comes to Vienna June 2023
  • The Language of ‘Hazards’ and Psychosocial, Mental Health
  • Welcome to the Nightmare, Safety Creates its Own Minefield (as usual)
  • The Visionary Imagination – Louisa Lawson
  • Heaven ‘n Hell and the Safety Religion
  • Confirmity in Conformity
  • Numerology and Psychic Numbing
  • Thinking of Mortality
  • Safety is the Wrong Anchor
  • Foresight Blindness, Hindsight Bias and Risk
  • Getting the Balance Right in Tackling Risk
  • What is SPoR?
  • How Bias Inhibits Learning in Safety
  • Afraid to Let Go of What Doesn’t Work in Safety
  • When You Don’t Know What to do in Safety, Have Another Blitz!!!
  • Gloves and Glasses Compliance
  • A Case of Desensitisation – What Would You Do?
  • How to Leave the Safety Industry
  • The Mythic Symbology of Safety
  • Dark Waters, The True Story of DuPont and Zero
  • 400,000 Free Downloads
  • Am I stupid? I didn’t think of that…
  • Don’t Look Now Safety, Your Metaphor is Showing
  • Ratio Delusions and Heinrich’s Hoax
  • To Err is Human, You Better Believe It
  • Culture as a Wicked Problem, for Safety
  • Safety Leadership Training
  • Cultural Orientation in Risk
  • The Stanford Experiment and The Social Psychology of Risk
  • Objectivity, Audits and Attribution When Calculating Risk
  • Records of safety activities: evidence of safety or non-compliance?
  • Zero, The Seeking of Infinity
  • Safety Leadership Essentials
  • What Can Indiana Jones Tell Us About Culture
  • Safety as a Worldview
  • The Loathing of Limits
  • Culture Cannot be Framed Through Safety

VIRAL POST!!! HOW TO QUIT THE SAFETY INDUSTRY

FEATURED POSTS

I’m just not that into safety anymore

Stop the Train I Want to Get Off

I’m 100% Certain About That….

Sayings, Slogans, Aphorisms and the Discourse of Simple

Training Workshops CLLR April to July 2020

Coronavirus and the Dunny Paper Effect

Military Metaphors in Safety

The Less You See, the More Likely to Die

Just Hangin’ Out…

Risk You Can Eat

Does Safety Have A Soul?

The 10 Behaviours of the Safety Sociopath

The Bias of Method Design in Risk

It’s a Great Goal, it Just Doesn’t Work

None so Blind as Those That Don’t Want to See – Due Diligence

Bad Moon Rising

How was your break?

Report on SPoR Convention 2018

The Ethics of Safety

Risky Conversations, The Law, Social Psychology and Risk

Safety People Don’t ‘Save Lives’

Why Have Some Freedom in Safety When a Dose of Fear and Guilt Will Do?

Safety Entitlement and Compulsory Safety Mis-Education

Test Your Reaction Times

Snap, Crackle, Pop. That’s the Sound we Love to Hear

Why Some People Never Achieve

Non-Conscious Safety

Can There Be Other Valid Worldviews Than Safety?

Envisioning Risk in Canada

How Effective Are Your Conversations About Risk?

Symbols Matter

Brain-Centredness and Occular-Centredness in Risk

Framing Your World

Risk Boldly

Safety Isn’t Sexy, and it Shouldn’t Be!

Numerology and Psychic Numbing

Humanising Workers Compensation (Sydney Workshop)

Safety-as-Persona

Independent Thinking in an Uncertain World, A Mind of One’s Own

Non-Binary Decision Making in Risk

More Posts from this Category

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address and join other discerning risk and safety people who receive notifications of new posts by email

Join 7,499 other subscribers

How we pay for the high cost of running of this site – try it for free on your site

WHAT IS PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY?

What is Psychological Safety at Work?


WHAT IS PSYCHOSOCIAL SAFETY