Today, we are closed, the office is closed and EHD has chosen to participate in national shutdown. Since I am in charge, it was an easy decision for me, but we are fully aware that being able to participate is not everyone’s prerogative. I think it’s one of the strongest things you can do don’t buy anything todayOr if you must buy, buy from small/local companies, not big companies that are government controlled. In an ideal world, we would all be protesting, volunteering, calling or writing senators, or even making signs for an upcoming protest. In an ideal world, corporations would feel a big hit and send their people to DC to demand change. We love our immigrant friends and families. Most of us understand the importance of or are responsible for border security, and we recognize the need for some deportations. But it’s not like ICE is doing it with poor training, no due process for immigrants, and no accountability.
I really appreciate all the thoughts and the conversation on Monday was healthy for the most part (I didn’t finish reading the comments so hopefully it stays strong). If you’re conservative and republican (like many members of my family), I really appreciate you saying that you don’t support how and what’s happening right now. What you say can have a real impact on your own friends and relatives who may be secretly thinking the same thing. Saying “that’s not right” or “that’s not how it is” doesn’t make you a leftist, it just means you have eyes and morals. I believe that people can pretend in their own way, and you don’t have to do it perfectly. Changing your mind and accepting it takes a lot of bravery and courage.
“Speaking” at influencers
I’m grateful to be able to do this today and to have a platform for people to read, and I don’t take that lightly. When it comes to “speaking up”, I’m a big fan of the “there’s no wrong way to do it, just do it” approach. If we’ve learned anything from 2020 (oh God, I hope we learned a lot), it’s that policing each other about how or what people say makes things worse and is actually a big part of the problem. The left is really adept at this kind of cannibalism. People need to feel empowered to speak up, not filled with fear that they’re not doing it right. And some influencers or celebrities may remain silent and that is their business. Maybe their family works for ICE or the government or the military. You can unfollow them or like them less, but you don’t know what you don’t know. Do I think some people are tone deaf? Yes. But let them do it.
When I wrote the post on Monday, I honestly didn’t feel like I was making any ‘statement’ or ‘taking a stance’. I pulled on my team last night and said, ‘Guys, we can’t do this. I wrote something else’ and they all immediately agreed and started checking spelling/grammar. I was really sad, upset and I thought you would be too. I didn’t think it was particularly controversial since we all saw the video of Alex’s murder from different angles, and then heard the government lie about it (…at first, glad there’s now an “investigation”). This felt like a turning point after months of conflict.
As you can tell, what I like to do is build some common ground through conversation, not through isolation. I understand that some of you want me to be angry in a different way, to be confrontational and tell people they are wrong – I really understand that. As Scott Galloway says, there’s a difference between being right and being effective.
And not all influencers can (or should) act like social justice warriors for every issue. In fact, I don’t think people should design influencers to reflect their emotions or expect them to do it exactly how they want, when they want, and certainly not for every reason. To be honest, most of us are not equipped with researched knowledge, we are not educated in everything. We should never pretend to be a news source. We’ve seen what happens when people trust the wrong people on social media. it’s very dangerous. And I’ve been wrong before, between my emotions and the ‘I have to say something now!’ Influence my public response. I was wrong and I’ve learned a lot of lessons.
We have to use our specific strengths to help, and know what our audience would love to do to inspire change, should we feel strongly about it. We need all people at all levels and in all ways, in all sectors, to create more universal change, and I’m really proud of my team for always showing up in a way that brings people into the conversation (that’s always scary, TBH). We have things we won’t tolerate, as well as our limits and boundaries. We hope you will respect this. It’s a fine line to balance, and ultimately, I’m well aware that losing your audience and business doesn’t really help anyone.
Creating further division among our audiences is a lose/lose on every front. We’re real humans, running a business we love, with jobs we’re deeply grateful for, and readers we greatly appreciate. We’re trying our best all the time, with more conversations behind the scenes than you can imagine. We’re really proud of a platform that feels like a healthy break from the news cycle. And through common ground and conversation, we hope to inspire small changes that can turn into big waves. But I can do it here in quieter ways than people want. And that’s okay.
Ultimately, we love how home design content can connect us all, and as the leader of this company, I won’t let us do anything that creates more division. That’s why we never write about “last year’s trends” or even “what not to do”. We don’t like or satirize home demonstrations or product lines that miss the mark, even though I know that would drive good traffic. We do not allow comment fighting, even though it is a good way to spend time on the site. That will never be my MO.
My main purpose here (and in my life/home/family) is to create a place where people feel good, or just a little bit better. To have some fun, to feel connected to other people interested in design, to learn or feel inspired, to be entertained, and to enjoy a part of their day. We don’t take it lightly. We Love To be here too.
That doesn’t mean I don’t get angry, frustrated, or cry out of fear or sadness when I think about what some families here and around the world are going through. This doesn’t mean I don’t want things to change, or to “go my own way”. My mind is completely confused, and yet I’m grateful for a platform that can support unified messaging when it’s so clear to me, like it is right now. I’m not telling anyone how to vote or which party they should align with (because that won’t work). My hope is that, at the very least, we can all agree that more accountability, due process, and training (and empathy) are needed. Seems pretty fair, doesn’t it?
This is not a political stance, it is a moral, ethical and legal stance.
Thank you for being here. Today and always. xx Emily (get out of there now!!)
