Decency ≠ generosity

Let’s talk about the difference between decency and generosity in our work as designers in the food system.

People who act with decency meet baseline moral expectations. They behave in an ethical way. Simply put, they treat others with respect and dignity.

Some examples of decency:

• Compensating your design research participants (in a way that’s meaningful to them)
• Communicating what co-designers and other collaborators can expect during a design process (using methods or approaches that meet folks where they’re at)
• Pausing when harm has been created during a design process (and tending to healing, as needed in the specific context)

Now let’s look at generosity. People who give generously are giving beyond basic decency.

Generosity might look like

• Donating time or money to community-based orgs whose work you want to lift up
• Volunteering time for mentees seeking support and guidance in your area of the food system
• Offering introductions to colleagues when a peer is looking for a new job

While they are related, decency and generosity are NOT the same thing.

In our work as designers, acting with decency is where the bar should be set.

Giving generously is wonderful. It’s a gift. And when you can give generously, by all means, do it.

But let’s not confuse these two things.

 Compensating your design research participants—with lived experience or otherwise—doesn’t make you generous; it’s what should be expected.

Communicating what co-designers and collaborators can expect during a design process isn’t a “nice-to-have”; it’s a standard of respect.

Pausing when harm has been created during a design process—and tending to healing—isn’t going above and beyond; it’s a moral expectation.

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