Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Do you think this is racist?

My employer has a Diversity Council. I can't say I understand the function of this Diversity Council since I don't judge people by the completely artificial concept of "race". In fact, I believe this artficial concept of "race" is stupid and simply an excuse to perpetrate the evil of one group denigrating and oppressing another group. But I digress.

This Diversity Council apparently is sponsoring an organization known as the Diversity Leadership Alliance. As you can see on their homepage, the DLA is hosting a workshop which is now titled "The Impact of Privilege". I say "now titled" because it was originally called something like White Privilege and Heterosexuality or some such nonsense. As I recall, they threw in something offensive about Christianity as well. But, since they renamed their seminar within a few hours, I can't recount the exact name.

But, if you read the Workshop Summary, the offensiveness is still there:

"[Those with privilege] are taught to think of their lives as morally neutral, normative, and average, and also ideal, so that when we work to benefit others, this is seen as work that will allow "them" to be more like "us".

One of the most difficult challenges in the Diversity and Inclusion work is uncovering, acknowledging and addressing the impact of priviloege and the exclusion that results from it.

This workshop is an opportunity to explore two of the most powerful of these - White Privilege and Heterosexual Privilege.

Do you see that? They assume that these privileges actually exist. No proof is offered of these alleged privileges.

Now look at the goals:

To provide participants the opportunity to dialogue with other participants in order to:

1. Understand how white and heterosexual privilege impacts our organizations and the individuals who work in them.

2. Engage and involve participants in the exploration of privilege and oppression and the effects on moving toward inclusive cultures

3. Furnish participants with concrete strategies for addressing issues of privilege and oppression, particularly as these issues pertain to our workplaces.

We will explore:
Unearned Entitlement
The Patterns of Assumptions
Moving Toward Discomfort
Dialogue For Leadership

Again, no proof of any of these assumptions about these alleged privileges. Pretty ironic that they are going to "explore The Patterns of Assumptions". I wonder if they explore the patterns of their own assumptions.

And why do we need strategies to address issues of privilege and oppression when he have case law on our side? I.E., it's illegal to discriminate on the basis of race!

Let's take a listen to the workshop facilitator, shall we? Rosalyn Taylor O’Neale, their website says, is one of the most respected and sought-after experts on leadership, diversity, women's issues, and human behavior. They describe her "style" as knowledgeable, thought provoking, and charismatic. Not sure how charismatic one has to be to say,
... I don't want to talk about what white guys have done wrong. hahahaha. It's a subject that would take, mmmm, much too long. hahahaha.
Go ahead and listen to just the first few minutes of Ms. O'Neale speaking. My question to you is, do you think this is racist? Do you think by extension then the Diversity Leadership Alliance is racist by sponsoring this racist rhetoric? Do you think the Diversity Council of my employer and even my employer might be racist? What do you think?

I think she sounds alot like the wife of the presumptive democrat presidential candidate. I wonder if it gets any worse and she actually ends up sounding like the former pastor of the presumptive democrat presidential candidate. But, again, I digress.

I think this socalled Diversity Leadership Council is racist and separatist on the basis of the artificial concept of race. As a Christian, I believe the Bible where it says we are all of one blood. We are all descended from Adam and Noah; we were all created in the image of God. I do not judge people by external features that they don't control. I think that is stupid and inherently wrong.

I grew up in south central Los Angeles. I've seen enough racism and ignorance to last a lifetime. And now I have to put up with it from my employer!??! This is an outrage!

I'm also approaching the conclusion that it's all about revenge. Revenge against people who never did a thing to this woman and those like her. They want to punish someone for the evils that may have been perpetrated upon their ancestors. But why? Is it pure vindictiveness? Is it hate? What do they gain by punishing some?

Again, what say you?

7 comments:

turn said...

Good post, Kirly

As a white guy I am actually very privileged to be the grandson of a sharecropper and son of a man with a fifth grade education that has made a fine life and still lives on at the ripe old age of 91.

These 'sessions' are racist but more than 'just' racist. They are meant to indoctrinate intellectually the reasons for hate and simultaneously to reinforce feelings of victimhood.

I work for a big publicly traded company that has done some of this crap but not as far as yours.

My suggestion would be to edit your piece for your anonymity but include the names of the sponsors (usually through mostly useless HR departments) and send it to the board of directors if your company is publicly traded.

These seminars cost $ that shareholders may feel is being poorly allocated.

Kirly said...

Good advice turn! thank you.

but, i fear that they have completely caved into this pc madness.

the world is upside down. if i point out obvious racism, then i am accused of being the racist!

Anonymous said...

Kirly - where is your chat room hon ?

Kirly said...

Anonymous - click on Kirls Whirls in the list of links.

Dagda said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Kirly said...

dadag,

so glad you found my blog! be very careful to not use any real-world names here, ok?

i think the only hope we have is to do as turn said above and write to the board of directors. we'll have to start a whole letter-writing campaign. it's not going to be easy or quick though. but, we can do it!

Kirly said...

Daddga - what is a BEAGLE?

if you'd rather not post it here, please email to my nic at cox dot net.