Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Bullies (paid) of the worst kind—race and ethnicity

When I was working back in the 90s at Ohio State, I attended a number of workshops on being sensitive to people of other cultures and abilities. Most were pretty good, because you might not notice how difficult access is to buildings, or the strain on necks and arms for high counters and closed doors unless it was brought to your attention. But some were not so good, like recognizing cultural differences and the speaker could barely speak English or the body odor was so overwhelming it filled the room. So I'm wondering about these new workshops to convince those of European descent, particularly men, that they are the scum of the earth and the source of all problems from global warming to the kidnapping of Nigerian school girls. We know it by another name, bullying. And, if it were me, I'd look into an EEO complaint if attending one was a requirement--for anything--particularly reprisal. (Federal fair employment laws prohibit discrimination and require the government to provide equal employment opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disabling condition or reprisal.)

http://imcw.org/calendar/events/vw/3/sm/613/itemid/794/Weekend-Workshop-White-Identity--Racial-Awareness.aspx

http://www.amazon.com/White-Awareness-Handbook-Anti-Racism-Training/dp/0806135603

http://www.cirtl.net/diversityresources/workshop/awareness

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