Training Day (The Real Meaning Of PC Diversity Training Alert)

Eject, Eject, Eject! ^ | 11/21/2008 | Proteus

[goldstategop]

In which a lunatic has an aneurism over apparently nothing.

Next April, I’m going to turn fifty. I’ll be fifty years old. Good lord.

Somehow, I’ve managed to get this far without working in a large corporate office. So today I got my first taste of a world that most of you are already much more familiar with than I am: the world of modern American big business. So what lit me up like a Fourth of July skyrocket was something that seemed to mean nothing at all to the other 23 people in the room, because today, for the first time, I had to attend a mandatory sexual harassment training course.

Now, before I get up a really good head of steam and a decent running start, let me say a few things.

First of all, I work for a great company, full of creative and terrific people, and, by some miracle of chance, not a one of them are stupid, boorish, authoritarian or in any way less than smart, well-meaning people. I understand, also, that the reason for these sessions is to provide legal protection to the company, so that if a harassment claim is made, they can say, “look, we did everything we could to combat this sort of thing.” I get all that.

I also understand that other companies are not this fortunate, and that racial, sexual and other forms of harassment go on daily and cause great harm, both in terms of productivity, and more importantly, spiritual well-being. No one should have to endure attack or intimidation. So if you think this is going to an appeal to “lighten up,” you’re going to be disappointed. For me, this is not about actual harassment, which needs to be ruthlessly exterminated from the workplace. This is about something else again.

Where do I begin?

Well, first of all, I find it deeply offensive to my personal sense of honor and integrity to be punished or otherwise lectured on something I did not do. Period. And to be subjected to two hours of second-grade style, “who can tell me what Johnny did wrong by telling Sarah she has a hot body” lecturing infuriates me on many levels.

To begin with, I do not need to be told this is inappropriate behavior. I already know that is inappropriate behavior. I learned that was inappropriate behavior not from the State of California or a battalion of corporate lawyers, but from my parents, who raised me to be polite, well-mannered, and who spent much of their own youth trying to form me into a civilized gentleman. I know, I can see the smiles on many faces already. It’s like I’m speaking in Aramaic.

I was treated to a video that had precisely the same emotional pitch and condescension as the old ABC After-School Specials, which is appropriate when aimed at 10-year-olds but in a room full of adults was unimaginably cloying and infantile. In this helpful lecture on the evils of hateful stereotypes, a clueless, insensitive white male managed to offend everyone without the dimmest awareness of his own boorishness until confronted and re-educated (with a rising string section!) by emotionally advanced, sensitive (yet strong!) women and his solemn, understanding (but firm!), black male superior.

I’m getting a little tired of this movie. I see this movie everyday.

But what really set me off was learning that there are “protected categories” of people who apparently have special claims on being harassed, and that these groups include, but are not limited to:

“Race, color…” [in case you happen to be green or of some color not associated with your race] ”…religious creed, sex, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, pregnancy, childbirth…” [this being different from pregnancy presumably only if you are actually giving birth right there in your cubicle] “…physical disability, mental disability, age, military status or status as a Vietnam-era or special disabled veteran, marital status, registered domestic partner or civil union status, gender (including sex stereotyping and gender identity or expression), medical condition (including, but not limited to, cancer-related or HIV-related), or sexual orientation.”

These – including but not limited to -- “protected categories” are areas in which “harassment” is especially hurtful, as far as I can understand it… which is not very far at all. Can you – offhand – think of any kind of harassment that does not fit into these categories? I suppose saying hateful things about the Florida State football team is okay as long as I don’t use the word “Seminoles” (which would then become offensive on the grounds of race, color, religious creed, national origin, ancestry and military status; to which, I will add as a Gator fan regarding FSU grads, mental disability and – what the hell – sexual orientation.)

All of this is mere sophistry and cover of course, for the essence of the 22 page workbook I received (and for which I was not given a crayon with which to write nor a gold star when it was completed) was boiled down to a single sentence, in bold italics at the bottom of page 15:

It is not the intent of the alleged harasser, but the impact on the recipient.

It doesn’t matter if you meant to hurt someone. As long as someone was hurt, then harassment took place.

Now at the end of all this, the facilitator – who is clearly a lovely person, for this is not aimed at her – smilingly told us not to be paranoid but just to be careful not to offend anyone. And the other 23 people nodded happily and made jokes and goofed around to show how lighthearted and un-paranoid we suddenly all were. And yet, this harassment and sensitivity training did not succeed fully, because there was one person who was offended, and who in point of fact felt extremely harassed. And that person was me.

Perhaps, in future editions of the handbook, we can add another victim group to the protected category: rational adults. Perhaps I might contribute a chapter to this sensitivity training. Something like:

“The rational adult is a small and shrinking minority in the workplace. His cultural heritage – which is just as valuable as anyone else's! – has taught him that “personal responsibility” means he has a right to feel insulted, offended and harassed when being lectured on things that he did not do, nor would ever contemplate doing. In this ancient and primitive culture, a person’s “honor” and “integrity” are relied upon to govern behavior. If such a person unknowingly gives insult, they will “apologize.” According to their tribal ethics, people who intentionally harm, insult or harass others deserve to be fired on the spot.”

I am told this course was “preventative” – to stop harassment before it happens. Fair enough. Tomorrow, perhaps, we can have a course on how to prevent office electrocutions by sticking screwdrivers into the sockets, or a poison-prevention class involving two role-players and a gallon of copier toner, or perhaps we can facilitate a upper-level meeting to try and determine what warning placards may be missing from every object and sharp corner in the building, or a support group for those people rendered incapable of speaking or smiling for fear of giving some kind of unintentional offense to someone. These are all areas ripe for new legislation and demanding of state funding. Because when you really get down to how much unintentional offense there remains left to give, you can see we have a genuine crisis on our hands.

Look, there are two ways to prevent young children from drowning:

1.Place barricades, gates, locks, and other restraining devices around any body of water large enough to immerse the child’s head in; in addition, provide education, audio-visual instruction, role-playing and other methods to inform young children on the dangers of inhaling large amounts of water – whether it be fresh water or sea water – and to provide the funding, continuing outreach and community activism necessary to make sure that ALL Americans are prevented from encountering these deadly dangers wherever they may be found.

Or:

2.Teach your kid how to swim.

My parents – remember them? – taught me at an early age that what people said or thought or wrote about me did not have the power to hurt me – only I can allow them to do that. My self-worth, self-respect and self-esteem are earned, and not given, and are therefore mine – impervious to anything in the outside world, which is why I am willing to sit at this desk, as the only one of 24 happy, smart, creative people, and look like some reactionary nut case for being enraged about the fact that we willingly submit ourselves to insults to our personal honor and integrity that our forefathers would never, ever have countenanced. And I am ashamed on behalf of them. But just me. No one else thinks anything of it at all.

And so, with smiles and good will all around, behind a plate of donuts and cartons of morning orange juice, we again fall another step from the adult world of action and consequence, to the warm, friendly, everlasting childhood of kindergarten, where no one’s feelings can ever be hurt and teacher is always there to make sure – in her gentle but firm way – that there will never be harmful consequences to your actions because your actions will be so curtailed in advance that offending someone – like feeding and housing yourself – are things that we simply no longer have to worry about any more.

And the endless sleep, in the warm, clean, fluffy bed, continues unabated.

Forever.

[goldstategop]

No one else can hurt us. But liberals believe others DO have that power over us. Which is why they are forever offended. This context explains everything about the absurdity of Corporate America's mandated PC "diversity training" days and all the other countless aspects of liberalism. The individual is always superseded by the collective and the great mass, the unthinking herd, whose individual members need to be protect from themselves, in their totality, are ALWAYS right. Now and forevermore.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[rbg81]

I see this movie everyday

Tell me about it. In every commercial you see, its the white male who is the villian. The poster child for this nonense is the Wachovia commerical where a Black women gets her identity stolen by a white, middle-aged jogger. This has sunk into our culture--most non-white males think that we are hopelessly incompetent and that everyone else knows better. No wonder why we elected Obama. Obviously, these people have never enjoyed the paradise that is the non-Western world.

[goldstategop]

The white male is the target of the Left and it is against him every one else needs to be protected. He belongs to the only oppressor group in America. Its a very familiar script and a movie whose playbook never gets old.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[Jeff Chandler]

In every commercial you see, its the white male who is the villian.

Coming to Federal Government near you.

[douginthearmy]

The military has quarterly training requirements for sexual harassment and equal opportunity. Its been going on for about 2 decades. The best part is my unit is all male, so you can just imagine the background noise when we are told not to sexually harass each other.

[Comparative Advantage]

“Undressing a woman in your mind is a form of sexual harassment. Women know when this is happening and it is punishable” That statement was made by a sexual harassment seminar facilitator at my organization in the mid-90s.

[goldstategop]

I can imagine the reaction of a gay recruit being told not to make passes at straights!

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[VeniVidiVici]

It is not the intent of the alleged harasser, but the impact on the recipient.

This is the key phrase. In my very first corporate diversity training I learned I was wrong when the question was asked of us if sending an email to a coworker asking her out on a date could be construed to be sexual harassment. My first thought, obviously, was that it all depends on the context. But, no, not at all. It depends on her reaction to whatever it was I wrote.

Amazingly, if she was somehow offended by your asking her out to dinner, then, yes, you are now an official sexual harasser.

[goldstategop]

Just looking at a woman the wrong way is enough to get you charged with harassment. You don't even have to say anything to be found guilty of the crime.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[rlmorel]

You hit this right on the head.

I have worked in Heath Care for 27 years, and it is full of it. I understand the concepts behind it. And I understand the reasons for doing it.

I feel exactly the same way you feel. I don’t need a frikking class to tell me what sexual harassment is. I don’t NEED a class to tell me how to be sensitive to other people’s race/creed/gender and so on.

My parents taught me right from wrong. It makes my skin crawl to sit through these “classes” every year. I bring a book if I have to, and I copy the test from someone else. This irritates me to no end.

What really gets me is the attitude “This isn’t directed at white people/men/protestants/insert whatever here, it is directed at ALL people...”

Yeah, right. I effing hate it. It is the same mentality that makes companies require procedure manuals for every damned thing. You can’t use your commonsense anymore, because that simply doesn’t exist in people, apparently. So we have this huge bureaucracy maintaining these HUGE manuals with revisions and every other bureaucratic crap under the sun.

I hate it. You described it very, very well.

[TheThinker]

White males are going to have to just stop apologizing for what they haven't done and stop caving in to liberal bullies. There's really nowhere to hide at this point.

Life for white males is going to get increasingly unhappy as we become the only race on Earth not deserving of respect or admiration simply because the color of our skin matches the color of slave owners.

This is why the Left hates the Jews, because they are the only white skinned race that gets respect.

[goldstategop]

Of course. Even the most innocent of social interactions can be turned into their exact opposite if someone had a bad day or just didn't like you.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[Locomotive Breath]

Nope. This is the worst one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUnQFq4Nmtw

Apparently only white males are the ones with a drunk driving problem.

[Comparative Advantage]

There are many people making lots of money off of this victim industrial complex.

[Harpo Speaks]

If the concern is about following sexual harassment rules, then without question the worst offenders, in my corporate experience, are women. Nearly all make sexual jokes, use sexual language, and some are often physically provocative.

They act this way because they know they can get away with it. Their attitude is the same as some ethnic leaders who assert that their group cannot possibly be racist because they are not white. These women believe they cannot possible be guilty of breaking the corporate rules of sexual harassment because they are woman.

Just for the record, I think most of the sexual harassment stuff is nonsense — men and woman alike can hardly breath without breaching the rules of our feminist/womyn legal-system masters. They day that someone decided that “feeling uncomfortable” is the basis of a tort action, is the day we lost another one of our freedoms.

[goldstategop]

In a world without moral absolutes, the Left's reaction is to write a book full of petty rules and damning consequences. That solves nothing and brings about the opposite of what's intended. There is no longer that bright line where people used to have the freedom to not only exercise their good judgment but to make inevitable mistakes as well. Goodness as defined by bureaucrats has not improved human nature.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[goldstategop]

Every morality play needs a villain. What is good is life without one? Political correctness can never eliminate conflict between people. Our existence would be unbearably boring if that was ever realized.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[goldstategop]

This complex will exist as long as liberalism remains upon the earth. Liberalism derives its power from making victims out of people and making sure they never acquire true happiness.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[rlmorel]

Here is a sexual harassment video that shows how this should be done...

Tom Brady Stars in Sexual Harassment Video

[darkangel82]

It's all about how you feeeeel, remember.