Morgan Freeman once famously replied to a question on how we eradicate racism. His answer: “Stop talking about it.”
Clearly, institutions aren’t currently of the Morgan mindset.
The nation’s new enlightenment is all about what makes us different — not only in appearance, but power and victimhood. And that last distinction is determined, not by personal circumstance, but shade of skin.
Not long ago, America was a melting pot, and we were all Americans.
But now we’re categorized according to “identity” groups, as our leaders pack us into separately-stored bins.
Apropos of our re-organization, the federal government is taking a bold “antiracist” stand.
Per Uncle Sam, an expression of racism is none other than “I am colorblind.”
Judicial Watch reports it obtained nearly 50 pages of records from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Among them: an employee-training PowerPoint presentation titled “Race and Gender-Based Microaggressions.”
The lesson’s stated goals:
- To help you identify race- and gender-based microaggressions
- To help you understand how microaggressions can turn into discrimination and/or unlawful harassment
- To help you understand YOUR role in preventing discrimination and harassment in the workplace
- To help you know how to respond to these situations
Why would an organization advise people to be offended?
I can’t imagine any purpose other than to ensure weakness and low morale.
Whatever the case, the training describes microaggressions as “verbal and nonverbal behavior” which “communicate negative, hostile, and derogatory messages to people rooted in their marginalized group membership (based on gender, race, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, etc.).”
To be clear, a “more subtle” nonverbal indication of something negative related to an identity group can absolutely be “unintentional.”
Still, know your proper response: You are to feel harmed.
One section — “Common Race-Based Microaggressions in the Workplace” — addresses the difference between what someone says and what is perceived.
To illustrate the point, a white man and black woman are shown separated by a wall.
He announces, “When it comes to race, I am colorblind.”
What more could you want than for someone to see past your looks? The answer, evidently, is for them to not be racist.
While the man radiates racism, the woman has three thoughts:
- Denying a person’s racial/ethnic experience
- Assimilate to the dominant culture
- Denying the individual as a racial/cultural being
There was a time when people didn’t want to be racial beings; rather, they wished to be human ones.
Will that time ever come again? If so, it won’t likely be soon.
Meanwhile, if not viewing people by race is racist, we’ve got a lot of history to revise.
Consider the case of America’s most revolutionary racial offender:
Back to the training, before showcasing a gallery of appearance-based perniciousness, the instruction issues a Trigger Warning:
The next slide contains images of offensive stereotypes.
Depicted, per Judicial Watch:
People of color being offered various items such as: someone wearing a hoody and gold chain being offered sports balls; a hijab-wearing girl being offered a lit bomb and a picture of Osama bin Laden; a girl being offered a maid’s apron and a sombrero; a male being offered a guitar and a construction hat; a girl being handed a bottle of Aunt Jemimah syrup; and a girl being handed a spear, a teepee, and a Cleveland Indians baseball pennant.
There was once the concept of national pride, based not only on unity but strength.
The more “diverse” we become, it seems, the more the Powers That Be want us fragmented and subsequently weak.
I hope for a day when the nation is again strong.
Until our return to vintage vigor, remember the government’s guidance: Whatever you do, don’t deeply injure a white person by giving him a guitar.