If a member of a racial minority joined your workplace,

[Nye Bevan]

would you treat them differently because of their race?

10 votes, 1 pass | Time left: Unlimited
	No, I really don't care about anyone's skin color, religion or sexual orientation. I just treat everyone the same.
	10 (100%)
	Yes, because "colorblindness" is racist. I would bring up the person's race in order to celebrate their culture and lament and sympathize over current and past discrimination their race might have experienced.
	0 (0%)
	1 DU member did not wish to select any of the options provided.
Show usernames Disclaimer: This is an Internet poll

[Mass]

1. How are the two choices antithetic?

I treat everyone the same. It does not mean I think everybody has the same background. It means I acknowledge their background?

[LisaLynne]

9. +1 nt

[Nye Bevan]

14. You "acknowledge their background" to them, in person?

Like "welcome aboard! I'm Bob. I see you're black! Great race!"

[CreekDog]

15. you're even worse at discussing racial and ethnic heritage than you are at being a liberal

[Nye Bevan]

18. When did I claim to be a "liberal"?

Granted, I enthusiastically support President Obama and am looking forward to supporting Hillary Clinton for 2016. But I'm not sure that necessarily makes me a "liberal".

[CreekDog]

19. well not when you were defending Margaret Thatcher

[Nye Bevan]

21. In the words of President Obama,

"With the passing of Baroness Margaret Thatcher, the world has lost one of the great champions of freedom and liberty, and America has lost a true friend,” President Obama said in a statement. “Here in America, many of us will never forget her standing shoulder to shoulder with President Reagan, reminding the world that we are not simply carried along by the currents of history--we can shape them with moral conviction, unyielding courage and iron will.”

I do acknowledge that disagreeing with President Obama on issues such as this will not necessarily result in someone being banned fron DU.

[CreekDog]

22. yes, but did you go farther in your compliments than Obama (who was acting as head of state btw)

yes, you did.

[Nye Bevan]

23. I never realized you would still be steaming over this 4 months later.

When GHW Bush kicks the bucket, I suggest that you trash my tribute thread without reading it.

[CreekDog]

26. Steaming? Hardly. You seem bothered by your own words of recent months.

One would think you'd be proud of them.

[Starry Messenger]

33. Or here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022786094

[bunnies]

2. I must be missing a good thread somewhere.

Treating people equally is racist? What?

[Pelican]

4. Here ya go...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023361541

In short... treating people equally and not giving preference or punishment based on skin color is now racist and a RW tactic.

[bunnies]

10. Wow.

That ones gonna take a moment to digest. Thanks for the link. I think.

[DirkGently]

13. I don't think that's quite the idea.

There's a specious flavor of the idea of "color blindness" that's basically a dodge, because it ignores the fact that when whatever kind of cultural difference you're talking about is purportedly "ignored," built-in prejudices and preferences take over. Like the way somehow jobs and apartments get offered to certain people and not others without any express mention of color or ethnicity.

You'll note Stephen Colbert's rightwing "character" claims he "doesn't see color." That's the joke he's telling.

Rightwingers do use the idea of "colorblindness" against any kind of affirmative initiative, pretending that once you've outlawed express discrimination, whatever just "happens" after that must be fair.

[JustAnotherGen]

3. Not a good poll

Though - as a young woman of color - working in a an all white male mid 40s and beyond snow making company in the mid 1990's . . . I DID have to flex to my New Older White Male Environment.

I think being cognizant of the environment of the dominant culture is more important for a minority who is a 'first' in that business/organization. After all - you are breaking a barrier.

[Pelican]

6. Could you order a dump truck of snow...

... and put it on your front lawn for the kids?

That would be awesome...

[JustAnotherGen]

30. No

Wet bulb temperature is key. You also need need water sticks and or snow (this will make you moist). guns. Those have to be fed at the proper PSI and velocity to create snow. Snowmax simply makes a perfect snowflake that withstands heat from skis/snowboards better. Used from Aspen to Whistler and back in the day - even Cloudmount in Northern Alabama.

[Starry Messenger]

5. Strawman poll .

[gollygee]

17. +1

[quinnox]

7. yea, I'll pass on this push poll

[GlashFordan]

8. I dont judge people by color

But I do judge people by character and have encountered white trash, brown trash and black trash on a regular basis.

[DirkGently]

11. Those aren't quite the choices, really.

If you are in the majority or empowered group, be it white, male, Christian, whatever, I think you have to be aware of perceived differences just enough not to ignorantly offend or unconsciously mistreat.

Equality isn't sameness, exactly. You can accord people "equal" respect and consideration without ignoring cultural difference, or falling all over yourself being over-aware of it either.

There was an unfortunate situation at a workplace I'm familiar with where an older, Southern-culture, strongly Protestant attorney met with two attorneys from another town, both of whom happened to be Jewish. There was already a healthy, longstanding working relationship between the respective firms, but some reason, as the meeting concluded, the Southern attorney felt a need to exclaim, apropos of nothing, his appreciation for Einstein Bagels.

Didn't convey the sort of aware-but-neutral balance one would hope for.

[LWolf]

12. Other.

I would treat them much like I treat everyone else, but I treat everyone differently.

I treat them with respect, but differentiate that treatment according to their strengths and needs. I get closer to some people than others, based on shared understandings, but am there for what anyone needs. That's true of all people, not just colleagues at work.

So...since I don't treat everyone the same, I wouldn't treat a "racial minority" the same, because I'd be treating them like I treat everyone else: some things are the same, some different.

In the very narrow, insular, WHITE place that I currently work, I might pay more attention, and spend more time, just in case that new colleague needed support or needed me to have his or her back. Not that my white colleagues are racist, at least as far as I know; it's just a monoculture.

I did for a jewish colleague a few years back; he was only here for a year, but he was both jewish and a liberal environmentalist, which definitely made him a minority. I was sorry to see him go, but budget cuts hit the newest first.

[Nye Bevan]

16. I treat nice people better than obnoxious people.

The thoughtcrime I have apparently been committing, however, is that I do this without regard to race.

[CreekDog]

20. You can claim martyrdom here if you admit that it's for the cause of conservatism

[CreekDog]

35. You're being dishonest. You lamented that people aren't called "crippled" anymore.

upset that political correctness has taken that word (and others) from you.

while imploring DUers to be "nice", you has a sad that we don't call kids "cripples" anymore, nor do we call people "illegal", etc.

but while you are adamant that we keep calling kids "crippled", we have to watch what we say about Lady Thatcher.

Nye Bevan (11,949 posts)
1. Like "crippled" becomes "handicapped" becomes "disabled" becomes "challenged" becomes

"differently abled".

Political correctness is tiresome.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=2786146

[Nye Bevan]

36. Well you were pretty enthusiastic about the phrase "illegal immigrant" before it became un-PC.

"Illegal immigrant children", even.

http://upload.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=9728246&mesg_id=9730076

But that's the march of political correctness.....

[CreekDog]

40. I am not "enthusiastic" about that term

unlike you, I will not complain when a better term is in wide use.

unlike you, I will not complain that it's not okay to call children or people "cripped".

[Nye Bevan]

42. So when you used the term "illegal immigrant children" in your post in 2010,

was that because the phrase "illegal immigrant" had not yet become offensive? Or was it because you were unable to think of a less offensive way of phrasing it?

[CreekDog]

43. you said I was "enthusiastic" about the term, and that is wrong

enthusiastic about the term means that like you, I would fight for that term to be used, even as it goes out of usage (which it hasn't at this point).

but you, you literally, lamented not being able to use the word "crippled".

*THAT's* enthusiastic about a term.

[snooper2]

24. No, but if they were driving a Ford I would question their judgement

[Champion Jack]

27. Ha!

[Bettie]

25. When I was in the workforce the only thing I cared about

Was if my co-workers pulled their weight and got their jobs done.

Secondary concern was if they were friendly and decent human beings.

I won't say I never noticed if they were black, white, Asian, etc. but, in the end, it never mattered all that much.

[Igel]

28. Yeah, that's pretty much it.

It's work. They have their job to do and we have professional standards and ethics to uphold.

I didn't find them particularly "white" when I was hired. Still don't quite feel comfortable with some of them.

The black guy a hall over, for all I know, had an easier time with them than I did. Oddly, I'm not quite sure what country he's even from.

[tabbycat31]

29. Most of the time I don't care

However, my field involves matching demographics to the region I'm working in, so more often than not, I am looking for someone that fits the district/region (whether white or minority).

[Bradical79]

31. I think option 2 would make a lot of people uncomfortable

At least at my workplace. We're busy people with work that needs to get done. Most of the people here that are of a group that has been descriminated against are more interested in getting their work done then going home. They'd probably feel weird if I brought up their ethnicity or sexuality out of the blue.

[Dash87]

32. Already happened multiple times. Don't care.

Not sure why it would matter?

[MrScorpio]

34. I've always wondered how "colorblind" some whites would continue to be....

If the first black families would move into their neighborhoods, when there previously weren't any.

Or if a black person was promoted over them to be their boss.

Or even if their daughters decided to date or marry any standard looking black guy.

I'm sure we'd see the difference between someone who believes in multiculturalism vs a person who declares that they're merely "colorblind".

[HappyMe]

37. None of that would bother me in the least.

I have lived in mixed race and ethnicity neighborhoods pretty much my entire life.

I have had a black woman promoted to be my boss. I have also had a younger white woman promoted to be my boss. Neither bothered me. Both were well qualified.

I have dated 2 black men. One of them was a friend first. We went out for a bit, then decided that being friends was the better way to go for us. The other......my, my, my!
I wouldn't care if either of my sons married a black woman.


I think that under the cultural differences and skin tones, people are still people. We all love, have sorrow, argue, have great joys and laugh our asses off. If people would just think 'person' instead of '_______ person' we would all be a helluva lot better off.

[Nye Bevan]

38. Anyone who claims to be colorblind, but objects when his or her daughter dates a black guy,

is not only a racist but also a liar. And I certainly don't deny the existence of these people.

[MrScorpio]

41. The point being that people who go out of their way to proclaim being colorblind...

Are probably people who ARE racist.

Sort of like that old saw of, "Some of my best friends are black".

Colorblindness is simply a way of using a standard of white privilege, cultural identification and defaulted status to people who aren't white.

In that case, a colorblind white person could never consider a non-white person as their equal.

Multiculturalism is a much better approach, as it accepts and equalizes all of our differences.

[Cali_Democrat]

39. Quite possibly one of the lamest polls I've ever seen on DU. n/t