Saturday, May 22, 2010
A diversity moment
A college friend of mine, a lawyer, posted the following comment in a Facebook thread. As a long-time reader of comic books, I took great offense.
A friend went to our firm's diversity training, and one person from each table was asked to share something that made them unique. Lawyer 1 noted he was gay, previously in the closet. All clapped. Lawyer 2 was in a cloistered monastery for 5 years before law school. My friend volunteered a collection of 5000 comic books. The most senior lawyer in the firm loudly commented "Jesus Christ" with disgust.
That, right there, is all you need to know about most corporate diversity training programs. My more extended thoughts on that subject are here.
Separately, I wonder at the substance of the senior partner's disgust. I suppose I do not think there is anything worthy in reading comic books, but why is it so contemptible, especially in this context? Is somebody who spends five years in a cloistered monastery really going to make a better lawyer than somebody who read 5000 comic books (a feat that can be accomplished in the equivalent of one 2000 hour working year)? If not, then what's the point of the contempt?
8 Comments:
By 
John, at
Sat May 22, 07:41:00 PM:
Are we sure it was disgust and not awe? Cause when I saw the 5000 number, I said the exact same words. Beats my 3500 collection.
By Andrew X, at
Sat May 22, 08:03:00 PM:
Worthy of mention is the fact that the Left (and we really must study how they can pull off such magnificent duplicity on a global scale) can sell themselves as "non-judgemental", "tolerant", and "accepting" when every single G--damn day they can act in precisely the opposite manner, and even get called on it, but still the "tolerant ones" meme survives and thrives.
A bunch of appallingly narrow-minded bigots of the highest order, all of 'em, to anyone who are not on the "protected" list, or doesn't sign up for the club rules.
But, oooooo, let's applaud the outy-guy...... "SEE?? SEE how wonderful we are.... again??"
It feels like Sysyphus sometimes, but we gotta just keep calling it as it is.... until the end of time, and hope the meme gets chipped away at a little every day.
Because it is a nasty one, and damned hard to dislodge, even as its patent falsehood is exposed every day.
By 
, at
Sat May 22, 08:33:00 PM:
All people are diverse. But some are more diverse than others. Moreover, some kinds of diversity count more than others.
Why is it so easy to channel Animal Farm when it comes to the PC diversity people?
What druu222 said about "tolerance."
By JPMcT, at
Sun May 23, 12:43:00 AM:
"Tolerance" to a Leftist is nothing more than putting up with any howling loon on the planet as long as he votes for your candidate.
That's why we are supposed to "tolerate" illegal immigrants, felons, welfare mummas and traitors.
By and large, they tend to be Democrats.
By JC, at
Sun May 23, 04:24:00 AM:
In those days when the doctor was far and away the most educated man in the village we had a medico who just loved midnight call outs to our place.
He would attend to the sick kid and then say he would stay the rest of the night. This allowed him to catch up on the hundreds of Phantom comics we had accumulated, and which his snooty wife wouldn't allow in her house.
JC
By , at
Sun May 23, 09:06:00 AM:
Perhaps the corporate wig actually was commenting on the saccharin stupidity of the exercise as a whole, and on the inanity of the tenor of responses.
Eric Hines
By JPMcT, at
Sun May 23, 09:30:00 AM:
"the saccharin stupidity of the exercise"
That would be my take as well.
By Assistant Village Idiot, at
Sun May 23, 05:35:00 PM:
E Hines may be right. The comics may have seemed to be just one more ridiculous thing, not worthy of advertisement as making one different. I think we would all have to have been present to get the sense of his meaning.
Points scored in the comments as to the general sentiment, though.
