Call Me a Racist
I attended the Corning-Painted Post School District school board meeting last night at Lindley-Presho School. Except for the “overly perfumed” lady who sat one row ahead of me, a little dab goes along way, everything was going okay until the board began to discuss “a new district policy” on the evening’s agenda.
The policy proposal was titled, “Commitment to Diversity and Non-Discrimination” and it read as follows:
[The Board of Education affirms its commitment to honoring diversity and non-discrimination among staff and students. In addition to non-discrimination policies required by law, the Board wishes to establish a higher standard in terms of its commitment to all members of our educational community and to fair employment practices.
In order to provide our students with exposure to the diverse cultures and people, excellence in hiring standards will include seeking the most qualified candidate for each position, thus offering a diverse work force helping the District reach its full potential. It further wishes to recognize and develop the talents of all staff members and students to the best of its ability, encouraging new ideas among the school community. The District benefits from the creativity and innovation that results when diverse people bring different experiences, perspectives and cultures into the schools. It further encourages cross-cultural understanding that enables staff and students to understand, relate and respond to a changing population over the years.
As students prepare to enter higher education or the world of work in a global society, an inclusive, flexible school environment that values differences encourages all to contribute their best. It also promotes the hiring of a more diverse workforce. Trust, mutual respect and dignity are fundamental to positive behaviors and actions.
All students and staff should be treated with dignity and respect. The Board of Education discourages any type of discrimination or unfair treatment of students and staff. Appropriate efforts shall be made to find and attract diverse talent among educators and staff members in the District’s hiring process.]
Many who read the “Commitment to Diversity and Non-Discrimination” policy will think “that’s just beautiful, Man and get warm and fuzzy all over.” But after you hear my particular take on the matter, you may very well call me a racist. That’s the standard response these days when someone dares to speak outside the boundaries of “political correctness.” I am a result of a growing reactionary movement that was born out of our culture’s obsession with “the prevention of racism and affirmative action.”
I hopped off that ridiculous politically correct train years ago. I stopped caring about people perceiving me as a racist after the O.J. Simpson trial when Johnny Cockhran, God rest his soul, played the race card. Up until that point, O.J. was just….O.J., not black, not white….just O.J. Johnny reminded me he was black and I was profoundly offended. Since then I have a hair-trigger reaction when anyone seeks special treatment, a job, legislation or excuses bad behavior because of the color of their skin.
And that’s how I reacted when the policy was approved by the Board last night. I was offended as any Liberal gets when Right Wingers accuse them of being “traitors.” I was offended because the “Commitment to Diversity and Non-Discrimination” policy in its glowing politically correct language forewarned of a “racist climate” in the Corning-Painted Post School District.
Do any of you reading this believe the dedicated C-PP administrators and teachers were not already committed to valuing diversity in their student body and workforce?
Apparently someone didn’t. They asked to “establish a higher standard in terms of a commitment to all members of the educational community and to fair employment practices.” Did they assume that without a policy the C-PP School District would lose its way ethically in a changing world?
The idea that an anti-discrimination policy must be in place at this time to “respond to a changing population locally and to prepare students for work in a global society” is an excuse for the proponents of this policy to commit their own brand of prejudice—the assumption that all “white people at C-PP” have racist tendencies. Doubt my words? Then why was the policy drafted in the first place? What was the motivation behind it? What were they trying to prevent by securing a policy to “commit to diversity and non-discrimination?”
The answer is simple: They didn’t trust the C-PP School District to do the right thing without being forced. There was an “assumption of prejudice” in play with the drafting of the policy. So much for trust and mutual respect.
The policy proposal was titled, “Commitment to Diversity and Non-Discrimination” and it read as follows:
[The Board of Education affirms its commitment to honoring diversity and non-discrimination among staff and students. In addition to non-discrimination policies required by law, the Board wishes to establish a higher standard in terms of its commitment to all members of our educational community and to fair employment practices.
In order to provide our students with exposure to the diverse cultures and people, excellence in hiring standards will include seeking the most qualified candidate for each position, thus offering a diverse work force helping the District reach its full potential. It further wishes to recognize and develop the talents of all staff members and students to the best of its ability, encouraging new ideas among the school community. The District benefits from the creativity and innovation that results when diverse people bring different experiences, perspectives and cultures into the schools. It further encourages cross-cultural understanding that enables staff and students to understand, relate and respond to a changing population over the years.
As students prepare to enter higher education or the world of work in a global society, an inclusive, flexible school environment that values differences encourages all to contribute their best. It also promotes the hiring of a more diverse workforce. Trust, mutual respect and dignity are fundamental to positive behaviors and actions.
All students and staff should be treated with dignity and respect. The Board of Education discourages any type of discrimination or unfair treatment of students and staff. Appropriate efforts shall be made to find and attract diverse talent among educators and staff members in the District’s hiring process.]
Many who read the “Commitment to Diversity and Non-Discrimination” policy will think “that’s just beautiful, Man and get warm and fuzzy all over.” But after you hear my particular take on the matter, you may very well call me a racist. That’s the standard response these days when someone dares to speak outside the boundaries of “political correctness.” I am a result of a growing reactionary movement that was born out of our culture’s obsession with “the prevention of racism and affirmative action.”
I hopped off that ridiculous politically correct train years ago. I stopped caring about people perceiving me as a racist after the O.J. Simpson trial when Johnny Cockhran, God rest his soul, played the race card. Up until that point, O.J. was just….O.J., not black, not white….just O.J. Johnny reminded me he was black and I was profoundly offended. Since then I have a hair-trigger reaction when anyone seeks special treatment, a job, legislation or excuses bad behavior because of the color of their skin.
And that’s how I reacted when the policy was approved by the Board last night. I was offended as any Liberal gets when Right Wingers accuse them of being “traitors.” I was offended because the “Commitment to Diversity and Non-Discrimination” policy in its glowing politically correct language forewarned of a “racist climate” in the Corning-Painted Post School District.
Do any of you reading this believe the dedicated C-PP administrators and teachers were not already committed to valuing diversity in their student body and workforce?
Apparently someone didn’t. They asked to “establish a higher standard in terms of a commitment to all members of the educational community and to fair employment practices.” Did they assume that without a policy the C-PP School District would lose its way ethically in a changing world?
The idea that an anti-discrimination policy must be in place at this time to “respond to a changing population locally and to prepare students for work in a global society” is an excuse for the proponents of this policy to commit their own brand of prejudice—the assumption that all “white people at C-PP” have racist tendencies. Doubt my words? Then why was the policy drafted in the first place? What was the motivation behind it? What were they trying to prevent by securing a policy to “commit to diversity and non-discrimination?”
The answer is simple: They didn’t trust the C-PP School District to do the right thing without being forced. There was an “assumption of prejudice” in play with the drafting of the policy. So much for trust and mutual respect.
posted by sallyann | 12:10 PM
7 Comments:
It is my understanding that this is the procedure used to establish discrimination status for those in the "gay rights" group.--- May the homeschoolers and christian schools flourish !!!!!!
Amen to "anonymous" comment. Enough of this "stuff"
Is there anyway to learn who introduced this policy. A new board member?
Dr. Mark Vaughn lobbied for the policy.
Ohhhhhh.
Bear in mind all, that the School Board is clearly far more concerned with teaching our schoolchildren to be politically correct, than they are with teaching them Math, English, Science and History, in a safe and healthy environment.
My grade schooler is fearful every time he hears something else happened in a school and the day is fast approaching that he will be homeschooling. God knows I won't let another child suffer in the middle schools.
Kudos to you kid for having the guts to say what the rest of us are thinking. I'm tired also of being assumed a racist who drives around in a pick up truck with a gun rack hanging in the back window. Policies like this pave the way for discrimination lawsuits. And I wonder if this is what the intention was to begin with. Respecting diversity and guarding against racism is an honorable human trait, but in today's climate it's a banana peel on the floor waiting to be stepped on. This is not a good direction for society when a person of race is perceived as a shake down artist rather than an equal. The era of excessive discrimination lawsuits must come to an end before real integration can take root in the culture.
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