Nothing in the world these days seems to come without prejudice lurking about.
One of the proposals on our state ballot this Tuesday deals with banning Affirmative Action in state & local hiring practices. Without exactly saying how I would vote, A.A. is outdated at best and is not accomplishing what it set out to do. Bad feelings existed before it came into being in the 1960s, and bad feelings (from a different side) exist today. If only firms or colleges could hire or accept people based on their talent level, you would probably see some fairness that has long been absent.
Can it get any touchier? It can when your native tongue is threatened.
We had a meeting at work this week that touched off the non-native portion of our department when it was said that only English should be spoken whenever on the job; no native tongue allowed while within work boundaries.
This seemed like a good idea in private thought, and even when it was first mentioned. But there was some mild protest from the people affected, which should be no surprise. A few made mention that English is a hard language to master, and that some words are impossible for them to pronounce.
What upset me is that the ban goes so far as to ban translation at any time. English is needed to perform the job, but what if a translation is needed for one who can't understand an order? Wouldn't a word or two in their native tongue (in strictest, most private confidence) help them understand the job function, without standing there, feeling helpless, useless and embarassed?
You have to understand there is a certain paranoia that still exists at airports every day; simply because there is a need for precautions & thinking ahead. The overall ruling may seem biased, but everyone should be on the same page. No one should have to walk around wondering if the person next to them is bad-mouthing them without actually comprehending it. But when it involves being able to clearly understand a job function, you would think exceptions could be made.
Fortunately, I'm not in management, so I had nothing to do with the decision. I also give credit to those who might feel targeted: they handled themselves well at the meeting in question.
Is this another case of A.A. biting the face off the unintended group again? No wonder it's become the most interesting ballot issue out there in Michigan this year; one that will definitely encourage voter input.
Next Wednesday should be quite a day.
