First of all I want to thank the people that read this blog and replied with their comments. Though only a few people actually made comments, the ones that I received were very thought provoking. What I was very disappointed about was the fact that I received requests from two of my White connections to remove them from my blog list. They incorrectly assumed that the blog was about a cry for justice, and not a plea for open dialogue on how to improve ourselves socially and economically. Most of my Black connections were no better. Some left comments like “good blog”, but they didn’t provide any insight or details into their own experiences. No matter who you are, or what color you are, you have experienced discrimination. Even if your skin is as pale as a sheet of paper, or you are as dark as the black leather chair in my office, you have experienced some sort of discrimination whether it was racism, sexism, classism, or ageism. The problem is that you don’t want to open a dialogue about it, and that is why it will continue to happen! Think about it. If you read about a middle age Asian woman being treated poorly at her job, not because of her ethnicity, but because of her age, wouldn’t you be empathetic if the same were happening to you at your workplace? How about a White male being subjected to menial tasks, by senior members of his law firm, simply because of his youth? You probably thought this was happening to you just because you were Black or Hispanic, but now you know it happens to White people, too. This is why we need to open a dialogue. Things are not always about ethnicity. Sometimes, they are about other issues.
The two ladies that did have something say stated:
“My family and I have experienced what Trayvon’s Family is currently going through. In 1993, one of my younger brothers was gunned down, because of the color of his outer shell. People don’t seem to care until it hits close to home.”
Another woman wrote –
“There are days…My isms are little different…healthism, ageism..If you have a health issue even a recovered scenario no one wants to hire you because you are seen as a liability and if you are over 50 and need employment you can forget it. Everyone is not an entrepreneur and if you have been able to properly prepare financially, then move forward in that arena but everyone is not so fortunate… Experience is not an asset anymore, they rather pay a low wage and train someone so it is very challenging to survive now. Those are my ism’s……Interesting topic…ahm”
These are both very interesting views and realities. My deepest condolences go out to the lady that lost her brother. I also can empathize with the woman that has had to experience discrimination because of her age and disability. She is obviously an intelligent and very experienced person who deserves another opportunity to join the workforce. One of my neighbors is experiencing some of the same prejudice. He has over 20 plus years of experience as a commercial pressman, yet he cannot get a job at the pay rate that his experience validates. My own experiences are a little different. Before I opened my own business, while I was job searching, I noticed that companies that paid 100% commission or paid on a draw were always interested in hiring me. However, companies that paid a salary were not. It made me feels as if I was unqualified to receive a salary, but it was okay if I only got paid on the income that I brought into the company, or maybe the salaried positions are reserved for someone else. To this
day, I am recruited by lots of financial companies that don’t pay salaries. Additionally, while out in the field, I notice a lot of ethnic inequality within the workforce. Most of the time, I only see a multi-cultural workforce whenever I have to go to a government, state, or a local municipality building. In these facilities, I will see a mixture of young, old, and all of the colors within the rainbow (except for purple).
What this implies to me, is that racism, sexism, and ageism, and other forms of discrimination are very prevalent in the hiring decisions in the private sector. And, it affects everyone! Too many times, we have misconceptions about people and ethnic groups not realizing that everyone basically wants the same thing. Who doesn’t want to make enough money to support their family? Who doesn’t want their children to do better than them? Who does want to live a happy life? We all want the same thing, and we are not that different from one another. Don’t let your negative experiences shape you, and don’t become embittered by them either. Never project stereotypes or negative images onto people. Remember most people want what you want, need what you need, desire what you desire. We all want to be happy, and we are not that different from each other. But, we must become better people. We shouldn’t wait for hurricanes, tornados, and earthquakes to treat each other with respect.
Next week, I’m going to provide some statistics on racism, sexism, and classism to demonstrate the negative impact that these biases have on the economy. I’m also going to discuss the impact that these “isms” have on the psychology of human beings, as well, in Part 3.
Walter Hines,
Bison Business & Technology Solutions
“I blog; therefore, I am!”
Twitter Account: @bisonbiz2012
Website: www.bisonbiz.com
Email: walter@bisonbiz.com
