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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I am BIPOC but not Black. I totally feel you OP. Agree with the PPs that it is natural for some people to try to use DEI efforts to their advantage. Definitely had a coworker who did this, was one of the most outspoken DEI advocates and was later fired because they were caught stealing. These people are the worst.

I think it is also legitimately difficult to tell when bias occurs, and we do know that it does happen. The problem is you can rarely prove it. Current DEI thinking tries to counter this by asserting that BIPOC people especially Black people are constantly mistreated in the workplace. Anyone who questions this thinking is thought of as a barrier to anti-racism efforts. So as a BIPOC person I am constantly being told I am facing microaggressions based on my race and I'm being prompted to try and think of them. Actually, I am not being constantly mistreated, and I think isolated instances of mistreatment I experienced were based on factors other than my race.

I have another coworker who has basically said she thinks she is smarter than everyone else because she is Black and had to overcome more to get here. She dismisses most criticism as racism and ignores our feedback and contributions. She is actually really smart but she's not always right! And I can point to specific ways in which she is treated much better than I am. [/quote]

Regarding being able to tell, both internally and externally when bias occurs, I can understand completely how to catch internal bias. But how can one tell when one is free of internal bias? Also is there a way to convey that to someone else? Are all people racist or are some people not, and if not, what enables a person to say, “This person is not racist?”[/quote]

Everyone has biases and commits micro aggressions. The question is do you make efforts to avoid doing so?[/quote]

I do. But how do I tell if others do? A person who is racist and a person who is not racist will probably both say that they make efforts to avoid biases. So how can a person tell who is racist and who isn’t?[/quote]

Everyone is racist, and it is hard to tell who is going to be most anti-racist or inclusive. My boss is a fairly gruff person who does not come across as remotely woke but he is a good listener who grants people autonomy after they prove themselves and I think that can promote equity. Also he is pretty big on following EEO rules and avoiding any appearance of discrimination in hiring, yeah probably what motivates him is not getting sued but I think that also prevents some issues. In contrast I have a very "woke" coworker who is terrible to work with because he thinks he is smarter than everyone and just ignores the team he is supposed to be leading and does his own thing and that is not inclusive or helpful.

One sign of inclusivity is if you observe that person X says something is dumb and person Y calls them on it and person X genuinely accepts the criticism as a learning experience and thanks person Y for calling them out, then person X is possibly someone who can promote an inclusive working environment. [/quote]

I get what you're saying, PP, but that inclusivity example makes me cringe. I won't say it's dumb, because, see your example, but I wonder if person Y isn't too keen on calling out, and embarrassing, person X in order to show superiority. However, if person Y says something to person X in a respectful, non charged environment, X may be able to hear Y's feedback more clearly. [/quote]

I agree with you. My focus in my post was on person X, but absolutely person Y should try to be compassionate towards person X and that is often not what happens.[/quote]

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