According to the New York Times, Karith Foster, a black woman, addressed a leadership summit meeting of the very woke Woodward company specializing in aerospace. She was brought in so as to change this firm’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) program, which wasn’t working satisfactorily, to something called “Belonging.” In the course of her remarks, she challenged her audience as follows:
Honesty . How refreshing! We’re also products of our environment. What we’re used to.
I’m Jewish.New York born, Miami raised. With the exception of very few, the majority of residents have discernible foreign accents,N.Y/NJ nasality or don’t speak English .Seldom heard are Germanic or flat tones. Least of all, heavy Southern twangs,and yes,what comes to mind are the old mockeries-Hee-Haw, Green Acres,ElmerFudd or worse-Deliverance,George Wallace.Thing is, travel to Tennessee,Mississippi,Alabama,Kentucky,,we sound just as stupid and foreign to them.
My husband and I were transferred to Tampa years ago-unprepared for the culture shock. EVERYBODY had a Southern accent, including the substantial , what I imagined culturally Cuban population. I didn’t realize they differed from Miami.They weren’t refugees who fled the Castro regime,instead,very American.Emigrated in the early 1900s by choice and set up shop,creating a booming cigar industry.I felt like a stranger in a strange land.Until Obama took office.My husband and I were a rare breed. We hated Obama and that put us at odds with the Jewish community,No great loss. So insular that I was the outsider.
Moving back to Miami was nirvana.The Cuban ,Venezuelan,,Colombian, Salvadoran,Soviet ,Iranian,Lebanese immigrants who fled Communist and Islamist tyrannical revolutions hated Obama too.
Currently, I can’t stand people as a collective whole, Including what I once called my own.Whether Democrat, Republican,native born,foreign born, black, brown, white, coastal, midwestern, northeastern, southern, religious, agnostic, atheist… but for about 25%, they suck. Politics destroys all that is good. The body politic has shredded the fiber of society . The well crafted animus has damaged everything necessary for a healthy, functional society to the point of no return. In the name of “ tolerance, diversity, inclusion, morality, democracy, religious freedom, free speech, equal rights,individual rights, liberalism, conservatism, equal justice under the law, the two party system, representative government..”… Globalism, courtesy of our vaunted” elected officials” who sold us out has stripped away our rights one by one.We hate each other, our families, friends, neighbors have been torn apart. The two political parties are corrupt bipolar extremes,leaving a gaping hole where once was a center. “ We The People” have no say. No platform. The gaping hole will swallow us.
Inherent bias isn’t “ hate”. It’s animal behavior.While filming “ Planet of the Apes”, lead actress Kim Hunter noticed something unusualThe storyline featured three species of primates.Chimps,orangutans and gorillas. Cast members arrived before daybreak for make up . It took hours to apply and they filmed into the early evening. By week three,, - the ( cast)gorillas,orangutans and chimps had self- segregated, seated at separate lunch table /gathered into “ cliques” during breaks.They literally began to see each other,not as the person wearing the costume, but the species represented by the costume!
Dogs exhibit the same behavior. Placed in a venue with all different breeds, they’ll socialize freely. Placed in the same venue adding two of the same breed, the two will seek each other out. It’s nature.Comfort with what we recognize most like ourselves.
Ethnic communities- Chinatown, Little Italy, Little Havana,Little India,Little Japan, Little Haiti, Little Somalia,Hasidic Jews, Irisn Catholics/Irish Protestants,… Internecine warfare- Shia/Sunni Muslims, Ethiiopians/Eritreans/Somalis, Mistake Jamaican for Haitian,Nigerian for Liberian- tantamount to the N-word. Remember Rwanda? Ditto Cuban/ Puerto Rican/Dominican.NEVER mistake Argentinian for ANY other Latin American!
Gal Saad ,a Professor of Social Science in Canada emigrated from Lebanon when Jewish persecution became unbearable
Humorously described the human condition of tribalism. He resides near an Orthodox Jewish neighborhood where even their shared religious tenets are trumped by bigotry.Those of Polish heritage live on one side of the street,those of Russian heritage on the otherDespise one another. Since all sport traditional garb of black coats,hats and beards,To ensure they’re not mistaken for one another,the Polish Jews wear their socks under their pants cuff, Russian Jews wear socks over their pants cuff. Imagine how hilarious! The Hatfieldwicz and McCoyowitz
Dear Gai:
Thanks for your lovely comments, once again. What part of NY are you from? I'm from Brooklyn.
Best regards,
Walter
Honesty . How refreshing! We’re also products of our environment. What we’re used to.
I’m Jewish.New York born, Miami raised. With the exception of very few, the majority of residents have discernible foreign accents,N.Y/NJ nasality or don’t speak English .Seldom heard are Germanic or flat tones. Least of all, heavy Southern twangs,and yes,what comes to mind are the old mockeries-Hee-Haw, Green Acres,ElmerFudd or worse-Deliverance,George Wallace.Thing is, travel to Tennessee,Mississippi,Alabama,Kentucky,,we sound just as stupid and foreign to them.
My husband and I were transferred to Tampa years ago-unprepared for the culture shock. EVERYBODY had a Southern accent, including the substantial , what I imagined culturally Cuban population. I didn’t realize they differed from Miami.They weren’t refugees who fled the Castro regime,instead,very American.Emigrated in the early 1900s by choice and set up shop,creating a booming cigar industry.I felt like a stranger in a strange land.Until Obama took office.My husband and I were a rare breed. We hated Obama and that put us at odds with the Jewish community,No great loss. So insular that I was the outsider.
Moving back to Miami was nirvana.The Cuban ,Venezuelan,,Colombian, Salvadoran,Soviet ,Iranian,Lebanese immigrants who fled Communist and Islamist tyrannical revolutions hated Obama too.
Currently, I can’t stand people as a collective whole, Including what I once called my own.Whether Democrat, Republican,native born,foreign born, black, brown, white, coastal, midwestern, northeastern, southern, religious, agnostic, atheist… but for about 25%, they suck. Politics destroys all that is good. The body politic has shredded the fiber of society . The well crafted animus has damaged everything necessary for a healthy, functional society to the point of no return. In the name of “ tolerance, diversity, inclusion, morality, democracy, religious freedom, free speech, equal rights,individual rights, liberalism, conservatism, equal justice under the law, the two party system, representative government..”… Globalism, courtesy of our vaunted” elected officials” who sold us out has stripped away our rights one by one.We hate each other, our families, friends, neighbors have been torn apart. The two political parties are corrupt bipolar extremes,leaving a gaping hole where once was a center. “ We The People” have no say. No platform. The gaping hole will swallow us.
Inherent bias isn’t “ hate”. It’s animal behavior.While filming “ Planet of the Apes”, lead actress Kim Hunter noticed something unusualThe storyline featured three species of primates.Chimps,orangutans and gorillas. Cast members arrived before daybreak for make up . It took hours to apply and they filmed into the early evening. By week three,, - the ( cast)gorillas,orangutans and chimps had self- segregated, seated at separate lunch table /gathered into “ cliques” during breaks.They literally began to see each other,not as the person wearing the costume, but the species represented by the costume!
Dogs exhibit the same behavior. Placed in a venue with all different breeds, they’ll socialize freely. Placed in the same venue adding two of the same breed, the two will seek each other out. It’s nature.Comfort with what we recognize most like ourselves.
Ethnic communities- Chinatown, Little Italy, Little Havana,Little India,Little Japan, Little Haiti, Little Somalia,Hasidic Jews, Irisn Catholics/Irish Protestants,… Internecine warfare- Shia/Sunni Muslims, Ethiiopians/Eritreans/Somalis, Mistake Jamaican for Haitian,Nigerian for Liberian- tantamount to the N-word. Remember Rwanda? Ditto Cuban/ Puerto Rican/Dominican.NEVER mistake Argentinian for ANY other Latin American!
Gal Saad ,a Professor of Social Science in Canada emigrated from Lebanon when Jewish persecution became unbearable
Humorously described the human condition of tribalism. He resides near an Orthodox Jewish neighborhood where even their shared religious tenets are trumped by bigotry.Those of Polish heritage live on one side of the street,those of Russian heritage on the otherDespise one another. Since all sport traditional garb of black coats,hats and beards,To ensure they’re not mistaken for one another,the Polish Jews wear their socks under their pants cuff, Russian Jews wear socks over their pants cuff. Imagine how hilarious! The Hatfieldwicz and McCoyowitz