2000-11-21 - 19:02:02
Ice-cream, diversity, and Thanksgiving ...

Have you ever noticed how America seems to grind into slow motion approaching each holiday? The college I work for has been extremely quiet this afternoon ... everyone's either on vacation already or dreaming of it ... Not that I mind. Much less work for me, Miss Database Manager /-slash-/ Computer Help Girl /-slash-/ Office Go-fer.

Even less work this morning ... They actually sent me to a "Diversity Training Workshop." Four paid hours' worth of lecture, discussion, activity, and those cute little "get-to-know-yourself" test booklets, with twenty-one other "new employees". I went into it expecting to be bored to tears, but the speaker was actually pretty good ... he had us all cheerful and laughing at several points.

I scored about as I expected on the little test. Near the "top" in all categories, except on the "interpersonal relationships" ones ... They skew that test towards outgoing personalities, I swear. (Reserved or shy people get minus points for not constantly searching out new people to be friends with, or starting dialogues with co-workers on what we can do to make each other happier). But as far as knowledge and tolerance and whatever ... well, I spent nearly half my life in the greater Houston area. I went to four different grade schools there ... I met quite a variety of people. I had no real idea that people of different ethnicities or abilities were ... well, different ... until my family ended up in a little WASP town in Oregon. So WASP, in fact, that the town was once (long ago) home to a KKK Grand Dragon. People think that culture shock only occurs when moving between countries, and that white kids like me should adjust just fine to a WASP town anyway ... I have a different story to tell!

Another thing ... don't ever get me started on the subject of Southern prejudice, or whether the Confederates were all racist and evil. I can quite cheerily defend the Southern cause from the Civil War, and be very "enlightened" and unprejudiced at the same time ... and if you think that's impossible, then please back up and consider again. Have you ever seriously studied Southern history? If the answer is "no", then please remember, the stuff you hear in your generic "American History" classes was written by the victors, who were Northern ... don't judge me without any knowledge of the basis for my opinions. You have NO idea how many prim little righteous Oregonians have ignorantly blasted me on this subject over the last decade.

*amused smile* They say that the cultural formation years for a kid are between 8 and 12 years of age. I was a few months shy of 11 when we moved ... No wonder I'm messed up.

Well ... duty calls. There's an ice-cream social planned for this afternoon .... Yay, less work than ever. Except for the whole wardrobe thing, this job might not be so bad after all ... =^)