“I have a dream.” Most Americans and people in many other countries know how to complete that introduction. Americans today celebrate the life of of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
His dream–that all peoples would be judged on the strength of their character rather than the color of their skins.
Many laws were passed in his wake. Much has been done to make society more fair in America–and probably many other places.
But almost every news I see from everywhere in the world, people are still wrestling with bringing this basic respect for other people–especially those who differ from us–into our thoughts and lives.
I heard a couple of guys talking in the locker room recently. They were talking about black people in the classic “they are lazy and on drugs and always looking for a handout” manner. I’m sure I didn’t confront them, because I’m personally pretty non-confrontational. But I must have said something, because one said, “Do you think we’re racists?” I thought to myself, “Well, yes, I do.” But he didn’t think he was. <sigh>
Respect for people is the foundation principle of Lean.
A workplace with a diverse group of people outperforms one where everyone is the same.
We know these work.
It only takes a small step every day to bring that dream into general reality.
That “classic” form of racism makes them sound old. I didn’t know people still said things like that. It sounds so stupid it doesn’t even deserve a response besides laughing at them for sounding like racists of my great grand parents’ generation. Modern racists need to come up with complicated structures to hide what they’re really saying.
Actually, these people are old. Even older than me. They differentiate between general comments of condescension and “I have a black friend” or something. The good thing is I hear it less among younger people. Then again, remember that I live in rural western Ohio. This is the home of the “angry white man” and also home of a non-white population of about 5%.