We're All Bigots...

We just didn't know it.

Yeah, you - the one reading this article!  So you better get thyself to the next “Implicit Bias” (IB) training class – or else!

Presently, five states require mandatory IB training for some health care professions.  Three states require it for law enforcement and judicial officers: Connecticut, Indiana, and New Jersey.  Many other states have it somewhere in their legislative process. 

And of course, hardly a day goes by when some activist, pundit, or other blow-hard doesn’t toss out the “R” card (“You’re a Racist!”) when they get backed into a corner and are unable to defend their views using logic and persuasion.

When everything is racist, nothing is racist.

Does rampant racism truly exist?  That’s a difficult question to answer objectively.  Sadly, the very fact that such organization as the Ku Klux Klan, Black Lives Matter, QAnon, and others even exist seems to indicate that, yes, bigotry does exist, at least in some isolated pockets.  But that does not mean that one can over-generalize this out to the entire population – especially to us white folk.  A few bad apples does not mean the whole barrel is rotten.  The cold hard facts are this:  most of us are fine with a multi-ethnic society. 

True, it was not always like this.  America (like a lot of places) has a sordid history of treating people horribly because of their skin color, gender, where they were born, or other factors.  Much progress has been made in the last several decades.  Perfect societal color-blindness might be an elusive goal, but it’s safe to say that we’ve come a long way.

Here’s my personal testimony:  I judge people not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.  I’m a white dude, but I grew up with lots of non-whites.  Some of my best memories were in my younger days when I lived, studied, partied, worked, and made strong friendships with some Blacks.  We had some great times when we of mixed races (and gender) sat around over a keg of brew and shared our various backgrounds and life experiences.

But the powers-that-be assume that you and I are all guilty until proven innocent, and so must undergo Implicit Bias training to fix it.  The Wall Street Journal recently printed the testimony of a nurse who, for nearly four decades, had given all of her patients the utmost in quality care.  But she refused to sit for a silly IB class.  Her exemplary record didn’t matter.  They fired her.

Hispanic secretary.

I myself had to endure one of these state-mandated classes to correct my “cultural biases”.  It was my very first day on the job, and I didn’t want to make waves right off the bat, so I did as required -  with clenched teeth.  In the training video, we are introduced to the white Anglo boss, and his Hispanic secretary.  He instructs the secretary to prepare a report for him which he will need for a meeting tomorrow.  “Do you understand?” he asks, and she replies yes.  The next day, minutes before the meeting, he asks for the report.  The secretary replies that she has not done it.  “Why not?!?” he screams.  She replies that she did not understand.  The narrator then comes on and explains that the boss failed to take the Hispanic secretary’s culture into consideration, and so we must all work hard not to make the same mistake he made.  (I am not making this up!!)  This is the garbage that we “bigots” must endure.

And if being white makes one a bigot, being a white Republican is even worse.  See this article about some study that “proves” that white Republicans have racism built into their DNA.

And its not just requirement to attend stupid, unneeded anti-bias classes.  Closely related are “anti-discrimination” regulations in such endeavors as education, employment, and customer service.  These regulations consider the “victim’s” race, gender, age, sexual orientation, and other factors.  But “discrimination” is really just the act of saying “no”.  If someone – anyone – asks you to do something you prefer not to do, then you should have the right to say “no”, and that should be the end of it.  So for example, if a prospective employee says “Hire me.  Pay me.” then the employer should be able to say “no”.  His reasons thereof are not anyone’s concern.

Watching over your shoulder.

Do some business-people say “no” for the wrong reason (i.e. because they are bigots)?  Absolutely.  But an “anti-discrimination” law means that anytime a businessman makes a decision - any business decision - then a bureaucrat and a lawyer must be present, to look over his shoulder, evaluate his criteria, and be prepared to override his decision.  Is that what we want?

The cure for wrong-headed discrimination is not more laws and regulations and mandated training, but rather:  let the free market work.  Bigotry is expensive.  Businesses who hire the best people, regardless of demographic, or who welcome all customers, regardless of demographic, make the most profit.  Bigots get weeded out.

Bigot-In-Chief

Governmental entities and agencies must do likewise.  “Profit” may be irrelevant when it comes to government, but nonetheless it should be setting the right example.  And it starts at the top.  As in:  the President.  Joe Biden is the worst example of blatant bigotry there ever was.  Twice in his administration - when selecting a running mate, and when appointing a Supreme Court justice - he stated right up front:  whites and males need not apply.  Donald Trump treated everyone born south of the border like deadly criminals.

If the goal is to stop discriminating (based on race or any other criteria), then stop discriminating.  And stop assuming that somebody else is – especially because of their demographic.