Thursday, May 05, 2011

Diversity Thursday

How about a fun, tactical level DivThu? Yes, let's do one.

Like most of you have gathered - I have given up any hope with the Boomers when it comes to growing with the 21st Century WRT race and ethnicity. Long ago I knew they couldn't graduate from Room 222, and like the CNO would constantly pick at their guilt at the expense of better generations.

Heck, my Gen X cohort isn't much better. Sure, we started the pushback - but being that we were soaked in the Boomers' chosen course curricula - many still are lost.

No, it is the younger generation who gets it and understands the best way forward - a little thing called treating people as individuals best judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin.

Alas though - they have to go through the pretty little lies we force them to.

This is a little bit from one of my JO Fleet Spies.
As a young green ensign I was given the IMPORTANT collateral duty as "Diversity Officer" - responsible for tracking and submitting awards when the respective Divo/Chief would not. Eventually it came to a head when I told the XO, a man I would follow into the depths of hell, that I thought it was ridiculous that we should have an Asian Pacific American award and a Black Engineer award - why not just have an award for being a great engineer? Awards were submitted regardless of whether or not the person was a stellar performer. All I got in return was the company line about the importance of diversity... Eventually I had to start turning in garbage awards that were not submittable so I would be relieved of the job.

My question is, does the CNO receive feedback like yours and mine? If so, what is the response? If not, why?
Lesson #1 from the JOPA handbook - if a collateral duty blows - do it so bad it goes to someone else. My spy is a better JO than I was - I never had the stones to do that. Man, I had come cr@p collateral duties ... I wonder why .....

Ahhh, the important question he ended with. My favorite answer - ask him at a CNO Call. Actually funny to listen to a, "To play, press 1" response from such a intelligent man.

Keep the faith under-30 crowd. Keep the faith. Ask uncomfortable questions and marry people that make the bean counters' heads explode when they try to identify your kids in their little boxes they like to play with - and do it with a smile.

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