Let’s unpack.
Cultural Diversity: Enhancing our understanding and acceptance of different cultures.
Cultural diversity is a driving force of development, not only with respect to economic growth, but also as a means of leading a more fulfilling intellectual, emotional, moral and spiritual life.
But truly, when it comes to other cultures, we don’t always KNOW… that we don’t know. That’s why lifelong learning about things outside of ourselves is vital. I talk to my daughters often about such things, as they are right in the middle of their most significant cultural learning. They have their finger on the pulse, so to speak, and help me to keep my mind and heart always open.
Baby Archie
It doesn’t make much sense does it? To mock this ONE royal baby… the one who is biracial… whose culture has been mocked in the past by being called “monkeys”? I guess this just shows us how far we have to go in the UK if there is no understanding how this is just plain wrong!
Danny Baker had to find that photo, upload it to Twitter, check the spellings etc. I’m just wondering…. what was he thinking whilst he was doing all this. And then he pressed “Tweet”. And now he’s wondering why people are a little bit annoyed with him for comparing a mixed race baby with a chimpanzee? 🤷🏾♀
People were NOT having it. And said so… profusely. I was proud of us all the day that tweet got us all riled up. I was proud of us for defending that beautiful baby boy.
Loqueesha…
You know I try to be as honest as possible through this platform. When I saw the ad for upcoming film Loqueesha I laughed. The social backlash however has been quite negative.
In short… a white man, with a very caring nature applies for a radio presenter’s job and gets rejected. The same man puts a puts a little attitude in his voice, calls himself Loqueesha sends the demo into the same person who initially rejects him and he’s hired. If you’re a certain age then you’ll recognise that this film is the exact carbon copy as Tootsie with Dustin Hoffman, an actor who can’t get a job so he dresses up as a woman and becomes an icon …. and then some.
Loqueesha goes on to become an radio superstar and the station’s best asset. But there’s been huge racial backlash.
My response:
a) For those of a certain age, Loqueesha is an exact copy of the film Tootsie with Dustin Hoffman. Michael Dorsey, an out of work actor couldn’t get a job so he dresses up as a woman, calls himself Dorothy Michaels and becomes a national treasure as a hospital administrator in the soap South West General
b) Mrs. Doubtfire – one of Robin Williams’ best films which displays a man so broken after a divorce he would do anything to spend time daily with his family, so he dresses up as a woman, and an older woman at that. So there could have been issues of Ageism
c) BlackkKlansman – the true story of Ron Stallworth a black retired police officer who tricks the head of the KKK to give him a membership and then sends his white colleague to meetings in his place. No make up used, just a true story
Look at the positives, the black spirit or energy causes a stir through the airwaves. Why not get a black woman to play the part, that’s the comedic side… it’s satire!
Now, let’s look at the Snicker’s campaign… should we ban these too? Are we taking this too far?
Should we still be having these conversations? I personally can’t wait to see the film Loqueesha and am looking out for the UK release date.
Shouldn’t we be more focused on cultural diversity in the workplace?
It was reported last month that PWC, the global professional services firm, pays its black, Asian and minority ethnic staff almost 12.8 percent less than its other UK employees, while its bonus gap is at more than a third. The report was published by the company to try and ‘shine the spotlight on ethnicity in the workplace and encourage organisations to take action’, using the same methodology that the government requires for the gender pay gap.
Grazia
The Trade Union Congress found that Black and Asian workers are more likely than white workers to be in insecure jobs because of things like racism and bias in the workplace. A study by the Chartered Management Institute and the British Academy of Management found that just six percent of management jobs are held by ethnic minorities.
Grazia
Diversity has to do with more than race or ethnicity. Diverse workplaces are composed of employees with varying characteristics including, but not limited to, religious and political beliefs, gender, ethnicity, education, socioeconomic background, sexual orientation and geographic location.
Don’t you think our collective energy would be better served by focusing on improving cultural diversity in the workplace than by getting outraged by a comedy?
Our young ones…
My daughters are inspirations to me. They are vibrant, passionate, intelligent young women who feel strongly about the issues presenting in our world. We’ve had so many discussions on climate change, race relations, and not just having a blind belief in our government. They are going to change our world for the better. I have no doubt about this fact.
While older generations tend to view diversity in terms of race, demographics, equality, and representation, the younger generation has a different definition. They see diversity as a melding of varying experiences, different backgrounds, and individual perspectives.
Our children recognize, appreciate, and encourage diversity because they’re living it. As opposed to older generations that were overwhelmingly white, today’s millennial workforce is divided across a number of races and backgrounds.
We’ve got a long way to go… but we also have hope. Hope that the generations that come after us will bridge this cultural gap whilst championing the rights of all.
I’d love to hear YOUR thoughts on this… Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
