Have a Little Fun with Diversity

Here's a funny (as in coincidental/synchronous) post over at What's Wrong With the World, my co-bloggers on Jim Kalb's "Other Trads" list. Jeff Culbreath, who is part of the team of bloggers at WWWW, writes:

I'm back in the job market, having just resigned from a company whose ethical problems were too numerous and systematic for me to avoid complicity. If you have any openings where you work, please let me know.

Then, he writes about his application experience, specifically for a company called Ecolab:

Anyway, I just applied for a sales management position at a company by the name of Ecolab. I should have read their website first. They're really into diversity and inclusion. Here's a list of their "associate affinity groups":

The list from Ecolab's "associate affinity groups" link starts off with:

A WORLD OF TALENT. A CULTURE OF GROWTH.
At Ecolab, we believe that the success of our associates and the success of our company go hand-in-hand. We are committed to a culture that fully leverages our associates' talents by promoting an environment where all people can make a difference, be heard, be supported, be developed, and be rewarded for their contributions.

Then Jeff ends with:

Sounds like a diversity huckster's paradise, doesn't it? Not that I'm expecting a response from the HR manager, but if by some horrible mistake she (it's always a she) calls me in for an interview, I think I'll go just to have a little fun with her...

He's at least humorous about his call. I suppose my experience applying for a sales position at a clothing store could be funny.

I was interviewed along with a non-English speaker (well, that's how I would judge her if I were shopping in that store, since her English, in her heavy Indian accent, is incomprehensible), who was running around the store like a chicken with its head cut off, with a couple of desperate pleas for help from me, her competitor!

Although I fit in the "diversity" look, "diversity" seeking people are often startled when they meet me and converse with me. I.e., I don't go on about "diversity" and I don't expect anything from "diversity." I think this is what happened at the clothing store, hence my surprise at getting the post. But, I think the managers are more clever than I give them credit for, since my presence will attract (for a while, anyway) "diverse" clientele.

The "diverse" new colleague who came on board at the same time as I did can also benefit from me, another "diverse" new person. We can learn the ropes together. Translated, this means that I can (will) coach her on store etiquette, names of products, customer service (i.e. translations for both her and her customers), etc.

So, I could surely concoct some Monty Pythonesque episodes with my interactions between her and the customers, and between us two, since, like Jeff and his Ecolab interactions, I could have fun with her.