Author Topic: Fired for being white  (Read 1851 times)

Jake

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Fired for being white
« on: October 18, 2021, 09:40:51 AM »
from un unpaid position, no less! haha

https://www.wsj.com/articles/indecency-art-institute-of-chicago-docents-diversity-firing-11634310172

I get the need for diversity, but wouldn't you want to "hire" the new people so that they can be trained by the current staff. I think that the person making the decision needs some lessons in management, and not critical race theory.
Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.

hans

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Re: Fired for being white
« Reply #1 on: October 18, 2021, 12:50:03 PM »
How do you fire a volunteer?

Also, paywalled.
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Mike

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Re: Fired for being white
« Reply #2 on: October 18, 2021, 10:03:52 PM »
Since WSJ is paywalled (and since it looks like an opinion piece) I had to go searching for other articles.

The best I can make out is that the museum's unpaid docents program wasn't representative and mostly consisted of older white individuals who were more financially well off.  Being a docent required a significant time increase for the initial and continuing training and education that one docent likened to a full-time job.

Previous efforts to increase diversity through recruiting efforts failed to make a meaningful impact.  So, the museum decided to end its volunteer program and instead go with part-time paid docents.  However, being that they are part-time they won't have the same level of training as the current docents.

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Jake's - and conservative sites - headlines are obviously rage-bait and the situation is more nuanced than that.  Representation in the art world is an issue and it makes sense to want a representative group being the ones explaining and educating the visitors.  It also makes sense that people who aren't financially well off don't have the ability to devote significant time to a volunteer position.  And, we know how closely race and wealth are associated.  So, getting rid of the volunteer program and replacing it with a paid program makes sense.

All that said, I'm not loving the solution and would have one that did effectively increase diversity while still allowing the people who have invested so much time to keep showing people around the museum.

Mike

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Re: Fired for being white
« Reply #3 on: October 18, 2021, 10:09:28 PM »
How do you fire a volunteer?
You'd be surprised how often people write into Ask A Manager about volunteers and needing to get rid of a troublesome one.
« Last Edit: October 20, 2021, 08:53:49 AM by Mike »

charlie

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Re: Fired for being white
« Reply #4 on: October 19, 2021, 08:52:01 PM »
I'm curious what Jake actually has a problem with here (I'm inferring he has a problem from his tone). Is it something similar to Mike's position, that the solution to the situation wasn't great? Or does he believe that it's ok if structural differences lead to inequity in society? Or does he believe that inequity is not the result of structural or historical inequalities? Or does he believe there is no inequity here? Or something else?