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Gnoment's avatar

I know education is your thing John, and that's ok. As a person that works outside of education, I am more concerned about the effects of this on the workplace.

I am terrified of typing this btw, as if someone will dox me on just the tiny bit of information here and I'll be out of a job and society forever.

My workplace has recently gone through this new version of DEI training and everyone is very into it. In the last month, I've had two colleagues that are POC produce work that was not 100% ready. This is normal, all people do this all the time. Instead of turning around and asking them to do further edits on the work (obvious grammatical errors), or elaborate on sections that were thin or missing, the manager asked me to do them. The manager has expressed to me that we should understand that the work they do is based on their own standards and we should trust those standards and their deep community experience and we should work with what they produce, celebrate what they bring to the table, and not criticize them for what they don't excel at. However, she doesn't state that the work is not ready for public consumption, and doesn't articulate that her solution is simply to have a white person finish the work. Of course this whole conversation is had without mentioning race, but everyone knows what we are talking about. To ask that individuals take responsibility for their own work (to have equality of expectations), although not explicitly stated, feels labeled as "racist." I'm sure my manager is very sincere in her belief that she is doing the right thing. It is probably worth mentioning that both POC here are long-time professionals and one has a PhD; it seems like they should be able to fix obvious errors on their own work after review. The whole situation is so cringe-inducing and Orwellian I can barely stand it.

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David Williams's avatar

This is fun because I agree, disagree, and partially agree with what you are saying. So let's break it down:

1. There is a difference between an average reader and a person who is seeking an academic degree. I have no desire to immerse myself in Russian just to read Dostoevsky. Yes, things are lost in translation, but if you pick a well respected translation you can avoid much of the loss. So I am approaching Russian literature as a person who loves to read. If I was seeking an academic degree in Russian literature then the rules are different. You can not achieve scholarship in a field where you can't even read the primary texts as written.

2. Classics is an elite field for those willing to immerse themselves in ancient languages, culture, and history. If you want to just read The Iliad or the Aeneid then pick up one of the great translations, there are several. If you want to be a scholar in the field then you have to perform due diligence.

3. Translating Opera is unnecessary. Every opera I've ever attended, even at the college production level had a screen with subtitles. I don't want to watch Kurosawa films dubbed and I can read a screen when attending the opera. Besides, rendering Italian into English would play merry hell with the rhythm.

4. My sister has her doctorate in French. Quite honestly if a person isn't willing to speak and read a language then they have no business getting a degree in it.

5. If you want a doctorate in Medieval English history then you will need to show a working knowledge of Latin, Old English, Middle English, and Middle French.

6. Maybe the problem is not the rigor of the programs but the quality of the students. Not everyone belongs in college. I say that as someone who has worked 25 years in various areas of college administration. Instead of lowering the quality of our programs how about we worry more about who we are letting in.

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