Diversity.

This week I was sent with some of my colleagues on a training day to do with Diversity. I usually enjoy training days, as I’m not at work, I usually meet there, people I know from the other sites, it’s always great to have a catch up, there used to be individually packed biscuits, three in a pack with tea or coffee in white cups and saucers! But sadly, last year, the biscuits were dropped for lack of funds, cut backs again. I included the lack of it in my feedback!

It was lovely to meet other Staff who I’d not seen in a while, one in particular I gave a big hug to, yet with the staff from the three different sites, we still sat together in the groups we work with! I knew everyone there, bar one, a new Person. In the afternoon we were mixed up well by numbers, so each number was pared up with the number they were given, that worked and I was with the new Person.

Usually I’m very chatty on training days, but today I needed to be very careful, I knew that much! I didn’t really like anything about the course, I kept quiet as much as I possibly could get away with! Without it been to noticeable, I seem to get by. I’d been on a Diversity Training before, many years ago.

I was ‘confident’ that I knew, all about it, the ‘Do’s and Don’ts’ of what to say and what not to say, I’d said to the new Person, “Many years ago my Manager said to me, ‘You are the most non-political Person I’ve ever met,’” I shocked her further by replying, “Thank you!” You should have seen her face!

But what did I learn that I didn’t know before the training? Well, years ago a Man could say he now wants to be called Millie, and have downstairs removed and go into the Women’s loo, but now times have moved on from then, now a Man yesterday can now come to work and say, “Yesterday I was Martin, today I am a Woman and want you to call me Millie,” And we all have to say, “She/Her” And Millie can now go into any Women’s Loo’s with all his bits intact. My concern was on hearing this, what happens if a paedophile, decided to pretends to be a ‘Millie,’ but had altera motive?

This morning, while still in bed, I thought, in ten years’ time what would we do, if the Law said, “The moon is no longer called the moon, it is now called the sun, and the sun is no longer called the sun but little star and an elephant is now called a mouse,” Apart from been confused, I’d still be inclined to want to call the moon, the moon and the sun, the sun etc.

So what else did I learn? That there are now nine protected groups that are protected and if anyone says or do anything against these nine groups they will be fined by the group or individual or go to jail! The fine can be up to £100,000! In our groups of two we could only guess seven then the Tutor told us the other two! My heart did miss a beat and I was frightened for about six seconds!

We were then given words and asked to write down if we thought they were acceptable or not acceptable, when he asked each of us at the end of this exercise our answers it turned out all the words were now unacceptable! Everyone would be offended! I thought of my baby grandson, by the time he is an adult, the Elephant in the room would be called a Mouse! And that is all he will ever know it as, a Mouse!

It seemed that now everything was very serious, no time for joking about, you’d find that out for yourself when you, or I or your family member, says the wrong word. While we are busy with our everyday lives, of work, home, play, things are happening in politics, right under our noses, Laws are been past and have been past, with no going back to stop or change them!

It did annoy me, the whole course, I hated it really, I didn’t want to be there, but I had no choice. Religion also came into it, he gave examples of true stories. Then he said at the end, “We are very lucky in this Country, we have Freedom of Speech,” That was an understatement! For England does not have Freedom of Speech, you try it for yourself, try saying what you like and arrested you will be! But, it seems to me, my view here, that the Laws seem to be against Me, born and bred here in England, I can’t say a Word, but everyone else can freely, voice their views loud and clear, and I can’t do anything about it!  

I could go on, and on, but I’ll stop here.