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Wednesday, February 09, 2005


Decline: Wolfgang is German.
Did it ever occur to you that the only way to teach right from wrong is to point out everything that is wrong morally in order to differentiate between the two? And in doing so, you expose the very thing you are trying to steer away from, and only make it more accessible by pointing it out.

For example, here at Mercedes-Benz, they are all about integrity, diversity, and all the other "itys" that are politically correct in order for them to maintain a morally driven company as well as to ensure no one sues the pants off of them. As a new hire, I was required to take this ten minute online training thing to learn how to make decisions based on required information, and not because of personal feelings. Example: Mohammad Al-Beted is applying for credit to finance a Chrysler Town and Country. He wants to use it to drive his entire family to the mosque. He has yadda yadda income, yadda yadda debt, and has owned yadda yadda car. Do you accept or decline the request? The obvious answer is accept or decline based upon his credit history and financial situation, but they throw that cultural reference in there to bring out the inner racist. How stupid do you have to be to answer that question? Are you really not going to finance him because he isn't American; because you don't want him or his entire family going to the mosque; or perhaps using the vehicle as a suicide bomb?

Actually, this is one of the more sedate examples. Other's included a Chinese couple that owned a Chinese restaurant, old people, and a Native American doctor named "Linda Runningfox." I'm surprised they didn't call her a medicine man or something. And the answers to these questions would be so blatantly inappropriate. Decline: Susan is a single parent with 3 children; she is going to get pregnant again and won't be able to go to work. Now if they didn't point that out, I would have never assumed that just because a single parent has lots of kids, they are going to keep having lots of kids. It's not like they are reinforcing any stereotype, but they are making you associate the wrong answers with the situation. If they really wanted to do it right, they would put it less crassly and assume that you aren't a bigot.

In the end I think my favorite was the German one. His name was Wolfgang, he owned a German auto parts company, he of course wanted to buy a Mercedes, a German car. They went into his financial information, and then as one of the possible answers they just put: Decline: Wolfgang is German. Apparently All well informed people know that being German is good enough reason to say no to anyone. They may be the only nationality that doesn't need an explanation.

QUICK NOTE: Don't even ask if I'm celebrating Valentine's Day.


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