"Affinity Groups"

[secundem_artem]

The director of all things woke at Artem U has just announced the creation of a number of racially or religiously oriented affinity groups.  This is part of the uni's diversity, equity & inclusion outreach.  Apparently diversity means congregating more with people who are just like you.  And inclusion apparently means excluding others.

Woke now seems to mean re-creating some kind of Jim Crow or apartheid state.  If you're woke enough, you actually come out the far side as a racist.

And I used to think I was a liberal.

[Parasaurolophus]

Did they just read Robert Charles Wilson's The Affinities?

Are these affinities different from student clubs?

[secundem_artem]

No idea as to who read what.  Basically Professor Woke as Fvck has created separate affinity groups for different skin colors, religious backgrounds, ethnic identities, linguistic backgrounds, etc. 

I do believe that BLM, that racism exists, that structural racism exists, that some groups have a much harder time in the world than others.  But I am skeptical as all hell that creating groups where only purple people or only Esperanto speakers can congregate is not the solution to fixing these problems.

When I mentioned these groups to Mrs Artem, her reply was "Where is the group for old women?"  If you really want to be invisible and ignored in this world, try being a 67 year old woman.

[dismalist]

No idea as to who read what.  Basically Professor Woke as Fvck has created separate affinity groups for different skin colors, religious backgrounds, ethnic identities, linguistic backgrounds, etc. 

I do believe that BLM, that racism exists, that structural racism exists, that some groups have a much harder time in the world than others.  But I am skeptical as all hell that creating groups where only purple people or only Esperanto speakers can congregate is not the solution to fixing these problems.

When I mentioned these groups to Mrs Artem, her reply was "Where is the group for old women?"  If you really want to be invisible and ignored in this world, try being a 67 year old woman.

There's nothing intrinsically wrong with that if many types of clubs are allowed, in other words racial segregation is not a necessary condition for at least some clubs. [If segregation is a condition for all clubs, we are in deep doodoo.]

Look at the evolution of the English Gentlemen's club: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gentlemen%27s_club#History. Wouldn't be terrible if such institutions spread widely, including to women and people with lower incomes.

But a club that would take me, I wouldn't join! :-)

[mahagonny]

Lepers?

No idea as to who read what.  Basically Professor Woke as Fvck has created separate affinity groups for different skin colors, religious backgrounds, ethnic identities, linguistic backgrounds, etc. 

I do believe that BLM, that racism exists, that structural racism exists, that some groups have a much harder time in the world than others.  But I am skeptical as all hell that creating groups where only purple people or only Esperanto speakers can congregate is not the solution to fixing these problems.

When I mentioned these groups to Mrs Artem, her reply was "Where is the group for old women?"  If you really want to be invisible and ignored in this world, try being a 67 year old woman.

There's nothing intrinsically wrong with that if many types of clubs are allowed, in other words racial segregation is not a necessary condition for at least some clubs. [If segregation is a condition for all clubs, we are in deep doodoo.]

Look at the evolution of the English Gentlemen's club: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gentlemen%27s_club#History. Wouldn't be terrible if such institutions spread widely, including to women and people with lower incomes.

But a club that would take me, I wouldn't join! :-)

This sounds OK. The part I wonder about is, what comes next? Are the groups supposed to communicate something? How about communicating that you'd just like to be left alone?

[marshwiggle]

No idea as to who read what.  Basically Professor Woke as Fvck has created separate affinity groups for different skin colors, religious backgrounds, ethnic identities, linguistic backgrounds, etc. 

Could a bunch of students form an affinity group for people who don't want to belong to any other affinity group? That would be a cool way to turn the whole nonsense inside out.

[Cheerful]

This thread reminds me of "Living Learning Communities" on campus whereby college students with common majors or interests live and study together.  I know little about them but have often wondered about the pros and cons.  Perhaps a bit similar to how athletes are often a separate group unto themselves with their own gyms, study centers, etc.?

[downer]

So are there "white only" groups or not? Does lacrosse count?

How about NRA groups?

Anything for the incels?

[Hegemony]

Oh, for Pete's sake. This kind of group is conventional and has been used successfully for yonks. "Women in Business" groups for businesswomen. The NAACP. Women's colleges. Historically Black colleges. Groups for Native American students. Different groups have different challenges. And sometimes they want to get together and talk about their experiences, and make contact with other folks who get it. This is not a threat, and it's hardly new-fangled.

[dismalist]

Oh, for Pete's sake. This kind of group is conventional and has been used successfully for yonks. "Women in Business" groups for businesswomen. The NAACP. Women's colleges. Historically Black colleges. Groups for Native American students. Different groups have different challenges. And sometimes they want to get together and talk about their experiences, and make contact with other folks who get it. This is not a threat, and it's hardly new-fangled.

Excellent, and I largely agree. Can we have an exclusively white man's group though?

[mamselle]

Isn't that the group of folks who are still in charge?

M.

[mahagonny]

Oh, for Pete's sake. This kind of group is conventional and has been used successfully for yonks. "Women in Business" groups for businesswomen. The NAACP. Women's colleges. Historically Black colleges. Groups for Native American students. Different groups have different challenges. And sometimes they want to get together and talk about their experiences, and make contact with other folks who get it. This is not a threat, and it's hardly new-fangled.

Excellent, and I largely agree. Can we have an exclusively white man's group though?

Beat you to it.

Lepers?

Not so long ago I posted on FB that I would like to start a group of conservatives who teach in college. A friend strongly recommended I drop it as I would be asking to be ostracized.

Isn't that the group of folks who are still in charge?

M.

No. White college educated women are the critical mass driving the wokeists movement.
ETA: And there's that part about deciding who gets to be born and who doesn't.

[ergative]

Oh, for Pete's sake. This kind of group is conventional and has been used successfully for yonks. "Women in Business" groups for businesswomen. The NAACP. Women's colleges. Historically Black colleges. Groups for Native American students. Different groups have different challenges. And sometimes they want to get together and talk about their experiences, and make contact with other folks who get it. This is not a threat, and it's hardly new-fangled.

Excellent, and I largely agree. Can we have an exclusively white man's group though?

I imagine many frats fall under that umbrella.

[financeguy]

The tipping point for "woke becoming racist" happened when Biden started specifying the race and gender of his supreme court nominee during the primary debate, which was later reported to have been "traded" to Jim Clyburn for his endorsement in South Carolina before Super Tuesday. This led to the need to announce not only gender for the VP nomination, but during the Floyd riots to 'upgrade' the diversity to not only a woman but one of color.

Once this type of thing happens at the highest level, of course it has to be normalized. Gavin Newsom shortly after said in an interview that he would appoint "a black woman" to Feinstein's California senate seat if she retires or otherwise leaves. This apparently was too much for Pelosi's daughter who had to remind him he could have already done this with Harri's seat which went to a Hispanic male instead (apparently not diverse "enough?") instead of a black woman.

Now it's not a big deal at all to hear a business man or political figure say we need to hire/appoint a member of group x. One valedictorian at USC actually said the quiet part out loud and instead of advocating any group simply indicated the need for opportunities for "non-whites."

This type of thing used to be done in secret, but now it's totally out in the open. A college group seems minor by comparison.

[mamselle]

You guys must each have been a holy terror on your respective playgrounds.

No one ever probably got to use the sandbox,, the teeter-totter, or the swing next to you if you didn't like them, or they didn't resemble you in some key way, I bet.

And heaven help them if 'their' baseball team won, over yours.

Please grow up.

It's long past time.

M.