Despite important differences, one theme somewhat similar amongst major world religions is the concept of 'The Golden Rule'. See evidence here:Jesus: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."
Hinduism: "This is the sum of duty; do not do to others what would cause pain if done to you."
Buddhism: "Treat not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful."
Islam: "Not one of you truly believes until you wish for others what you wish for yourself."
Judaism: "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor. This is the whole Torah; all the rest is commentary."
In each of these statements, there is a standard of behavior that can be known, since each of us can know (or at least somewhat imagine) how we, personally, would - or would not- want to be treated in a given situation.
So, I was surprised today in entering a corporate training course to discover that The Golden Rule has now been replaced! Didn't you know? We must now embrace 'The Platinum Rule' instead: "Treat others as THEY want to be treated."
At first glance, this might not look like such a big difference; the main point is just for everyone to try to get along, right? What's the harm (especially to an 'F' - Feeler!) in a philosophy that advocates sensitivity to others' feelings? Well... let's first take a look at possible examples of what could be construed as 'unacceptable' (harassing) behavior:
Example 1
1. Jenny keeps a Bible on the corner of her cubicle - she likes to read it during lunch break.
2. Johnny walks by her cubicle and is offended by the Bible which, he feels, opposes his own religion.
3. Because "one person has found offense" with something sitting on Jenny's desk, or hanging on her cubicle wall, she must remove it, or deal with consequences.
Example 2
1. Jenny invites Johnny to a movie night at her church.
2. Johnny feels offended that Jenny would invite him to a religious event.
3. A couple weeks later, Jenny invites a group of co-workers to an Easter service and lunch - and includes Johnny on the email. Her second 'harassing' invitation could lead to consequences.
The problem, as I see it, is not in needing to be respectful of others' feelings. Certainly, that's a goal for all of us to the extent that it's possible. The problem is a re-defining of harassment. Whereas harassment used to be defined by a list of specific actions which you should NOT do to someone else, it now consists of only one (impossible) requirement: DON'T OFFEND ANYBODY. The question of whether or not one employee has harassed another is not at all dependent on what a person does or does not do - but, instead, solely on whether or not their co-worker FEELS offended by that action. Per the training, intent of any action is inconsequential; what matters is whether it results in a feeling of offense.
The shift is subtle, but changes everything. Instead of protecting freedoms, we are now protecting feelings. 'Tolerance' in its truest sense... it's not (as it claims to be) about 'live and let live', but instead, 'stop living so others can live unoffended'. In placing it above all other virtues (Truth, Integrity, Honesty, etc.), it begins to spit aggressively in the face of all the freedoms we claim to treasure and uphold.
In my opinion, an organization serious about enforcing such a subjective view of harassment can expect to see a shut-down of personal communication, creativity and expression amongst employees. And, if carried to extremes, perhaps an evacuation of precisely the type of honest, trustworthy employees they hope to hold on to.
It's been 6 months since my first blog post and I realized I haven't yet used 'Rants' as a post label. Thought it was about time... I'm "offended"; anyone have any bets on how much weight that carries in the opposite direction?
9 comments:
I always appreciate your insight, and find your "rants" will stay in my head for days. Nicely done.
It is times like this that I am happy to be working at a Church where God's Word comes first. It is good to see outside my bubble though. Frustrating world we live in - I just hope to 'tolerate' it so we can all live in peace. :P
I wonder what would happen if you began posting, in plain sight, one-word signs that might read 'integrity'; 'truth'; 'respect'; 'dignity'; 'virtue'; 'faith'; 'honor'...
I love this post. It's so true. For instance not being able to have birthday cakes anymore because one doesn't believe in birthdays, well, what about the other 10 + people that do. Just an example to add to your rant. Or schools, etc. happy to get the holiday vacations but banish such important things such as the Pledge of Allegence because it contains the words Under God. Do people realize these holidays revolve around important religious events to do with God. I have gotta say that Platinum Rule stinks & is way different then the Golden Rule. Politeness can now be construde with harassment. I've seen everything now. Thanks for this important post!
I'm offended that in schools during the month of December they teach Kwanzaa and all it's meanings, Hannukkah and the miracle of the 8 days of light but teach Christmas as trees, Santa and reindeer. No baby. No star. No angels, etc. I was angered to tears. Why does the concern for offense not include my Jesus? Frustrating to say the least. Rant away, -v-.
Are your examples real ones from the training?
Pat - good question - and Ed asked the same thing. I modified them slightly for confidentiality reasons (some people know where I work), but kept the 'main point' they were trying to get across. I'll elaborate further while keeping it general.
The first example was a picture in a cubicle; the "if only one person finds offense, it must be removed" was as exact as I can remember the quote. The danger here being - instead of corporately defining what is inappropriate for employees to hang in cubicles, the call is left solely to a co-worker being offended. So - there is no difference between hanging a piece of porn, or hanging a heterosexual wedding picture. Whatever it is, if someone's offended, it's out! (Conversely, if they're not - apparently, it's in!)
The second example was pretty much the same as my example; an unwanted Christian church invitation or brochure offered after an initial decline. Though I am SO not promoting Bible-thumping, impinging in any way upon people's freedom to speak or interact around faith issues reminds me of the Soviet Union before the wall came down.
That said, these examples are not even as disturbing to me as the point that an action's intent no longer matters; only the feeling of offense defines harassment. The 'intent does not matter' is verbatim.
I've always wondered about sections of the Bible that refer to Christian persecution in the last days - how could we possibly move from today's freedoms to outright persecution? As this kind of mindset spills from large corporations into broader laws and policy (which is the intent of some current candidates), I really believe that this is how that persecution will come to exist. In that context, we're still a ways off I think... but I feel protective of my grand-kids and beyond.
EXCELLENT post!! Thanks for sharing Vonda! It's so good to work for a small (under 300 employees) company, but we're growing quickly and I wonder if the day will come that things like this become commonplace here too. I sure hope and pray they don't...
My sister said they had almost identical training as this in the social work sector where she works. She also said the trainers made reference to Jesus and pretty directly implied that He was wrong about the Golden Rule.
She was OFFENDED by this, and the fact that they didn't even realize they were doing the very thing they were teaching against.
She also noticed that in addition to that, people were also completely missing the point of the Golden Rule in the first place. By it, Jesus wasn't meaning that because I like hugs that I should go around hugging everyone in the office. Jesus was getting at the heart of simply serving others, having an attitude that considers the needs and feelings of others instead of placing myself & my own needs and feelings at the center of the universe. My sister wished she could have respectfully asked the trainers not to criticize something they didn't understand in the first place.
Love your post Von. You are right, the shift is subtle, but dangerous.
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