I will first need to explain all background
relevant information before discussing race/racism, so please excuse all the
fluff. :3
For the last 2 and a half years I have
worked part time in the hospitality industry at a popular cinema (which I will
not name for privacy reasons). When I first started, the team of staff members
was very diverse and representative of the melting-pot city that we live in
that is Auckland. The team comprised of several Indians, Chinese, Pacific
Islanders, Māori and of course many Pākeha also. Up until a few months before I
started working there (mid 2013), the main Manager had been a lady of Samoan
and Chinese descent. She was then replaced by a Pākeha lady when she moved to
another job. I have noticed that throughout the last 2 and a half years, there
has been a sort of ‘white-washing’ of my workplace. Due to the nature of our
work, we tend to turnover most of our staff quickly, with most people only
staying for a few months over the school holidays. What used to be a very
diverse group of workers has now become dominated by white Pākeha. Of the 30 or
so team members, there are now 3 Pacific Islanders, 2 East Asians, 1 lone
Indian/South Asian (me) and no Māori. I have noticed that as the people of
colour have left the workplace, each with one of many reasons, their
replacement staff members have been mostly Pākeha. One intake in particular, in
2014, comprised entirely of 5 16-19 year old white girls, all with dark brown
hair. Hair colour may seem like an irrelevant fact, but when compared with the
previous staff, I couldn’t help but think, “where in the world is the
diversity?”.
As discussed in the lectures, overt racism
is the kind of racism that is very clearly discriminating against a particular
group. On the other hand, inferential racism is more subconscious, it’s a set
of naturalised representations of race. This racism is one of unquestioned
assumption, where we do not stop to think about the thoughts that we may have
towards people of a particular race and the stereotypes we hold against them.
Perhaps the person in charge of hiring new staff is partaking in subconscious,
inferential racism? Maybe by inadvertently choosing to interview only those who
apply for the jobs with Pākeha names simply because they assume that they will
be better at jobs in hospitality/customer service? I would be the first to
admit that I would probably assume that someone with a Pākeha name is more
fluent in English and therefore more likely to be better at customer service in
New Zealand, than someone with a foreign name. Heck, if I saw my own name (Bala
Murali Shingade) on a CV of someone I might hire, I would probably double check
all the English in the resumé. So clearly, I am partaking in inferential racism
with these assumptions, though I am aware of them and working on fighting
against them. Of course, just because it is understandable does not make it
condonable.
I do not believe that our manager who was
tasked with hiring new staff is overtly racist. She is a kind person and has
been very helpful and open minded to me personally as well as my other colleagues
of colour. But the point of my discussion is to ask this – could this
‘white-washing’ of my workplace be a result of inferential racism, or is it all
just a massive coincidence? And also, can these inferred racisms be a result of
the mass media in New Zealand, where we mostly see Pākeha and other white
people in most positions?
I would be very interested to hear your thoughts on this. Cheers.
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ReplyDeleteI was recently hunting for jobs, and I came across a description for a position as book keeper and seller for a popular and veteran second hand book store. As you would expect, the listing described necessary and desired qualities fthat the position requires. It was quiet a large list, and I was getting anxious and distressed asking myself if anyone is going to be enough for this position.
ReplyDeleteTo make the whole matter more interesting was the note at the very end. Most of the stafff employed in the two stores on the chain were young females. it said that if you were young and female there iwould be a significant increase of getting the position. I have frequented these book stores and I have noted that it is true, employers are mostly young under 25 year olds.
They all happened to be white, as well, which stood out. Young, white and female, and I assume the statement that the chance increases if you are young and female implies that if you are white you will get the position too. I guess the sexism is blatent, but there is that nudge of racism too. I was pretty resentful reading about the job description, but looking back, at the time, I remember recalling all the employers over the years being young white females.
Was the company really looking for qualities such as "passion for books" "hard-work" "time-keeping" etc or more valuing something else? We all know those qualities are not just limited to young white girls. It also makes me wonder, given you're story too, what it might be link for racial minorities looking for jobs. I would hate to think they come across the kind of thing I experienced.