Tag: corporations

Home Depot hammered for shaming employees for their ‘white privilege’

A Canadian branch of Home Depot sparked outrage after it posted a notice to employees about the benefits of “white privilege” and included a checklist for those who are “white, male, Christian, cisgender, able-bodied, and heterosexual.”

The notice, which is titled “Leading Practices — Unpacking privilege,” was posted in an employee lounge at a Home Depot in Calgary, Alberta.

A spokeswoman from Home Depot’s US headquarters confirmed to The Post that the white privilege notice was material from its Canadian division. She said it hadn’t been approved by the company’s diversity and inclusion department. The flyer had a Home Depot logo at the top.

The Canadian staffers who were apparently given the learning material were encouraged to acknowledge “societal privileges that benefit white people beyond what is commonly experienced by people of colour under the same social, political, and economic circumstances.”

Workers at the Home Depot branch were also urged to discuss their “white privilege” while being told that “the word ‘white’ creates discomfort — especially when individuals are not used to being defined or described by their race.”

Hoping to celebrate Christmas? The flyer says: “If you can expect time off from work to celebrate your religious holidays, you have Christian privilege.”

Staffers were also told in the notice that “if you’re confident the police exist to protect you, you have white privilege.”

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Barcoding Nature: The Largest Global Land Grab In Human History

“We abuse land because we see it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.” — Aldo Leopold

Have you ever heard of a natural asset company or NAC in short (and we’re not referring here to the glutathione precursor, N-acetyl-cysteine)? It won’t surprise us if you haven’t. We’ve only recently come across the term ourselves and we’re coming to the view that it may facilitate the biggest corporate land grab in recent history. That’s if we, the people, don’t put a stop to it.

If you believe that Nature should never become a commodity that’s bought and sold by a powerful few, read on. The fact that the moneyed minority feel that they have a right to effectively barcode Nature is quite breathtaking in its greed and arrogance. Though not all that surprising when you look at what’s been happening over the past 2 years. We really are being called to ‘clean house’ on so many levels.

We’ve created an infographic (see below) to summarise the plans for the exploitation of what’s now being termed, Nature’s Economy. You can see at a glance the price tag that’s been placed on her head and why suddenly traditional philanthropy — based on giving — has been declared ‘a total failure’ and is being replaced by ‘investment philanthropy’. You’ll be familiar with the names involved in kicking off this new kind of non-giving (aka taking) philanthropy. If you were wondering how philanthropic investing could be declared a failure, look no further than André Hoffmann, the vice chairman of pharmaceutical giant, Roche.

Please download and share as far and wide as you can. This is a message that needs to take flight rapidly.

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Pizza Hut Pushes Anti-Racism Training For Teachers, Talks Of America’s ‘History Of Police Brutality And Systemic Racism’

Pizza Hut, through its Pizza Hut Foundation, is presenting training pamphlets for teachers that make statements such as “Racism exists within and beyond schools and communities of learning,” “The myth of a racial hierarchy remains a dominant part of America’s culture,” and “Acts of violence against Black communities are often identified on social media by the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter.”

In a pamphlet titled, “Empowering Educators: A Guidebook on Race and Racism,” it states, “The Empowering Educators Guidebook provides support for educators seeking to increase their personal awareness of race and racism, as well as direction on how to ground learning environments through inclusive curriculum and diverse, affirming literature.”

The pamphlet refers to America’s history of systemic racism as it talks about the death of George Floyd: “Floyd’s murder, along with other acts of violence against Black men and women leading up to and after his death, spurred global protests as America continues to reckon with its history of police brutality and systemic racism.”

It continues by arguing, “Many antiracist experts note that racism in America is not perpetuated by ‘bad’ people. Rather, racism is maintained by laws, policies, and normalized practices that are upheld consciously and unconsciously by those who knowingly or unknowingly benefit from them,” adding, “Although many people don’t engage in individual acts of racism, they still benefit from racist policies, practices, and social norms.”

It champions the “reality” of intersectionality, writing, “A person who is Black and female, for example, experiences discrimination and disadvantage differently than a person who is White and female. This concept of intersectionality was coined in 1989 by Dr. Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw. She describes how a person’s social identities such as race, class, and gender coincide to create overlapping systems of disadvantage. When developing your awareness, it is important to acknowledge this reality for students, families, and colleagues.”

Quoting the author of “Anti-Bias Education For Young Children and Ourselves,” the pamphlet states, “Children as young as three-years-old begin to show evidence of societal messages affecting how they feel about themselves or their group identity—this is the beginning of internalized superiority or internalized oppression.”

In a section titled, “Microaggresions,” the pamphlet states, “Microassaults are overt attacks intended to communicate discriminatory or biased feelings about a person or group,” followed by this example: “An educator calls on all White students before calling on any BIPOC students. (Underlying message: I don’t see you as equal to White students.)”

Then this: “Microinsults often come across as compliments, but they convey insensitivity or rudeness that demeans a person’s identity,” with the example, “‘You are so articulate.’ (Underlying message: It is unusual for someone of your race to be intelligent.)”

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