Frednotred and Anonymous number one,
I have read your comments to my 'Redhead Employment Discrimination' article.
This response is so long that I couldn't send it as a comment (Greater than the word limit allowed). I had to write another blogg to reply to your comments.
I am glad you have made comment on my article it allows me to clean up my ideas and voice the minority discrimination felt within the mainstream.
1) The discrimination faced in schools by redheads is different in complexity and severity levels than ethnic and other minority groups. Its like comparing baseball to football or tennis. Each type and incident of discrimination has varying different social action and consequences.
- A major key difference for redheads is the support level gained from non-administration staff as opposed to administration (i.e. Assistant Principals) who 'MUST' deal with all discrimination.
- In my experience the taunting and harassment of redheads is 'NOT' seen by a large group of colleagues to be insulting or offensive, it is played down and seen as fun or lower level harassment to other forms (such as racism). In this social environment it makes a redheads taunting completely legitimised not just by the student bullies, but also by many colleagues.
- This type of discrimination may or may not be common amongst other minority groups, and possibly may even be more or less severe, but ALL discrimination of this kind is WRONG.
- Any person who finds themselves in this position of the discrimination described above finds that they are not just fighting student bullies, but many of their colleagues as well.
- Fighting colleagues puts me on the back foot and open to workplace victimisation, bullying and harassment.
- Fighting colleagues does not help my employment chances.
2) Please understand that I have NO intention of making a “formal complaint” against ANY assistant principal I have worked with.
- It has been a privilege to work with each of the assistant principals I have worked with. I have found their stance on the issue comforting and frequently on occasions of student abuse where the assistant principals were immediately present to be invaluable and highly supportive in their responses. One assistant principal despite their own belief of 'ranga' being inoffensive, still fully supported me on this issue.
- To 'formally complain' about an assistant principal on the issue, puts these highly supportive individuals who hire me in the firing line.
- This does not help my employment chances.
- These assistant principals who are under pressure and I quote “have way more complicated issues to deal with”... by the logic of the pair of you two... the assistant principals do not need the extra issue of a redhead on campus.
- By your own account this factor does not help my employment chances.
- I have a question for the two of you. Are the two of you just a couple of instigators attempting to bully me into 'formally complaining' to see what happens? Because neither of your responses support either the assistant principals concerned or myself. If identifying myself as a proud redhead has taught me anything it is this... it is never ok to scape goat! I will never 'formally complain' these individuals (assistant principals) who are stuck between a rock and hard place and are not the issue.
- Frednotred the fact that you remain un-identified as an individual and demand a 'formal complaint' I find absurd on a great many levels... the fact that you find my article “offensive” I find laughable.
3) I will be writing a lot more incident reports in schools to gain support in fighting redhead employment discrimination. I will be writing to my union, local schooling authority, my local MP and a variety of other avenues in attempts to begin raising awareness of the issues I am already facing as a redheaded teacher in schools.
IMPORTANT: I will be writing and where appropriate consulting appropriate help to maintain the confidentiality of the schools and individuals concerned to ensure no 'formal complaint OR action' or other action takes place.
- The article the two of you have commented on is the first of many in raising the issues I face as a redhead minority in mainstream society.
- I will NOT suffer ANY prejudice, discrimination, bullying OR harassment in silence!
4) Frednoted you write “I find it quite offensive that he should make such allegations...”
- I have not made any allegations... no individual, no school, no department, no city/town, no state have been identified.
- I have reported my experiences of discrimination as a redhead minority in a mainstream system.
- If I have insinuated indirect and systematic discrimination in my article I can assure you its intentional.
- I have reported facts.
- I find that those who have been my greatest support while in school are the assistant principals who are also in a position to be most accountable for the discrimination. My issue is an issue of awareness of the effect of discrimination I have described.
- I will NOT be bullied into 'Naming and Shaming' by a complete coward-bully who has decided to use an alias to criticise.
- Frednotred next time you read one of my articles, please ask questions to understand my position DO NOT attempt to alienate me.
5) CONFUSED???
The issue is complex. But to sum up!
- Fighting redhead abuse in schools is draining... I am keenly aware of the risk of burn out.
- Assistant principals are also aware of the risk of their own burn out and can only help so far.
- Awareness of redhead discrimination and its consequences is a MUST for a fair and just workplace for redheads.
- I will NOT suffer ANY prejudice, discrimination, bullying OR harassment in silence!
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