Coca Cola has come under huge criticism for their racial discrimination training programme after an employee found it deeply disturbing and shared it with the public. The video was encouraging individuals who work for the company to try to 'be less white'.
The ideological training seminar was posted on LinkedIn and contained tips on how to be less racist. These included:
Be less oppressive, be less arrogant, be less defensive, be more humble, and 'be less white'. It also asks individuals to 'break with white solidarity'.
🚨🚨🚨 BREAKING: Coca-Cola is forcing employees to complete online training telling them to "try to be less white."
— Karlyn supports banning critical race theory in NH (@DrKarlynB) February 19, 2021
These images are from an internal whistleblower: pic.twitter.com/gRi4N20esZ
The slides have now been removed, but one of the slides captured in a screenshot said:
"In the US and other Western nations, white people are socialised to feel that they are inherently superior because they are white."
The 11-minute video titled 'Confronting Racism with Robin DiAngelo' did however make clear that it believes that white people are complicit in racism unless they accept their guilt of being white and become a dedicated anti-racist.
Many believe that such statements are far from likely to improve racial harmony and more likely to result in a deep defensiveness and feelings of victimhood.
Coca-Cola responded to a request from the UK newspaper The Sun and gave a statement on the training, saying:
"The video and images attributed to a Coca-Cola training program are not part of the company's learning curriculum. Our Better Together global training is part of a learning plan to help build an inclusive workplace. It is comprised of a number of short vignettes, each a few minutes long. The training includes access to the LinkedIn Learning platform on a variety of topics, including on diversity, equity and inclusion. The video in question was accessible on the LinkedIn Learning platform but was not part of the company's curriculum. We will continue to listen to our employees and refine our learning programs as appropriate."
Such training programs are becoming more common in the United States following a summer of protests and activism following the death of George Floyd, which once again brought worldwide attention to the treatment of black people at the hands of law enforcement in the United States.
[h/t: I heart Intelligence]
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