So guess who volunteered to give a talk about multicultural workplaces for our Leadership Institute? What wouldn’t one do to fulfill the obnoxious service requirement.
I plan to teach the attendees the following:
- Not to inform every foreigner that they have an accent unless they are 100% sure said foreigner is truly unaware of this fact.
- Not to inform every foreigner that “I know a guy whose ex-girlfriend once went on a date with a guy who knew somebody who once roomed with a guy from your country.” There is absolutely nothing whatsoever that one can say in response that doesn’t make one feel dumb.
- Not to organize unsolicited sociability opportunities for people from the same part of the world. I had an unpleasant moment a couple of weeks ago when somebody triumphantly introduced me to a person they brought over specifically for my benefit. “Here is Clarissa! She is from Russia, just like you!” To which I was forced to respond, “I’m from Ukraine,” causing intense discomfort for me and for the Russian person who had no interest in meeting me.
- Not to list every stereotype you associate with the person’s country of origin. I have heard, “Ah, vodka!” so many times in response to “I’m from Ukraine” that I started wondering if “Vodka” was my last name.
- Inagine that instead of being from Ukraine, Nigeria, Sweden, Pakistan or Guatemala, your interlocutor is from Wood River, Illinois (a neighboring town). This will help you stop being fake around them and help you relax and be normal. Which is the only thing everybody wants.
Of course, I also have suggestions for foreigners. I’ll put them in the next post to avoid making this one too long.
Clarissa's Blog 
Leave a comment