Just because you're published doesn't mean ...
I work at a large UK university and some of the bigotry I've seen from supposedly learned Academics is astonishing. In my first year I attended an Equality and Diversity legislation course because, like most attendees, I was going to be interviewing for the first time and it was compulsory. However, there were at least two people there because they were "just interested", by which they meant they wanted to express their views on political correctness and debate UK employment law with the trainer.

The best/worst bit was when we got to what's now called genuine occupational requirements. The example given was that a casting director for a soap opera could legitimately state that, in casting a new child role in a family, the actor should be the same race as the actors playing the parents. This did not go down well with the Engineering professor in attendance, who hit the peak of his grandstanding proclaimed:

"Well, that's just ridiculous! You don't need a black actor to play a black role! A white actor could simply black up!"

The shocked looks from all but one other person didn't stop him from looking around the room, nodding and looking extremely pleased with himself. I expect he's retired now, enjoying repeated viewings of "Birth of a Nation".
( The Vomiting Hitchhiker Mephistopheles is such a mouthful in Manhattan, Mon 25 Feb 2013, 12:00, 17 replies)

'Diversity training' has always seemed a bit of a waste to me.
If you need a course to teach you not to be a cunt to people, you're probably a cunt.
( Slippery Mick ‏, Mon 25 Feb 2013, 12:10, closed)

Not *that* sort of diversity training
It was entirely about UK employment legislation. Partly how long it can take for acts to be passed to stop people legally being allowed to be cunts to people when it comes to not giving them jobs.

Though the sort of training you're talking about was exactly what Professor Nick Griffin thought he was going to.
( The Vomiting Hitchhiker Mephistopheles is such a mouthful in Manhattan, Mon 25 Feb 2013, 12:35, closed)

Prior to filming Ironside,
Raymond Burr had his spinal column severed.
( monster munch person, man, woman... camera... TV?, Mon 25 Feb 2013, 12:13, closed)

See also:
1995's 'Above Suspicion'
( drimble he'd been white, he'd been black, Mon 25 Feb 2013, 12:17, closed)

Soul Man is probably
due for a remake.
( monster munch person, man, woman... camera... TV?, Mon 25 Feb 2013, 13:00, closed)

It worked for Sacha Baron Cohen.

( stuj (^(^;;^)^) GO TEAM SPIDERS!(^(^;;^)^), Mon 25 Feb 2013, 12:19, closed)

Precisely this.
I assume it's the cultural heritage associated with blacking up that's the issue.

Otherwise it's no more offensive than any make-up used to act as another.
( Je suis un vagabond is an unfunny, up your own arse middle class knob, Mon 25 Feb 2013, 13:10, closed)

I found Bamboozled to be terribly offensive,
but that was less to do with the blackface, and more to do with it being a crap film.
( monster munch person, man, woman... camera... TV?, Mon 25 Feb 2013, 13:29, closed)

In which soap opera did it work for him?

( The Vomiting Hitchhiker Mephistopheles is such a mouthful in Manhattan, Mon 25 Feb 2013, 14:18, closed)

The Archers.

( stuj (^(^;;^)^) GO TEAM SPIDERS!(^(^;;^)^), Mon 25 Feb 2013, 15:08, closed)

Outstanding!

( The Vomiting Hitchhiker Mephistopheles is such a mouthful in Manhattan, Mon 25 Feb 2013, 15:44, closed)

They ALL minstrel up in that show, didn't you know?

( stuj (^(^;;^)^) GO TEAM SPIDERS!(^(^;;^)^), Mon 25 Feb 2013, 17:40, closed)

I like to picture them as
all being enormous, bearded men, that happen to be excellent voice actors
( The Vomiting Hitchhiker Mephistopheles is such a mouthful in Manhattan, Mon 25 Feb 2013, 17:45, closed)

All the characters are voiced by Bernard Manning you know.
He only faked his death for tax reasons.
( stuj (^(^;;^)^) GO TEAM SPIDERS!(^(^;;^)^), Mon 25 Feb 2013, 18:13, closed)

Interesting.
I am a supposed learned academic at large UK University and in the entire course of all our equality/diversity training for interviewing colour and race has not been mentioned once, presumably because the HR people responsible weren't idiotic enough to contrive the one single situation where you could possibly discriminate on the basis of colour just to make a point.

Also, I presume it's taken as read we aren't racists. Well, some of my colleagues hate the English, but that's par for the course.

I think your HR people need a good solid boot in the happy sacks, myself.
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Mon 25 Feb 2013, 18:24, closed)

Of course it's taken as read ...
... I think that these few cases stuck in my mind because, being quite young and having just escaped working in FE, I was in total awe of academics at the Big University. The behaviour of two on this course came as a hell of a shock, especially as my prior experiences of academics here were often very good. The ones here clearly came looking for an argument, one in particular kept bringing race in to the discussion and the "soap opera casting" example was a a response to a demand for one. Most interestingly, he poured buckets of scorn on the point that people were there to learn about current legislation, not discuss the rights and wrongs of it.

Having said that, your opinion on HR would gain you many fans here.
( The Vomiting Hitchhiker Mephistopheles is such a mouthful in Manhattan, Tue 26 Feb 2013, 16:46, closed)

Ah, "Birth of a Nation", cracking documentary.
(Bob the Builder killed Captain Alex, Mon 25 Feb 2013, 21:21, closed)