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, 1 reply)

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)