Moaners and Doers

As a manager, the people I supervised fell into two broad categories. The first, and largest, were the moaners. Always, they could find fault with the way things were done. They would come to me with carefully polished complaints, but very rarely any solutions. The second, much smaller group, were doers. When they came to me with a complaint, they also had a suggested solution.

Guess which group was considered for promotions and plum assignments?

I didn’t care if their solution was workable. I cared that they thought through a problem; that they cared enough about their job to want to make it better. Their effort made me a more effective manager. Hey, he/she has a point. Let’s look into it.

So, WSF, is this going somewhere? Glad you asked.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment recently proclaimed systemic racism to be a critical public health issue. You can read all about it here.

https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdphe/news/racism-persistent-and-critical-public-health-issue

What I considered the “meat” of this overly long pronouncement is here.

Being silent and doing nothing is no longer acceptable. We affirm that racism is a serious public health issue, we know that the health and lives of people of color are at stake, and, most important, we are ready to take action. That is how we will make good on the promise of a healthy, equitable Colorado for all.

Take action! How? This whole pronouncement is, IMO, one long moan without a specific, “We need to do this” anywhere to be found.

Wanting to know more about “systemic racism” I read through this.

https://www.eeoc.gov/systemic-discrimination           

The wonderful thing about being a moaner is you can find fault, assume the moral high ground, and not put your ass on the line. That is, be personally responsible.  Where, in their carefully crafted piece, are specific responsibilities? As a Colorado citizen and taxpayer, I want specific, concrete proposals and not this moaner pap.

How about specific racism? I talk with a third generation Hispanic heritage lady who lives in our building about these types of issues. As a child, she and her friends were turned away from the municipal swimming pool; the attendant refused to accept their money. She still feels the sting.

This town has a large Hispanic population, mainly of Mexican backgrounds, and today you find many Hispanic surnames among elected officials, municipal employees, and county employees. Hard work and persistence made change happen.

Point: Equal opportunity doesn’t mean equal outcome. Trite?  Yes. True? You decide.

So, WSF, instead of moaning what are your specific proposals?

Get involved in the political process, support candidates who do have concrete proposals, and help vote the fucking (P)regressives out!

Yeah, yeah, what will you do? Next Tuesday I will be at a political organizing meeting in Loveland, and will become a volunteer (again, as I have many times over the years). You?

Moving on, monsoon season continues with heat and, for Colorado, humidity. (Yes, I can hear you southerners’ snicker). Yesterday we had an ozone alert.

This new and improved Blogger sucks, IMO. If you computer masters are having problems, imagine the frustration of a Latter Day Luddite.