I think I’m being woken

[iamlost]

I still don’t know whether to cry or laugh...

So I’ve been working with a long-standing ad client on a new product campaign rollout, all is well.

Yesterday I get a call from a new (to me) agency account manager. Who asks to speak to an Inuit member of staff.

I’m an older Caucasian male. And a sole proprietor. No staff so no Inuit member of same. I reply that as a sole proprietor I’m the sole point of contact. No mention of ethnicity.

The person asks whether it’s true that I’m in Canada. I confirm. Then asks why, as a Canadian, I don’t have Inuit in senior positions. Flabbergasted I reply again that I’m a sole proprietor adding that most Inuit live much further north and east, Canada being a large country.

I’m then told that not having Inuit or indigenous (tautology!) employees is a serious problem ‘going forward’. I quietly said goodbye and ended call.

I took a walk, had a cup of tea, and called my point of contact at the agency. Who is about to leave on holiday and had been planning to introduce me to replacement (guess who) next (now this) morning.

I see fun times ahead.

[lucy24]

Inuit or indigenous (tautology!)

Only in the sense that “apples or fruit” is a tautology. For most purposes, Inuit and First Nations are considered different entities.

:: idly thinking what fun it would be if you had replied to caller in inuktitut and/or inuinnaqtun and got nothing but blank incomprehension in reply ::

[iamlost]

Only in the sense that “apples or fruit” is a tautology.

True.

what fun it would be if you had replied to caller in inuktitut and/or inuinnaqtun

If I was still a teenager... way back then I was almost conversant in Siglitun (while living in Inuvik had a girlfriend from Sachs Harbour; her family used to fill a DC-3 with bales of arctic fox furs every year) ... or when I was younger, Gwich’in (more understood than spoke), so could listen to friends’ grandparents stories (I love stories :)).

Way back then was in a Montréal restaurant that refused to speak English so I told waitress (in very poor French) I refused to speak the language of an usurper and babbled in Gwich’in... they were most unamused :)

[JS_Harris]

Now that you know an unreasonable bully works there, record your conversations with that company and expect they are doing the same in hopes of a poor reaction. Asking you about skin color was probably illegal in Canada.

[martinibuster]

was in a Montréal restaurant that refused to speak English

Went to a Chinese restaurant in Montreal that had a big sign in the window, "ENGLISH ONLY."
LMFAO!

[LifeinAsia]

Went to a Chinese restaurant in Montreal that had a big sign in the window, "ENGLISH ONLY."

Although they meant the spoken language (I assume), it could be interpreted to mean that they only want Brits to patronize the place.

[NickMNS]

Went to a Chinese restaurant in Montreal that had a big sign in the window, "ENGLISH ONLY."

That must have been a while ago. Now the language police would show up and have the sign taken down and the restaurant would be fined.

I once went to a diner just outside of Montreal*, with person from France, she ordered from the French menu a grilled cheese sandwich as written in French, "sandwich de fromage griller", the unilingual Quebec French waitress looked at her as though she was stupid and said "we don't have that", we pointed to the item on the menu. Now the waitress became more confused. So I said "un grilled cheese" pronounced in Quebec French, more like "grillcheese". She replied "Oui, un grillcheese!".

The language police force the restaurants (and other establishments) to use the strictly correct French terms to describe items despite the fact that in actual language the "correct" terms are never actually used or understood, the above is an extreme case but I have experienced plenty of other examples. This often occurs is technical settings were "correct" French terms are never ever used as they tend to be long winded and made up of complex terms, whereas the "Anglasized" term is commonly know by all.

"outside of Montreal"
English is commonly used and understood in Montreal, specially in the city center and mostly in areas west of the city. But as one ventures further outside of the city, certainly off island, then the use of English becomes less common.

Yesterday I get a call from a new (to me) agency account manager. Who asks to speak to an Inuit member of staff.

I assume that this agency is American. Maybe you should ask to work with their Alaskan Native member of staff?

[creeking]

But as one ventures further outside of the city, certainly off island, then the use of English becomes less common.

I suppose if you go far enough, English will become common. :)

[NickMNS]

I suppose if you go far enough, English will become common. :)

Depends on which direction your heading. If you head north you'll end up in a region where Inuktitut will be common.

[ronin]

Went to a Chinese restaurant in Montreal that had a big sign in the window, "ENGLISH ONLY."

Although they meant the spoken language (I assume), it could be interpreted to mean that they only want Brits to patronize the place.

Ummm. If you value good relations, maybe don't ever equate Brits with English in Scotland.

Or North Wales.

Or certain parts of Cornwall.

[ronin]

Then asks why, as a Canadian, I don’t have Inuit in senior positions.

This is the Identity Game.

It's a game you cannot win. Because the interlocutor decides what is and what isn't an identity. And they decide what level of priority that identity is afforded.

Why don't you have ethnic-identity-X in senior positions?"

Why don't you have gender-identity-X in senior positions?"

Why don't you have sexuality-identity-X in senior positions?"

As disinterested (read: objectively aspirational) questions, all these have merit. Diversity at a senior level is a good thing because it increases opportunity for representation of those lower down the organisational hierarchy.

For those with little to no power or influence, representation is one of the very most important things of all.

But as interested (read: subjectively weaponised) questions - in which the Identity Game arrives as a power struggle of this-identity-not-that-identity and the overarching narrative shifts away from a rising-tide-lifts-all-boats towards a zero-sum narrative - that's when the compass (seemingly) flies out the window. That's when dogmatists will tell you that a rainbow has seven colours, no more, no less and they won't hear anything different. They won't contemplate that a rainbow may be regarded as having a million billion colours. They won't contemplate that a rainbow may be regarded as showing all the angles of only a single colour.

There are infinite number of potential identity narratives, most of which we never even invoke, but we absolutely could weave compelling narratives around, if we set our minds to it:

Why don't you have leading-hand-identity-X in senior positions?"

Why don't you have voice-pitch / accent / nasality-identity-X in senior positions?"

Why don't you have proportional-ear-size-identity-X in senior positions?"

Why don't you have blood-type-identity-X in senior positions?"

Why don't you have star-sign-identity-X in senior positions?"