Wednesday, August 26, 2020

Artistic Behavior in the Human Female Essay

The entry above originates from the article, â€Å"Artistic Behavior in the Human Female,† by Jean Robertson (2003, p. 24). Robertson (2003) contended that female craftsmen characterize and decipher female sexuality in various and clashing manners, and by utilizing diverse masterful techniques. Robertson makes suppositions about the woman’s body as a challenged territory, wherein being a lady keeps on being a subject of warmed discussion. For him, how female specialists see themselves as ladies, and as craftsmen, shape their portrayal of â€Å"femininity† and â€Å"female sexuality† in their works of art. One of the statements that Robertson referenced in his content originates from Simon de Beauvoir. In her original book, â€Å"The Second Sex,† she focused on that: â€Å"One isn't brought into the world a lady, at the same time, rather, gets one. † I need to think about de Beauvoir’s explanation and Robertson’s conviction about the woman’s body. I concur with de Beauvoir that social encounters and political conditions sway the development of â€Å"being a lady. † Society shapes how ladies and men see gentility and sexual orientation jobs through setting up sex jobs and desires. A model is the point at which a young lady is â€Å"conditioned† by her mom to be a â€Å"woman,† by disclosing to her how she should go about as a â€Å"woman. This incorporates instructing her about the toys she can and can't utilize, and the games she can and can't play. The young lady discovers that she should act and think a specific way, so as to be â€Å"feminine. † She discovers that she can't be disorderly or engage in sports, since that would be too â€Å"manly† for her. This young lady is the ideal case of â€Å"becoming† a lady. Then again, I likewise concur that being a lady is a natural and individual develop. A lady is a result of her science, in any case. This is the reason ladies are likewise characterized by their sexual organs. Their science additionally decides their sex, just as their sex. Besides, being a lady is a result of individual wants and needs. Any lady can characterize her womanhood the manner in which she additionally needs it to. Robertson demonstrated the presence of the majorities of gentility. The facts confirm that a woman’s body is a challenged landscape, and for me, what's going on with that? Is it not likewise conceivable to have various femininities, rather than having just one way to deal with characterize and to decipher being a lady? There is not all that much, as I would like to think, of having various methods of being a lady, in light of the fact that to deny one way to deal with womanhood subverts the very pith of being a liberated person. Diary passage 2 In â€Å"A discussion about race and class,† Childers and Hooks (1990) contended that sexual orientation ought to be extended to incorporate issues of race and class. They said that: â€Å"†¦we should start by discussing how we encountered the battle to challenge and grow the classification of gender† (pp. 61-62). For them, individuals can't comprehend sex in its entire sense, if racial and class issues are ignored in sexual orientation examination. This perusing tested my perspective on sexual orientation, by requesting that I see sex through an a lot more extensive focal point. I have not thought about that sexual orientation issues additionally meet racial and class issues. Then again, Childers and Hooks (1990) constrained me to consider the legislative issues of sexual orientation. This is identified with our conversations about sexual orientation as a political item. The governmental issues of sexual orientation exhibit that there are progressive systems to the female sex that are experienced by numerous ladies. Force is likewise influenced by one’s class and race. On the off chance that white female ladies feel that there is an unreasonable impediment at the work environment, lower-class dark and Hispanic ladies face a more prominent and heavier unattainable rank in the public eye. As a result of their group and race, they feel and experience various biased based impediments the roof of racial separation, the roof of class segregation, and the roof of sexual orientation segregation. These roofs, on each other, speak to something beyond a prevention to financial turn of events, however take after roofs that are straightforwardly pushed on these women’s bodies. They could scarcely inhale, in light of the fact that there are simply an excessive number of roofs that make it hard for them to try and endure. Presently, I look sexual orientation as an amalgam of issues that ladies bring to sex talk. Therefore, race and issue grow sex talk, yet considering them has likewise expanded my comprehension of sexual orientation and its different clashes. Diary section 3 When women's activists talk about women's liberation, they for the most part observe the resistance between the female and the manly the yin and the yang. We additionally talked about the parallel restriction in class, which increased my insight into how ladies are decreased to the lower range of the resistance. The twofold restriction additionally exists in separating moms from fathers. Moms are placed in platforms, while fathers are overlooked and hated. Laqueur (1990) whined about this double resistance in â€Å"The Facts of Fatherhood. † This is a fascinating article that contended about the suppression of the historical backdrop of parenthood. Laqueur (1990) set that while ladies appreciated being the â€Å"natural† parent, fathers were viewed as negligible suppliers, or even as a setting to the family. He focused on that it is the ideal opportunity for fathers to recover their entitlement to be a piece of the child rearing history, wherein their commitments to the arrangement of society are perceived and regarded. This polemical article diverts and interests me altogether. It entertains me on the grounds that at the rear of my brain, I felt sexual orientation separation in turn around. I accept that moms have specials bonds with their kids, yet this conviction, nonetheless, is set apart by sexism. Don't fathers additionally impart uncommon bonds to their youngsters? Laqueur (1990) tested the thought of parenthood, since it sabotaged the significance of parenthood. In my psyche, it is smarter to not separate moms from fathers, which is simply equivalent to preventing from separating ladies and men. Ladies and men have their own qualities and shortcomings and none is increasingly unrivaled. In a similar line of thought, moms and fathers are likewise equivalent. Let us simply call parenthood and parenthood as parenthood and give fathers their legitimate spot in the history and the act of sustaining human culture. Moreover, this is additionally an intriguing article, since it provoked me to discuss being a lady corresponding to taking care of business. Being a lady has its multiplicities, and now, taking care of business has its pluralism as well. For me, these multiplicities, recognized as a feature of sex examination, render two stages forward for genuine sex equity. Diary section 4 In â€Å"Criticizing Feminist Criticism,† Gallop, Hirsch, and Miller (1990) bantered on the reasons and improvement of ladylike analysis. Their primary concern is that women's activist analysis authors have gone to the outrageous, by pounding each other’s women's activist perspectives. They accept that this procedure is purposeless in understanding and improving the advancement of sex talk and women's liberation. They declared that women's liberation can be reprimanded in a progressively thorough way, wherein there is no set in stone woman's rights. I picked this article since it strings on touchy issues, wherein the individual versus the aggregate thought of woman's rights conflicts. Women's activists have distinctive perspectives about sex jobs, sexuality, and womanliness, and they reprimand each other in various manners. I have never imagined that women's activist analysis has gotten excessively unconstructive. This isn't my concept of analysis by any means. I consider my own analysis of women's activist analysis and I can't resist the opportunity to concur that analysis isn't about â€Å"thrashing† women's activist speculations (p. 350). Analysis is additionally about adding something to existing hypotheses, in manners that can profit the comprehension of being a lady and how various understandings add to a wide scope of women's liberation talk. I sincerely accept additionally that women's activists can't characterize woman's rights in a single manner or a few different ways alone. Women's liberation ought to be seen as an immense wreckage of thoughts and values, extraordinary and uncommon to ladies and gatherings, who battle for and in light of various issues. Indeed, it is a wreck okay, in light of the fact that being a lady is a powerful procedure that is additionally a piece of being an individual and being an individual from one’s race, class, etc. Being a lady can't ever be a clean spot, wherein ladies think the equivalent and act the equivalent. I would prefer to have it as a wreck wherein ladies are allowed to think and reconsider woman's rights, corresponding to their own encounters and qualities. References Childers, M. and Hooks, B. (1990). A discussion about race and class. In M. Hirsch and E. F. Keller (Eds. ), Conflicts in women's liberation (pp. 60-81). New York, NY: Routledge. Dash, J. , Hirsch, M. , and Miller, N. K. (1990). Scrutinizing women's activist analysis. In M. Hirsch and E. F. Keller (Eds. ), Conflicts in woman's rights (pp. 349-369). New York, NY: Routledge. Laqueur, T. W. (1990). The realities of parenthood. In M. Hirsch and E. F. Keller (Eds. ), Conflicts in women's liberation (pp. 205-221). New York, NY: Routledge. Robertson, J. (2003). Masterful conduct in the human female. In B. Stirratt and C. Johnson (Eds. ), Feminine influence: craftsmanship and papers on sexuality (pp. 23-38). Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.

Saturday, August 22, 2020

European Motivations for Exploring and Conquering the New World Essay

Suez Canal in Egypt was as of late finished in 1870s when Britain bought roughly half offer. Suez Canal was considered as an exceptionally significant course through which exchange had gotten conceivable to India. So Britain got hold over Suez Canal to confine the exchange to and from India. At that point the European Empire had extended to different locales too, for example, Africa, the Persian Gulf and in the Middle Eastern nations. Europeans were extending their Empire to realize the â€Å"New Imperialism† during which colonization was in quickening stage. This procedure was energized by the Berlin Conference of 1884, which basically gave a sanction to the division of Africa into ‘spheres of influence’. European Motivations There were different thought processes behind European energetic support in the New Imperialism. Right off the bat, there were increased contentions with different forces, as states, for example, the recently bound together Italy and Germany, alongside France, which tried to make up for its destruction in the Franco-Prussian War in 1870, looked to the non-European world for extension An expansionist Russia represented a specific danger in the rotting Turkish (Ottoman) Empire in the Middle East. English strategy producers needed to make sure about further gains before their adversaries did, in the event that they missed out in the global ‘balance of power’. Besides, there were monetary thought processes, remarkably the craving to catch new markets and wellsprings of crude materials, safeguard or grow exchange joins and to forestall the loss of existing abroad markets to different nations, Countries, for example, Nigeria, for instance, offered significant assets, for example, palm oil, which was utilized as a grease for modern hardware. Thirdly, there was a development of magnificent patriotism, militarism and a feeling of racial predominance (‘jingoism’) all through British society. This jingoistic estimation may have been as much an impact as a reason for British expansionism, yet in blend with different variables it assisted with driving Britain further along the pioneer way according to Africa, for instance, somewhere in the range of 1885 and 1914 Britain assumed responsibility for almost 30 percent of the continent’s populace, contrasted with 15 percent for France and nine for Germany The formalization of British guideline in Africa included Somaliland (1884), Bechuanaland (1885), East Africa (1887), Rhodesia (1888), The Gambia (1888), Nyasaland (1889), Swaziland (1890), Uganda (1894), the Sudan (1898) and Nigeria (1900). Development before 1914 generally finished with the Second Boer War against the Afrikaner republics of the Orange Free State and the Transvaal in 1899-1902 Britain’s fundamental purpose behind beginning this war was the revelation of gold and precious stones in the locale Although Britain added the two Boer Republics in 1902 and set up the Union of South Africa in 1910, the contention had stressed British military capacities and magnificent determination. Regardless, Africa and somewhere else now offered less open doors for development. English legislators additionally got themselves increasingly more entangled in the force governmental issues of the European landmass. Despite the fact that the First World War was basically an European clash, around 2. 5 million colonials battled for Britain and there was strengthened abuse of the Empire’s material assets. Strain and Unrest during 1918-39 In 1919-20 the Empire increased an additional 1 million square miles of region and 13 million new subjects, for the most part in the Middle East, which was presently esteemed in view of its as of late found oil holds just as its closeness to India Under the League of Nations ‘mandates’ framework, Britain took over Palestine, Transjordan, Iraq and the Gulf States from Turkey, and Tanganyika and different regions from Germany In Britain itself between the wars the Empire stayed a wellspring of national pride and character, not least through the yearly festival of Empire Day and the opening of the Empire Stadium at Wembley in 1923 All in all, however, the 1920s and 30s saw the Empire become all the more very close financially. The Empire Marketing Board, made in 1926, and the presentation of Imperial Preference (1932), an arrangement of levy dividers around the Empire and Commonwealth, prompted an ascent in frontier imports from 25 percent of British imports in 1910-14 to 40 percent in 1939. Fares to the states rose from 36 percent in 1910-14 to 50 percent in 1939. In any case, the way that British industry, once ‘the workshop of the world’, had the option to do sensibly well just in shielded royal markets was a token of Britain’s general monetary decrease because of the expense of the First World War. During the 1930s the parity of installments was industriously in shortage, making it hard to manage the cost of the expense of positioning enormous powers over the world. Generally speaking, during the 1920s and 1930s the Empire was apparently secure yet contained powers of strain and agitation. Breakdown and Revival during 1939-45 somehow or another the Empire was a vital weight during the Second World War, extending British assets and tying up troops who may have been exceptional utilized nearer to home. The loss of Malaya, Singapore, Burma and Hong Kong to Japan by 1942 changed view of Britain’s capacity to keep up its domain. There were strikes and uprisings contrary to British principle in India, Egypt, Kenya and Northern Rhodesia. For ideological and monetary reasons the United States, which entered the war in 1941 and whose help was indispensable to Britain’s endurance, restricted colonialism? Washington’s voice could hardly be disregarded. Under the ‘Lend-Lease’ program the United States gave Britain $26 billion worth of help, twice that from the territories and provinces. However in spite of such difficulties the Empire organized what was all in all an amazing demonstration of solidarity and solidarity, giving about 5 million soldiers, nearly the same number of as Britain itself. In 1940 London put aside ? 20 million for provincial turn of events and government assistance, proposing that in case of triumph the Empire may well have a safe and monetarily practical future. At the point when Japan gave up in August 1945 the British had the option to recover the Asian domains that had recently been lost, numerous very intact. American enemy of dominion had been more explanatory than genuine, particularly after the passing of President Roosevelt in April 1945. To put it plainly, the Empire’s fortunes were resuscitated. End By the mid-1960s, and positively by 1980, the British Empire was for all intents and purposes no more. It had extended from around 1870 until around 1900 because of contention with other European states, monetary weights and a feeling of ‘jingoism’ at home. There were further increases after the First World War because of chances introduced by the annihilation of Turkey and Germany, and financially the Empire turned out to be more closely knit than any other time in recent memory between the wars. However the interwar years saw developing weight for self-rule among the frontier people groups. During the Second World War a significant part of the Empire in Asia fell quickly at Japanese hands just to be recaptured similarly quickly in 1945. Decolonization happened because of provincial fomentation for self-rule, changing exchange designs, and the way that in the age of the superpowers pioneer domains appeared to be chronologically misguided and on account of the lack of concern of the British open to the Empire. Generally, not a single genuine preferred position was in sight in its support. Aside from a couple of leftovers, for example, Hong Kong, Gibraltar, the Falkland Islands and Bermuda, by 1980 the once huge British Empire had vanished.

Friday, August 21, 2020

When Resumes Are Made Whiter to Please Potential Employers

When Resumes Are Made ‘Whiter’ to Please Potential Employers Professors and researchers have been warning about the practice of resume whitening for a while now! It is not myth, it is very real, and the practice is continuing to spread.Candidates belonging to minority groups noticed the apparent discriminatory treatment by many employers and decided to do something about it. They modify their names, experience and generally, shape their appearance on the resume so that it sounds more ‘white’!In the past couple of years many studies and researchers have been conducted to explore this specific phenomenon and a lot has been discovered.When it comes to inclusion and diversity in the workplace, all of this may be just a facade and the reality for many minority candidates looks entirely different.Candidates are still struggling with apparent employment discrimination and not wanting to take any more chances, they decide to give the employer exactly what he wants…And if judged by experiences, this tends to be a ‘whiter’ candidate.Let us loo k at the very concept of employment discrimination, resume ‘whitening’ and the methods in which “whitening” can be conducted.RESUME AND CLASS CUESWe all know it: a good resume is an absolute must when it comes to successful job hunt.And if you are still unsure whether your resume reflects your education, background and skills in the best way possible, you may consider dedicating some time to make it perfect.You probably think drafting a good resume is a no brainer, but it is astonishing just how much time and dedication this task may end up requiring.Every detail matters! This means you need to pay attention to the content and formatting. Furthermore, you may want to consider which information you actually wish to disclose there.Less is more and not just because you have limited place to deliver a desired content (a good resume should not be longer than two A4 pages).On an average, a recruiter will dedicate some 5-7 seconds to your resume, before deciding whether your applic ation will be processed further. A fast call!Therefore, you may want to reconsider what your most important achievements and skills are, hence, what should be the key takeout from your resume.So, that is one thing.There are certain technical challenges when it comes to drafting a good resume.On the other hand, there is an issue of self-presentation. You will want a recruiter to see the very best of you!So, what happens when your best is not good enough? And I am not talking about the lack of experience or skills. I am talking about your personal qualities, class cues and personal traits…Researchers tried to inspect whether and to what extent personal traits of a candidate can affect a person reviewing his/or her resume (i.e. his/her job application).As it turns out, certain class cues, e.g. gender, race or ethnicity, can and frequently do, affect the recruiting process significantly.Being aware of this fact, candidates belonging to certain frequently discriminated groups tried to find solutions and minimize their unfavorable treatment.They realized that downplaying relevant class cues may help them land desired interviews more successfully.This article will deal with this phenomenon and explore tactics and strategies frequently used to avoid discrimination in the resumes prescreening phase, especially in cases of employment discrimination based on race.We will kick off the topic by exploring the very concept of racial discrimination…DISCRIMINATION DURING RECRUITINGRace, stigma and collective imageEmployment discrimination is a form of discrimination based on race, gender, religion, national origin, physical or mental disability, age, sexual orientation, and gender identity by employers.We all know this kind of behavior is unacceptable and can trigger severe legal consequences.However, this is just theory and in practice, rules tend to be more flexible.Numerous studies report and warn that employment discrimination continues to be a big issue. Evidence for this kind of behavior is very hard to provide, which is why it frequently ends up without any consequence whatsoever.When it comes to racial discrimination, it has been an ongoing issue for centuries and unfortunately, still shapes the reality of many individuals belonging to specific minorities.This form of discrimination substantially influences labor market by blocking racial minorities’ access to career opportunities in many fields (Pager, 2007). To put it plainly: equally skilled candidates experience constant rejections, due to no other reason, other than their race/ethnicity.But why does ones’ race/ethnicity matter?Shouldn’t we all be judged by our individual character, appearance and achievements?The answer is yes but unfortunately, the human brain doesn’t always work in such a sophisticated way and our decisions may frequently be affected by our sub-conscious perceptions and biases.Let me try to explain this…Racial minority status can arouse a kind of collective s tigma based on real or imagined attributes associated with a specific racial group. Influenced by this collective image, recruiters start to believe all members of this racial group have same specific attributes (e.g. Asians are smart and hard-working).Inevitably, this ends up affecting decisions regarding all candidates belonging to this minority group. The outcome may differ, but this kind of bias can certainly limit ones’ chances and opportunities significantly.Tragically, recruiters are often not even aware they are discriminating against a certain candidate owing to his/hers race or ethnicity…“Unconscious” biasHow can one not realize he/she is discriminating? I have been wondering myself the same thing…This kind of behavior has been noticed and observed by researchers intensively and the phenomenon has become known as ‘unconscious bias’.Recruiters are affected on a completely unconscious level and this bias is a result of ones’ specific perceptions, ideas and ex perience.It’s a quite simple, actually: How we are and what we know affects how we see other people. This is a general wisdom which, apparently, applies to the recruiting process as well.A simple example: You had a set of bad experiences on your trip to Spain… Chances are you may not only have bad memories and negative associations related to Spain, but you may also realize you hold a certain grudge towards Spanish people in general.Being a recruiter in this scenario, you would unconsciously want to eliminate a Spanish candidate from the run for a position. And you could be completely unaware of such intention!‘Unconscious bias’ is relevant to employment discrimination, for it may trigger a discriminatory behavior without recruiters even being aware of it.This may happen because people tend to hire people who resemble them or people they feel safe around.On the other hand, it may simply be that recruiters hold some deep grounded believes or ideas about a certain group and th ese inevitably affect their decision-making process.You probably heard these or similar statements: Germans are less talkative than Spanish; Brazilians are crazy about football; women take more days off, men are more resistant and take fewer sick leaves; Muslims are extreme when it comes to religion etc.These may seem ridiculous, but such beliefs can actually build a basis for discriminatory decisions.Understanding ‘unconscious bias’ and the way it works is extremely beneficial, for it makes you more sensitive to the information which could potentially work against you.In fact, many candidates already realized their class cues may work against them in the recruitment process which is why they began searching for ways to downplay these as much as possible… CONCEPT OF RESUME ‘WHITENING’This practice has first been noticed by students belonging to minority groups who were actively looking for jobs or internships (predominantly on US and UK colleges).These students felt freque ntly discriminated against by potential employers owing to their race/ethnicity.As it turned out, they were right…Different studies detected drastic discriminatory behavior by employers, and this is only one of the obtained results: resumes containing minority racial cues, e.g. distinctively African or Asian name, lead to 30-50% fewer callbacks from employers than otherwise equivalent resumes without similar cues!In their attempts to cope with such reality, minority job applicants decide to ‘whiten’ resumes by deleting references to their race or ethnicity. All this in hope of improving chances of getting a desired job…The ‘whitening’ may be conducted in the following manner:name modificationwork/volunteering experience modificationfailure to mention a current address or place of birth etc.Some candidates even went so far as not to mention their Bachelor studies or High school, for these could be strongly affiliated with a certain minority group (e.g. typically “black college” or a high school in a predominantly “Latino” neighborhood).Now, I know what you are thinking… Can it really be that omitting a major part of education or work experience can be beneficial for anyone?As a recent graduate, I went back to use my high school volunteering experiences so that my resume would not seem empty! How beneficial can it be to skip a whole part of your college education on a resume?Sadly, altering or omitting certain information proved to be extremely useful and even necessary for the members of specific minority groups.More precisely: researchers showed that companies are more than twice more likely to call minority applicants for interviews if they submit ‘whitened’ resumes, as opposed to candidates who reveal their race.And to make it even worse, such discriminatory practice is just as present in companies which claim to value diversity as in those that don’t.Following a rapid growth of success rates in a job hunt of those candidates who gave in to these strategies, the trend continued to spread.Nowadays, resume ‘whitening’ is no longer considered uncommon and this practice is something many people are familiar with, be it directly or through other people who did it.A recent study reported that two-thirds of all interviewees said they know others (typically friends or family members) who whitened their resumes/job application materials.But how exactly does a ‘whitened’ resume look like?How is ‘whitening’ conducted? DIFFERENT MINORITIES, DIFFERENT WHITENING TECHNIQUESThe reason why this practice of resume modification is called ‘whitening’ is self-explanatory.By doing this, members of specific minorities try to present them self as less black, Asian or Hispanic, at least on their resumes… They try to appear more ‘white’.As previously mentioned, this practice has been mostly observed and researched on territories of the US and UK which is why the focus lies on certain minorities and their discrim ination.Still, I think it is safe to say that this and similar practices follow employers’ discriminatory behavior, and unfortunately, discrimination is not something limited to a specific territory!That being said, depending on a territory or region, different minorities may expect different scale of discriminatory treatment.In some countries, there is an actual belief that Asian people are smarter and more hard-working than all others, hence, when looking for a job, they find themselves in a better position.In the US, this group frequently faces a discriminatory treatment by employers… So, it really depends on many factors.Depending on a person and a minority group this person belongs to, the way in which he or she conducts the ‘whitening’ may differ.I already mentioned a few ways in which ‘whitening’ can be conducted.Here, I will focus on two most frequently used strategies: name and experience modification.Name modificationOf participants who reported personally enga ging in resume ‘whitening’, nearly 50% indicated they changed the presentation of their first name on their resume.In some cases, this includes the usage of a name entirely different from ones’ legal/official name.To give an example from one of the relevant studies: One Asian student reported she commonly switched to a more “American-sounding” name on her resume when applying for jobs.Other study participants engaged in somewhat subtler techniques, such as:using shorter/alternative version of a name (Aleksandra to Alex)using middle name (Luis Felipe to Philip), and most frequentlymodification of the writing (Ana to Anne, Filip to Philip, Marko to Marc etc.)putting both versions of the name on a resume.In some minorities circles, this practice is considered as a must if one is aiming for a successful career (Asian candidates).These candidates are frequently advised to change the name by the very members of that same minority group!Name modification proved to be a widespread practice among Asians, however, many black and Hispano candidates also stated they presented their name differently at some point.Experience modification More than two-thirds of participants who reported some form of resume whitening mentioned changing the presentation of their professional experiences or extracurricular activities.Such modifications predominantly take one of these three forms:omitting experiences that might be associated with a minority status or negative racial stereotypes (e.g. omitting to volunteer in “Black women organization”)altering the description of such activities so they would have a more race-neutral tone (e.g. not mentioning specifics of a position or an organization, or giving a generic or English name to an organization instead of stating a genuine name)emphasizing experiences that signal “whiteness” or a connection with “white culture” (usually done with hobbies or extracurriculars, e.g.: mention of specific clubs, hiking, snowboarding, sailing etc.).As already mentioned, I long dwelled on how such practices can be advantageous for potential candidates.How can an employer dislike your volunteering experience which entails a fantastic cause and engagement?How can it matter if that experience happened to be in an organization predominantly engaged with “black” people?Unfortunately, it mattersMany people who reportedly engaged in the resume ‘whitening’ claimed other members of their minority group specifically advised them to take such experiences off their resumes for everything even remotely related to ones’ racial identity, can be harmful for a career.For example, being a holder of a community scholarship can work against a candidate.A recruiter could think a candidate has been given an advantage and special treatment only because of his/her race and may not like this “special treatment”.Furthermore, an engagement in racially affiliated organizations could be considered too extremist or even politica l. And naturally, a recruiter will not like this focus on your racial identity for it may be disturbing for other people working in the firm…So basically, very few information turned out to be completely safe if interpreted in a racial context.DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION AT A WORK PLACENowadays, many companies insist on their inclusion policies and practice.Obviously, discrimination is no longer acceptable and big companies know very well that affiliation with such practices may destroy their image and success rates in a second.Everyone is striving to be inclusive, liberal and finally, a desirable employer. Inclusion promotion, initiatives, open discussion about racial discrimination…These are just some strategies engaged with the purpose of achieving the above-mentioned goals, hence, inclusion and diversity.But it is not only about creating inclusive environment for those already working in such companies.It is also about potential candidates considering whether to apply for positi ons therein as well.Companies invest a lot of time and money to promote their “inclusive” image and attract candidates of all “shapes, sizes and colors”.But do these strategies actually work? Are they real? And the most important question: Do they actually prevent racial discrimination and secure inclusion?Unfortunately, the answer to the last question is a simple no. They do not prevent racial discrimination and some recent researchers proved that this inclusive image may in many situations be nothing else but a facade and even more, a trap.As a matter of fact, this kind of image may end up being very tricky, for potential candidates who see job postings stating: “variety appreciated” or “minorities are strongly encouraged to apply”, tend to feel more secure and feel they can be opened about themselves, hence, their race/ethnicity.They decide to disclose more, emphasizing their racial/religious/cultural “identity”, with the hope companies with such inclusive env ironment may come to appreciate it.Unfortunately, the desired result rarely occurs.In reality, these companies have same discrimination rates as other, “less inclusive” ones.By disclosing more, candidates just become more vulnerable to the discriminatory treatment they would otherwise face.In  the end, it is no wonder many decide to give in and try different methods of resume whitening RESUME “WHITENING”: A PROBLEMATIC PRACTICE?So here we are…Studies have shown that the practice of ‘whitening’ exists and continues to exist owing to its successful results.Nevertheless, regardless of short-term results and several success stories, can we really say resume whitening is a good practice?While reading about these studies and different cases of people who actually engaged in this practice, I felt very amused but also, slightly saddened.It could be a wise thing to do, no doubt about that. Discrimination is real, and biases are something each and every one of us has. Pretending this is not the case would be plain stupid.Growing up, we are frequently told: If you cannot change the situation you are in, change the way in which you perceive it and ultimately, change your behavior and reaction towards it.So, realizing it may be necessary to ‘whiten’ your resume and background a bit may even be considered wise, right?Yes, maybe… But imagine getting an interview and getting a job. Imagine getting a job at a company following the ‘whitening’ of your resume for that very same company.They will probably notice you are black/Asian or Latino by the time you get a job offer, so one can say it’s not such big of a deal you had to ‘whiten’ your resume here and there… No big deal, right?Depends… How inclusive do you expect this company to be on an everyday basis?If a company tends to engage in discriminatory behavior at the recruiting level already, chances are that it will not have an inclusive treatment towards minorities overall.Therefore, you may get a desired job but end up being ignored, left out or mistreated.It may not end up being so drastic, but you may recognize yourself “covering” and continuing to pretend in one way or another…And trust me, this can be a living hell as well!But ok, all of this may not happen. You may end up getting a desired job, happy end.Or is it?There is a thing called “collective identity” and although the extent of it may vary from one person to another, every one of us has it.Collective identity may be grounded in ones’ race, ethnicity, religion, nationality or even school, college or neighborhood.As humans, we have an urge to belong to a certain tribe, group, nation… And this belonging inevitably shapes our individual identity.To ‘whiten’ your resume means to leave out an important part of your identity unmentioned and/or covered.It means that you are, in a way, afraid or ashamed to show your true self. And rare are those, who can be completely unaffected by this realization .Finally, by omitting to such practices, one in a way admits or acknowledges that it may be bad to be different from the majority.In a way, if even indirectly, one chooses the easier way and ends up encouraging discriminatory practice and behavior.Far-fetched or too harsh? Maybe, but not entirely unrealistic…Therefore, there are multiple problematic aspects of the “whitening” practice: practical, ethical and psychological.In any event, it would be naïve to think that not revealing a big part of the identity can leave you completely untouched and the same. By changing your appearance on paper, you are, to some extent, obliged to change it in real life as well.Finally, problematic or not, it is of the utmost importance to understand the logic and reasoning behind the resume ‘whitening’.This practice is nothing else but a direct consequence of recruiters’ discriminatory behavior and rather than judging one for engaging in it, our focus should be on the very issue of discri mination and how we can fight it.