I acknowledge that a certain level of discomfort arises when Canadians talk about discrimination. It’s an uncomfortable revelation to some who have the privilege to ignore the fact, but faced with the overwhelming everyday experiences of racialized Canadians, indigenous communities, women and those who identify as LGBTQ+, it’s an almost offensive proposition to suggest that discrimination is a thing of the past. A common misperception exists that since overt discrimination is a fairly rare occurrence in the Canadian workplace, this must mean that racial discrimination is no longer an issue. We also tend to make comparisons with other countries with much poorer track records and thus ignore our own context because we seem to be doing better than country X. A comparison of how things used to be or what’s happening down south does not help very much. To state the problem, as a global effort to recruit and retain a more diverse demographic we have to also be aware of the challenges that will invariably accrue should organizational culture not shift in a direction where everyone feels included, because policies alone can’t change culture. For this reason, a more acute awareness is required to understand how members could, by no fault of their own, feel excluded and alienated from organizational culture. I want to bring awareness to a type of common place discrimination, one which is often neglected, misinterpreted, or in some cases denied and as such has the potential to drastically reduce the morale and retention of those affected. It’s the phenomenon of covert discrimination. I argue that as a vocation that deals with the human condition we are often times the first point of contact for those who find themselves on the fringes of organizational culture. In many cases, we navigate within the grey zone of human relations where members require advice through a tough process of discernment that has taxed their mental resources. Chaplains, as such, play a key role in combatting this pernicious form of discrimination in the workplace.
Identifying the Problem
The more subtle forms of racism have been labeled modern racism (McConahay,1986), symbolic racism (Sears,1988), aversive racism (Dovidio and Gaertner,1986) and democratic Racism (Henry and Tator, 1994). The similarity in all of these studies is that racism is most often disguised, and in this sense, presents a challenge to identify and acknowledge. The mechanism is often in the form of microaggressions which is defined as:
“the everyday verbal, nonverbal, and environmental slights, snubs, or insults, whether intentional or unintentional, which communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative messages to target persons based solely upon their marginalized group membership. In many cases, these hidden messages may invalidate the group identity or experiential reality of target persons, demean them on a personal or group level, communicate they are lesser human beings, suggest they do not belong with the majority group, threaten and intimidate, or relegate them to inferior status and treatment” (Sue, 2010).
Studies which examine racial stressors indicate a high correlation with negative physical and health outcomes. In a meta-analysis conducted by Pascoe, E. A., & Smart Richman, L. (2009) which provides a comprehensive account of the relationships between multiple forms of perceived discrimination on both mental and physical health outcomes, concluded perceived discrimination has a significant negative effect on both mental and physical health. While complex causal relationships are typically not assigned to these studies, repeat stress induced experiences have been associated with mental and physiological consequences such as depression, anxiety, and multiple indicators of poor physical health (Williams, Neighbors, and Jackson, 2003). Because microaggresions are typically stated by a well-intentioned person in a covert fashion, the subject lives with these repeat occurrences and is frequently at odds on how to react and cope with a social environment veiled in hostility (Sue, 2010). Take for instance a fairly mundane but upsetting experience I encounter very regularly. When I walk into a boutique store, its very common to receive no acknowledgement from any of the store employees. Shortly after however, I notice that the very instance a white person enters they are greeted and provided assistance. I shrugged this off in my youth (it helped me avoid commission hungry employees), but as an adult I found myself questioning this experience and realized that the only common denominator in all these instances which may have precluded someone from providing me assistance was/is my race. Overall, it’s a racially centered, stress-inducing moment. Research by Richman and Jonassaint (2008) has highlighted that these racial stressors result in alterations in physiological processes and adrenocortical responses. When we start to worry about something, our bodies initiate a biological stress response which is in most circumstances a valuable biological phenomenon which dissipates after the threat is gone. The harm, however, is when this process is initiated too frequently. As the study clearly indicates, repeat cortisol hyperactivity is subsequently related to a number of the long-term stress conditions noted above. To better understand this phenomenon in the context of the military I relate four cases:
- 2Lt Taylor, a Muslim of African Canadian descent is new to the unit. To meet other officers and feel part of the brigade she attends a weekly officer’s coffee hr where a variety of hot foods are served. She notices that all of the food offerings include meat. Noticing this weekly trend, she speaks to the kitchen staff and requests if a vegetarian alternative could be provided for herself and her colleagues who do not eat meat. She is told that there aren’t enough vegetarians to justify a vegetarian option. She is further told that to make a vegetarian sandwich, specialized kitchen facilities are required. She is directed to eat the cut vegetables and fruit. After repeat failed requests, she stops attending the coffee hour.
Message as perceived by 2Lt Taylor: When I have needs which differ from the majority I am treated like a second-class citizen who must accept whatever is offered.
- Cpl. Nelson, a member of the Ojibwe nation attends a brigade dinner. At the dinner, a Chief Warrant Officer approaches Cpl. Nelson in a crowd of his colleagues and asks him where he is from, Cpl. Nelson politely responds that he is Ojibwe. The CWO proceeds to remark that he once knew a really nice ‘native’ guy from British Colombia. He continues by telling Cpl. Nelson that this ‘native’ was a good guy, just like everyone else, he fitted right into the unit.
Message as perceived by Cpl. Nelson: When I am frequently asked where I’m from I feel like an alien in my own land. When I am told of other ‘good’ natives, I am being told that as long as I mimic white respectability I can fit into society.
- Pte. Stein an observant Jew has arrived at his new posting. He immediately requests through proper administrative means to grow a beard. His request is returned several times because of formatting or because it’s missing more ‘substantiation’. It takes 4 months for the approval.
In the meantime, he asks the unit chaplain if there is a space where he can perform his prayers. He is told that there is a multifaith space on base. When Pte. Stein arrives at the location he notices that it has become a storage area with different religious icons and old kitchen supplies. When he reports to the unit chaplain that the space has become unsuitable, the chaplain apologizes and assures him that it would not happen again, but that nobody used the space before so people thought it okay to store their chapel supplies in there. The following week he notices the same problem and does not return.Message as perceived by Pte. Stein: My faith and the faith of other non-Christians are not respected. I am being told that the reason why the space is used as storage is not the fault of the management but the fault of the other non-Christians who don’t use the space enough to justify keeping it in a dignified state. Maybe they don’t use it because it’s a storage room.
- Capt. Wan is a highly educated intelligence officer from Toronto. She is at a yearly brigade exercise. Although Capt. Wan never noted her ethnic origin in any conversation, a Colonel remarks how much of an asset she will be should there be a deployment to North Korea since she must have a good understanding of the language and culture. Unbeknownst to the Colonel, Capt. Wan is a second-generation Canadian of Chinese descent.
Message as perceived by Capt. Wan: The assumption is that all people with an Asian appearance must be the same. I am not being complimented on my acquired skills but on my visible difference. This would never be told to another white intelligence officer.
In Closing
Diversity only works well if we believe that it is important. It is not just a legal or political paradigm but an entrenched human value. Real diversity which functions as an organizational principle is targeted and requires accountability, otherwise it becomes an option only when required. It is easy to be silent when we don’t even know a problem exists. Due to the hierarchal nature of the military structure, legitimate concerns are often kept silent for fear of being singled out or stigmatized by peers. I strongly believe that chaplains have the capacity, through pro-active ministry, to educate and build awareness on the importance of creating an inclusive work environment for all. I realize that this is new territory for many people, but should we endeavor to tackle spiritual fitness as an element of total well-being then the feeling of alienation cannot be ignored as it is fundamentally related to a person’s perception of their place in the world, vis-a-vis in relation to others.
Works cited
Gaertner, S. L., & Dovidio, J. F. (1986). The aversive form of racism. In J. F. Dovidio & S. L. Gaertner (Eds.), Prejudice, discrimination, and racism (pp. 61-89). San Diego, CA, US: Academic Press.
Henry, F. & Tator, C. (1994) The ideology of racism: ‘democratic racism’, Canadian Ethnic Studies, 26(2), 1–14.
Laura Smart Richman, Charles Jonassaint; The Effects of Race-related Stress on Cortisol Reactivity in the Laboratory: Implications of the Duke Lacrosse Scandal, Annals of Behavioral Medicine, Volume 35, Issue 1, 1 February 2008, Pages 105–110
McConahay, J. B. (1986). Modern racism, ambivalence, and the Modern Racism Scale. In J. F. Dovidio & S. L. Gaertner (Eds.), Prejudice, discrimination, and racism (pp. 91-125). San Diego, CA, US: Academic Press.
Pascoe, E. A., & Smart Richman, L. (2009). Perceived discrimination and health: A meta-analytic review. Psychological Bulletin, 135(4), 531-554.
Sears D.O. (1988) Symbolic Racism. In: Katz P.A., Taylor D.A. (eds) Eliminating Racism. Perspectives in Social Psychology (A Series of Texts and Monographs). Springer, Boston, MA
Sue, Derald (2010) [accessed from the world wide web] at:https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/microaggressions-in-everyday-life/201011/microaggressions-more-just-race
Williams DR, Neighbors HW, Jackson JS. Racial/ethnic discrimination and health: Findings from community studies. American Journal of Public Health. 2003;93(2):200–208.