“Diversity Training” Presentation Slide Prompts Laughter On Twitter

A diversity training slide is stirring up some interesting conversations after it was shared on Twitter earlier this week.

Featured Video
Hide

In recent years, companies have put more effort into throwing diversity training in alongside things like sexual harassment training to try to make workplaces more inclusive and welcoming — or to protect them in the event of a lawsuit, if you prefer to err on the more cynical side.

Advertisement
Hide

But these things can be tricky, and too often they end up not really being of any help at all, either covering really basic stuff about not being racist or getting plain weird.

A slide about “ethnic” stereotyping shared by author Maddy Court from a diversity training attended by her brother has definitely left people scratching their heads.

It revolves around an example—a white man named Michael eats lunch in his office’s employee lounge when a co-worker named Cindy decides to comment on his meal of “a small sandwich and a bag of apple slices.”

“She exclaims, ‘What kind of Italian are you? That is the smallest sandwich I have ever seen! Throw some meat on that bread or bust out some pasta and gravy, you big ‘paisan.’ Your gonna be starved by the end of your shift!’” the slide reads.

Advertisement
Hide

It goes on to ask what Cindy meant and if it was offensive to “others in the employee lounge” in addition to Michael.

Obviously, this is only one slide in an entire presentation, but people were quick to laugh at the multiple aspects of the example.

Your loved one may be a Sbarro employee and not have the courage to tell you.

— DOUBLE K (@KurtKendricks) April 14, 2021

Advertisement
Hide

Then they would tell her to cook them a meal, and if Cindy were Italian, as it seems she is, she would take this as a challenge to feed Michael to the death. You do not tell an Italian woman who talks about food that she cannot cook.

— laura : I’m just different that’s all I’m so sorry (@lauralake3) April 14, 2021

Italians DO NOT add gravy to pasta. That’s by far the most offensive part of the whole sketch.

It’s like: “Bust out a slice of pineapple pizza, paisan”.

Cindy, wtf?

— Gatto Facinoroso (@Pox_News_Italy) April 14, 2021

We took the episode of The Office where Michael Scott tries to do diversity training, and we basically just made that our entire country https://t.co/vDSZ12JfyM

— Noah Smith (@Noahpinion) April 14, 2021

Advertisement
Hide

Some created their own stories based around the example.

They live in 950-square-foot Bushwick apartment along with Michael’s mom. They have a cat. They’re saving up in anticipation of eventually having a kid, but it’s tough on security guard pay. Cindy might go back to school to get her teacher’s certificate.

— Rick G. Rosner (@dumbassgenius) April 14, 2021

Advertisement
Hide

how do i think michael would feel? i think michael would want to take cindy home to his ma

— b-boy bouiebaisse (@jbouie) April 14, 2021

Some people did take offense to the stereotype dished out in the example, while others insisted that this couldn’t possibly be the biggest diversity issue at any company, but most united in agreement over one thing — the slide really needed a grammar check before going wide.

Totally, it’s spelt “youse”

— ᴀᴠᴏᴄᴀᴅᴏ ᴍᴇᴍᴇ (@germanconpalta) April 14, 2021

Share this article

*First Published: April 16, 2021, 5:54 am