Not long ago, the University of Oxford “Equality and Diversity Unit’s” Newsletter featured a column titled “Everyday Racism” which stated “[n]ot making eye contact or speaking directly to people” could be … racist.
More specifically, it said such might be deemed “a ‘racial microaggression’ which can lead to ‘mental ill-health.’” Thank goodness for those Equality and Diversity Units, eh?
Not so fast.
It seems some things are just too stupid even for academics to leave out there, so a few days ago Oxford apologized for its EDU’s inanity.
According to the Oxford Mail, the school stated on Twitter that it “‘made a mistake’ and did not take into account other reasons for difference in eye contact such as disability.”
It said: “We are sorry that we took no account of other reasons for difference in eye contact and social interaction, including disability.
“Oxford deeply values and works hard to support students and staff with disabilities, including those with autism or social anxiety disorder.
“We made a mistake. Our newsletter was too brief to deal adequately and sensibly with the issue.”
The newsletter also warned that other examples of ‘everyday racism’ could include asking someone where they are ‘originally’ from.
It also warned against jokes drawing attention to someone’s accent.
The University of Kent’s Joanna Williams had noted the EDU’s advice “was ‘completely ridiculous’ and will make students ‘hyper-sensitive’ about how they interact with one another.”
“Essentially people are being accused of a thought crime,” she said. “They are being accused of thinking incorrect thoughts based on an assumption of where they may or may not be looking.”
MORE: Oxford University: Not making eye contact with others might be racist
MORE: Little scientific evidence microaggressions are even a thing
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