@PurpCat >back when you could still meet interesting people online without having to break past a facade

I miss this version of the internet so much.

Yeah, I've experience the fatigue of the "diversity meeting" myself, and I otherwise have a pass around this stuff in several ways. It's to weed people out, pure and simple. No one believes these meetings make people less racist, or that it makes for a more harmonious work environment. Just the opposite is true. The most comfortable work environment I've been in was this time when I was working with a bunch of ex-military guys. They were loud, they were "racist", and yet none of it was really mean. What I realized was that once someone joking calls you a chink to your face, or makes fun of the black guy, suddenly there's not a lot that you can say that will permanently severe your relationship. You can get in an argument, fume about it for a few hours, and them cool off and rejoin.

They hold these meetings, bombard you with this crap, because they know that the average conservative will self-delete if you force them into enough meetings, and they make an example of the ones who get a little too loud about it. The ones who do stick around won't say a peep because they're afraid. It isolates people, it makes you feel stifled and afraid. The more ridiculous it is, the stronger the effect is. That's why MS had their hosts describe the color of their boxers, it wasn't because they believed it would help the blind feel more included (how tf is a totally blind person going to know what maroon looks like, how many totally blind people even work at MS?). Someone knew it was crazy and over the top, and they also knew that it would further silence everyone. They'll think this are too far gone, that nothing they said will change anything, that they're just one person.

It's frustrating that the average Conservative will "run away" when he is not wanted, instead of finding more effective ways to fight back against this. You mentioned O'keef, he's a great example of a way to fight back against this because in most cases it's risk free so long as everyone is careful. Even if someone slips up, the consequences are not completely massive.

I think this is what drives me nuts more than anything. If a few good men had the guts to actually take a stance against this, we wouldn't be in this situation. Instead it's as though everyone told themselves "it wouldn't be a problem, someone else will deal with it". Well, no one did.