AIBU to find this offensive?

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...or at least to say not good things about the organisation in question?

I was filling in a registration form which asked (as many do) for my ethnicity for diversity monitoring purposes - no issue so far.

That is until I look at the code they ask you to use which have a list of A-Z, where White British is code 'A' White irish 'B' through the whole alphabet, corresponding to various ethnic groups. (I can't remember what was at the bottom)

AIBU in finding this quite offensive? I think that having a coding system with a generally accepted 'top and bottom' like this carries with it the implication that being White British is somehow 'better' than being White Irish, which is in turn better than being 'Black Caribbean' and so on? If you must use codes, surely they should be neutral?

I am really hot on casual racism/sexism like this and I am quite close to offering some feedback.

WIBU to do so?

I think it's based on % of population giving that answer... Ie white British being most common at the top so you don't have to scan the whole list

Not sure if serious thread

I think you're reading a bit much into it. It probably started with 'white-british' because that represents the largest group in this country. I doubt they ordered in in order of their favourite ethnicity :/

Overthinking much

Really? It is no way offensive at all.

Hmmm, willing to accept I am reading too much into it - it just struck me as quite 'off' and could well imply a value judgement being made about someone based on their ethnicity...

How would you have it? A list with no numbers or letters? I'd assume they are there for admin purposes rather than an order of preference. I assume they come in order of general percentage of population rather than ranking who is best.

It's hardly embracing diversity though, I guess that is my point.

I think you're overthinking it.

What do you suggest could be a neutral code? If letters of the alphabet aren't neutral enough, then surely numbers aren't either. What could be used instead?

Personally, if I really had to have codes at all, I would have something neutral, that didn't have a fairly universally accepted order of precedence to it.

So presumably it was either alphabetical, or in order of expected answers, e.g. white British (UK majority) white Irish (next greatest numer (white polish?) maybe? Or Black British?

They have to use the most efficient system, and those orders will change decade by decade.

There will be a reason for the order (efficiency) and it is unlikely to be casual racism.

Why do you think A is better than B or that they are both better than Z?

Look for the Other box, tick it, and if it asks you to specify write Human.

What would be a neutral code? Can you give an eg?

Often these things have an extra box to tick if you don't wish to answer.
I reckon their motive is a good one, in that their aim is to increase and encourage diversity. I see it as the opposite of racist. After all if one is White Irish, or Black African why would one refuse to say so?

I had to smile though when I arrived at A&E a few weeks ago with chest pains. The lady at reception wanted to know my ethnicity (same reasons) and I asked if she had a box for Greeny Yellow British, as that was my colour at the time.

Letters are fairly neutral. What is bias about a letter??!

To be fair, there are plenty of things in life that would be 'efficient' but we do things in a rather more sensitive fashion so as not to cause offence/upset to others, or indeed to make them feel uncomfortable, or unwelcome.

That argument doesn't really hold much water.

I would agree lucky. I don't have a favourite letter!

yabu

There is clearly an order to the letters of the alphabet - don't be obtuse!

An 'A' grade of most things is considered better than a B grade and so on...

It's a rather sideways point, but I kind of object to distilling someone's ethnicity into a code in the first place - can it not just stand as a group in it's own right?

Since when has A been the 'best' letter of the alphabet?

Personally i'm more fond of M.

I think you've very, very much overthinking it.

It is usual when doing research that asks for ethnicity to state why the categories are listed in the order in which they are presented e.g list is in alphabetical order (which would be better than in order of largest expected respondent group). This is to address exactly the issue you highlight here. So I agree with you it is not good practice.

It is done with the majority group at the top of the list (used to work in market research). It's not meant to offend anyone, but it's not compulsory to give the information, either.

I suppose alphabetical order would be more neutral, that is a good point.

I'm hot on casual racism too but this isn't it. Let's be a tad realistic here. It's a list. Sure, it could start with a number or a letter of the alphabet or it could start the other way round with whatever Z happens to be.

Would that make Z any more privileged an ethnic group to belong to simply because they now headed the list? Well no. But you could, of course, genuinely cause huge offence by attempting to treat ethnic origin on the basis of desirability and attempt to rate that desirability rather than treat the question as just a list of options.

So yes, YABU I'm afraid and certainly overthinking this.

Yes I agree, that would be better (thanks logon, I was scratching around for an alternative)