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?

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?
sweet Lord, is professionally offended a real thing then??!! Obviously it is!

It wasn't just the list of options that bothered me though, it was the fact that given letters were assigned to different ethnic groups as 'codes'

I just don't think it is ok to assign value laden codes, because it (to me at least) suggests that one is 'better' than the other.

Yabu. You are looking for a problem where there is none.

Oh well, fair enough it would appear that AIBU then...I can take it

It really made me wince at the time though...

I will say though, that if nobody ever challenged the things that bothered them, then we would all still be living in the society of the 1950s.

YADBU

1. Something has to be at the top
2. We live in a country where most people are white British so why wouldn't it be at the top
3. If the form was being presented in, say Jamaica, I'm sure it would say Black Caribbean right at the top.

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

I was just about to ask this myself. Z is quite a cool number.

An A grade is indeed better than a B grade; you're not wrong there. You are however a complete loon to imagine the company had put White British first purely in order to award it an A grade...

It's the same principle as the list of ingredients on food packets, they're listed in descending order with the one with the highest percentage per pack listed at the top. It's starring role doesn't indicate it's actual importance, merely the relative quantity involved.

I like L

I will say though, that if nobody ever challenged the things that bothered them, then we would all still be living in the society of the 1950s.

Absolutely true. But equally, the cause needs to be worth challenging! Or indeed a cause at all...

Who has the time to come up with stuff like this.

Bonkers. Really, really bonkers.

I think you need one OP...

"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?"

When collecting data for a computerized database, any information that can be stored as a one space code and uses the least memory possbile is the way to go. Even if the form simply had check boxes, eventually, the data entered would have converted into a code. This way reduces the chance of mis-entry.

You are overthinking the meaning and intention of the form designer, and underthinking the practicalities of database management the form is meant to assist.

...and I have already agreed that IABU, that is why I asked the question...

YANBU at all in my opinion. I agree with others that with is is unlikely to have been done through racism, casual or otherwise, but I think the impression it gives is very unfortunate. Previous posters saying that A is not clearly better than B or C are slightly obtuse, I think - when I give my students their grades, they are very clear that an A is better than a B or C! I think offering feedback would be appropriate.

You must have been working really hard to get offended at this.

They could do a, a , a**......
That would surely stop anyone being offended or thinking they're not top.
Yabu. And a little bit bonkers frankly.

This doesn't particularly offend me, but I see where you're coming from. I have seen them listed in alphabetical order which puts white British near the bottom. I think that is better.

Are you in the UK? If so, YABU.

I disagree with most others but I think YANBU. But for what it's worth ,I always don't enter an ethnicity as I fit into at least 3 of the categories which they put down and hate being put in one particular group.

I can't believe I was called obtuse from an op who is being so unbelievably obtuse and determined to find a reason to be offended.

Battery that is an interesting question. I'm fascinated that you see ABC or 123 as better/worse. If you happened to be in India would you see Indian, White, Black as offensive etc etc there are so many examples.

I am willing to accept your point so please tell us how should a list be populated? When you've finished with that list what about gender or relationship lists?

People will find offence if they look for it pretty much sums this up! I always refuse to answer these questions anyway!