So, the other day we had to place a call to the customer service department of the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation. It was regarding the latest OLG scandal; we can’t remember which one.

But as we began our agonizingly long wait to speak with a human being, we were greeted with the following audio announcement:

We celebrate diversity and are committed to an inclusive environment for all. Any disrespectful language or behaviour will result in the call being disconnected.

Did you get that?

The OLG celebrates “diversity” and it is committed to an “inclusive environment” for all. And if an OLG customer service rep interprets any language as being disrespectful, the phone call will be terminated… because, well, apparently rudeness is a telltale sign of… racism?!

Look, we get it: post-George Floyd, so many institutions, including Crown corporations apparently, have bent over backwards to embrace the unholy trinity of diversity, equity and inclusion. DEI is all the rage in certain circles.

But how does the OLG conclude that a rude customer is akin to someone who rejects diversity and inclusion?

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Isn’t it possible that a rude person is exactly that – someone who is rude by nature? And that diversity and inclusion have absolutely nothing to do with the rudeness?

Here’s another fatal flaw: what if that rude caller to the OLG is not, say, a Caucasian straight male (shudder!) but is indeed a member of a diverse community? Isn’t rudeness an equal opportunity employer? Or is the presumption here that only a white person can be racist. Well, if so, that presumption is inherently racist.

And another thing: just how committed is the OLG when it comes to inclusivity? Which is to say, what if the person calling the customer service line has a severe case of Tourette Syndrome? And that this person can’t help him or herself from uttering disrespectful language?

So, if an OLG customer service rep hangs up on an individual using saucy language, maybe that person isn’t racist? Mabe that’s someone suffering from Tourette Syndrome?

And if that’s the case, good golly: who’s the one NOT embracing diversity and inclusion now?