The ant and the grasshopper
by guest contributor Margie Perscheid
Recently, following an early-morning conference call, a colleague of mine mentioned that I should check my email for something cute. “You’ll like this!” she said.
I work for a Fortune 25 company, a large corporation with a bureaucracy rivaling that of the Federal government. We have a published commitment to diversity, and a well-defined conduct policy that each employee reviews and signs once a year. We also have clear policies prohibiting the use personal use of corporate email systems, although the occasional joke slips through to lighten the tension of an otherwise stressful environment.
Opening the email, I expected something light-hearted that would start my day off with a laugh, which is always welcome. I started reading.
Two Different Versions! Two Different Morals! OLD VERSION: The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away. Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed. The grasshopper has no food or shelter, so he dies out in the cold. MORAL OF THE STORY: Be responsible for yourself!
OK, I thought, maybe there’s a point to this. I scrolled down a bit more.
MODERN VERSION: The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away. Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving. CBS, NBC, PBS, CNN, and ABC show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food. America is stunned by the sharp contrast. How can this be, that in a country of such wealth, this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so? Kermit the Frog appears on Oprah with the grasshopper, and everybody cries when they sing, ‘It’s Not Easy Being Green.’ Jesse Jackson stages a demonstration in front of the ant’s house where the news stations film the group singing, ‘We shall overcome.’ Jesse then has the group kneel down to pray to God for the grasshopper’s sake.
I stopped, rewound, and started over. Same shock at the same point. The email then went on to poke fun at the Democratic candidates from the past couple of elections, has the grasshopper die in a drug-related incident, and the ant’s house taken over by a “gang of spiders who terrorize the once peaceful neighborhood.”
I was stunned, and in short order angry. My anger soon gave way to questioning. Was I overreacting? Was I getting worked up about something that rankled, but wasn’t really racist? Poking fun at political figures is the stuff of American life - was this no more than a silly attempt at political humor? My awakening to racial issues came in the 60s, during my high school and college years. But at the end of the day, I’m white. I haven’t experienced racism or discrimination because of my race. What I know about race and racism and how I understand them are all seen through my white eyes and processed by my white brain. I don’t always trust my ability to know where a behavior becomes racist.
Although I may still be off base, I kept coming back to the wisecrack about the song We Shall Overcome. In the years in which I became an independent adult, this song was an anthem, a symbol of an entire people’s fight against oppression. Its dismissal in this email signaled a dismissal of that fight, and from my point of view, sent the message over the line to racism. I decided to go with my gut and took action, which included:
I wonder, too, if my response to this incident was appropriate, particularly if it was strong enough. I thought for some time about confronting the sender with the racist undertones I took from the email, but decided not to for a number of reasons, pragmatic and selfish: To begin with, I doubted the sender would agree that racism was part of the message; I knew I would need to continue working with this person; and I came to believe that responding with something other than hey thanks, that was funny would cause some reflection.
The lack of response and the content of the one I did receive from our ethics group concerns me. My company has a strong commitment to diversity, there’s no question about that. It takes the form of company-sanctioned focus groups for African Americans, Asians, Hispanics, women and GBLT employees, online diversity classes, and diversity councils. Race is rarely, if ever, discussed in broader multi-racial and multi-ethnic settings, and when it is, it’s always talked about in the past tense – as something we faced, conquered, and needn’t worry about anymore.
There’s no doubt that we’ve come a long way, even since the early 90s when I came on board. Our policies for hiring, firing, competition, dispute resolution and more adhere to laws in place to ensure equal opportunity and respect. But it’s dangerous to presume that our work is done. Racism may look different in our corporate environment than it did before the civil rights movement, but it still exists.
The net result is that my company’s approach to addressing diversity feels stale - and when things get stale, we throw them out. I hope my experience doesn’t signal a trend in that direction, but rather an opportunity to re-open the kind of dialog that will get us really thinking about race in the workplace again. So far, though, no one’s talking.
Carmen Van Kerckhove is co-founder and president of 
Elena Perez wrote:
I have to say, reading through it, that I started feeling uncomfortable at the setup, which requires that the reader assume there are no working poor. Once the two major media figures were Oprah and Jesse Jackson, it took on racist overtones to me.
Class and race are so linked in this country, especially in terms of media narratives, that you cannot make the connection of, “Poor = lazy,” and add in prominent Black individuals without having the inherent assumption of, “Black = lazy = poor” as part of the picture that is created.
Posted 05 Aug 2008 at 2:05 pm ¶
Tamra wrote:
Well written article. However, I did not pick up on the racial overtones of the story until you mentioned them directly. I do see it now, but I believe the lack of action or response you received is probably due to the same thought process I had. I was focused on and expecting a light-hearted joke or story, one that was entertaining and not biased. My mind had not even gone over to the other side on this one until you pointed it out.
Just my two cents…
Posted 05 Aug 2008 at 4:06 pm ¶
blackbelt wrote:
I totally got it starting from the words the “poor grasshopper.” I so totally understand how you feel. I’m sorry you have to go through this.
I am a SAHM now, so I’m not in the trenches dealing with that kinda stuff. I thought I had “grown” out the emotional responses, until I faced something this morning at the Philly airport. Sigh. If the Ethics committee and the Manager get tired of dealing with issues, they otta try livin it.
Posted 05 Aug 2008 at 11:22 pm ¶
Margie (Third Mom) wrote:
That’s what I saw, too, Elena. Even in jest, that message came across clearly to me.
And your comment is exactly what I struggled with on this, Tamra . Was I overreacting? Or was this something that really does cross the racism line?
My guess is that opinions will fall across a wide spectrum. My hope is that people who don’t see racism here (which appears to be those I raised the issue with in my workplace) would at least think twice before sharing it with others out of respect for the fact that it might be hurtful to others.
Posted 06 Aug 2008 at 8:06 am ¶
Melissa wrote:
Not funny at all. I’m really surprised that someone sent that to you.
As an expat (in Korea) I really struggle with finding a legitimate and fair way to express my dissatisfaction with certain cultural/social norms that I see here (aspects of Korean culture that I think permit sexist or violent behaviour, for example). It’s hard to talk about these issues and without making sweeping generalizations. I’m not always successful, I’m afraid, and although I try to include an element of humour in my rants or observations - I don’t think I would EVER consider something like the “ant and grasshopper” story to be appropriate.
I’m not well versed in theories of racism but I do know a bit about humour and I think this kind of ‘joke’ was intentionally crafted to make a connection between class/race and work ethic. I don’t think it’s an accidental or incidental kind of association and I would definitely be shocked if someone sent it to me.
Posted 06 Aug 2008 at 8:24 am ¶
Taryne wrote:
I have to agree with you Margie, mentioning Jesse Jackson in the joke, along with a civil rights era anthem, paints the intent of the picture well enough. As it continues into drug related issues, gangs ect., it is not difficult to see where the writer was head. I don’t think that you are reading into it, or projecting your own stereotypes into it.
No matter how committed your workplace is to diversity in focus groups or policy, delving into the overtones of the email is probably terrifying for management. Whether they agree with you or not, they are aware that having a conversation about it will open up a fierce debate, and it is easier to ignore it if the complaints were few.
The ugly side is that this “modern allegory” is representative of arguments commonly put forth by those with privilege. It is easy to say that the problem with racial/ethnic minorities, gays, the poor isn’t who they are – that would be racist, hetero-ist, ect.-the problem is that they want everything handed to them. Once that fact is established, it seems perfectly reasonable to be annoyed by their “shivering” presence.
Posted 06 Aug 2008 at 9:07 am ¶
Phil K. wrote:
Margie:
I am so sorry that you had to be subjected to this email. It must have been horrible for you. Thank goodness that you have found a cathartic manner in which to deal with your trama. I hope that you do not have to go through one of these trying experiences again. Peace.
Posted 18 Aug 2008 at 5:15 pm ¶
Smith wrote:
This is awful! People who do not recognize the racism in this message, I tend to wonder about them as well.
Posted 03 Sep 2008 at 4:52 am ¶
Penni Brown wrote:
oh i got it in the first part. i started feeling uncomfortable at the grasshopper laughing playing and dancing… and then, ‘be responsible for yourself’. typical conserva-speak for it’s their own fault. based on that story, the moral should be - plan ahead.
i’m glad i haven’t received this email, maybe i haven’t gotten it b/c i’m black. i’m glad you went through the proper channels and reported it. i wonder if hr looked you up to see your race before deciding how to handle the situation…
Posted 03 Sep 2008 at 1:41 pm ¶
Hal Jordan wrote:
Very disturbing story. I am surprised someone would have the gumption to send that at work. In addition to the disgusting racial overtones other folks have commented on, I also remark at the simplified thinking that belies that sort of message and the gross assumptions it makes. Forgive the pun, but the message hinges on a very black/white analysis with no exploration of the reality that is gray. The story fails to go more than skin deep in its review of the characters (that pun is intended).
This story is also a classic shot at the democratic party. However, as a liberal and a democrat, this story really promotes the negative stereotype of a republican. I feel like when democrats fall into this sort of shallow thinking (and we sometimes do) at least they don’t harm disadvantaged communities by taking away their government support (section 8, TANF, etc) or their individual rights (gay marriage, abortion, reasonable accommodations, etc). The refusal to delve into the complexities of circumstance scares me more than the racism.
Posted 06 Sep 2008 at 11:21 am ¶