Clemson U. Training Says Tardiness Is 'Cultural' and Must Be Tolerated

Clemson University wants to promote tolerance and diversity and all the other progressive buzzwords that mean the exact opposite of progressives’ actual intentions. Nothing surprising there.

But what Clemson is now arguing for in the name of tolerance is just about the nastiest example of the “bigotry of low expectations” I’ve ever seen:

On another slide, a character named Alejandro schedules a 9:00 a.m. meeting between two groups of foreign professors and students. The first group arrived fifteen minutes early, while the second arrived ten minutes late. According to the answers, it is wrong for Alejandro to “politely ask the second group to apologize,” or explain that “in our country, 9:00 a.m. means 9:00 a.m.”

Rather, the slide says that Alejandro should “recognize cultural differences that may impact the meeting and adjust accordingly,” and understand “that his cultural perspective regarding time is neither more nor less valid than any other.”

Yes, there are cultures where being on time just isn’t a thing. Telling someone to be there at 9:00 a.m. might mean sometime around then, while in the U.S., in a professional or an educational environment, it means 9:00 a.m. or a bit earlier just to be safe. There is a cultural difference at work here.

But the host’s preferences are to be accommodated.

I would love for someone at Clemson to explain why only the United States must make every accommodation for people from other cultures, but no is expected to similarly adjust to something easily understood like punctuality when here. If they want me to even consider multiculturalism, it would certainly help it if were a two-way street, rather than the typical “the West sucks” we typically see.

Yes, the United States has its own culture. It’s based on charity, responsibility, achievement, and high expectations — all the things that lead directly from being blessed with liberty.

Maybe Clemson should invest in training for people who can’t show up on time. That would be the start of the fastest road to success for anyone, no matter the background.