I Want to Be a Billionaire

I am cissexual.

As most readers will know, a cissexual person is someone who is lucky enough to find that their gender identity matches the sex they were assigned at birth.

However, while I am happy with my assigned gender, my identity was definitely not correctly assigned. Deep down, I feel that I should be a billionaire. I have all the requirements of a billionaire, a taste for fine dining and fast sports cars, even an interest in travelling to the moon, but without the money.

I am also white, but like many other whites, spend much time in the sunshine trying to become as brown as possible. So, I was surprised to read that the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) finds it necessary to revise its curriculum to make it “anti-racist”.

I quote from the report in the Telegraph to reassure readers that I am not making this up:
Tests and teaching practices will be revised with the help of a “self-awareness” of “colonial and post-colonial power dynamics” and avoiding microaggressions that could offend students or make them feel “racialised”.

There will be more than practical steps taken in lecture theatres. A fully-fledged “decolonising the mind” will be undertaken. This should not be confused with brainwashing.
In an attempt to decolonize and remove racial discrimination, courses ranging from sexual health to epidemiology are under review. These courses are accused of upholding “white supremacy”.

And in line with Flanders & Swann’s immortal song, The Gas Man Cometh …
Oh, it all makes work for the working man to do…

Yes, no less than eight facilitators have been appointed to help teaching staff decolonize the curriculum. Being well aware of post-colonial power dynamics they expect to be paid handsomely for this difficult task.

Interested readers may wish to apply for a new post in the LSHTM’s Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching that will provide support for inclusive curriculum design and delivery. The ability to translate this into English will be helpful.

I, personally, am tempted to use a two-finger microaggression to express my awareness of post-colonial power dynamics but will resolve my aggression by posting this blog.