Glen, You said something very profound "... If you allow identity to infiltrate your judgements of excellence at the very pinnacle of human achievement, you are going to undermine the effectiveness of what you do." This is so very true. Taking your analogy a little further; I think a way to show that people are not racist would be that if your doctor told you they were going to get you the best heart surgeon in the world, would you (anyone) be surprised if, when introduced to the greatest heart surgeon in the world that they were any specific race or gender? Or, as I think all of us would feel, greatly relieved that the best surgeon in the world just walked into the room, not noticing gender or race, but simply reassured that this surgeon is the best. We as a culture seem to be forgetting this simple fact.
Glen, You said something very profound "... If you allow identity to infiltrate your judgements of excellence at the very pinnacle of human achievement, you are going to undermine the effectiveness of what you do." This is so very true. Taking your analogy a little further; I think a way to show that people are not racist would be that if your doctor told you they were going to get you the best heart surgeon in the world, would you (anyone) be surprised if, when introduced to the greatest heart surgeon in the world that they were any specific race or gender? Or, as I think all of us would feel, greatly relieved that the best surgeon in the world just walked into the room, not noticing gender or race, but simply reassured that this surgeon is the best. We as a culture seem to be forgetting this simple fact.