You're Kidding, Right?

The school for which I interviewed is a member of a consortium (very much like my present school). All the schools meet together to discuss prospective hires, since courses are cross-listed for the students of the different schools within the consortium. It's been a week since their meeting and I haven't heard from them, so it's certain that I won't be getting an invitation for a campus visit.

But I just received a poorly-written email from a professor of my own field (second half of the Good Book) of one of the member schools (clearly cut-and-pasted from something else and with no attempt to edit it at all).

The request: Since I am a visible minority and since there will be a panel at the next annual meeting of Big Society's sister society on visible minorities and the Good Book, would I please be on their panel?

You're kidding, right?

I'm offended for two big reasons (and a bunch of little ones).

First, I am tired of being tapped every time there is a need for a representative of a visible minority. I am Western born and very "white on the inside," as they say. I am interested only in being labeled as a scholar, not an ethnic scholar. That is not to say that the voice of ethnic scholars isn't important, but I am not an ethnic scholar and have no interest in being labeled as such.

Second, this professor was one of people who decided not to have me invited for a campus visit. If he isn't interested in having me as his colleague at his school, why should I be interested in being his colleague in Sister Society? You gotta give a little to get a little, my friend.

Cognitively, I know that I'm just sore that I wasn't invited for a campus visit, particularly after the interviewers explicitly told Advisor that they had been impressed with me.

I also know that I'm taking this personally when I really ought not to. So many factors that have nothing to do with my qualifications as a teacher or as a scholar are considered.

And when I reply to decline this invitation, I will be courteous and professional, hiding all evidence of how deeply I am offended.

But for the moment, all I can think when I read this email is, "You're kidding, right?"