This poses serious ethical consideration for the folklorist. But rather than simply refusing to use our skills within corporations, we can call attention to inequities within the system by serving all segments within a corporation. Although I personally have not conducted diversity training within the corporate world, there is great potential for expanding our services to develop programs that use folklore research to address problems resulting from racism, sexism, homophobia, and classism within the private sector. Although diversity training is a market for folklorists, I would recommend that we offer our skills in conjunction with the services of counselors, human relations trainers, or social psychologists. We can provide the understanding of cultural basics that is needed within these programs, but effective diversity training also involves principles of counseling and an understanding of the dynamics of small group process.
Diversity training has the potential to turn into therapy.
As folklorists, we must avoid the temptation to engage in an ethically suspect presentation of our skills. Under no circumstances should folklorists attempt to practice psychological counseling without the required licenses. At the same time, after participating in numerous programs centering on diversity training, I am convinced that folklorists have precisely the skills needed to be effective trainers. There are many opportunities for offering our services to corporations by completing ethnographic studies of businesses and developing diversity training programs based on the results of the research. Consequently, you should require compensation for your abilities on an scale that is competitive with the fees charged by other consultants in business sectors.