Do Your Colleagues Use The Phrase “Low Hanging Fruit”?
I didn’t realize this was an issue until recently
Enlightenment didn’t come soon enough.
I’ve heard the phrase “low-hanging fruit” used over a dozen times by colleagues without a single worry or insight into the history and incalculable pain behind the phrase.
But I did notice every time the phrase was used, it bugged me. However, I didn’t reflect on why it did until a recent conversation.
I was approached by a black female in HR that shared her story with me.
She conveyed how she had to correct an executive white male at her company because he kept utilizing the phrase: “low-hanging fruit.”
As soon as she told me, enlightenment hit, and I instantly thought of a song by Billie Holiday called “Strange Fruit,” that’s when I knew the phrase was beyond a microaggression.
It was and is flat-out insulting, insensitive, and racist.
We live in a world where free speech exists, and everyone is entitled to say the words and phrases they prefer, but many words should never be used. Yet, many people do utilize these words because they are frequently unaware.
