It's great that diversity has been given so much attention in the association industry. It strengthens our associations and our members' organizations.

We're told that diversity is good for business.

It enables associations to benefit from the skills of able professionals who might have been overlooked or ignored in the past. Members' businesses will improve if they market to every segment of the population and don't leave anybody out.

And, of course, we are told that associations and members should obey the law by not permitting discriminatory policies or practices.

But I don't recall anybody telling us that discrimination is morally wrong.

Discrimination - based on race, religion, gender, age, disability, sexual preference, ethnicity - is just plain wrong. Even when it may not affect membership or profits, and even when it might be legal.

It is wrong to discriminate against people because they think or act differently or because they look different (unfortunately, a lot of that is going on right now). Prejudice should never be acceptable.

But, I guess, association professionals aren't supposed to make moral judgments about people's attitudes or actions.

So, preaching diversity as good for business may be the only way to get people to stop practicing discrimination. Otherwise, we'll have to question their personal beliefs, and that would violate professional etiquette.

In grade school and high school, many years ago, my classmates and I wondered why we had to play soccer in gym class. None of us had ever heard of the game and even the athletic kids didn't know the rules.

United States participation in the 2010 World Soccer Cup isn't going to do much to change that feeling. To most American-born people, soccer will continue to be a second-tier sport. The fact that the rest of the world goes ga-ga over it doesn't matter here. In fact, it's kind of amusing. (Keep in mind, we still refuse to use the metric system, too).

Baseball is king in the USA, with football (American-style), basketball, and hockey rounding out the big four sports. It will take a generation of foreign-born Americans, and the influence they may have on their American-born age-mates, to elevate soccer to higher status in American culture.

So, watch the soccer games if you like. Just don't treat it as an occasion to close your office.

Sue Pelletier pointed to an interesting item about cultural differences in webinars.

Cultural concerns aren't limited to international interactions, though. Within American associations, cultural differences exist between membership-based organizations and public interest groups (and lots of other demographic segments, too).

In a meeting of membership-based association CEOs, for example, most attendees will be Caucasian, the majority will wear business attire, and they'll all be polite to each other, even when debating controversial issues.

Rather than criticize something, they'll say, "this works better for me," or "I would try that," or, "have you analyzed the expenses for that project?" Political discussion will be cautious, as individuals will likely cover the gamut of ideological positions.

A group of public interest CEOs, on the other hand, will be more racially diverse. Few will don business suits and some may even wear blue jeans. Discussion will generate strong comments, like, "I don't think that will work at all!" Political opinions will be voiced without reserve, and in some groups, a mainsteam Democrat will be the most conservative person in the room.

Cultural differences exist everywhere. We're careful when dealing with international audiences because we don't want to offend anyone. In groups of American exces, not everybody worries about being offensive.

"When a working father takes time off to watch a ballet recital, he's seen as noble. When a working mother rushes out of the office to care for a case of head lice, she's more likely to be labeled undependable," says a Newsweek columnist.

More than half of all association employees are women, yet gender discrimination in our profession still exists.

Societal attitudes are not easily left outside the door. Expectations and opinions within the workplace mirror those outside.

Many workplaces are unconcerned with employees' family needs. As a result, those who shoulder family responsibilities - usually women - are often treated as less committed, less reliable, and less important to the company's (or association's) efforts.

That situation won't change by itself. It may require some prompting.

Meanwhile, sports ratings are going through the roof. I wonder what the dads are doing.

Memo to employees: If your butt shows when you kneel, or squat, or sit on a stool, then you are wearing your pants too low.

I have three sisters and no brothers. None of my sisters display stereotypical female traits. I grew up in a home where there were no boy or girl jobs. We all expected to be whatever we wanted in life.

It seems strange to me in social settings for men and women to form separate cliques and engage in separate conversations. Despite years of encountering that behavior, I still haven't adapted.

Yet, I have observed different male and female behaviors many times in associations and businesses. Whether it's a function of socialization or the fact that women followed (or were forced to follow) different career paths, men and women do act differently in these situations.

1. Female-run offices are often cleaner and more attractive than male-run offices. Plants may adorn walls, and furniture and a sofa, rather than a meeting table, may be found in the "conference" room.

2. It is often important to female employees that they like and get along with their co-workers. Male employees don't always care.

3. Female employees - even some CEOs - often try to avoid confrontation and frequently fail to exploit their possession of the advantage in negotiating sessions. Male employees are less likely to back away from a fight.

4. Female employees are less likely to request something that may benefit them (like a raise). They'll wait for an offer or find a way to indirectly manipulate the scenario (sounds a lot like traditional dating behavior). Men are more direct.

5. Women often allow friendship, or the desire for friendship, to influence what should be a business relationship. Men don't always want to be friends.

I know female business partners who privately gripe about each other's actions, but never confront each other to resolve those concerns. So the problems fester.

I don't like to think that boys and girls act differently. But, they often do.

Michelle Obama is a Harvard-educated lawyer and high-ranking hospital executive. Despite her accomplishments (she was Barack Obama's BOSS in City of Chicago government), media attention continues to focus on her attire. Hillary Clinton was often the subject of the same demeaning issue.

Associations often fall into a similar sexist rut. Women are frequently praised for their beauty, men for their professional skill. Even female leaders are subjected to the powder puff treatment.

Some time ago, the television show All That Glitters portrayed a world in which male and female roles were reversed. Dumpy old female executives hit on young male studs who succumbed to protect their jobs.

The satire was very obvious, and it was clear how awful the domineering gender appeared. I guess there weren't very many people watching.

Cynthia D'Amours' account of an all-male Nominating Committee slate reminded me of the most offensive act I've witnessed in my professional life.

A Chicago alderman, on whose staff I worked at the time, spoke at a Lions Club meeting prior to that organization admitting women as members.

When the Alderman was introduced, the members stood, faced her, and sang "Sweet Adeline" (that wasn't her name).

As a homemaker-turned-politician, she was accustomed to this type of male behavior, so she simply smiled and said, "Don't say anything to me you wouldn't say to Ed Vrdolyak (the City Council floor leader).

They all chuckled and settled into their seats for what I thought was the Alderman's best ever speaking gig. They seemed very surprised, and very pleased, that their invited speaker was so impressive.

When the session was over, they once again stood up, faced her, and sang, "Sweet Adeline."

Some men are just so dumb.

Sue Pelletier pointed to an interesting listing of strange laws and customs in this country and around the world.

While it's important to be aware of these, it's also important to know which ones don't really matter.

There are many customs in our own communities that do not need to be followed (like holding doors open for women) and laws that will never be enforced (like a ban on kite flying on Sundays).

So, feel free to walk on the grass (but not in Germany). Just make sure you don't step in anything.

We always looked forward to Heritage Night at my kids' schools. Since there was no cultural, racial, ethnic, or religious majority at our elementary or junior high schools, nobody was "different." Seventy-six (76) languages were spoken in the homes of our 2,400 high school students.

Since Heritage Night featured food, we enjoyed delicacies families shared from throughout the world - Peru, Indonesia, Jamaica, Russia, India, Argentina, South Korea, Israel, Pakistan, France, Nigeria, Mexico, Iraq, Philippines, and countless others.

Those with recent, or remembered, connections to other countries usually provided samples of their favorite goodies. Others brought tasty bits associated with religious holidays.

Heritage Night recognizes cultural diversity, and "culture" can really be anything you want it to be. Here's how a local reporter defined it at his kid's school.