Pride and Prejudice in Corporate America.
There’s still a lot of “nigger” callin’
in the corporate offices…
—Nas
in the corporate offices…
—Nas
“On Behalf of Black Folks everywhere…”
When the media marked the 10-year anniversary of the Trial of the Century, I was reminded that one of the worst parts of the O.J. Simpson trial was the number of blacks in mainstream companies who became verbal punching bags for their white colleagues’ outrage. At my company it was a full year of:
You better not defend him because he’s black! Why don’t black people denounce him?! Anyone who thinks he’s innocent is a “reverse racist”! What is it with black guys and domestic abuse?! No white person could ever get away with this! It was one dart after another. But it wasn’t just O.J., it wasn’t just me, and it wasn’t just at this company.
From Michael Jackson to R. Kelly to Kobe Bryant, any time a Black person gets in trouble or embarrassed themselves the alarm clocks went off. Every black professional I know at mainstream companies goes thru
this. They dodge endless jokes and backhanded compliments (i.e., “I’m glad you’re not like them,”) or worse just because a black person does something white colleagues didn’t approve of. But the biggest alarm clock gets sounded by the deafening silence when the shoe is on the other foot…
While we joke about Girls Gone Wild and take shots at individual gold-diggers on Reality TV no one’s ever dared suggest that all or even most white women are sluts based on what we see in the media, Hollywood or in the adult entertainment industry. And despite headliners Susan Smith6, Andrea Yates7, and Dianne Odell8, to Deanna LeJune Laney9, Marilyn Lemak10, Andrea Williams11, etc. we never wonder if all or most white women are natural born killers or inherently unfit mothers.
For years, we defended Cher, Madonna, etc. as ‘provocateurs’ or “strong women challenging male-dominated industries” while dismissing Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Paris Hilton, etc. as harmless copycats. We’re consistent apologists for white male knuckleheads (Jackass, Punk’d, WildBoyz, etc.). And as rock bands and white pop acts produced some of the most misogynistic, anti-social music and antics around we were always quick to note that “times change” and they were just being rock stars.
We gave passes to popular perverts ranging from Pete Townsend and Jerry Lee Lewis to Woody Allen and Roman Polanski. And despite the likes of Charlie Bishop, Charles McCoy, Jr., Adam Ghadan and John Walker Lindh, Ted Kaczynski, Luke Helder, Eric Rudolph, Tim McVeigh and Terry Nichols Lee Harvey Oswald, John Hinckley, Jr., etc. or the KKK, skinheads, eco-terrorists/ PETA-nuts and abortion clinic bombers, we’ll never view white people as terrorists. And no matter how many white males go on killing sprees, serial rapes, bank heists, etc. and no matter how often FBI profilers and police criminologists begin their profiles with “white male, age…” the idea that whites are just as prone to crime as blacks remains almost laughable.
Why? Because to indict all or even most whites based on the actions or words of a few would be, well, racist. And as we know, racism simply doesn’t exist in business or society.
You better not defend him because he’s black! Why don’t black people denounce him?! Anyone who thinks he’s innocent is a “reverse racist”! What is it with black guys and domestic abuse?! No white person could ever get away with this! It was one dart after another. But it wasn’t just O.J., it wasn’t just me, and it wasn’t just at this company.
From Michael Jackson to R. Kelly to Kobe Bryant, any time a Black person gets in trouble or embarrassed themselves the alarm clocks went off. Every black professional I know at mainstream companies goes thru
While we joke about Girls Gone Wild and take shots at individual gold-diggers on Reality TV no one’s ever dared suggest that all or even most white women are sluts based on what we see in the media, Hollywood or in the adult entertainment industry. And despite headliners Susan Smith6, Andrea Yates7, and Dianne Odell8, to Deanna LeJune Laney9, Marilyn Lemak10, Andrea Williams11, etc. we never wonder if all or most white women are natural born killers or inherently unfit mothers.
For years, we defended Cher, Madonna, etc. as ‘provocateurs’ or “strong women challenging male-dominated industries” while dismissing Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Paris Hilton, etc. as harmless copycats. We’re consistent apologists for white male knuckleheads (Jackass, Punk’d, WildBoyz, etc.). And as rock bands and white pop acts produced some of the most misogynistic, anti-social music and antics around we were always quick to note that “times change” and they were just being rock stars.
We gave passes to popular perverts ranging from Pete Townsend and Jerry Lee Lewis to Woody Allen and Roman Polanski. And despite the likes of Charlie Bishop, Charles McCoy, Jr., Adam Ghadan and John Walker Lindh, Ted Kaczynski, Luke Helder, Eric Rudolph, Tim McVeigh and Terry Nichols Lee Harvey Oswald, John Hinckley, Jr., etc. or the KKK, skinheads, eco-terrorists/ PETA-nuts and abortion clinic bombers, we’ll never view white people as terrorists. And no matter how many white males go on killing sprees, serial rapes, bank heists, etc. and no matter how often FBI profilers and police criminologists begin their profiles with “white male, age…” the idea that whites are just as prone to crime as blacks remains almost laughable.
Why? Because to indict all or even most whites based on the actions or words of a few would be, well, racist. And as we know, racism simply doesn’t exist in business or society.
