←back to thread

For black CEOs in Silicon Valley, humiliation is a part of doing business

(www.bloomberg.com)
677 points saeedjabbar | 2 comments | 16 Jun 20 15:19 UTC | HN request time: 0.424s | source
Show context
hn_throwaway_99 ◴[16 Jun 20 21:01 UTC] No.23544053[source]▶
I thought this was a great article. One of the most interesting things to me was how the embarrassment/defensiveness of the white people involved was one of the biggest blocks to the black CEOs in their advancement, e.g. the VCs who "just wanted to get the hell out of there" after mistaking a white subordinate for the CEO.

I've recently been reading/watching some videos and writings by Robin Diangelo on systemic racism - here's a great starting point: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7mzj0cVL0Q. She also wrote the book "White Fragility".

Thinking about that, I'm just wondering how different it would be if one of those people who mistook the employee for the CEO instead turned to the CEO and said "I'm sorry, please excuse me for the instance of racism I just perpetrated against you, I promise it won't happen again." I realize how outlandish that may sound writing that out, but I'd propose that the fact that it does sound outlandish is the main problem. Everyone in the US was raised in an environment that inculcated certain racial ideas, subconsciously or not. We can't address them if we're so embarrassed by their existence as to pretend they don't exist.

replies(22): >>23544136 #>>23544188 #>>23544280 #>>23544344 #>>23544345 #>>23544384 #>>23544423 #>>23544456 #>>23544643 #>>23544857 #>>23545414 #>>23545975 #>>23546597 #>>23546614 #>>23546741 #>>23546766 #>>23546819 #>>23547024 #>>23547096 #>>23547756 #>>23548377 #>>23549659 #
tomp ◴[16 Jun 20 21:12 UTC] No.23544188[source]▶
That's stereotyping, not racism. People make inferences. Like, if there's two folks, one dressed in a suit, the other in baggy clothes with thick glasses, most people (including VCs) would default to the former as the MBA CEO, and the latter as geek CTO Even though it might be the exact opposite! If you make a wrong inference, just accept the correction and move on, no hurt feelings. Similar for old vs. young.
replies(11): >>23544237 #>>23544238 #>>23544306 #>>23544365 #>>23544385 #>>23544753 #>>23545665 #>>23545871 #>>23546122 #>>23546565 #>>23550223 #
Pfhreak ◴[16 Jun 20 21:15 UTC] No.23544238[source]▶
Stereotyping and racism are not mutually exclusive. In this case, people are making inferences that the BIPOC is not the CEO.

Racism doesn't imply intent either. It absolutely can be the case that someone unknowingly makes a racist inference even with the best of intentions.

replies(1): >>23545253 #
Thorentis ◴[16 Jun 20 22:47 UTC] No.23545253[source]▶
Racism absolutely does imply intent. The attempt by progressives to recharacterise racism as something that it is not, is the reason why they are making less progress in their objectives than they would like.

It is not racist to assume that the person in the room most like the other CEOs you have met, is also the CEO. If I was in a foreign country, I would assume the CEO is the person most like the other people in that country. I never made any assumption about competence. Half the time I think the least competent person in the room is the CEO. Sadly that's how business works. There would be nothing racist - intentional, or unintentional - about my assumption.

replies(3): >>23545598 #>>23545644 #>>23547596 #
1. neonate ◴[16 Jun 20 23:26 UTC] No.23545598[source]▶
I don't see anything here that contradicts the idea that people are systematically discriminated against because of their race. That's the problem people are worried about.
replies(1): >>23547216 #
2. thisiszilff ◴[17 Jun 20 02:56 UTC] No.23547216[source]▶
I suspect it is the difference between the VC realizing they made a mistake and moving on (for a reason related to race) vs speaking to the white guy because they are racist and they would refuse to deal with a black CEO (ie, 'we don't serve your kind here'). The latter is very much intent, the former is rooted in biases from living in a world where there are few black CEOs. The question is to what degree do the biases in the former hold those people back (in the form of expectations, etc.).