How to be a ‘diversity ally’ in 2019 – by a ‘woke straight white dude’
'Straight white dudes' arguably experience the unearned right to an easier life on the basis of sexual orientation, skin colour and gender – so it's time they became diversity champions, argues Neal Moore
Dear straight, white, brethren, it’s 2019 and I wanted to catch you before you scrap all your resolutions to try and convince you to add one more – to be a better diversity ally this year.
Let me begin by saying that, as a straight white dude, you are not a bad person. But, let’s be honest, you could always be better. Me too, for I am also a straight white dude.
Like anyone we have good days and bad days – sometimes even terrible days, days when nothing goes right and it seem as though the whole world is against us. No matter how bad those days seem, it’s likely that someone else is having a worse one and that they are probably less straight, less white and less dudish than you or I.
This is what we call privilege, the unearned right to an easier life on the basis of sexual orientation, skin colour and gender – also known as being a straight, white, dude. Basically, we don’t have to put up with the same shit as a lot of people but, having never been subjected to said shit, we don’t always notice it and even – sometimes – feel kind of sorry for ourselves.
In 2019, I am asking you to recognise this and use your privilege to become a diversity ally. What is a diversity ally? It’s simply someone who recognises when their own privilege is giving them an advantage and uses it to help someone else.
Let me give you a couple of examples. Recently I was asked to chair the second day of a conference on content and storytelling; I agreed over email and asked the organiser to send me the agenda, speakers etc., when possible.
A few days out from the event I got the final agenda and I was most disappointed, can you guess why? Dudes as far as the eye could see. Not all straight and not all white, but 100 per cent #awkward.
The media and marketing industries don’t lack for female executives and talent so it was simply unacceptable that none were represented. I called the organiser (a woman) and asked her what could be done, but she said the agenda was set and the brochures printed.
I said to hell with the brochures, we need to get some diversity in here, and refused to carry out my chairmanly duties until at least one woman was added to every panel and guess what? She did it.
I was privileged to be asked to chair the event, although I should have taken my role more seriously from the outset to ensure the agenda never made it to the printers with so many dudes. Hence, when my employers at the time (Beach House Pictures) asked me to assist in the programming of their annual Beach House Workshop I made it my mission, from the outset, to try and achieve gender balance throughout the event.
At first I was met with resistance, not from the dudes but from the women I approached to speak. Powerful, talented and accomplished women whose default response to me was that they probably weren’t the right person to speak, however they could find someone who was.
“No.” I hollered down the phone. “I need you. You are the one that put in the work, that made things happen, that got the job done, I want to hear from you.”
Straight, white, dudes never say ‘no’ to a speaking opportunity. They are convinced the world needs to hear from them and that what they have to say is very important, which it often is, although there are other important perspectives we need to hear too.
So I pushed on, coaxing and cajoling these amazing women to share their stories and though I didn’t achieve perfect gender parity across the two day event I got pretty damn close.
Now, I can almost feel your eyes rolling and your tongue tutting at the awful virtue-signalling nature of this article: ‘Look at me,’ it seems to say, ‘aren’t I just so woke and wonderful?’
That’s really not why I’m writing this. I’m doing it to show just how easy it is to be a better ally. Just a moment’s thought, a minute’s consideration of your own privilege and how it could be used to benefit others is all it takes and it literally costs you nothing.
If you are asked to speak at an event, contribute to an article, appear in a video, just ask the person in charge who else is taking part and if there’s no one different from you then simply suggest someone; hand over their phone number or email address and insist they be invited to the party.
Wishing you all the best for a happy, healthy and diverse 2019.
Moore wants more diversity
Neal Moore is the founder of Moore’s Lore Media, a consultancy firm based in Singapore – a version of this article was first published on his blog
“arguably” being the key word here. Especially in the Asian context where white is not a majority.
can women do better?
can non-straight white men do better?
do straight working class men enjoy more privilege that upper middle class white females?
In the Asian contenxt, do straight white men enjoy more privilege in malaysia than say a Malay tycoon’s daughter.
The premise of this article is wrong.It ticks all the look at me and how woke I am boxes, but it is plainly wrong. Therefore its conclusions are not valid.
ReplyI think the premise of the question is ‘check your privilege’, a request no more threatening than ‘check your zipper’.
Refusing to do so until we can solve regional corruption strikes me as a condition imposed in bad faith.
I think that you’re right that we need to ask questions about the best solutions, and I agree with Neal that if you’ve got an identikit line up that someone, somewhere did not ask that question.
Given that we’re in the marketing business, that we serve the world’s consumers, and that a primary goal is innovation, I can’t see how we can do the minimum in customer discovery and insight if we don’t have diverse perspectives.
So my view that a monoculture line up is going to be shit has nothing to do with virtue signalling and everything to do with better outcomes.
ReplyThe point I am making is that privilege is not exclusive to straight white males, particularly in the markets that we work in.
Therefore the premise is most definitely false. If the author has said that we all need to check our privilege and be a diversification ally, then I would be right on board.
It may be nice and woke to project yourself as a self-identifying privileged straight white male, but it also highlights a certain amount of [Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines].
ReplyPretty sure there are more SWD’s in positions of influence than daughters of Malay tycoons… But maybe my numbers are off.
Also, it would’ve been super awks if Neal had written from the perspective of a Malay female from a prominent family.
In short, recognise your influence (no matter where it comes from) and use it for good of others in your field and market.
ReplyNotice that you use ‘influence’ rather than ‘privilege’, which I would agree with. Much less pejorative and inclusive way of thinking.
For the rest of your comment, you talking exclusively about marketing and advertising? Okay, let’s run with that.
How about straight white men vs gay white men?
How about straight white men vs Chinese women in China?
How about straight white men vs women in PR agencies?
How about…
Surely you get the idea. Privilege is not the exclusive domain of one particular race, gender and sexual preference.
ReplyHope we can cut all this virtue signalling crap and focus on how to create work that doesn’t infuriate consumers in the new year. If you want to act virtuous, lefty news media is always looking for people to come on and bash Trump.
ReplyHow is female empowerment and getting more female keynotes a lefty thing and what’s Trump got to do with it?
This is why we have the problem.
You are part of it.
ReplyGreat article Neal, well articulated. Totally agree.
This is exactly the reason I launched Rock Star Keynote Speaker for female executives to have another ally to empower, encourage and give them more self belief that they can actually do a better job or at least the same job as a male speaker (of any race).
Yet there are still people out there who don’t see this need and don’t see this as a problem (see comments on my article on this subject below). As I point in my comments to my article (see below) women are more self aware of their weaknesses, more likely to ask for help and less arrogant than men and more likely to say no to a speaking engagement than a man less qualified but with more confidence.
“Imposter Syndrome” is a real thing and even First Ladies like Michelle Obama admit suffering from it so imagine how women who are not married to the ex US President and who are not the most admired woman in America feel about this.
https://www.mumbrella.asia/2019/01/chris-reed-is-taking-on-male-dominated-industry-conferences-with-female-rock-star-speakers
It’s surely a good thing just to be raising this as a concern and making people aware of what they can do with event organisers as you did. But it’s a long battle and it starts with all of white dudes pushing back to make sure it happens.
ReplyThis is typical PR bs by the commenter above.
ReplyOne half hearted shout to the article write and then a whole host of [Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines] about HIMSELF. One wonders why he doesn’t stay in his thread where he [Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines] incessantly for comments just to keep the topic alive. Frankly, the only time I’ll believe he’s for women is if he has the [Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines].
Ironic.
You’re commenting.
You might want to read Mumbrella’s Community guidelines first next time though…..
ReplySound to be that this Rock Star venture is a great example of Straight White Male privilege in action
ReplyThat’s so ignorant, so you’re saying white men can’t do anything to help? Just stand by and let it happen…wow that’s so backward
Reply“As a man, I know what’s best for women and will set up a business to cash in on them.” 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄
ReplyThe ladies should consider themselves lucky to have Chris lifting them up and showing them the way 🙂
Replyand again, why so defensive? why so negative about the venture? something to hide, something to be afraid of?
you don’t think men should help women on a just cause?
you want to keep women in their place?
if I wasn’t being inundated by women speakers on LinkedIn asking for help/wanting help and showing great awareness to know that we can do LinkedIn better than they can or have time for, I wouldn’t have created the venture but I am which shows there is a need for a everyone not just men to promote more women speakers.
If I was a woman, ironically, you wouldn’t be saying that.
Inverse sexism.
ReplySo men can’t help female businesses is what you’re saying?
What’s your motivation for saying that?
You’d like the women to stay in their place?
You a male speaker afraid of the competition?
Such a bizarre and negative comment.
ReplyThe deep, deep irony of Chris accusing others of being defensive.
Chris, read your posts above and you will see what defensive really is – knee-jerk reaction and the use of multiple straw men (or women).
ReplyI am merely answering your comments….
Are you not entertained?
ReplyNeal mate: I was at the Video event and there were bigger problems than diversity. It was a crap event which was why it had such small attendance. It was one sales pitch after another with two MCs who tried their best but misread the room on tone making it painful to sit through at times.
Yours and Chris’s article has triggered conversation at our agency which has highlighted that you both seem to be missing the point: which is that senior women don’t feel the need to speak at every event that approaches them. They can pick and choose events that represent them and have a return on their time invested. You forget sponsors and ticket buyers are the ones who can really change the game as money talks.
ReplyHave your say