What exactly is the purpose of a race and inclusion editor?
I am usually against these firings, but like SD posted, maybe this is a case of it being appropriate?
I'll break down the practical points for you in terms of how this kind of position actually gets created.
Jesse Jackson was one of the greatest innovators in modern media optics. When a celebrity or a major corporation said or did anything that was racist or could be construed as racist, he was right there. Here was his pitch, and it was brilliant for it's time, even far ahead of it's time, but not ethical at all. He'd say, well I could go into the press and call you a racist and demand everyone who associates with you to stop doing business with you, or I'll smear them just the same, or you can hire this "
consulting firm" that will talk to you and be deeply involved with you and your company about how to stop future racism. Then, if that happens, I'll give you some fluffy media ops and spin control that will paint you in a positive light. ( Now who owned and operated and staffed these groups? Do you think it was just strangers to Jesse Jackson? )
So Jackson took what is basically a classic mob concept ( "protection money") and translated it to big business and became the first true "
race hustler" of the modern age.
What do you think that planted diversity person did when they were entrenched? They are an outsider but they have massive leverage and now you have a total stranger, who might not even know your business, start to make demands or try to drive you towards specific clients. You can "comply" or be labeled a racist in public. And if your budget is tight, because it's not like there is a money tree for every business, even a large corporation, maybe it means you have to lay some people off to put in this new disruptive psychotic outsider.
So let's take this to a local scenario. I've observed Sigmund Bloom over time. He's gotten a lot better from where he started in terms of media engagement and interviewing and intermediate level PR. He's in a specific role that forces him to get that experience, but he's also putting in the work. The morning jacket is still horrid, but OK, good for him. Hard work pays off. So Bloom has two choices really, as FBG grows and become part of the standard sports media lexicon and inches into the daily sports media cycle, the risk factor goes up. Someone might say something that offends someone. Or many people. It might be completely innocent and not intended, but it's clear to everyone here the woke cancel culture doesn't care. Purity tests operate like bombardments. No forgiveness ever. Punishment must be absolute.
His choices
1) Take no proactive steps. Meaning if someone says something on social media or some article that spins out of control, he has to be reactive. A "For Profit" cancel culture crew can threaten FBG's sponsors, it's advertisers, the networks, Invision board, their social media accounts ,their YouTube accounts, and on and on and on. What's the price? Annual "donation" to some group or hiring some "diversity firm" to ensure no more racists can ever exist at FBG. What if the budget can't take another person on? Well that means you get attacked at multiple fronts, sapping your energy from your actual work product to try to defend what you have right now. The choice often becomes for companies to lay someone else off. Think about that, for what could be an honest mistake, you are now being leveraged for a yearly gouge deep in your pocket, then you have to fire one of your friends. Maybe someone you've known and liked for years, maybe decades, to take in a stranger whose only goal is to entrench and make stupid demands and try to grab more money or force you to hire other people you don't want or make you say things you don't want to say. An outsider. Maybe someone who doesn't know one single damn thing about actual football. And if Bloom and the rest are justifiably pissed off? Then the "For Profit" race hustler extortionist is actually doubly happy. Because it's baiting those antagonized to react or to say anything, where they can shout - "See, see , you are a racist/bigot/xenophobe/karaoke fan/etc" And this justifies their entire extortion racket. There are true and honest activists out there who do want to improve their communities. They exist. But most in this field are basically low rent race hustlers looking to rain make anyone in their path, whether those people are guilty or not. And if FBG has no women nor minorities on staff nor any history of doing something that looks like woke social justice, that only limits the possible immediate defenses Bloom can actually deploy. This is a bad position to be in and many companies have to deal with this new current reality
2) Or Bloom can be proactive. He gives himself the title of
"Race And Inclusion Officer". He doesn't need to hire anyone else. It's title on top of his other duties. He doesn't need to fire one of his own soldiers to make room for some outsider only looking to destroy this business and "bust it out" Also it directs any race based conflicts and question directly to him. All his button men can simply deflect and say, "Well, let me get you to the best resource possible to answer your questions". Then he comes to Old Man Gekko and says, "This is going to spiral out of control at some point, how do I manage the media spin on this?" And since I like Bloom and he made a gesture for me once, I'd help him. Years ago, when he would post up for questions on his podcast, I asked him to talk about Toys For Tots and Wounded Warrior and ask him to mention that it's a good time to give and think of those in need and be proactive for your community. It wasn't football related, but he did it. Both he and Lammey. Though people rarely say no to someone so persuasive with devastating levels of charm. And humility. A gesture should be repaid with a gesture. This is how honorable men should behave. So I'd tell him to see any cost related to this as a form of insurance. Write it off on your taxes and try to double it up as some kind of marketing push. At minimum, an open virtue signal to ward off the jackals at the gate looking for blood. Then I'd tell him to make a yearly donation to a self created children's charity that includes diversity and race. A donation from FBG as a whole and from each individual Staff member, based on extra money given to them at the end of the year but cycled back with a paper trail. The DNC does this all the time, except they do it to launder money and enact open tax evasion. So why not do it here except for not the washing money and not cheating the IRS part. Something for kids like a charity that buys bookbags or school supplies for at risk/needy kids. It's internal so there's actual control over it. Now if someone makes a mistake on social media, and FBG's are called racist and face a For Profit race hustler, Bloom can say, we have a Race And Inclusion Officer, we have records for many years of donations to a worthy cause that helps minority kids, but also all kids, that comes from the parent organization but also each individual here. Then Old Man Gekko shows up and does spin control where if an attack happens, it looks like some black militants hate children. They are so racist themselves, that they don't want poor needy children in Colorado or wherever from having backpacks and art supplies. See, that taps into parents above any political or racial narratives. Left or right, they are parents first. White or black or Asian or Latino, they are parents first.
This is what you call a "
strongpoint" in crisis management, it's a defensible counter narrative that can't be flanked. There are some things you can't do in media optics no matter what and even the cancel culture can't attack them. You can't look like you hate children. You can't hard roll people who are special needs. You can't get caught on video punching a puppy in the face. You can't disparage an elderly combat veteran. Speaking of disparaging, I would probably also send Bloom a jacket he could wear any time of day, not just mornings, and one that won't make my eyes bleed.
All businesses need insurance. Think about all the insurance you have today. Heath insurance (Obama said you can keep your .... he even promised....never mind.....), car insurance, property insurance, business insurance, so now you need Race Hustler Extortion Insurance too. USA Today has a bigger profile and more to lose than FBG, that's a scaled up reality. So a "
Race And Inclusion Editor" might sound completely stupid, but mostly it's designed to fight off socially acceptable stupid. Remember, I have lots of media optics skill, Bloom has some intermediate level skill, but many of these working stiff civilians out there are just trying to survive and stand no chance at all against even a mediocre lazy Race Hustler backed by a woked out MSM, simping Hollywood and bizarrely sociopathic Big Social Media.
As Slim Charles would say -
The game is the same, it just got more fierce.
I saw Jesse Jackson last in front of Little League squad that got caught cheating ( they did something nutty like bring in a 32 year old Double A ringer to play 3rd base or something insane as such) and immediately said it was because of ... wait for it... racism. He changed the world, of that I have no doubt. He did do some things that helped racial divide early in his career. But he also created a For Profit cancel culture legacy that helped fill the world with uncomfortable silence and just plain hatred. His self inflicted fall from grace is what I mean when
I say purity tests never truly end, they just keep looking for new targets.
The people I feel worst for are true activists for positive race relations who try to be decent human beings and want real lasting change to make the world a better place. What race hustlers steal the most isn't money or a false sense of power. They rob all hope from these good people who committed the crime of believing in a world worth saving.
Bloom, you put in the grind and what you have here, you earned. Good for you, son.
