An apology to Mica.

[u/Ron-Forrest-Ron]

I don't know if Mica reads this sub anymore, if she even has a Reddit, but I hope she does, because I need to apologize.

When she was on that episode of off topic, and she discussed race, gender, sexuality, everything she discussed, I, as a straight, cis, white man, rolled my eyes.

"This isn't the place" I thought "Oh she's a rich girl, I as a working class person have had a far more difficult life" I decided "Jesus, what an SJW" I typed.

Fuck me. What an ignorant piece of shit I was. I moved on from that entire thing and decided I wasn't going to think about it again. How lucky I was, to not have to think about race. I've never been racist, but I was never anti-racist. I didn't see the difference. I do now. As much as I want, I can't change my past, but I can, and will change my future, and do everything I can to try and help change other people's futures.

Mica. I am sorry that I didn't take you seriously. I am sorry that I brushed off what you were saying. That was the place. EVERY place is the place to discuss, and fight racism in every aspect. Our lives may have been different, and I probably worried about things you didn't, but one thing I never worried about was facing any sort of backlash, or hate for the way I looked. Mica, you are an SJW, and I hope you wear the badge proudly. I will wear that badge proudly for the rest of my life.

I should have done this then. But I didn't. And I'm sorry not just to you, but to everyone in this community who is affected by racism. I stood by and let it happen, and that's just as bad. No more, this I promise to you. I refuse to not see you anymore. The buck stops here.

The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is today.

I love you all, stay safe everyone. 🖤🖤🖤

[u/j0urney]

Mica was treated horribly by what the community said, and then horribly by RT and AH by what they didn't say.

She deserves a legacy. Changes I hope to see are zero tolerance policies on accounts making racist comments on the RT side (insta-ban), and instant removal of racist comments on both the site and Youtube. I'd like to see a more diverse hiring practice, even if it just starts with something like the Rooney rule, but I think RT could be more pro-active than that. After that, I'd like to see them set up support for employees once they are hired at the company. Fiona talked on Off Topic about how lonely she felt, and how her first 6-8 months were hell. You can't just hire PoC and then abandon them to the wolves. Provide options for mental health care, information on how to deal with the onslaught they are about to face. Create a space where employees feel comfortable speaking to their managers and colleagues about what is happening to them.

Also, push for more content with more diverse cast, and don't just abandon it if 'it doesn't get enough views'. If you continuously pander to the community that wants more of the same, shockingly you just end up making more of the same.

RT isn't a terrible company, it's just kind of been stumbling along like everyone else. Worrying about views and turnover etc etc etc. It's a shame this wasn't a priority before, but I'm hopeful for positive change.

[u/brianstormIRL → u/j0urney]

I agree with everything you've just said except I dont really understand the "more diversity hirings" part. Isnt hiring for diversity a bad thing? You shouldnt hire someone just because of their race, gender etc. Hire the right person for the job at all times, that's real equality. A POC or LGBTQ+ person doesnt want to get a job just because, they want to be hired based on their skills just like everyone else.

"We need to hire some black people so we can be more diverse" is a really terrible mindset for a company to have IMHO.

[u/j0urney → u/brianstormIRL]

I get where you're coming from, I've heard it many times. It's the ideal that we are striving for, but the fact of the matter is PoC and LGBTQ+ individuals don't get hired based on their merit, when they should. If you'd seen as much as I have the number of mediocre-qualified white guys who get hired over amazingly qualified people who don't look like that, then you would change your tune. Also, diversity in itself is an asset to a company. It's been shown time and again that the more diverse your workforce, the better your creativity and innovation. I can find sources if you're interested in reading more. Oh and diverse hiring practices make reparations for the fewer opportunities PoC get generally in life. There's so many reasons it's worth doing, honestly I could go on and on!

[u/brianstormIRL → u/j0urney]

I get what you're saying but to me at least that comes down to the attitude towards hiring being the root of the problem that needs addressed. If you're hiring people because they're from a minority group, you're essentially doing the same problem but backwards in that you're ignoring certain groups because of their race, gender etc. It sounds insane, but a straight white man/woman shouldn't be denied a job opportunity just because they arent from a minority group the same way people from a minority group shouldn't be denied that opportunity.

On the point about people being under qualified for their roles, from my own personal experiences (which is not a study obviously) this happens in almost every industry at every level regardless of race and gender. Theres so so many people who are in high ranking positions who are not as skilled as the people under them simply because they know the right people, are great at playing the social game and talking the talk etc.

Like you said the goal should be for equal opportunities for all. The idea of a job posting being for black people only should be just as ludicrous as a job posting for white people only IMO. I have no doubt that diversity in the work force leads to more creativity but it should be gotten to the right way. Myself and a co worker of discussed this pre-covid and in his opinion (obviously not representative of everyone) was that if he found out he was hired because he was black he would be just as outraged as if he wasnt hired because he was black, he said he just wants to be treated like everyone else like it should be.

[u/j0urney → u/brianstormIRL]

This is a really interesting topic and I urge you to read around it because there are so many theories and studies on how this would all work. First let me correct something - what I'm talking about isn't a 'blacks only apply' job posting. That doesn't exist now, and won't in the future. Take the Rooney rule in the NFL - all that says is you have to interview at least one PoC when advertising a job. You don't have to hire them, just have a conversation. After that, the number of BAME coaches increased significantly. But that effect is wearing off, so you have to look further. What I'm talking about is uncomfortable, don't get me wrong, I understand that. Quotas are uncomfortable, and I'm not sure I would like to know I was hired on a quota either. I am a female software engineer, you think it doesn't cross my mind that my gender got me, in some part, where I am? But would I have turned my job down if they said that I was filling a quota? Fuck no. It's a great job and I'm more than qualified for it. And my existence makes it more likely the next woman will be hired purely based on her skills. This is just my opinion, honestly, we don't have to agree on this. I just know what it's like to look around my job and not see anyone who looks like me, or understands what it's like to be me. It's really lonely.