Gotham Magazine - Racism in Top 100 Bachelors List
I know this is a business blog but sometimes you just have to mix things up a bit. This is a letter I wrote to the editors or Gotham Magazine. I am not going to even link to the list I am talking about because it would be like contribution to the delinquency of a minor.
To The Editor of Gotham Magazine,
Your list of “Gotham’s Top 100 Bachelors” is unfortunately racist. The fact that this was done unintentionally, I am sure, does not excuse a total lack of sensitivity in this regard.
Of the 100 men pictured and listed by your magazine, you have many eligible black men and hispanic men, the rest are all white–and none is Asian.
Perhaps one is a South Asian (e.g., Indian). But this still leaves a grand total of 0 (East) Asian men, who represent about 10% of the NYC population, and about 50% of the world’s.
It’s unclear exactly what criteria your staff employed to compile this list, but any objective criteria that included such indicators as educational, professional, or financial success would yield a percentage of East Asian men above your 1%.
I suggest you open your eyes and visit any hospital, investment bank, or university campus in NYC, and you will probably find that Asian men comprise something like 20 or even 30% of the male executives. In other words, they are significantly over-represented by a factor of 2 or 3x compared to their being 10% of the total population, not under-represented by a factor of 10 (as in your “List”).
I often employ–and encourage others to also try–a litmus test to see whether (un)conscious racism involving Asian men is occurring. Here it is:
“If you were to replace the representation of Asian men with another minority, would you get away with it, or would you get significant flack from that (more vocal) constituency?”
Applying this litmus test: If your list had only one black man on it, or only one Hispanic man on it, don’t you think that somebody on staff would say, “Whoa, hold the presses, we better put another (black/Hispanic) guy on this list before all hell breaks loose; go find some worthy person and add him, as I’m sure there must be more than 1 eligible black/Hispanic guy”
I’m pretty sure something like that would happen, or if it didn’t, that the black or Hispanic community would clearly and loudly react to this slight so you would never make the same mistake again.
I think if you’re honest with yourself, and your staff is also, you will see my point. Hopefully, my letter is somewhat eye-opening for you, and will help you be more fairly representational in your future articles.
Please do not allow our status as the “model minority” color your sensitivities when writing features. Rewarding those who “make a mountain out of a molehill” while ignoring others who typically don’t is probably the opposite tack you should take, if fairness is your objective.
Sincerely,
–
Emil William Chynn, MD FACS MBA
Dartmouth + Columbia + Harvard + Emory + NYU-trained
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