Thanks for joining just to leave this comment.

This is essentially what is considered the color-blind argument, which at face level makes a lot of sense. Let's just treat everybody the same and then there wouldn't be any problem. The issue with that though is that in a society/group where there has been some sort of segregation or bias, un less something is actively done to change that bias, it will remain on its own. It's a pretty pervasive effect, and it can be seen in sociological studies like this one. As you can see on that article, when all else is equal, black applicants with no criminal record, were called back 3% less often than white applicants with a record. There are many other stats like that, but the evidence all shows that society doesn't change unless we acknowledge these kinds of things.

If your work, good collaboration with others, and impact on an industry scale could all be taken equally across races, genders, sexualities, etc then you would be absolutely correct. Unfortunately this is not the case, and its going to take a lot of work for it to become the status quo.

From an initial reaction, I find this specific comment a bit offensive (Speaking to @ Some Guy). Connecting your profession and your racial background isn't some ploy to get attention or get pity for getting the short stick in society. And specifically to our industry, there's a long history of connecting politics/discussions about race & privilege with art and design.

As far as joining minority groups, let's use me as an example. I'm Black, I admit. I work in an industry that is overwhelmingly white dominated. I'm used to usually being the only Black creative at an agency. I'll agree that I've learned that "being a victim" does not help my career, or representation in my field of work. (Though I would argue that generally speaking my behaviour, professionalism and skill is sometimes held to a higher standard because of preconceived notions based on the color of my skin, cue the violin though, right?) But anyway, yes you should be darn good at your job, regardless of where you come from.

But it's not about leaning on my race to get ahead or whatever your comments imply. Joining these groups is about showing that there are Black designers, art directors, developers (or whichever minority you belong to) out there. And while it can be tough, it is possible to have a career in a field that seems not well represented with people that look like you. Diversity is a really big problem in this industry, and I've seen it first hand. I was one of a handful of black design students in my graduating class, and through the years working at various agencies and speaking with colleagues, this lack of diversity hasn't necessarily gotten worse, but it for sure hasn't gotten all that better.

No one's looking for a pity party with these groups, just a little support & hope in knowing you're not alone, and hopefully inspiring others to follow their passions. I understand your perspective, and may even partially agree with some parts, but that's just how I feel on the subject, and have to respectfully disagree on the overall sentiment.

I'm writing this at like 12:30 in morning, so apologies for the long reply or unedited quality of this post.

Quote:

Imagine a scale tipped fully one way: the two sides cannot be made equal by continually adding equal weight to both.

Did that ring a bell? Go read http://equal.li

Yes great point