Right now, the whole world seems to be going through a dark night of the soul.”
These words of the late Flannery O’Connor have resonated with me lately. In watching the news, checking social media, and engaging in conversations with colleagues, I feel like every time I turn around there is something negative happening in the world. However, instead of avoiding this reality, I’d like to address it head-on and point out some themes in this series of unfortunate events that continues to unfold in the world. Hopefully, by addressing these issues, we can work to create solutions. One theme I want to address is the system of double standards we see in our society, which often plays out across racial and ethnic lines. Specifically, I want to talk about the double standards we see in the realms of higher education, corporate America, celebrity status, and the justice system.
To start, I’m sure by now you’ve heard about the scandal involving the (alleged) embezzlement of financial aid funds at Howard University. How is that related to double standards? Well, Howard is part of a network of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and perhaps due to that university identity, I have found most of the reactions to the scandal from those not affiliated with Howard to be wildly punitive. Instead of simply expressing their disgust over the infraction, many people have been saying things like, “Howard should be shut down” and “This is why students shouldn’t go to HBCUs.” Although there have been scandals involving (alleged) embezzlement at Columbia University, Harvard Law, University of Louisville, and many more predominantly white institutions (PWIs), I haven’t heard the same calls for shut downs or a widespread disparagement of these types of universities. No one seems to be calling for the Ivy League or any other schools to shut down… What a double standard.
Last week I attended a Spring Equinox event during the work day at a friend’s company and noticed the apparel of a young white employee, as it didn’t seem to match the culture of this company. She had on a beanie, a t-shirt, and some casual slide on shoes. I asked the friend of mine who worked there if the person usually dressed that way and was informed that it was her usual attire. The people of color around me commented how they would be scolded or looked upon negatively if they wore similar outfits in the same workplace.
Unfortunately, corporate America’s different treatment of folks by race and ethnicity stretches all the way from clothing and grooming expectations to performance evaluations. Take a look at this study called Written in Black and White: Exploring Confirmation Bias in Racialized Perceptions of Writing Skills if you need more proof. Long story short: the exact same memo was evaluated more harshly when the evaluators thought a Black attorney wrote it than when they were told that it was written by a white attorney. Again… What a double standard.
My mind wanders to the realm of fame and fortune when I think about these types of double standards as well. It seems that white people are often praised and sometimes awarded for things attributed to negative stereotypes for Black people. Do you remember Danielle Bregoli? You may know her by her “famous” saying, “Cash me ousside…how bout dah?” from a 2016 Dr. Phil clip that went viral. Black people who demonstrate similar behaviors rarely receive any positive reinforcement in the media. However, Danielle was featured in hip hop artist Kodak Black’s music video and also received a record deal with Atlantic Records (she uses the stage name ‘Bhad Bhabie’) as a result of her actions.
As Zeba Blay so eloquently articulated in her Huffington Post article about this subject, “Danielle’s popularity has everything to do with the fact that she’s a white girl performing Blackness, appropriating Black slang, Black fashion and Black mannerisms. And she’s being rewarded for it…. Danielle’s trajectory reveals an inherent truth, an inherent double standard.” Zeba points out that, of course, that not every Black person acts in that manner, but it is clear that Black culture is what Danielle is appropriating.
Think about the young Black and Hispanic/Latinx people who were seen acting the same way as Danielle on daytime talk shows before her. Where are they now? What about the Black and brown people who have gone viral in recent years for their popular catch phrases? How many of them were able to turn their 15 seconds of fame into something much longer with multiple opportunities for continuous financial rewards in the way that Danielle has? I’ll help you… not many (if any).
The worst and most harmful double standard is in our justice system. Across jurisdictions, it is very clear that Black and brown people receive much worse treatment than white people. I’ve had many arguments with white counterparts who have told me this is not true. I have always had to provide them with examples and cite research to illustrate my point. Let’s take, for example, Dylann Roof, the young white man who killed multiple people at a church in Charleston, SC. After committing this horrendous crime, Dylann was pulled over, arrested in a very calm manner, and even taken to get something to eat prior to reaching his destination.
In contrast, Freddie Gray, a young Black man, was arrested (without having committed a crime), put into a tactical hold, denied the inhaler (and later medical attention) he requested, and was not even placed in a seatbelt when being transported. This treatment proved fatal.
Studies have shown that not only are Black and brown people more likely to be stopped by the police, but they are also more likely to be arrested, and there is a higher probability that force will be used when they are arrested. How can immediate action be taken to address the hunger of a person the police are sure committed multiple murders, but an innocent person isn’t even provided with the very basic requirement of a seatbelt while being transported in handcuffs? This is how a double standard becomes deadly.
All in all, I want everyone to wake up and smell the coffee. Yes, this post focused mainly on double standards involving race, but there are so many more that can’t be covered here. I hope you realize and help your friends and family members realize that we are not in a post-racial society where we ‘don’t see color’ – no matter how many times people say it out loud to try and convince themselves. The first step to making a change is becoming aware that there is a need for it. Ignoring what is really going on to make ourselves feel better isn’t helpful. I’ll end, as I started, with words from Flannery O’Connor: “The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it.”
