The Way We Judge Each Other
Welcome back to Productivity, Without Privilege.
I’ve been told that for a newsletter that’s at least partially supposed to help drum up interest in my book that I’m not talking enough about my book, so please, if you haven’t already, consider pre-ordering Seen, Heard, and Paid: The New Work Rules for the Marginalized, coming June of next year! If you’ve already pre-ordered, thank you from the bottom of my heart, it really does mean everything to me.
So while I generally don’t want to turn this newsletter into one of those news-relevant things where you can expect me to have a hot take on the news of the week, it’s kind of hard to talk about how people are treated differently based on who they are, what their background is, or what social baggage they carry … without talking briefly about the Rittenhouse verdict. So, briefly, I’ll just post a screencap of this tweet:
And again, just in case alt-text thing, the tweet is from Kari Assad, and says “I wish my body had the same rights and power as white boy tears.”
I don’t want to get into the nitty-gritty of the trial, or the legal arguments around any of it, mostly because I’m not a lawyer, but I will say this much: had Rittenhouse been a man of color defending himself, like Chai Vang, for example, or a woman fighting back against violence, like Nicole Addimando, or Cyntoia Brown, or even Chrystul Kaizer, who’s on trial in the same district that Rittenhouse was on trial in, and where the same prosecutor’s office is going harder than they did against Rittenhouse, things would have been different, almost certainly.
And as often as we’re told that the American justice system is supposed to be blind and impartial, we all know it’s not. We’re just as frequently told that the professional world is supposed to be similarly impartial and based on accomplishments and merit, but we all know better, don’t we? There are a number of broad social takeaways from the Rittenhouse case, but in this context, the one I think is important to remember is that some people, in virtually every circumstance, get the privilege of having their intentions, motivations, and potential future factored into whether or not they did a thing, and whether or not that thing is of benefit or detriment to the people around them.
For example, in another case, Christopher Belter, a serial rapist, avoided jail time entirely because the judge thought jail time “wasn’t appropriate.” And of course, we all remember Brock Turner, another young white male rapist who got an incredibly light six-month sentence (and even then only served half of it) because the judge was more concerned about Turner’s “future” and his “potential” than the actual harm he caused, much less the “future” or “potential” of his victims, who’ll have to live with the fact that their lives were irrevocably changed and the man responsible for harming them suffered little to no punishment because of it.
So what does all of this have to do with productivity? Simple: when privileged people are judged, they’re judged holistically, with the best possible read of their actions and their potential futures. Judges and jurors are often more concerned with whether or not the punishment fits the crime, and whether the defendant will ever be able to live a normal life after they’ve “served their time,” so to speak, or repaid their debt to society. And while I’m not a criminologist and can’t speak to whether harsher or lighter sentences are better or worse at rehabilitating people, providing the proper restitution to victims, and readying a person to re-enter society as a person unlikely to harm others again, I will say that applying those processes unevenly and with empathy for some and no empathy for others is a symptom of the same kind of behavior we see elsewhere in society, including in professional spaces.
(Spoiler: I do know a little about criminology but that’s neither here nor there because our criminal justice system is set up to act as social retribution, not rehabilitation.)
I’m sure all of you have seen this in your lives in some shape or form. I’ve watched journalists of color with great experience and solid clips get grilled over their story ideas by white editors who simultaneously let white journalists turn in garbage because “you do your best work when you’re free to explore your ideas.” I’ve seen privileged journalists given passes and confusing memos of support from their management for conflicts of interest or other issues that even whispers of which would get a journalist of color, a female journalist, a poorer journalist, or a journalist who didn’t go to the same school or work at the same prestigious outlet fired outright.
So what’s the takeaway? I wish I had an easy one this time friends. I didn’t expect to be as tired as I felt after the Rittenhouse verdict. As I told a friend, I wasn’t surprised by it in the slightest, but in a way, I feel like not being surprised took more of a toll on me than anything else. And we still have the Ahmed Arbury case to get through. So I think the big, most practical takeaway is a simple one: take care of yourselves, your loved ones, and do the best that you can.
After all, we’re all tired, it’s a difficult time of year, now that we’re screaming headlong into the holidays. If there’s a time for all of us to take a moment to prioritize ourselves, our own well-being, and our own peace of mind, now’s that time. There will be enough other external factors pulling at our strings, demanding our time and attention, and worse, draining our mental and emotional energy.
For a more nuanced, relevant takeaway though, one that’s actually relevant to the topic in the book, I’m going to give my less-privileged peers here a task, sadly, because the last thing any of us need is more work to do to in order to make sure we can do work, but this is important: Keep an eye on the work being assigned and judged around you. Watch and see who gets judged based on their work, who gets judged favorably based on everything but their work, and then who gets judged negatively based on everything but their work. See who gets a pass based on “their potential” and who gets challenged based on their “background.” It’ll tell you a lot about your workplace, and it’ll tell you a lot about how different managers in your workplace feel about different people, and whether they’re capable of being fair managers. Especially pay attention to your own manager, as well.
[Worth Reading]
Former Blizzard Co-Lead Jen Oneal Says She Was Offered Equal Contract Only After Resigning, by Kat Bailey: I was tempted to make the whole newsletter about this, but we essentially covered it in an earlier newsletter. Bottom line, in the wake of Activision Blizzard’s many many other issues, one of the company’s executives just left and revealed that the company paid her less than her peer, doing the same work with similar experience levels, and in this case, the company only tried to offer her fair pay when she resigned. And frankly, it shouldn’t be the threat of leaving that forces a company to pay its employees fairly.
Anti-Asian Hate Is Still On The Rise, Almost 2 Years Into The Pandemic, by Marina Fang: Just a casual reminder over here that a: the Covid-19 pandemic isn’t over, and b: hate crimes against Asian people is still a significant, pressing problem and we’re not doing enough about it. Visit Stop AAPI Hate and stay up to date on what you can actually do, and remember to call out hate when you see it, as long as you can do so safely.
Pennsylvania teen had his hands up when fatally shot by State Police, new videos show, by Gary Harki: This story, the result of a months-long investigative report by Spotlight PA, has been living rent-free in my head for a few days now, mostly because it’s yet another example of both police violence and also who gets treated how by our criminal justice system, whether they’re a danger to themselves and others, or they’re purely in need. It’s just too much of a fit for today’s topic that I needed to include it.
[See You, Space Cowboy]
This week my recommendation is for those of you looking for something a little relaxing and chill. I did say we’re heading into Thanksgiving (if you’re in the United States, that is, and I am), or just the busy part of the holiday season in general, didn’t I? Luckily, award-winning author (and, I’m lucky to say, my friend) Charlie Jane Anders has a new book out, called Even Greater Mistakes, a collection of genre-defying short stories.
I love anthologies and short story collections, so this was an easy purchase for me, and given how busy we’re all going to be, I think short, impactful stories might be right up our collective alley. I just got my copy, and I can’t wait to read it while I’m on a train to visit my father for Thanksgiving. I can’t wait to convince her to sign my copy. And yes, that's my photo above, I posted it to my Instagram, if you want to follow.
And speaking of books, have you pre-ordered mine yet? I have to ask, I don’t make the rules. Okay, I do make the rules, but I’m asking anyway. And again, if you did, thank you so much. I’ll see you all back here in two.