Is Race More Important Than Gender?
By Luke Visconti. Date Posted: March 14, 2008
Question:
Diversely speaking, what is the [presidential] race saying to us? If Obama wins the nomination, does that mean the country is more sexist than racist?
There is minimal difference in the candidates' platforms. Either one will make a great candidate in the general election.
Obama seems to lead most of the articles coming to me from your magazine. So please tell me, White "Guy," is race more important than gender?
Answer:
Sen. Obama leads most of our political stories because most of the misinformation is about him. Our myth-busting stories--Obama is not a Muslim , nor is he anti-Israel, for example--have proven to be very popular. To answer your question, my observation of our society is that there is more gender discrimination than racial discrimination.
We see this in The DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity® data. There is greater gender discrimination than racial discrimination if you compare senior executives with management representation and representation in college graduates.
If I work from your assumption that all things are equal between Sens. Obama and Clinton (which I don't agree with), then I think the candidate who panders least to racist or misogynist voters will win.
This is documented by the unprecedented voter turnout in the Democratic primaries. Judging from turnout and donations, most Americans were very positively motivated by both Democratic candidates, who are refreshing in their diversity. In my opinion, our society has moved to a point where racist or sexist language is a negative for most people. Unlike the days of the "southern strategy," racist (and sexist) language is a de-motivator when it comes to politics. This is a big change: In 1972, segregationist George Wallace (who the Ku Klux Klan endorsed for governor of Alabama in 1958) won the Maryland and Michigan primaries, but today, more people become unmotivated by racist and sexist rhetoric. They stay home and do not vote.
Therefore, I think a racist and/or misogynist Democratic primary will ensure the election of Sen. McCain because traditional Democratic voters will become de-motivated and stay home. Regardless of politics, just about everyone would agree that Sen. McCain has served our country with honor.
By the way, the unprecedented turnout at Democratic primaries, as well as the unprecedented number of people donating money, is a lesson in consumer behavior; in my opinion, there is no consumer-market company that is driving the kind of passion that the Democratic primary has proven to exist. Low voter turnout in previous elections is more an indication of lackluster candidates rather than a permanently disinterested public.
Most companies have NO IDEA what is possible with a strong multicultural-marketing approach. According to our DiversityInc Top 50 data, even the most progressive companies do not spend money on the multicultural marketplace with anywhere near the respect it deserves by evidence of this primary.
In my opinion, neither political party understood this. The astounding lack of diversity in the Republican primary race and Geraldine Ferraro's comments certainly reflect an ignorance of today's market reality.
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