Written by What do you do when a leader in your organization makes backwards and derogatory comments about a group of people you identify with? Do you quit? What if you are passionate about the organization’s mission? Do you let it roll off your back? Do you complain? Can you complain? We have all probably asked ourselves this question at least once in our career.
Last week Yoshiro Mori, the chairman of the Tokyo 2021 organizing committee made comments about women and basically that they do not belong in executive positions because they talk too much and force meetings to go too long. Because of this, volunteers have resigned, petitions have been started, and sponsors have received numerous complaints requesting they pull their sponsorship. The IOC has condemned Mori’s actions, but nothing more than a slap on the wrist. Many may justify that “he’s older, that’s how is generation thought.” While that might be true, it still does not make it ok. Keeping him in a position of power proves that if you are old enough and have enough power, you can say what you want, with no repercussions.
Similarly, Dell Loy Hansen, the former owner of MLS team Real Salt Lake, made racist comments over 2 years ago, that just recently came to light because of the Black Lives Matter movement. Players then requested MLS to look into the allegations and if they were true, he needed to sell the team because they would not play for him. Someone in leadership justified his racist remarks by saying “he’s old school.” Hansen has been forced to sell the team by Major League Soccer.
Those of us who are not professional athletes, may not feel we have the same pull when leadership makes derogatory comments, and many of us may feel if we do, we will be fired. It is a really tough situation to be in. For those of us not at the top of the totem pole, how do we combat this? Is there really one right way, or are we still figuring it all out? What we can do though, is make sure that when our “old school” behaviors don’t include derogatory behaviors for those that come after us.
https://www.sltrib.com/sports/rsl/2020/08/29/new-allegation-racist/
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tokyo-olympics-2021-yoshiro-mori-comments-summer-olympics-japan-sexism/