Be Less White?

I don’t really know what they were going for, but I assure you this wasn’t it.

So, a few days ago, the internet blew up because an employee seminar put on by the Coca-Cola Company aimed at addressing racism included a segment encouraging workers to be “less white.”

Now, no matter what their intentions were, you just can’t do that… any more than you can tell your employees to be less black… or gay… or Christian… or old. I get that the idea was to explain how being white can be seen as having a default setting of being superior and that it was important to be aware of that. But I gotta tell you, whatever positive message they were trying to deliver drowned in an ocean of tone deafness and poor execution.

That the material for this seminar went through several layers of management approval before being presented to employee of one of the biggest brands in the world is just unacceptable. Now, I’m not going to boycott Coke or call for some CEO’s head on a platter. If you’re that offended, just don’t buy Coke products, but before you make that stand, you should know that the Coke brand includes much more than just Coke, Diet Coke and Sprite. There’s Fanta, Barq’s, Mello Yello, Fresca, Schweppes and Pibb Xtra (you know that Dr. Pepper drink that’s not Dr. Pepper). And those are just the soft drinks. Also on your “no buy” list are all Minute Maid products, Gold Peak Tea, Dasani Water, Nestea, Hi-C, Full Throttle Energy Drink and Powerade, along with a few others.

I’m not telling you what to do, but just think of it this way… is your boycott really going to hurt Coke or is it just going to be a hassle for you find a new beverage of choice?