It’s 2019 and a job advert specifies “preferably Caucasian” – the only 9 reactions you need
There’s no getting away from the fact that racism is still a terrible reality, but in an era when there are laws against discrimination based on race – amongst many other characteristics – it’s shocking to see naked bigotry in an official communication.
Coder, Helena McCabe, spotted a blatant example of this and called it out, via Twitter.
Uh, hey @cynetjobs – what's with this?
Your job listing for a mid-senior level business development position's top qualification is "Preferably Caucasian"
How could you POSSIBLY think that's okay? pic.twitter.com/DPWzpgXqqE
— Helena McCabe (@misshelenasue) April 27, 2019
The vacancy text had obviously been copied onto several other job sites.
The same description is still on multiple job sites. @Dicedotcom @ZipRecruiter @Glassdoor maybe you could consider a service to spot discrimination and educate employers rather than just regurgitate it on your sites? pic.twitter.com/88pIgpAnEe
— Neil Vass (@neil_vass) April 28, 2019
There was, of course, a swift and widespread condemnation of the shocking post.
1.
Inexcusable. https://t.co/NBXZZsJYdu
— Scott Hanselman (@shanselman) April 28, 2019
2.
This is how normalized & acceptable overt white supremacy has become. It didn’t even *occur* to them that this is not only illegal but wrong https://t.co/dh8C8YZUyj
— Scott Barolo (@sbarolo) April 28, 2019
3.
What the entire fuck? In the year of our Lady and non-binary celestial beings 2019™️, this is a legitimate job posting across multiple sites asking for “preferably Caucasian” applicants. https://t.co/2DdZulpv3E
— Wil, Motha of Draggin You (@WilGafney) April 28, 2019
4.
All the people that proofed this before it was posted need to be FIRED. https://t.co/OGfCXFPX5n
— Kourtney Wright (@kayroeshell) April 28, 2019
5.
Yeah… This is an example of what not to do in a job posting. https://t.co/78NdILiKEy
— Jacob M-G Evans ⚛ (@JacobMGEvans) April 28, 2019
6.
WHAT??? https://t.co/Fgf1ib0rx9
— Sleeping Giants (@slpng_giants) April 28, 2019
7.
This company is in Washington DC in case you were wondering how many lawsuits they opened the door to & what government contracts they should not be getting. https://t.co/DQhIv5BJNc
— ❄Mikki Kendall❄ (@Karnythia) April 28, 2019
8.
They were literally less direct about this on Mad Men
— pequop (@qoouep) April 28, 2019
9.
Someone accidentally posted their back channel discussion into front channel
— Lesley Carhart (@hacks4pancakes) April 28, 2019
One person felt they’d only revealed part of their bigotry.
I’m not shocked by this but I am shocked the listing doesn’t say “preferably Caucasian male.” Cuz we all know that’s exactly what they mean.
— Book Minded Mag (@BookMindedMag) April 28, 2019
Cynet responded to the furore with an apology.
Cynet apologizes for the anger & frustration caused by the offensive job post. It does not reflect our core values of inclusivity & equality. The individuals involved have been terminated. We will take this as a learning experience & will continue to serve our diverse community.
— Cynet Systems (@cynetsystems) April 29, 2019
They later posted this statement, making clear that whoever posted the offensive advert had been given their marching orders.
The message is clear – if you see racism, call it out.
H/T: Indy100
