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Some of you may have heard the phrase “A lion doesn’t concern himself with the opinion of sheep”. I am sure this is true both literally and figuratively. Another way to put this is: Confident people don’t concern themselves with criticism that comes from small-minded people. A lot has been said about the subject of political correctness, and while I believe in many of the things “woke” ideology stands for, I think the movement, in general, has made us weaker. I blogged a couple of weeks ago about how I think politicians get the Hispanic community wrong. I said that if you ask a hundred Latinos what concerns them most, the issue of racism wouldn’t rank very high. I don’t think most Latinos think about racism much, but we all know there is a vocal crowd who thinks we should care about it more. I believe there is merit to this, but the misguided focus tends to be more about politically correct language and whether we are being portrayed in the media with the correct skin tones – rather than the things that truly make a difference.
Nowhere is the issue of political correctness more prevalent than in America’s college campuses. All you have to do is scan the website of practically any American college to see political correctness in full force – correct pronouns, staged photos of a diverse student body, and language void of anything that could be construed as biased or offensive. I don’t have a problem with any of this except that frequently the most egregious offenders of racial inequality are institutions that cleverly conceal their harmful behavior behind the veil of inclusive language. This is at the core of the problem. All of this focus on political correctness misdirects the attention from where it should be: outcomes. I don’t care what somebody calls me as long as I get what I need from them. I am not excusing rude, condescending, or racist behavior, but I see the people who engage in that sort of behavior as small-minded sheep, and quite frankly, I think of myself as a lion – so screw them. They’re the ones with the problem.
When I think of the issues I care about most as an advocate for the Latino community, it includes homeownership, access to capital, and high-level representation in government and the c-suites of America’s largest corporations. These issues have a profound effect on the prosperity and quality of life for Latinos in this country, and there are very real institutional barriers that have kept us from advancing further in these areas. I think the focus on political correctness gives people an easy way out. It allows them to present themselves as supporters of diverse communities without changing a thing or investing a dime – and that, my friends, is how political correctness makes us weaker.
We would all be better off with tougher skin and directing our collective focus on the end game. There is so much more for us to gain if we get this right.
I tell my kids that playing the victim will get you nowhere. But that mindset should not conflict with our collective effort to create a more level playing field. Does a child born in South Central LA or in the slums of Atlanta have the same access to health care, a good public education, mentorship, and capital as a child from Brentwood or Tuxedo Park? And am I playing the victim if I even asked that question?
A friend recently told me, “If demographics were all that mattered, we would have already won.” Latinos are driving homeownership growth and contributing enormously to the American economy. Yet we are still asking for a seat at the table. I believe the reason comes down to wealth: how much we control and what it allows us to do. In Episode 97 of The Latino Brand, I explain why wealth belongs at the center of our agenda. It gives us the resources to fund the businesses, institutions and political campaigns that shape our future. I hope you’ll watch.
I’ve always believed sports are one of the most powerful stages in American culture. The people we celebrate—and the people who own the teams and institutions behind them—help shape how the country sees leadership, success, and possibility. In Episode 96, I share why José E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones’ purchase of the San Diego Padres feels bigger than baseball, and why this moment could mark a tipping point for Black and Latino visibility, wealth, and power.