Uber Suspends DEI Executive After Hosting An Event About White Women Titled “Don’t Call Me Karen”

An event discussing “the spectrum of the American white woman’s experience”, hosted by Bo Young Lee, Uber's head of DEI, has resulted in Lee's suspension after complaints from non-white employees about its alleged racial insensitivity.

An Uber representative declared on Sunday that the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) chief is currently suspended, as the New York Times reported New York Times.

Why Did She Host This DEI Event?

For the past two years, Lee, a female Asian employee of Uber, has been organizing events called "Don't Call Me Karen" as part of the more extensive series "Moving Forward" that the company launched in 2020 in response to the Black Lives Matter protests, reported the New York Times.

The first event was held in April and another one recently– which fomented quite an uproar.

Richard Hanania, president of the conservative organization Center for the Study of Partisanship and Ideology, tweeted an internal event announcement regarding the "Don't Call Me Karen" event, which was meant to be an "open and honest conversation about race."

Why Did This Cause An Issue?

Several non-white employees were offended by the most recent “Karen” event claiming they felt personally lectured.

In a Slack message exchange posted by Hanania on Twitter, one Uber employee expressed that the meeting felt like "a lecture - I felt like I was being scolded for the entirety of the meeting."

Is feeling “lectured” only an issue during DEI workshops when non-white people express grievances?

Uber’s response gives the impression that diversity only matters in the context of serving the interests and feelings of minorities.

I’m sure many white people have felt scolded, reprimanded, and targeted at other workshops, but they are not given a “cancel this DEI workshop because I don’t like it” card.

In theory, DEI training is designed to challenge the preconceived prejudices we have about race, gender, and sex in the workplace– and culture.

It’s not supposed to be comfortable, so why would companies placate minorities for experiencing discomfort and not do the same for white people?

The Suspension

In response to grievances, Dara Khosrowshahi (CEO) and Nikki Krishnamurthy (chief people officer) requested that Lee take temporary leave while they decide what further action to take.

As revealed by a screenshot on Twitter, Krishnamurthy's email to Uber employees expresses his understanding that many people at yesterday's Moving Forward session were feeling "pain and upset".

He acknowledges that, although the session was meant to be a dialogue, those present did not feel their opinions were being heard.

The Hypocrisy

For the last few years post-George Floyd, nearly all Fortune 500 companies have had a DEI program.

As of 2021, Fortune began requiring self-reported DEI data to make corporate diversity disclosure the new standard of doing business, but that doesn’t mean they actually create better unity in the workplace.

Most DEI workshops focus on Black, Latino, and LGBTQIA+ experiences, but this one about white people became an issue.

White people, including women who psychographically fit the “Karen” description, are required to attend these workshops as part of mandatory orientation, onboarding, or training.

The fundamental issue is antiracist ethics which purports white people are inherently racist and non-white people cannot be racist because they lack the institutional or structural power to reinforce prejudices…

Therefore, “Karens” or white people who feel as though they have been judged exclusively on the color of their skin and social stereotypes just have to deal with it.

A truly insidious and anti-human ideology.

Honestly, I don’t know what Uber was thinking…

Host a Karen workshop to tell a bunch of liberal employees to not bully Karens?

Impossible.

Karens are one of their favorite targets.

The Uber DEI investment isn’t looking so great right now.

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