What Publicis Refuses To Tolerate Is The Truth About Evolved Sex Differences: Saatchi chair Kevin Roberts Put On Leave
TheBBC is reporting on a head that's just rolled -- that of Saatchi and Saatchi chairman Kevin Roberts, for the crime of being honest about sex differences.
(To be fair, they do say he's been "asked to take a leave of absence." I suspect this is British for "you're fucking outta here.")
The chairman of advertising agency Saatchi and Saatchi has been put on leave for saying the debate on gender bias in the industry is "all over."British-born Kevin Roberts told Business Insider he did not think the lack of women in leadership roles "is a problem" in the advertising industry.
The head of the company's parent group, Publicis, said it would not tolerate anyone who did not value inclusion.
More on what was so horrifying to those who like to believe that men and women are the same -- and compete the same ways and want the same things.
In the interview, published on Friday, Mr Roberts said the "debate is all over" about gender diversity in the advertising industry.He goes on to say that rather than holding ambitions to progress into the higher echelons of management, many women - and men - simply want to be happy and "do great work."
He adds: "...they are going: 'Actually guys, you're missing the point, you don't understand: I'm way happier than you.' Their ambition is not a vertical ambition, it's this intrinsic, circular ambition to be happy.
"So they say: 'We are not judging ourselves by those standards that you idiotic dinosaur-like men judge yourself by'. I don't think [the lack of women in leadership roles] is a problem.
First let me say that there are certainly individual differences -- women who compete more like men do, for example: Fiercely, overtly, clawing their way to the top.
But -- as Roberts notes -- a lot of women just want to be satisfied by their jobs.
As I've written -- from the work of Joyce Benenson, Anne Campbell, and others who research sex differences, men band together in groups and are comfortable with competition and hierarchies and fighting to be on top in a way women are not.
Women band together in dyads and compete covertly. This is where they "mean girls" thing comes from.) Standing out as better than the others is not a crowd-pleaser if you're female. So women evolved to show they are not a threat to other women -- not by chest-pounding, overt competition, but by sharing vulnerabilities.
Men need to compete because gaining status is how they get the best possible mate. Standards are different for women -- evolutionary standards, that is -- and while women surely have career ambitions, the ambition to rule the world just isn't the same for many women as it is for men.
What this guy was guilty of was observing reality and stating it and forgetting that he was supposed to be quaking in fear of the forces of scientific ignorance and political correctness.
I think it's terrible he's lost his job over this and that the chairman of Publicis should get an education rather than bending over in ignorance to placate the politically correct, whining, pearl-clutching ignoramuses.
*Yes, I somehow got the date wrong on this. This was posted on July 31 for August 1, but ended up being an August 2 post. I need more sleep!
Yeah, fine, all that may be true and what not, but still...
You jumped a day. Monday is August 1, 2016.
Also, I think Nassim Taleb is a totally Jurassic dorkmosaures.
Crid at July 31, 2016 9:51 PM
This is a neat blog post, though.
Crid at July 31, 2016 10:00 PM
You can think Taleb is a Jurassic dorkmo...the rest of that; and his behavior on Twitter certainly reflects that.
However, his book I linked is good.
Amy Alkon at August 1, 2016 6:50 AM
Crid nails the BBC. It's a government-owned broadcaster that has the power to levy taxes to support itself. That tells you all you need to know.
And I was under the impression that, in the U.S. at least, the advertising field is now dominated by women. Am I wrong?
Cousin Dave at August 1, 2016 9:12 AM
We must remember the calculus of feminist gender equality:
Women > men = equality and diversity;
Men > women = gender discrimination and misogynistic bigotry.
It's really very simple: women are equal to men in all respects, excepts where women are better. If a woman succeeds, it is proof of her superiority. If a woman fails, it is proof that the Patriarchy is up to its usual systematic oppression of females.
That poor, unemployed fella just didn't get it, apparently.
Jay R at August 1, 2016 11:24 AM
I think his bosses asked him to take a leave because he showed such poor judgment in making his assertion. Of course he must have known it would hit the fan. I mean he heads up one of the largest agencies in the world You simply can't say what he said in public. He was right we know but he put a huge corporation at risk. One of their clients, General Mills, has just started an internal review of creative agencies. He probably just wanted to get out and do it with a poke in the eye of the industry.
tom merle at August 1, 2016 5:06 PM
I have had a whole dinner party go cold on me for trying to make this argument.
Me: Women generally aren't as ambitious as men because they don't get their sense of self esteem and status from their jobs.
The Outraged: That's outrageous. Women are just afraid to pursue what they want because they're culturally conditioned to believe they won't succeed and will be undermined at every turn.
Me: Is that why you're a stay-at-home mom?
The Outraged: No, this was my choice and I don't feel the need to apologize for it.
Insufficient Poison at August 2, 2016 8:14 AM
I'm not sure I get your point with that anecdote. That SAHM was just one person, after all. She doesn't represent all SAHMs. Not all are happy or unhappy where they are. (But it MAY be safe to say that most SAHMs return to doing paid work, at least part time, once the youngest child is ten or so. And that most childfree women are not interested in becoming housewives for the rest of their lives.)
And neither of you two seemed to have cited any scientific studies on that particular night.
lenona at August 3, 2016 2:44 PM
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