COMMENT As a white, privileged middle-class, late middle-aged, heterosexual man, I have no right to talk about the impact of discrimination on its victim, whether that be racism, sexism, homophobia, or any other form of discrimination, as I have never been subjected to it. So I’m not going to do that. What I am going to do, however, is share how my view of myself has changed over the past few years, why it has changed and the impact of that change on my approach to this vitally important subject.
I have always considered myself to be firmly non-discriminatory. Like most people, I have friends and colleagues of all persuasions and have always approached my relationships with them in the same way. So until comparatively recently, when the topic of discrimination and inclusivity came up, I was always the first to say: “I’m not racist”, “I’m not a homophobe” etc. However, I was always aware of the prevalence of discrimination in the world. Unfortunately, I have also been aware of it in the real estate industry – not in an open, football-terrace way, but as an undercurrent, often evidenced by the imbalance of leadership between genders, race etc. In a recent survey in the US, it was found that only 5.1% of the senior leadership in the top real estate firms is of ethnic origin. When UK networking organisation BAME in Property surveyed its 400 members less than two years ago, 70% responded that “they had experienced racism or discrimination of some kind — sometimes subtle and insidious, sometimes open and vile.” However, I never tried to face up to this or speak out about it.
Facing facts
Then in early 2020, I woke up to the news of George Floyd’s murder and my whole outlook changed. People started speaking out – not just those affected by discrimination but people just like me. The BLM movement was supported by many thousands across society, and it made me take a step back and think about whether I could do more. I contacted a black colleague in our industry who was very open about the racism he had experienced at work and we arranged to talk. That conversation shocked me – it became clear that while we agreed I was not a racist, I was almost as guilty through my silence. He made me face up to the fact that I had seen and heard discrimination in all its forms but never spoken out about it. I had laughed at sexist and homophobic jokes and never considered the impact and I had seen the hiring and promoting of white privileged males when there were better-suited candidates who were not the same gender, ethnicity or sexual persuasion without being willing to stand up and say “No, this is wrong.”
There are four levels of discrimination: Level one is being actively prejudiced and discriminatory; Level two is laughing along with the prejudice of others; Level three is the witnessing of discrimination and doing or saying nothing, and Level four is actively combatting that discrimination. I had been guilty of levels two and three and left that conversation feeling very ashamed but with a firm commitment to change.
Openly critical
I am now very public in my views on social media, in conversation and at work. It is not enough to not discriminate – we need to be visibly anti-discrimination in whatever guise. The commercial real estate industry is a very traditional market – technology has changed but the way we operate it is still very similar to the way business was conducted 30 years ago. That tradition and operating model has much to commend it: the (often life-long) relationships that are formed, the long-held belief that a handshake is a binding commitment, and the very social nature of our activities are all things to be treasured. However, we as an industry must commit to making our market one that is based on equality of opportunity irrespective of race, religious belief, gender and sexuality. To achieve this, we need to be openly critical when we see or hear of discrimination. We must be willing to have public debate on how to ensure discrimination is stamped out and we must commit to a way of working that is 100% inclusive. Those debates need to have representation from all sides without fear of recrimination.
I am now passionate about this, which is a big shift from my past apathetic approach to the subject and would like to be able to play a key role in those discussions as they progress. But this will take commitment from the highest levels with the funds, advisory firms and lenders if it is to be effective.
Now is the time to end the gesture towards equality and to take positive action to consign discrimination to the history books.
David Oates is chief revenue officer at Coyote Software
