Two new Podcast members...still no diversity?

[limace]

OP, thank you for posting this. I want to tell you that I appreciate it, and that I agree with you.

 

[Moshi737]

I do not know how common it is but does it happen, YES! It is a learned trait that POC must be able to code-switch in different environments, it can be exhausting. Many people don't want to work in an environment where there isn't at least one ally.

Fascinating! I have two follow up questions/statements:
1) This “learned trait” in your opinion/experience where does it come from? Is it upbringing? Societal? Something else?
(My theory from my own cultural history is that things like this are subtle, undermining, implemented to keep people “in line”, never explicitly spoken about, kept in practice to not “make waves” and ultimately toxic-and yes, I can imagine exhausting)
2) Is it fair for me to deduce your last statement as a contributing factor in the Dis not having a POC on the show? That not having a perceived “ally” on the podcast may have discouraged a potential qualified POC to pursue employment? Is it fair to say that there are factors out of the control of the Dis team? This line of thought being one of them.
And since John outlined the application & hiring process for TA, how would you encourage an interested POC to take the opportunity here even if they dont see an “ally”? (Assuming here that said person was concerned with that line of thought)
Thanks for taking the time. I am interested in your thought process to be honest. There is something interesting in the way you respond to people and the words you choose. Again, thanks for starting the conversation, hope it continues.

 

[cep101]

Deleting my comment because I don’t think the internet is a great way to discuss this kind of thing.

 

[Queen2PrincessG]

Fascinating! I have two follow up questions/statements:
1) This “learned trait” in your opinion/experience where does it come from? Is it upbringing? Societal? Something else?
(My theory from my own cultural history is that things like this are subtle, undermining, implemented to keep people “in line”, never explicitly spoken about, kept in practice to not “make waves” and ultimately toxic-and yes, I can imagine exhausting)
2) Is it fair for me to deduce your last statement as a contributing factor in the Dis not having a POC on the show? That not having a perceived “ally” on the podcast may have discouraged a potential qualified POC to pursue employment? Is it fair to say that there are factors out of the control of the Dis team? This line of thought being one of them.
And since John outlined the application & hiring process for TA, how would you encourage an interested POC to take the opportunity here even if they dont see an “ally”? (Assuming here that said person was concerned with that line of thought)
Thanks for taking the time. I am interested in your thought process to be honest. There is something interesting in the way you respond to people and the words you choose. Again, thanks for starting the conversation, hope it continues.

1. It comes from having to fit into a colonized society that refuses to allow you to be your authentic self. It's complex and I'm not an expert but here is someone who is.

2. It may be. I don't know. I see Orlando and Florida as quite diverse but maybe I'm wrong. Like I said I have no solution other than people who have power seeing it as something they want and seeking it out and persuing. Some fields use search agencies who specifically look to help with diversity by seeking applicants who are POC out. But it's important that if you bring people on board, you support them if space is not diverse or 100% welcoming.

Thanks! I hope so too.

 

[CanadaDisney05]

She is likely a self employed contractor rather than an employee. It's really just a technicality.

I thought she said that she was flown over to work and live there. Maybe I'm wrong though.

Kind of off topic, but a self employed contractor for all intents and purposes is the same as being an employee. By the letter of the law there are supposed to be some differences, but in actual practice, you can have two people doing the same job where one is an employee and the other is a contractor.

The main difference is in the way they get paid. As an employee, you are entitled to certain employment rights. Your employer pays you your gross pay less your taxes and other standard deductions. At the end of the year they issue a W2.

A self employed contractor submits an invoice for the gross amount. They get paid the whole amount without any taxes withheld. When they file their income taxes, they file as a business. They may not be entitled to certain protections that an employee would be entitled.

I believe all of the Dreams Unlimited travel agents are actually self employed contractors rather than employees of the company.

 

[nkereina]

As someone who is 100% Native American, I can't be offended by the lack of representation on the Dis Unplugged, or anywhere else for that matter. Its just a fact that there are fewer of us in this world than others, and of us, even fewer like Disney World, can do A/V work, live in Orlando, etc etc etc. I would never want the crew to shoehorn a minority into the mix just to say they have it now. If circumstances work out that a qualified one applies, that would be awesome, but it shouldn't be forced in.

 

[DLgal]

A lot of people that are Latino and are referred to as people of color are 100% white. They are completely of European ancestry. Penelope Cruz and AOC are both 100% Spanish ancestry, but for some crazy reason since AOC’s ancestors settled in Puerto Rico she is a POC while Cruz is a white European.

I am Puerto Rican and also white as can be (pale, blonde, blue eyes). My ancestors came to Puerto Rico from Germany in the late 1800s. I am not a POC.

My husband is also Puerto Rican, but his family line comes from the island natives. He has darker skin and different features than me. He could pass as middle eastern. He is considered a POC. Lots of Puerto Rican people's ancestors didn't "settle in Puerto Rico"....they were always there. The island had a native population long before any European people settled there. When they did, they came from Spain, but also everywhere else in Europe. There were also slaves brought over from Africa. This is why PR has such diversity among its own people. It is as common to see a dark skinned person as a fair skinned one.

 

[Lilsia]

1. It comes from having to fit into a colonized society that refuses to allow you to be your authentic self. It's complex and I'm not an expert but here is someone who is.

2. It may be. I don't know. I see Orlando and Florida as quite diverse but maybe I'm wrong. Like I said I have no solution other than people who have power seeing it as something they want and seeking it out and persuing. Some fields use search agencies who specifically look to help with diversity by seeking applicants who are POC out. But it's important that if you bring people on board, you support them if space is not diverse or 100% welcoming.

Thanks! I hope so too.

I think that, after meeting many different people from several different countries, that there is a cultural difference in black Americans then black people from around the world. It has nothing to do with skin color, but is a learned behavior. You have developed your own culture due to the circumstances. My family is from Europe, I am first generation American. People from all different Countries have their own lifestyle that is part of their upbringing and has nothing to do with your skin color. Here in America, there are hundreds of different cultural differences and we all need to adapt to get along. This is not a skin color issue. Growing up, we were careful not to speak our native language around others because of the discrimination. So this is not a unique thing to POC, you just don't notice it. I learned that people like their comfort zone and are leery of those that are not like them. I have also found that in talking to people of other cultures, that most are very similar and you can always find a connection. But it takes 2 willing parties to do this. If you go into it with an "us against them" mentality, then there will always be a divide. America is a very unique in that it is so diverse and that makes it harder sometimes for people to see eye to eye. But I try to give what I want back. There will always be people out there that are just evil and narrow minded, nothing you can do about them. But I think that most people are willing to get past cultural differences if given the chance.

 

[Brianstl]

I am Puerto Rican and also white as can be (pale, blonde, blue eyes). My ancestors came to Puerto Rico from Germany in the late 1800s. I am not a POC.

My husband is also Puerto Rican, but his family line comes from the island natives. He has darker skin and different features than me. He could pass as middle eastern. He is considered a POC. Lots of Puerto Rican people's ancestors didn't "settle in Puerto Rico"....they were always there. The island had a native population long before any European people settled there. When they did, they came from Spain, but also everywhere else in Europe. There were also slaves brought over from Africa. This is why PR has such diversity among its own people. It is as common to see a dark skinned person as a fair skinned one.

I am well aware of this. The two people I referred to in my earlier post both descended 100% from Spanish blood. One is labeled by many as a POC because of where she was born while the other is white European because she was born in Madrid.

 

[ELLH]

It seems to me this thread would have been best served if the question was asked and the Dis team (Pete, I suppose) was given the chance to acknowledge and answer it. Then we don't have pages of hyperbole, or the guessing as to why things are the way they are, or the defending against or from with someone's own bias in the mix. We just have an answer.

Then the viewers can make up their mind if the answer is "good enough" for us to continue to support them. Or, if the question isn't even acknowledged then maybe that is enough for people to make their decision as to continue supporting them.


I see that John did reply. And my response still stands. It doesn't seem to do much good for the community to attack each other when the person the question/issue was levied against hasn't had a chance to response.

 

[Tonyz]

John did reply. And my response still stands. It doesn't seem to do much good for the community to attack each other when the person the question/issue was levied against hasn't had a chance to response.

I don't see anybody attacking anyone else... I see a good discussion about a topic some people feel strongly about.

 

[ELLH]

I don't see anybody attacking anyone else... I see a good discussion about a topic some people feel strongly about.

Ok. "Attack" may not be accurate. But snide remarks were pretty prevalent the first few pages (I quit reading after that). Just unnecessary back and forth.

But rather than focus on a single word out of my entire reply, how about we look at the reply instead. In that regard, my post still stands.

 

[DisneyKevin]

Then the viewers can make up their mind if the answer is "good enough" for us to continue to support them. Or, if the question isn't even acknowledged then maybe that is enough for people to make their decision as to continue supporting them.

I have highlighted this text to make a point.

The OP has acknowledged that she and Pete have communicated via email and you've acknowledged that John has replied via this thread.

Responses and acknowledgement have been provided by the owner of the DIS and two of the owners of Dreams Unlimited Travel.

Ideas have been shared as to how to get involved.

A link has been provided to apply to be a Dreams Agent, and the details of how the blind process works to become an agent have been explained in detail.

 

[Tonyz]

Agree. Open, respectfully discourse is how change happens. I did email Pete and received a response that I think was honest. I never believed this "oversight" was done with intent, but it was nice to have that confirmed.

That is so awesome. Pete, once again, proves just how good of a dude he is.

And John too... shouldn't forget that. This whole thing is a testament to the character of the people in charge of this business. Just class acts all around.

 

[80sTerraceCafeFan]

Diversity is obviously a good and beneficial thing - more different backgrounds can bring a richer perspective and wider relatability for the audience.

However, raising it as an issue with the podcast tends to infer there is some kind of effort to restrict diversity....which I think is 100% not the case here. We are not talking about a big company hiring large numbers of people. The podcast only has a handful of open slots, many of them filled by owners of the parent business - therefore it's very easy for the scales to be tipped in one direction or the other.

I for one hope Pete and Team continue to take folks for these limited spots with the greatest knowledge/love for Disney, podcasting skills, etc, regardless of race/gender/orientation.

 

[YesterDark]

I think this was a good conversation and DISmembers have responded very well in my opinion. Thank you to everyone for making it mostly a pleasant conversation to follow (apparently some was deleted though!).

In any case, just from the perspective of someone who has hosted, guested, produced podcasts at some point (before I had kids!) let me tell you that being on a podcast is a lot of work if you want to make it worth while.

You have to be available at the same time every week. Consistency is key to a good show. In the case of The DIS, it's a live show every Tuesday. That's smack in the middle of the day which is tough for most people if you have other work/jobs to do.

You have to prepare. Not only do you have to keep up on the news, you have to prepare talking points and material. You have to develop or at least keep up to date on the show notes people are preparing.

The best shows are were everyone is in the same room! I believe the only other show (with the DL show ending) is the DVC show where you have someone skyping in. That's another hurdle to the production quality of the show.

As an aside, can we all get together and get skierPete a real mic?

With all that being said, "Just being on the show" is a commitment and tough to do. That's without having mentioned being good on camera and comfortable being a public personality to the 1000s of people watching.

Just some random thoughts, you just can plop someone into the show which makes finding people difficult.

 

[Kristinemunchkin]

Maybe it's just me but isn't having someone on the show because of the color of their skin the same thing as having someone on for the same reason? If you notice all that are on the show come from around the country and have different focus, specialty, and interest. To me this makes for great discussion. I see foodies, parents, singles, married, older, younger, photographers, past cast members, military, the list goes on and on. That seems like a variety to me. Viewpoints and interests seem to be a much more effective characteristic then color of skin.

 

[Tonyz]

Maybe it's just me but isn't having someone on the show because of the color of their skin the same thing as having someone on for the same reason? If you notice all that are on the show come from around the country and have different focus, specialty, and interest. To me this makes for great discussion. I see foodies, parents, singles, married, older, younger, photographers, past cast members, military, the list goes on and on. That seems like a variety to me. Viewpoints and interests seem to be a much more effective characteristic then color of skin.

OP made this point in a different post but it's a great point: the fact that there is so much diversity/variety of people on the podcast in terms of sex, age, relationships, locations, occupations, gay, straight... it seems almost glaring that the one aspect of diversity not represented is POC.

And to not understand why someone who is a POC would also like to be represented but instead list off all the other groups that are represented... it's easy to understand why someone like OP may have felt compelled to start this discussion.

 

[Queen2PrincessG]

That is so awesome. Pete, once again, proves just how good of a dude he is.

And John too... shouldn't forget that. This whole thing is a testament to the character of the people in charge of this business. Just class acts all around.

Agree! Honestly, I would share the exact response but I don't want to cross any privacy lines. If that is a thing. Obviously I feel like my question has been answered people really need to apply or strike up a convo with Pete if you see him in the parks.

I think this thread can morph into many things, open discussion or even bringing attention to something possibly overlooked that someone not represented on the panel may have seen or stated. It seems like something people would be ok with.

 

[Queen2PrincessG]

This is why PR has such diversity among its own people. It is as common to see a dark skinned person as a fair skinned one.

AND why colorism is so rampant in PR right? I think people forget race (which in itself is "fake) has nothing to do with where you are from. Someone asked if Theresa was a POC because she was from Africa, a confusion I think some people still have. Region and Ethnicity are not the same.