It’s like being forced to watch the second series of a poorly produced Netflix drama. I had a look on Google Maps and it currently says ‘Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America)’. I found the meme below on Bluesky. And the four-year period is barely underway.

Today is a day of love. Whatever your gender identity, ethnicity, sexual orientation. It felt to me like a day to speak up on three things that are dear to me: climate action; equality, diversity and inclusion; and professionalism. Three things that don’t seem so dear to some powerful white men at the moment.

It doesn’t take a genius to recognise that humanity has been polluting the planet in its greedy pursuit of ‘progress’. Not only have indigenous peoples been trampled in the rush but biodiversity has been decimated. And crucially now the global climate itself is being destabilised posing the greatest ever threat. Yet somehow in this awful Netflix drama we are force-fed ‘drill baby, drill’.

My university recently stepped away from using the term BAME. We have opted instead for ‘Global Majority’. Yes, that’s right powerful white men – the world is a bigger more diverse place than you realised. But perhaps that’s why you feel threatened? At the most basic level, wouldn’t it be good if it was understood that promoting equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) was not about positive discrimination. Actually, it is discrimination that has been the privilege of being white and male for a loooooong time. EDI just makes sense in a world where we are all different and better together. Yet somehow in this awful Netflix drama we are force-fed ‘go woke, go broke’.

Professionalism, like climate action and EDI is a complex territory. But to my mind it speaks to doing more than wearing a pressed white shirt and long red tie. It is about encouraging authenticity, trying to walk the walk, being constructively challenging and values-driven. It’s not about claiming to embrace EDI when it is in vogue and is good for business in terms of optics, and then back tracking because bullies threatened by EDI are shouting on mainstream media that ‘it’s not fair’. Somehow in this awful Netflix drama we have one of the several over-paid billionnaire characters telling us that ‘we need more masculine energy in business’.

Sadly, you can’t turn off the TV on this one. We are all being forced to watch. But let’s not be silent. If you value climate action, if you value equality, diversity and inclusion, if you value professionalism, then please say so and maybe we can move on to some better TV viewing.

Happy Valentine’s Day.

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