4 ms·

Pretty bold of Citi to publish something like this. I wish more companies had the balls to do something like this... Not just some "Yay equality!!" Tweet, but a

Pretty bold of Citi to publish something like this. I wish more companies had the balls to do something like this... Not just some "Yay equality!!" Tweet, but a real and specific stance. Kudos.

deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
javajosh 6y ago
My cynical brain is working overtime finding a flaw in this statement, or the angle from which it is selfish, and it's failing. One of the things I like about it is that its personal, not a company statement. Its a risk for them, though, and I am also, reluctantly, impressed.
- hckr_news 6y ago
  Don’t forget Citi Bank was involved one of the most racist economic foreign policy to ever exist instituted by France and the US against Haiti. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/External_debt_of_Haiti https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/External_debt_of_Haiti
wpietri 6y ago
I'd love to see it more. Ibram Kendi makes the point that in the US, there's not really a thing like "neutral" or "non-racist". One either supports the status quo, loudly or quietly. Or one is an anti-racist. Being "apolitical", which is what most companies pretend to be, is just a fancy way of saying, "Things are fine as they are." As press critic Jay Rosen suggests, we are all political, especially in times like these. The trick is to be political, to advocate for our own values, without politicizing things: https://pressthink.org/2020/05/you-cannot-keep-from-getting-swept-up-in-trumps-agenda-without-a-firm-grasp-on-your-own/ https://pressthink.org/2020/05/you-cannot-keep-from-getting-...
brodouevencode 6y ago
IDK, I’m a little more skeptical of this post. It seems more posturing than actually effecting change. CFOs have other means of doing that, in better ways than a simple blog post. This is no different than the celebrity cause du jour tweet except that it’s coming from a business leader rather than some actor/actress/pop star. Let’s see this CFO use their connections and influence to make things better in real ways.
- rubyfan 6y ago
  what do you suggest?
  - brodouevencode 6y ago
    I would hope and can safely assume that they (Citi) have relatively decent community and governmental connections. Leverage those.
    - scarface74 6y ago
      I’m sure that the current administration will be willing participants in a forum about police conduct with respect to minorities.
    - dahfizz 6y ago
      Leverage them how? What are specific actions you think a bank can reasonably take to effect large scale social change?
- uncletaco 6y ago
  > CFOs have other means of doing that, in better ways than a simple blog post. I believe this CFO agrees with you. Most of the "celebrity cause du jour" tweets are just that, tweets. At least at the end of this post he listed groups that he's donating to [1] NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund [2] Advancement Project [3] Color of Change This may not mean much to you, but at least he's claiming to put his money where his mouth is. [1] https://www.naacpldf.org/ https://www.naacpldf.org/ [2] https://advancementproject.org/ https://advancementproject.org/ [3] https://colorofchange.org/ https://colorofchange.org/
  - brodouevencode 6y ago
    Meh, some of us have been making charitable contributions to (not these exact ones but similar) like charities for years. This just seems a little too convenient and charlatan.
A4ET8a8uTh0 6y ago
It is. And it is hard to overstate given that in any large institution that kind of post has to go through multiple layers of bureaucracy. Doubly so in a bank. While I can't shake off the feeling that there is a cynical calculation there for some good PR, I believe it is still a good move.
- ken 6y ago
  A C-level exec needs to pass "multiple layers of bureaucracy" to post a personal note on the company blog? That seems excessive, even for a large corporation. If you can't trust your executive management team to represent the company, what are they good for?
  - hckr_news 6y ago
    Do you have any idea how PR is managed..
    - asjfj9 6y ago
      Coming from a University research background for the last 5 years after obtaining my PhD, no I don't. Could you elaborate on this? What process would this CFO need to go through to share this possibly "contentious" post on one of the world's largest and globally recognised banks' websites?
      - SSLy 6y ago
        I think this is entirely depended on the way the C*O management culture (for lack of better expression). But at least I would expect he's let know legal, CEO, and the PR officer before.
      - dahfizz 6y ago
        At a minimum it has been reviewed by the PR / marketing manager, legal team, and more than likely the CEO. There was also a lengthy editing process. A large company doesn't release anything without a review like this, no matter how mundane. You can bet they will double down when discussing sensitive social issues.
stOneskull 6y ago
it seems like PR for usury to me. there's been quite a bit of 'bankers are nice guys' propaganda since the coronu.
- hckr_news 6y ago
  Perhaps scared of the mass uprisings, people are angry, and frustrated and this situation could explode in the next few weeks. Interesting that you used the word usury. You never really see that word used to refer to predatory loans except in an Islamic context.
  - stOneskull 6y ago
    many have seen the power of usury through time. most declare it hurts people and is very destructive so should not be practiced, some saw the power and decided to use it. 'lend unto other nations, and you shall rule over those nations'

Pretty bold of Citi to publish something like this. I wish more companies had the balls to do something like this... Not just some "Yay equality!!" Tweet, but a real and specific stance. Kudos.

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]

javajosh 6y ago

My cynical brain is working overtime finding a flaw in this statement, or the angle from which it is selfish, and it's failing. One of the things I like about it is that its personal, not a company statement. Its a risk for them, though, and I am also, reluctantly, impressed.

hckr_news 6y ago
Don’t forget Citi Bank was involved one of the most racist economic foreign policy to ever exist instituted by France and the US against Haiti. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/External_debt_of_Haiti https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/External_debt_of_Haiti

wpietri 6y ago

I'd love to see it more. Ibram Kendi makes the point that in the US, there's not really a thing like "neutral" or "non-racist". One either supports the status quo, loudly or quietly. Or one is an anti-racist. Being "apolitical", which is what most companies pretend to be, is just a fancy way of saying, "Things are fine as they are." As press critic Jay Rosen suggests, we are all political, especially in times like these. The trick is to be political, to advocate for our own values, without politicizing things: https://pressthink.org/2020/05/you-cannot-keep-from-getting-swept-up-in-trumps-agenda-without-a-firm-grasp-on-your-own/ https://pressthink.org/2020/05/you-cannot-keep-from-getting-...

brodouevencode 6y ago

IDK, I’m a little more skeptical of this post. It seems more posturing than actually effecting change. CFOs have other means of doing that, in better ways than a simple blog post. This is no different than the celebrity cause du jour tweet except that it’s coming from a business leader rather than some actor/actress/pop star. Let’s see this CFO use their connections and influence to make things better in real ways.

rubyfan 6y ago
what do you suggest?
- brodouevencode 6y ago
  I would hope and can safely assume that they (Citi) have relatively decent community and governmental connections. Leverage those.
  - scarface74 6y ago
    I’m sure that the current administration will be willing participants in a forum about police conduct with respect to minorities.
  - dahfizz 6y ago
    Leverage them how? What are specific actions you think a bank can reasonably take to effect large scale social change?
uncletaco 6y ago
> CFOs have other means of doing that, in better ways than a simple blog post. I believe this CFO agrees with you. Most of the "celebrity cause du jour" tweets are just that, tweets. At least at the end of this post he listed groups that he's donating to [1] NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund [2] Advancement Project [3] Color of Change This may not mean much to you, but at least he's claiming to put his money where his mouth is. [1] https://www.naacpldf.org/ https://www.naacpldf.org/ [2] https://advancementproject.org/ https://advancementproject.org/ [3] https://colorofchange.org/ https://colorofchange.org/
- brodouevencode 6y ago
  Meh, some of us have been making charitable contributions to (not these exact ones but similar) like charities for years. This just seems a little too convenient and charlatan.

A4ET8a8uTh0 6y ago

It is. And it is hard to overstate given that in any large institution that kind of post has to go through multiple layers of bureaucracy. Doubly so in a bank. While I can't shake off the feeling that there is a cynical calculation there for some good PR, I believe it is still a good move.

ken 6y ago
A C-level exec needs to pass "multiple layers of bureaucracy" to post a personal note on the company blog? That seems excessive, even for a large corporation. If you can't trust your executive management team to represent the company, what are they good for?
- hckr_news 6y ago
  Do you have any idea how PR is managed..
  - asjfj9 6y ago
    Coming from a University research background for the last 5 years after obtaining my PhD, no I don't. Could you elaborate on this? What process would this CFO need to go through to share this possibly "contentious" post on one of the world's largest and globally recognised banks' websites?
    - SSLy 6y ago
      I think this is entirely depended on the way the C*O management culture (for lack of better expression). But at least I would expect he's let know legal, CEO, and the PR officer before.
    - dahfizz 6y ago
      At a minimum it has been reviewed by the PR / marketing manager, legal team, and more than likely the CEO. There was also a lengthy editing process. A large company doesn't release anything without a review like this, no matter how mundane. You can bet they will double down when discussing sensitive social issues.

stOneskull 6y ago

it seems like PR for usury to me. there's been quite a bit of 'bankers are nice guys' propaganda since the coronu.

hckr_news 6y ago
Perhaps scared of the mass uprisings, people are angry, and frustrated and this situation could explode in the next few weeks. Interesting that you used the word usury. You never really see that word used to refer to predatory loans except in an Islamic context.
- stOneskull 6y ago
  many have seen the power of usury through time. most declare it hurts people and is very destructive so should not be practiced, some saw the power and decided to use it. 'lend unto other nations, and you shall rule over those nations'