[wijwp]

As a white man who used to work for G:

> There was a ERG for literally every single race except White people. "Just join one of the others" was what they told me.

What would an ERG for white people even do? What would you want from it?

> Nonwhite employees in my org also got a special mentor who helped them get a leg-up in the company.

There are general mentorship programs, too. Usually focused on career development. I was a part of the main one.

[rqtwteye]

“ What would an ERG for white people even do? What would you want from it?”

What do other groups get? Support, networking, mentorship probably. A lot of white people could use that help too.

[wijwp]

> Support, networking, mentorship

I get plenty of that elsewhere. Do you have issues finding support, networking events, and mentorship programs?

ERGs specifically tend to group those generic, open-to-all programs together and add another layer of `navigating the workplace as [insert ERG demographic]` that doesn't really make sense if you insert "white man".

[rqtwteye]

How about an ERG for people who need support? When I started working I had no idea how things work and nobody told me. I didn't even know that things like mentorship exist. I had been taught by my parents that you go to work and do what you are told to do.

[wijwp]

> I didn't even know that things like mentorship exist.

If you don't know about mentorship programs that already exist and fills at least most of the gap you're talking about, how would you find the ERG?

[jlawson]

>What would an ERG for white people even do? What would you want from it?

The exact same thing as anyone of any other group of course.

To be clear, Whites are a minority at Google. They are also not even the largest group. (Not that this should matter - all groups have the right to exist).

[skyyler]

>Whites are a minority at Google

Is that true? Do white men at google face systemic oppression?

[umbra07]

when did we decide to redefine 'minority' as "faces systemic oppression"?

[skyyler]

I asked a follow up question.

I don't even believe that white men aren't the largest demographic at google.

But even if they aren't, do they face systemic oppression because of this?

Why is it relevant that they aren't a majority?

[jlawson]

Google's own figures say Whites are not the largest group.

Yes, Whites face systemic oppression by any definition of the word. For example, hiring systems set up that systemically prefer others over them.

[yieldcrv]

I’m uninitiated to this concept and not white

and I’m scratching my head about why these same questions arent asked for “employee resource groups” of other minority “themes”

as well as why the ability to empathise is so apparent for those other themes but not so easily imagined for this person who is white

forgot the EEOC, I’m about to go to the SEC Whistleblower bounty program since shareholders might want to know how misguided the population there is

[wijwp]

Well, most other groups have had a rough go at it throughout recent history, and often have to approach the workplace differently because it takes a long time to reverse some of our previous mistakes.

We considered many black folks property until 1865, and we had segregation of some schools in the 1960s. We didn't let women vote until 1920. We put Japanese people in internment camps until 1946. Gay folks couldn't marry in all states until 2015. Do I have to list more?

If you don't think this kind of stuff leaks into the workplace, then I don't think you're paying attention.

[fallingknife]

> We put Japanese people in internment camps until 1946

And now they are economically ahead of the average American. Universities actually discriminate against them by their malevolent definition of "fairness" where success is a punishable offense. People are where they are because of what they do today, not what happened to their ancestors in the past.

[yieldcrv]

That doesn't explain why ERG's exist for that, and it doesn't explain why they are dismissive of what people who are white && and not women encounter in life or as an employee, seeking resources

Why are you invalidating their experience, its look like you have let something else leak into the workplace under an amusingly ironic interpretation of empathy

Let's write it again in a different way: Nothing about the name "Employee Resource Group" suggests that "state-sanctioned disenfranchisement at some point in the country's history" is the only reason or prerequisite for an employee seeking resources

Looks like an another race and ethnicity settlement is brewing

[IX-103]

Look, they had a whiskey drinkers ERG when I was there. For people that like to meet to drink whiskey.

I'm not sure what OP actually proposed, but I'm reasonably sure he's not telling the whole story.

[yieldcrv]

Thanks for the context

[wijwp]

> Why are you invalidating their experience

What experience are you talking about? What resources are lacking that don't address those experiences?

[footlose_3815]

I would have been happy if it was called "White Allies" and it just focused on being a good sensitive person.

[wijwp]

There are plenty of allyship opportunities at big companies. Or at least, there were. I don't really know the status of some companies after the current political environment started changing things.

Focusing on "White Allies" is a bit strange, though. Anyone not directly in a given group can be allies.