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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

And Barclays don't give a stuff either...

103 replies

ChristinaXYZ · 30/06/2021 15:19

The corporate wokeness is really getting me down. I am fortunate not to work for these companies but changing banks is harder than changing supermarkets especially when so many branches are closing. Barclays have really over-stepped with this bossy piece of bullying. This Barclays video that actually says you find it confusing? well you don't need to understand, just do the following (presumably without question!). It is just bullying, plain and simple.

twitter.com/carolinefff/status/1409837580078702592

OP posts:
EmbarrassingAdmissions · 30/06/2021 15:25

I have seen some of the Twitter reaction to this.

Do these brilliant marketing people never pause to consider whether shaming people for their alleged ignorance has an amazing evidence base behind it as a persuasive tactic?

Do they ever stop to reflect, "Were it not for my unshakeable belief in my moral compass, I'd worry this sounded totalitarian?"

Do they ever think, "This campaign is not just adjacent to gaslighting, in years to come, this will be cited as a case study in it?"

ChristinaXYZ · 30/06/2021 15:30

No, they never think. They just brag and bully.

OP posts:
TheHandmadeTails · 30/06/2021 15:36

So you need to educate yourself, but don’t expect to understand it? Is gender identity supposed to be on a par with quantum physics?

Also very threatening undertones.

allmywhat · 30/06/2021 15:38

Wow. I thought maybe it was a targeted ad, ostensibly targeted at ignorant straight people but actually meant for TRAs who seem to enjoy this bullying tone.

But then I saw they’ve put images of this person in their High St branches, so presumably this is a broader campaign. That seems like... a poor choice.

LazyHorizon · 30/06/2021 15:38

Massive own goal. Customers don’t like sanctimonious lectures. This campaign will end up quietly shelved.

AssassinatedBeauty · 30/06/2021 15:42

Remind me why Sionice, Deputy Market Leader, Mortgages for Barclays, is the most oppressed of all oppressed people and in need of ally-ship?

EmbarrassingAdmissions · 30/06/2021 15:42

@LazyHorizon

Massive own goal. Customers don’t like sanctimonious lectures. This campaign will end up quietly shelved.
I wonder if this was ever intended to be persuasive for customers and the general public?

Or had Barclays already committed to this as part of their WEI submission ahead of the revelations in the Sunday Times ? Because the tone of it manages that intimidatory tone so well-described there - and the craven dancing for points for Stonewall prizes feels in line with the reports.

FeatheredHope · 30/06/2021 15:50

Do they not see the contradiction in talking about how we have many elements that make us “us” and about not putting these things in boxes, and yet pushing pronouns in emails.

FloralBunting · 30/06/2021 15:53

Once again 'LGBT+' allyship is reduced to pronouns in your email signature and accepting without question that a male person can be whatever he says he is, including a gay woman.

I don't need to understand it, but I do. A hectoring set of demands from someone that will do nothing to benefit LGB people whatsoever. Hard pass.

TheHandmadeTails · 30/06/2021 15:57

They’re a Stonewall Top 100 Employer. As we know Stonewall tell them off if they don’t do enough on social media, so helpfully Sionice wants allies to do their work for them.

FeatheredHope · 30/06/2021 15:59

Also the utter hypocrisy of a bank like Barclays lecturing me on how to be a better person. Fuck that.

EmbarrassingAdmissions · 30/06/2021 16:04

@TheHandmadeTails

They’re a Stonewall Top 100 Employer. As we know Stonewall tell them off if they don’t do enough on social media, so helpfully Sionice wants allies to do their work for them.
But, in no way or stretch of the imagination does this resemble MLM pressure recruitment techniques or the use of social psychology tactics to change the landscape and exploit a desire to be kind as evidence of a allyship, commitment and a silencing of objections.

Any member of the public who feels they're being recruited and berated as Sionice's downlines is just in need of further education.

"An amazing example is the prison-camp program in Korean War where the Chinese used commitment and consistency pressures to gain compliance from prisoners. Although the American servicemen had been trained to give minimal details (name, rank and number), they gave away much more. How? The Chinese first asked prisoners to “make statements so mildly anti-American or pro-Communist as to seem inconsequential” such as “The United States is not perfect.” Then, once they’d complied with these minor requests, they were gradually pushed to make bigger and bigger declarations. Once they’d agreed that the US was not perfect, they would be pushed to expand on ways in which this was the case – not wanting to be inconsistent, they complied. Then, to remain consistent, they would agree to read their statements aloud in a discussion group, then maybe record it as an anti-American radio broadcast. Finding themselves a “collaborator”, without any physical coercion, the men changed their self-image and performed even more extensive acts of collaboration. The majority of prisoners collaborated at some time. Nobody wanted to appear inconsistent.

The critical act here, apparently, was that they wrote it down. They couldn’t deny the previous step, and pushed themselves into further acts of collaboration to prove their consistency (probably to themselves more than anyone else)."

scrumandkanban.co.uk/commitment-and-consistency/

pistachioicecream · 30/06/2021 16:04

Horrified at this video and unfortunately I'm a Barclays customer.

Any recommendations for where I can move to or are all the other banks about to follow suit too?

EyesOpening · 30/06/2021 16:05

Barclays special offer:
Free Lecture With Every Account

Tesla73 · 30/06/2021 16:06

How ironic that Barclays shut account of gay conversion group yet are so in bed with SW

www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/markets/article-8924111/Barclays-sued-gay-conversion-Christian-group.html

CharlieParley · 30/06/2021 16:07

"You don't need to understand it. But to be a better ally, you need to do three things: wise up, stand up, show up. Wising up is about educating yourself and not expecting the LBGT+ community to educate you ..."

Two problems with this:

I do marketing/business writing. I wouldn't have produced a campaign text like this and would have strongly advised my client against it. It condescends to the customer, it's hostile, and it's internally contradictory. Looking at the psychology of marketing, this leads to campaigns either being ignored i.e. it's a complete waste of your time and money, or it angers customers i.e. you lose customers. What you want though is more customers.

And saying that you don't need to understand while demanding that you educate yourself equates to indoctrination. Never a good luck if you want to send out progressive vibes.

highame · 30/06/2021 16:08

Loads of these big corporations love CRTand queer theory. It is all about the individual and if it's about the individual then the corporations can just carry on taking and throwing crumbs at the dumb students. Barclays pays it's staff peanuts and its executives have their snouts in the trough. Loath it all

ScreamingMeMe · 30/06/2021 16:12

They should play the Wi Spa videos followed by this, on a loop.

SengaMac · 30/06/2021 16:13

Barclays, and others, shouldn't be policing the views of their customers.
Just stick to getting the sums right.

aliasundercover · 30/06/2021 16:17

" If you don't know the difference between men and women I'm sure as hell not trusting you with my money"

EmbarrassingAdmissions · 30/06/2021 16:18

@ScreamingMeMe

They should play the Wi Spa videos followed by this, on a loop.
I would never scan a public QR code myself (to great a risk of importing something malicious) but I would very much like to see guerrilla stickering with a QR code to the Spa videos in any area where the Barclay video harangues us.

Ben Goldacre used to recommend watching a Feynman chaser after reading or watching egregious unscientific nonsense or denialism of HIV and Aids.

It would be helpful to have a commonsense chaser on hand for this.

WhatyoutalkingaboutWillis · 30/06/2021 16:19

Friggin outraged and told them so on twitter. I've been banking with them forever...personal and business. I'm out now!

I'm fancying either Monzo or First Direct. Anyone have other suggestions. Starling seem great but it's a monthly fee.

highame · 30/06/2021 16:20

I'm so bloody annoyed about this. Since when has it been good marketing to get political? This is political and it is controversial. Fck Barclays. The financial institutions are all in league. The Bank of England lit up with rainbows for every Pride event it can think of. Fck all for any other disadvantaged group.

How bloody dare they

StandWithYou · 30/06/2021 16:20

The ratio on the Barclays tweet is quite something.

When are organisations going to learn? I thought the RA backlash would have given companies something to think about. Apparently not.