Trek Women Who Ride

[VeloVT]

And one more thing... I think people are getting mad at the suggestion of "diversity for diversity's sake" because it's bringing up for them the affirmative action debate -- and I am NOT going to say anything about my views on that here -- but I do think it's a mistake to view diversity in advertising as being similar to affirmative action in academia or the workplace.

Whichever side of the affirmative action debate you sympathize with, it can be agreed that there are fairness and equal treatment concerns (on both sides) that have a real impact on peoples' lives, as well as a whole host of arguments you may agree with or not about what actually is beneficial or harmful to various groups.

Advertising, though, doesn't change anyone's opportunity -- it just reflects our attitudes and perhaps plays a role in shaping them. That's not to trivialize it too much though, since attitudes play a powerful role in society...