# CEO of Sam's club a sexist and racist? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 19, 2015, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ceo-of-sams-club-a-sexist-and-racist/740853 "2015-12-19T16:35:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2015, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ceo-of-sams-club-a-sexist-and-racist/740853/21 "2015-12-20T05:40:20Z")
So Brewer hires people who are black and white, male and female. She encounters a business where all the employees are white men. And people are accusing Brewer of being racist and sexist. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2015, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ceo-of-sams-club-a-sexist-and-racist/740853/22 "2015-12-20T10:21:03Z")
> [@Longshanks](#): > > Quartz why are you such a tedious wanker for. Just get to the point, you are a white male presumably who has a problem with minoriteies that get all uppity and above their station? If you want to insult me, take it to the Pit. ---
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2015, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ceo-of-sams-club-a-sexist-and-racist/740853/23 "2015-12-20T15:30:19Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > “a black”?! > [@piepiepie](#): > > Note how she, the CEO of a fairly large company, is just “a black”, but the men she “doesn’t like dealing with” are at least _people_. And that’s exactly when I stopped caring about the matter presented in the OP. Would you prefer “Negress”? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![piepiepie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47774/32.png) [@piepiepie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/piepiepie)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2015, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ceo-of-sams-club-a-sexist-and-racist/740853/24 "2015-12-20T15:42:47Z")
> [@Flyer](#): > > Would you prefer “Negress”? > 😃 Excuse me, but the preferred nomenclature is obviously _nigra_. Duh. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2015, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ceo-of-sams-club-a-sexist-and-racist/740853/25 "2015-12-20T15:47:55Z")
> [@Fubaya](#): > > There is a difference in the articles. The CNN article explains how they like to nudge suppliers into having more diverse sales teams and quotes her saying she planned to call the supplier. The right wing stuff says she planned to fire the supplier. Maybe there’s other info anywhere but I see no evidence of that from the original quote. The right wing sites added that to make it more inflammatory. > > What I get from the CNN article is that she does business with everyone but let’s them know she wants to see diversity in their sales teams. > > What I get from the right wing articles is that she refuses to do business with whites and males because she’s racist and sexist and poor white males have it tough enough already. Are you suggesting that right wing news sources might not be entirely truthful? You are guilty of wingism. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2015, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ceo-of-sams-club-a-sexist-and-racist/740853/26 "2015-12-20T16:33:35Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Are you saying that a member of a majority cannot be the subject of racism or sexism? No, that’s not even remotely close to what I said. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2015, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ceo-of-sams-club-a-sexist-and-racist/740853/27 "2015-12-20T16:34:28Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Uh, no. It’s actually flat out illegal to not do business with someone because of their race. > > The question here is more complicated than that. Does it count as discrimination against people for their race if you use race as evidence of racist hiring practices? > > I mean, it is bad evidence on its own, I’ll admit. There are plenty of reasons why a staff may wind up all white that are not caused by racism. And I would argue assuming otherwise is indeed a form of racism. > > But is it the type of racism that we have made illegal? I don’t think that first statement is correct. If I’m shopping for a Lawfirm, there’s nothing improper about picking one with a racially diverse group of partners over an all white firm. This women can make the same type of decision when deciding what company to purchase lumber from. Discrimination in employment and public accommodations is different, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Nylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/77aa72/32.png) [@Mr.Nylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Nylock)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2015, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ceo-of-sams-club-a-sexist-and-racist/740853/28 "2015-12-20T16:38:52Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Uh, no. It’s actually flat out illegal to not do business with someone because of their race. What exact U.S. law regarding b2b sales for non-government funded private businesses states anything like this? ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2015, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ceo-of-sams-club-a-sexist-and-racist/740853/29 "2015-12-20T18:14:41Z")
The evidence supplied by the OP doesn’t show that Ms. Brewer is sexist or racist. It shows that she thinks the suppliers she deals with are sexist and racist. She’s accusing them of discrimination in hiring and advancement. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2015, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ceo-of-sams-club-a-sexist-and-racist/740853/30 "2015-12-21T03:04:42Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > I don’t think that first statement is correct. If I’m shopping for a Lawfirm, there’s nothing improper about picking one with a racially diverse group of partners over an all white firm. This women can make the same type of decision when deciding what company to purchase lumber from. Discrimination in employment and public accommodations is different, of course. Perhaps not, but that’s not what **Murf** said. He said it’s a free country and she could “do business with the people she prefers” That is not true. You cannot do business with anyone you want, as you cannot discriminate against them for being a part of a suspect class. His statement is exactly the claim made by libertarians who want to repeal the Civil Right Act. He didn’t limit his claim to businesses–not that the Civil Rights Act makes such a distinction either. The rest of my post specifically goes on to explain how this may not be relevant to the current issue. And my subsequent post goes on to note that she’s not claiming to stop doing business with anyone. So I do not understand why I am getting crap for this. ---
**Author:** ![rbroome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/838e76/32.png) [@rbroome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rbroome)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2015, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ceo-of-sams-club-a-sexist-and-racist/740853/31 "2015-12-21T14:54:54Z")
“You cannot do business with anyone you want, as you cannot discriminate against them for being a part of a suspect class.” That is news to me. You seem to be saying that I have to evaluate the workforce of any business I deal with before the law allows me to do business with them. That is, I would have to somehow determine whether a store is part of a suspect class and use that information to decide whether I can not shop there. It doesn’t sound practical. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2015, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ceo-of-sams-club-a-sexist-and-racist/740853/32 "2015-12-21T15:05:48Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > His statement is exactly the claim made by libertarians who want to repeal the Civil Right Act. He didn’t limit his claim to businesses–not that the Civil Rights Act makes such a distinction either. Yes, it does. Title II of the CRA is limited to “public accommodations,” which has never been interpreted to cover the sort of transaction we’re discussing here. If Brewer had been negotiating a group rate for Sam’s Club business travel with Sheraton, the title still wouldn’t apply since it only prohibits the accommodation itself from discriminating. Title VII covers only employment relationships, and is not relevant here. None of the other titles cover private behavior at all. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2015, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ceo-of-sams-club-a-sexist-and-racist/740853/33 "2015-12-21T18:37:37Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Yes, it does. Title II of the CRA is limited to “public accommodations,” which has never been interpreted to cover the sort of transaction we’re discussing here. If Brewer had been negotiating a group rate for Sam’s Club business travel with Sheraton, the title still wouldn’t apply since it only prohibits the accommodation itself from discriminating. > > Title VII covers only employment relationships, and is not relevant here. None of the other titles cover private behavior at all. So are you saying - serious question - that the law that says that Business “A” cannot refuse to allow me as a customer because of my race does not apply to Business “A” refusing to allow another business as a supplier based on race? Not saying that is what is happening in this case, but you piqued my curiosity. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2015, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ceo-of-sams-club-a-sexist-and-racist/740853/34 "2015-12-21T18:53:23Z")
Yup. That is not to say that there may not be other laws that require Business A to select suppliers without regard for race, but the CRA does not and as far as I am aware no federal law does (at least for businesses that are not federal contractors). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ceo-of-sams-club-a-sexist-and-racist/740853.md?page=1)