Summary

Jide Zeitlin's resignation as Chairman and CEO of Tapestry has sparked a discussion on the moral double standards and racial bias in America, particularly in the context of media scrutiny and societal expectations for people of color compared to white individuals in positions of power.

Abstract

The article discusses the resignation of Jide Zeitlin, one of the few black CEOs of a Fortune 500 company, due to revelations about his private life, including the use of an alias for photography and an extramarital affair. Despite no illegal activity, Zeitlin's actions have been heavily criticized, leading to his departure from Tapestry. The author argues that this scrutiny is hypocritical, especially when compared to the treatment of other public figures, such as former President Donald Trump, who have admitted to similar or more severe personal indiscretions without facing comparable professional consequences. The piece suggests that Zeitlin's situation reflects broader issues of racial bias in the media and society, where black individuals are held to a higher moral standard than their white counterparts. It also questions the motives of the journalists involved in exposing Zeitlin and the integrity of the media in general.

Opinions

The author believes that Jide Zeitlin's resignation is a result of a double standard in moral judgment, where black individuals are judged more harshly than white individuals for similar actions.
It is highlighted that Zeitlin's behavior, while possibly morally questionable to some, was not illegal, and the use of an alias for artistic purposes is a legitimate practice.
The article points out the perceived hypocrisy in American society, where a former president accused of more serious misconduct remained in office, while Zeitlin faced severe professional repercussions for personal matters.
The author suggests that the media's aggressive pursuit of Zeitlin may have been influenced by racial bias, and questions the motives behind the extensive investigation into his private life.
There is a call for a consistent moral standard to be applied across the board, regardless of race, and for society to hold journalists to the same standard of objectivity.
The piece criticizes the current state of news media, implying that it is biased and that the concept of impartial reporting may be obsolete.
The author expresses sympathy for Zeitlin, emphasizing his professional achievements and questioning the fairness of his public demonization.
It is implied that people of color in high-profile roles must be exceptionally vigilant about their personal lives to avoid scrutiny and judgment.

Jide Zeitlin And the Sickening Hypocrisy of America

Jide Zeitlin — Former Chairman and CEO, Tapestry. Photo credit: Tapestry

I was surprised to learn about the abrupt resignation of Jide Zeitlin, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Tapestry, the company that owns amongst many other brands Coach and Kate Spade luxury handbags.

Zeitlin was one of only four black men to lead a Fortune 500 company, so his untimely resignation, just after his tenure had been extended by the board for another three years was indeed unsettling.

So here’s the story: Jide Zeitlin led a double-life. He was a Chairman and Chief Executive Officer by day, and a photographer (with an alias), by night so to say. The photographs that he took were sexual in nature, and 13 years ago, he engaged in an extra-marital affair with one of models he photographed.

Yes, for some this behavior can be considered morally reprehensible, but let us deconstruct a bit.

In a free world, anyone, especially artists, writers and creators, should be able to use an alias to protect their identity. There is nothing illegal about that. As long as the individual is not seeking to harm someone else, I see no problem with that.

Zeitlin admitted to having an extra-marital affair with one of the ladies he photographed. According to both his and her accounts, it was a consensual relationship. They dated for months and he broke it off.

In what sounds like a case of jilted love, his lover and her husband decided to investigate Zeitlin and found out that he was not a professional photographer after all. They felt that he had misled them. Ok yes, so Zeitlin was dishonest, but is this a crime? No.

They also found out that Zeitlin had engaged a slew of other models for nudity pics. Here again, there is no wrong doing. The models photographed were over age and consented for the photos to be taken. So quite simply a transactional relationship as is quite often the case between model and photographer. Here again, no transgression of the law whatsoever.

Jide Zeitlin was certainly no Bill Cosby, Harry Weinstein or Jeffrey Epstein, he was not a sexual predator. He did not rape, drug or traffic women. He engaged in what some but not all may call sexual misconduct, but was there anything illegal about what he did: No.

So here comes my question: in a country where the head of state himself boasts about grabbing women by the pussy and has allegedly had affairs with a porn star and Playboy model, how can such a flimsy case against Jide Zeitlin even hold?

Why is Zeitlin basically being lynched in the media whereby Trump gets to sit in the White House making questionable decisions that far more negatively impact the lives of Americans in this COVID-19 era? The blatant hypocrisy of it all is alarming.

If Zeitlin is being prosecuted by media and is now out of a job despite being a strong leader at the helm of Tapestry, why is Trump still in the White House. Why are so many others still in positions of power?

Even stranger in this story, is why a couple of journalists went after Zeitlin so aggressively? What were their motives? Who funded their extensive investigation? Who and what lurks in the shadows? This whole episode raises more questions than it answers.

After analyzing this story from all angles, the only conclusion I can come to is that as a black man, Zeitlin is held to a much higher moral standard than a white man.

While Trump and many others that look like him can get away with far serious crimes, Zeitlin as a black man in America simply cannot. There is quite simply a different rule book for black people in America.

This reality is clear. Over many years, the American media tried to find dirt on Obama to get him kicked him out of office. Despite their relentless search, they couldn’t come up with a damn thing. How that most have irritated some?

Zeitlin wasn’t running for public office. He has had an excellent professional track record all his life. First while he was a partner at Goldman Sachs and second as Chairman and CEO of Tapestry. Yes he didn’t engage in what some may consider exemplary behavior in his personal life, but does he deserve to be dragged through the mud and demonized the way he has? Absolutely not.

The hypocrisy and double standard in this story is yet another example of how black people are treated differently, and it simply isn’t fair.

If you are going to have a moral standard, it needs to be the same for everybody. You can’t have one for white people and another for black people. If Zeitlin is put on public trial, Trump and countless others should be too.

And as a society, we should hold journalists accountable to this one moral standard as well. When they come with such a story, we should question their motives, ask ourselves why they are targeting certain people. Who are these journalists answering to?

I think the era of impartial and objective news is over — I even question whether it ever existed.

One thing that Trump has gotten right all along however, is that the news media is often the purveyor of biased news at best and fake news at worst. Their narratives are told from the point of view of the large mostly white, liberal conglomerates that own them. We simply can’t trust everything they tell us anymore.

Zeitlin published his own account of events on his Linked profile, but he had already lost the battle at this point. From my perspective, his lengthy explanation and efforts to control his narrative simply made matters worse.

Zeitlin is going to need a solid PR agency to re-build his brand. But one thing that he and all other brown and black people should never forget, is that society will judge you harshly should you make one mistake. And if you seek any high profile role in either the public or private domaines, you had better make damn sure you have absolutely no skeletons in the closet.

Thanks for reading me.