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By Buki Mosaku
I’m not entirely sure where I stand on the controversy over actor Bradley Cooper’s use of prosthetics to amplify his resemblance to Bernstein, in his portrayal of Leonard Bernstein in the Netflix biopic Maestro — a movie that he also produced.
As a black ethnic minority, I can’t help drawing comparisons with the great Lord Olivier’s embarrassing portrayal of Shakespeare’s Othello in which he used makeup to darken his face and adopted stereotypical interpretations of mannerisms and movements associated with black men. Or, there’s also the widely viewed black and white minstrels aired for decades on the BBC based on the original Virginia Minstrels and Virginia Serenaders from the early 19th century. Such portrayals influence perceptions of minorities, which seep into society and the workplace. This can unconsciously impact majority people — managers’ and leaders’ decisions that affect ethnic minority career development, progression opportunities, staff well-being, wider team cohesion, and productivity.
Regardless of where you stand on this Maestro issue, it provides a teachable moment. In the workplace, for example, if left unaddressed, perceived racism lays fertile ground for toxicity to flourish.
The Maestro question demonstrates our need for:
1. Awareness of unconscious bias. Racial bias awareness and sensitivities in the workplace are needed so that unconscious bias isn’t allowed to stifle career progression and representation of minorities in the workplace.
2. Bias navigation skills.Equipping people with skills to effectively call out sensed unconscious or conscious bias in all its forms is essential for workplace productivity and overall team cohesion. Left unresolved in the workplace, conscious or unconscious bias lays fertile ground for toxicity to flourish.
3. Acknowledgment of the potential for “reverse bias.”Reverse bias happens when a minority has conditioned views toward a majority based on negative stereotypes. Bernstein’s family’s strong defense of Cooper points to misinterpretations of his motives as a form of unconscious reverse bias.
4. The importance of in-the-moment bias call out. The importance of calling out sensed unconscious bias or conscious bias, be it “directional bias” towards traditional victims or “reverse bias” towards traditional perpetrators, must be communicated throughout an organization. All team members must be equipped with the necessary skills and confidence to navigate unconscious bias at the moment.
5. Positive reconditioning in relation to unconscious bias. Bias call out, if done so effectively, shapes more inclusive workplaces. When team members sense bias directed towards them, and draw the perpetrator’s attention to it through nonjudgmental, inquiry-driven dialogue, both parties can collaboratively agree on how to harmoniously move forward.
I’ll let you decide whether Bradley Cooper’s use of a prosthetic was necessary and bordering on racism. Or, alternatively, a Jewish actor, like Jake Gyllenhaal, could have played the role without the need for a prosthetic. Or, finally, whether actors playing a role shouldn’t feel the need to alter their appearance, as Cillian Murphy’s recent portrayal of Robert Oppenheimer in the movie Oppenheimer demonstrates.
The more important issue from a workplace standpoint is that we create psychologically safe environments where all staff are equipped to address and call out sensed unconscious or indeed conscious bias, be it directional bias or reverse bias, without negatively affecting their careers.
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