Time Out New York celebrated Time Out’s 40th anniversary (Time Out as a whole, TONY is only 13), by selecting the “The New York 40“— 40 influential residents who have made an impact in the last 13 years.
Only three people of color made the cut.
Yep. TONY is secure in its knowledge that among the top 40 movers and shakers in New York City, 37 of them are white. (This is the part where you go: Are you f*cking kidding me? ‘Cause no, I’m not.)
Editor Michael Friedson was kind enough to attempt to explain their choices:
We did consider the racial balance, but in the end, we picked people based on talent, influence and their impact over the past 13 years. And a great many of the city’s innovators were left out—black and white….We stand by the picks. Whether we’re thrilled with the outcome is a different question because, for better or worse, that list is also a reflection of New York in the past dozen years—a city whose cultural elite have been mainly white.
Okay. Let me get this straight. You thought about the fact that you had selected only three people of color (I mean, not even three black people, three people who weren’t 100 percent white! (For the record, they picked Jay-Z, Derek Jeter and Junot DÃaz.) And then you decided that since you had selected them, it must be an accurate representation?