Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist S02E06 - You have to do what feels right for you

The last episodes ends with Simon calling out his company for being racist. Zoey is surprised for her action because she had absolutely no idea he would do that in the press conference. Indeed, Simon did try to let her know, but she just did not get it. As a friend of Simon, Zoey feels terribly sorry for how he was being treated because of his race, and she is supportive for his action. But as a supervisor of Simon, Zoey is asked by his boss to tell him to retract what he said. Zoey doesn't how to communicate with Simon about this, so she asks her another black friend, Mo's advices. Mo feels like her intention of seeking his advices is exactly the racial discrimination that he has been talking about. Zoey learns that she should not view someone based off their colors, because everyone, including people of colors, should be equal. In the meantime, Zoey asks Max and Mo pitch their startup idea to her boss, because he would like to support business with people of colors. Max originally thought that it would be asking for guilt money, but they really need that amount of money to continue the business, so they go for it. The boss is not quite impressed by the idea, but the investment is not so big and he would like to support the minority group, so he gives some funding to them.

Zoey decides to tell Simon straight about what the board wants and emphasize that she is just a messenger. Simon is upset by her words, because she clearly does not know what he had experienced before. Simon is a black man, a minority in a company that is dominated by white people. As a woman in the IT industry, Zoey thinks that she is also a minority, so she should have shared similar experience and feeling with Simon. Unlike Zoey, Simon did not have a good mentor, so he had to work harder than anyone else to find his place in the company.

Tobin complimented Max after Max giving that controversial speech, but Max only thinks Tobin was giving a half-hearted remark. Tobin likes to joke around, so he always strikes others as a light-hearted person that does not take thing seriously. Zoey knows he is struggling in this office, so she tries to ask him to open up. Tobin reveals that he is afraid of being rejected because of his Indian ethnicity. By joking around and make friend with most of the co-workers, he just wants to fit in to a workplace full of white guys. He did not want to make the situation more complicated than it was, but he finally decides to speak up for the minority in the company by posting a comment of his experience in the company. His experience resonate with other co-workers with colors in the company, so the number of complaints to the company blows up in one night. Simon was thinking about quitting because he is not going to walk back his words. However, all the complaints prove that Simon is not the only one being treated unequally, and the company should take the blame of being racist.

Sometimes, people don't even realize they are discriminating others indirectly because they have taken it for granted. Their comments might not be serious, but the listeners may find them offensive anyway. If we can treat everyone equally without judging their races, it would be an ideal world for everyone to live in.

- Is there something you wanna say that's on your mind? Look, Zoey, I love you,  but you rely far too much on me to do your emotional heavy lifting, and it's exhausting. I mean, it's hard enough for me to walk around this world as I am, and, no, I'm not about to tell you how to talk to your Black friend at work. So go figure that out on your own.

It's impossible for you to be on my side in this situation, and you cannot rewrite an experience you know nothing about