Quote:
Originally posted by prettygyrl:
Now do you think that it is fair and equal for someone to be forced to fill a quota of a certain type person? Now think about..... I know racism exists in nasty forms but still I would not want anyone to hire me to fill their quota of Blackness or because I am a woman, I want to be chosen based on my qualifications.
It is not fair for people to get special privilages if they are White nor is it fair if they are Black. Of course. Yes we have been discriminated against throughout history and will probably face some forms of throughout life, but still we fought for fairness and EQUALITY. Affimative Action was enacted, to achieve Equal RESULTS not Equal RIGHTS. There is a difference in the two. There are a lot of reasons why Blacks and women are underrepresented in certain markets today. I hate to burst some peoples bubble but most reasons have nothing to do with racism, it has more to do with personal choices........... I could go on all about this one so I will stop now sorry about the typos.
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prettygryl,
It appears to me that you are misinformed about a couple of things...
First,no one is ever FORCED to set quotas by ANYONE. As a matter of fact, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act only asks that companies and public institutions (again, only those that receive federal dollars over a certain amount and have a certain # of employees) set hiring goals. The company sets the goals themselves and they are not just some arbitrary number pulled out of the sky. They are based on several demograhic factors unique to the industry and the area. If you receive no federal monies and/or don't meet the other standards you can fill your company up with 5'10" 36DD blonde haired/blue eyed barbie dolls for all anyone is going to care or do anything about it for that matter.
And I hate to burst your bubble, but a lot of companies would not be recuiting at the Spelmans and Howards and Jackson States of the world if it were not for Affirmative Action. A lot of companies would do absolutely nothing to recuit QUALIFIED minority or other underrepresented classes. Did you know that the group that has most benefited from AA is White Women?
Know that racism is alive and well all over the good ol' U.S. of A. I know that Suzy was qualified for the position, but so was I. Why did she get the job and I didn't? Could it be because her parents have worked for the company for 30 years and the way this company hires is through employee referrals and the only black people who work in the company are the cleaning person and the file clerk who don't know a whole lotta 'qualified' Black applicants? Maybe she got the job because the recruiter saw that she attended the same prep school that he attended. Maybe Suzy's sorority was the 'sister sorority' to his fraternity. Maybe the recruiter and Suzy just 'clicked', maybe it was something that he could not put his finger on, but he felt really comfortable with her and that she would 'fit' in the company. Me on the other hand...I went to public schools. He doesn't know about Spelman and it's reputation. I have excellent grades too, but the education I received at Spelman could not compare to the education that Suzy received at Big State U....could it? He found me to be a little cocky...a little too sure of myself. Plus I didn't smile a whole lot and does the fact that I wear my hair in braids mean that I am militant or something? So, qualified Suzy got the job, while qualified Eclipse did not. Was that racism or just the selection process? Is it racism when the children of alums are given preference or added weight in the admissions process and 95% of those children are white 'cause it's not like we were going to Big State U in droves in the 60s and 70s (or even now for that matter?) Is it racism when they lower the standards to admit folks with 'special talents that enhance the University experience' i.e. big black Negroes who can run, jump and shoot?
As long at the playing feild is not level, as long as there is disparate treatment
and disparate impact there will be a need for Affirmative Actiion.
And before I write another book (or did I do that already?
), let me say again that if standards are lowered it is because a) folks are recognizing cultural disparities or b) because they are too lazy to do the work to attract AND retain qualified minority hires and because it benefits THEM in some way.
[This message has been edited by Eclipse (edited December 08, 2000).]
[This message has been edited by Eclipse (edited December 08, 2000).]