Quote:
Originally Posted by pan6467
If you are hiring someone, or giving someone a better chance in school, or treating an individual differently based on race/sex/ethnicity then by pointing out the difference you are being prejudiced yourself. You are prejudging that that person deserves and is owed a better chance based on criteria that should not and would not matter if you weren't pointing it out.
|
This is the part of the equation that many do not think about when discussing racism. When I was much younger, I was educated about this by one of my black friends... we were discussing race relations in general and when he brought up this brand of racism, my mind was blown. My natural instinct is the lend a helping hand... but when that hand is thrust out based on critera that has nothing to do with actual need, rather based on something like race or gender it taints the help you are offering.
Ultimately it underscores, for me anyway, that trying to fix inequity is a messy path.
As people have pointed out in this thread, there are problems on BOTH sides (really there are more than two sides to this but for sake of simplicity....) of this issue. On one hand you have the situations that joshbaumgartner desribes. Some are institutional, some are intentional but the fact remains that they exist.
On the other hand you have the issues that pan6467 and daswig describe... Argue as some will that their descriptions are racist and don't exist, the fact remains that these attitudes DO exist.
In the middle of all of this remain the group of people who just live their lives and do the right thing. They hire the most qualified (or better put the right person for the job - not always the most qualified). They recognize that there is a mainstream culture and to some extent attempt to assimilate (a black man all done up in gangsta wear applying for an office job is no different than a white guy with piercings and tattoos on his face... You want to work in an straight up office you HAVE to play the part - if you don't want to do that you have to get creative about finding work).
Ultimately, there are people in power who would like to see a lessening of inequity between the races and sexes, etc. Is AA the path to this pancea of equality and diversity? Probably not. Is it a tool that can be used to give the most stubborn a kick in the pants (especially in the way I described in about post #28 of this thread).
The fact remains that there are a lot of attitudinal changes that need to be made and these sorts of changes cannot be legislated. They take time, some solid foundation laws (i.e. laws against discrimination), integration and a lot of effort from people. The most important of which is time.