affirmative action?

[susangail]

I get confused when it comes to affirmative action. What do you think about it?

[Asmodean]

What do you mean?

If you are asking what my position is in regard to affirmative action, my answer is that I believe in equality and in the state of equality, it is a useless tool. So all in all, my opinion is "no opinion", as I prefer not to view people in terms of majorities and minorities.

[susangail]

What do you mean?

If you are asking what my position is in regard to affirmative action, my answer is that I believe in equality and in the state of equality, it is a useless tool. So all in all, my opinion is "no opinion", as I prefer not to view people in terms of majorities and minorities.

Yeah, that's what I meant. I wasn't looking for anything in particular.

[Mister Joy]

I'm very much against it. It assumes that racism is inherent throughout both public and private sectors. The idea of enforcing 'positive' discrimination on everyone on the basis that some 'negative' discrimination is always there to be counteracted (which is an incredibly dubious assumption unto itself) implies that it's as simple as -2+2=0, right across the board. As far as I can tell, it causes more problems than it solves. Also, discrimination is discrimination. Sticking the word 'positive' in front of it does nothing to change that. Racial equality means disregarding race and treating it as irrelevant, particularly when it comes to employment. That's the whole point: It should not matter what race you are. Affirmative action is all about perpetrating the exact opposite and, to me, completely misses the point.

Where racism is most dangerous is in public opinion, not in employee statistics etc. If we forcibly make it a factor in people's work, education or potential employment then as a result, although the statistics may end up looking a little more ethnically diverse, tensions between the ethnic groups themselves can only get higher.

[susangail]

I'm very much against it. It assumes that racism is inherent throughout both public and private sectors. The idea of enforcing 'positive' discrimination on everyone on the basis that some 'negative' discrimination is always there to be counteracted (which is an incredibly dubious assumption unto itself) implies that it's as simple as -2+2=0, right across the board. As far as I can tell, it causes more problems than it solves. Also, discrimination is discrimination. Sticking the word 'positive' in front of it does nothing to change that. Racial equality means disregarding race and treating it as irrelevant, particularly when it comes to employment. That's the whole point: It should not matter what race you are. Affirmative action is all about perpetrating the exact opposite and, to me, completely misses the point.

Where racism is most dangerous is in public opinion, not in employee statistics etc. If we forcibly make it a factor in people's work, education or potential employment then as a result, although the statistics may end up looking a little more ethnically diverse, tensions between the ethnic groups themselves can only get higher.

This is pretty much how I feel about it as well. "Positive discrimination" is contradictory and completely ridiculous, which made me think I had gotten it wrong or I didn't understand what I was reading.