From: rchilder@us.oracle.com (Richard Childers)
Newsgroups: talk.politics.misc,alt.politics.elections,alt.rush-limbaugh,talk.rumors,alt.activism
Subject: Re: Anita Hill to Head EEOC
Date: 12 Nov 92 21:08:57 GMT
Organization: Memes-R-Us
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eisimps@cie.uoregon.edu (Eileen Simpson) writes:


>>Rush's comment was along the lines of: "Since when are qualifications
>>important to people who support AFFIRMATIVE ACTION?!?"

	( long and detailed story of repeated abuses omitted )

>In case you haven't figured it out, WHITE MALES have been the beneficiaries
>of the biggest affirmative action program in history:  it's called
>discrimination. It means you have historically succeeded by removing the
>potential competition of women of all races and minority men.  When you
>needed to you killed those who objected to your form of affirmative action.
>The rest of the time you used lesser forms of brutality and intimidation.

This should not automatically result in devaluating the entire set of white
males which whom you coexist on the planet, however.


>I have never heard one of you 'reverse discrimination' boys ever suggest
>that we get all the white males out of power who don't have a clue what
>they are doing and who got there by virtue of privilege.  If you think
>there aren't a lot of them around, just wait till you get your first job
>and listen to how you and everyone else talks about you boss.

I would not necessarily object. Those women for whom I have worked have, by
and large, been far more sensitive managers than their male counterparts.


>If you operated with honesty, integrity, and respect--if you were capable
>of recognizing that people who are different from you and problem-solve in
>different ways are not inferior--in short, if you could be trusted to apply
>the rules of merit when they will keep you out of a job, then you folks
>could gripe about affirmative action.  But you don't.  You cheat when the
>rules of merit would work against you and rationalize it away.

This generic 'you' kind of gets 'me'. My mom brought up three kids, divorced,
put herself through college, and bootstrapped herself as high as she could.
Sure, she was competent ... sure, there was a glass ceiling ... but she had
ethics, and I think that's what really stopped her - a refusal to play back
room power games. That gets a lot of people, but it's not a sexist conspiracy.


>But the fact is that when someone has had it all over you in objective
>qualifications, grades, degrees, and demonstrated leadership, you guys have
>run like hell into the vague land of 'intangible qualities' that show that
>the white man should get the job.

Never have, never will.


>Quit your whining over affirmative action, go to class, get decent grades,
>and grow up.  I am sick of beating you guys of "Merit" and having some lush
>of a frat boy cry 'affirmative action' because he finally has to compete on
>a level playing field.  If you want to end affirmative action, work for
>justice--even when you will not benefit from its application.

I guess you'd be furious to know that I dropped out of high school, dropped
out of college, and taught myself ... and still got where I am today.

Don't think I didn't have to deal with the same problems anyone else has to
deal with, when coming up from down under ... black, white, man or woman.

I know a few others whom had the opportunities ... and ignored them. Of both
genders. Opportunity does not favor genders, in my experience.


I can dig the frustration but I can't agree with the 'us-versus-them' state
of mind that is didactically identical to that stance occupied by some men.

And, yes, I kind of believe Anita Hill, too.


-- richard

-- 
=====
-- richard childers		rchilder@us.oracle.com		1 415 506 2411
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