From: greg@gallifrey.ucs.uoknor.edu (Greg Trotter)
Subject: Re: Anita Hill to Head EEOC
Originator: usenet@midway.ecn.uoknor.edu
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1992 12:41:44 GMT
Organization: Gallifrey - Home of the Timelords

In article <1992Nov11.074838.8909@nntp.uoregon.edu> eisimps@cie.uoregon.edu (Eileen Simpson) writes:
>In article <BxJAAI.88H@constellation.ecn.uoknor.edu> greg@gallifrey.ucs.uoknor.edu (Greg Trotter) writes:
>>
>>Rush's comment was along the lines of: "Since when are qualifications
>>important to people who support AFFIRMATIVE ACTION?!?"
>>
>>Great line. It turned me into a dittohead.
>>
>>P.S. You ever notice that companies will put EEO/AA on applications, ads,
>>etc.? Of course, this expands to mean "Equal Opportunity Employer/Affirmative
>>Action." Isn't this contradictory? If you have a quota system in place, it's
>>not equal opportunity.
>
>Spoken by a beneficiary of white male privilege. What you call a quota
>system is the only thing that has gotten people to even look at what are
>called "qualifications of merit" when they are displayed by white men.

[Very long how-white-males-ruined-my-life story deleted]

>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.
>
>You could usually succeed by simply denying entry for anyone who didn't
>look like you into all but the lowest levels of the system, tho.  That way
>most of you could avoid your complicity in the system and the reality that
>you had the biggest handout program on planet earth working to keep you
>gettin special privileges.

I'm guilty? Doubtful. But you do feel that two wrongs make a right?

>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.

This is a pet peeve of mine. Everyone's yelling for an end to discrimination.
Yet, while terms like 'reverse discrimination' exist, we won't. Reverse
discrimination doesn't exist. Discrimination does.

>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.

You make a lot of assumptions about me. Punish those who do bad, not those
who do good.

>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.
>
>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've grown up. I have a job -- a professional one. I've had to compete on a
level playing field -- and I've won, because of my merits, not because I
fit into some neat cubbyhole. I didn't get the job because I'm male, or
because I'm white, or because of any trait I can do nothing about. I've had
different (professional and non-professional) jobs. I've always moved upwards,
and I didn't always get a job I wanted. But I didn't cry -- I just kept
looking, and bettering myself. And I do work for justice -- you presume
to know a hell of a lot more about me than people who've met me.

Lastly, grow up and take a pill. My post was regarding how EOE/AA is an
oxymoron. No matter how you slice it, AA is *not* Equal Opportunity. It
just isn't. I really wasn't saying that AA is good, or bad. Just stating
a fact that you didn't want pointed out. I think AA is a Bad Thing. You'll
notice that I didn't point out a better plan, because, frankly, I don't
know exactly what can be done to insure that minorities have a proportionate
representation in the professional market, and which doesn't hire people on
the basis of race, color, gender, etc. I'm sure that something better than
AA is out there.

I'm not arguing about the disease. I think we need a better cure.

							- greg
-- 
Greg Trotter				| Joe Isuzu in '96
Norman, Oklahoma			|     -- Stay the Course!
Internet: greg@gallifrey.ucs.uoknor.edu	|
Fidonet: 1:147/63 Treknet: 87:6012/8009	| I don't even represent me.
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