racial and sexual inequality

[Kragen Sitaker]

Brad writes:
> [John Klassa writes:]
> > It so happens that our CEO is an Indian male (Krish Prabhu).  While it's
> > true that everyone else between me and him is a white male, he (at least)
> > isn't. :-)
> 
> Wow!  Sounds like your organization is an exception to the rule.  I am sure
> you realize how rare this really is.
> 
> It is unusual.  Minority CEOs are a rare find.

Two things to remember:
- as he said, everyone between him and the CEO is a white guy, so it's not
  *that* much of an exception;
- Indian people are a minority in the US, but they are probably a plurality
  worldwide.  Alcatel, where John works, is a worldwide company.

> So if I don't own an house or have kids (the two of the above I don't have),
> I don't count?  What right do you have to sit on your high horse because you
> happen to own a home and have kids?

I don't think he was sitting on his high horse at all.  I think he was
just saying that white men in that situation are likely to have real
things to be pissed off about already.

> You really need to rethink the way you make assumptions about people.

I think this was uncalled for.

BTW, part of this is also sort of presenting a skewed view of your
life; while you are married and don't have much income, you're also an
academic, which means you don't have quite the same worries [job
insecurities, no career path] that $6-an-hour fast-food workers have,
even though you have the same income level.

> > At heart, AA still amounts to government-backed discrimination.
> 
> No, it doesn't.  See myth #7 at http://www.socialpsychology.org/affirm.htm

I would like to note that the issue here is more one of definitions
than factual disagreement.

For the record, I think AA is discrimination by the dictionary
definition, but I also think it is not wrong.  I don't think it's
rooted in racism the way certain other kinds of discrimination is, and,
in fact, it combats racism by bringing people of different "races" and
genders together.  Most importantly, it doesn't result in people being
excluded from opportunity the way racist hiring and admissions policies
do.

I have a long comment on Josh Baugher's statement that he doesn't feel
he has all the advantages which will, I hope, elucidate my point of
view on the matter.  I'll post it when I finish writing it.  :)

I appreciate John Klassa's polite response to being flamed, and I hope
Brad apologizes for flying off the handle like that.

-- 
<kragen@pobox.com>       Kragen Sitaker     <http://www.pobox.com/~kragen/>
Wed Aug 11 1999
89 days until the Internet stock bubble bursts on Monday, 1999-11-08.
<URL:http://www.pobox.com/~kragen/bubble.html>