An Analogy

[keilexandra]

If affirmative action is a band-aid over a bleeding wound, then the collateral casualties (whites and often Asians) must be the nerve cells of the healthy skin around the wound. Is it important to staunch the bleeding before healing can begin? YES.

But I refuse to believe that the bleeding requires a band-aid to be continually ripped off and replaced, when a piece of gauze and an Ace bandage would suffice.

Comments

[unusualmusic.livejournal.com]

*Sigh* Affirmative action includes the outreach that you are straining so hard to define out of it so that you can continue to cling to your view of teh world. And you claimed that at its extreme end affirmative action includes quotas. Which my link advised you was untrue. And my many links demonstrate the context of choosing a woman or other minority all other things being equal is the fact that women and minorities are not going to be hired otherwise. Period. Until employers stop being bigoted asses, that fact will remain, no matter how hard you try to avoid it.

Interestingly, I wonder why is that while sparky and I have offered tons of links to back up our assertions, you have continued to make your own assertions without any citations whatever? At the moment I am getting the impression that you have made up your mind based on anecdata, which as we all know, is NOT data.

[keilexandra]

Quotas do not exist, yes, I know--but have de facto quotas ever existed? I don't know and I don't think that is provable either way.

I still don't understand how affirmative action includes outreach, by the definition you have given me, but let us accept that it does. I object, then, to the part of the policy that advocates direct consideration of race/gender/etc. I have no problem with outreach and indeed I advocate the use of outreach instead of direct criteria. And I remain optimistic that someone really smart will come up with an effective way of prodding employers away from bigotry--without compromising basic ethics. Because I do view the idea of nondiscrimination--no matter the result or intent of any discrimination--as basic ethics.

Since I am not making assertions but presenting my personal opinion, I'm not sure what I would be citing. I did cite examples of outreach that I find acceptable as "affirmative action" (although I don't consider it affirmative action, but in any case, it's not an all-or-nothing proposition). Please point out what lacks citations and I will try to rectify the situation, or admit my fault, whichever is the case.