Originally Posted by
dreammask
You racist! (joking)
Actually, I believe it only applies when two people of equal qualifications are vying for the same position. There used to be quotas that needed filling, but I think that was done away with because of unfairness issues.
I actually think that affirmative action is a good thing. No matter what the average white male thinks, racism still affects who gets a job and who doesn't, so it's only fair, IMO, that the playing field should be made even. That's the whole purpose of affirmative action. It's not to give minorities an advantage over majority persons, it's to give them an equal chance.
We're still ironing out the details to make sure it really is fair, but I think it's a splendid idea overall.
I actually don't think people (usually white males) who disagree with affirmative action are racist, per se, but they often have a misunderstanding of what affirmative action is actually supposed to do and why. The only advantage lost by a white male, in this situation, is the unfair advantage. It's not like white males have been placed in a position of disadvantage, actually... they just have to compete where they used to always win for unfair reasons (you're a male and you have pink skin).
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