Race politics: Blacks are the only minorities, contracts should go to blacks only

[Zargon]

I don't make excuses. I work as as an admin in IT. I know the struggles I have had to battle in this field too. But too many times, many on this board want to discount racism and all its issues as something a long long time ago. This is just not true. There is still some strong racism and prejudice. I had one manager tell me 3 years ago, that I should be happy with any job offered to me in IT, because its rare to see african americans who are accepted. He told me I was a lucky one. He didn't hire me by the way.

You know what that came from, because I wanted to move to an admin slot from a 2nd level tech. So when I say some of these folks here can spare me the bs, I mean that literally. Didn't slow me down though . I look at it like this. If being black limits me to being able to work at certain places that will offer me advancement, then I gotta find those places. Crying about it ain't gonna help anything. I got a friend right now who is mad about how he is being treated. But has done nothing to prepare himself to go any place else.

Oh I believe in hard work. But I also hope for the day when we are truly equals. If that's wrong, then I guess I'll go to my grave being wrong then.

racism still exists on all levels, but it is certaonly not widely acceptable in our society. I'm sure you can find plenty of african amercans who hold open ignorant hatred for others based on their skin color.

Ther eis certainly a problem when 20 year old black kids are spouting nonesense that the 'white man is holding them down' though. especially when those kids are on food stamps and welfare, which of course, statistically, came mostly from 'the white man'. the younger the person, the less racism they are likely to encounter these days, but there will always be hotbeds and outliers.

but giving candidate a who is less qualified a job/scholarship over b based on skin color, based on history, is a joke.

 

[werepossum]

This makes some sense, as the harms from centuries of racism are against one group unlike what other groups have had.

Many groups have had terrible problems with poverty and oppression, but the American black experience is unique in US history.

The problem is you are making a point from your misguided lie of what affirmative action is. Hey it's just fun to give away stuff and pander to minorities for votes!

That's your version, and so any comment from that is similarly idiotic. Affirmative Action can have different purposes, but the primary original intent involves recognizing that there is not an equal starting point in society to say 'after those centuries, now you are equal', and to try to provide some small amount of correction for a more equal opportunity when the history of racism creates perpetual inequality today.



Yes, that's an average example. The fact that you have to lie by selecting such an atypical example, and not honestly discussing the real average situation, proves how wrong your 'point' is. If the average black today had overcome the effects of centuries of racism to the point the average had a surgeon father, we wouldn't need any affirmative action. But that's not the case - except in your lie version of the black situation and history.



The immigrant from Vietnam tyranny in the past can have a terrible situation, and for other reasons be deserving of assistance if we choose for humanitarian reasons.

But the African-American situation is uniquely American, something OUR NATION did to millions of blacks, making it arguably more our responsibility than foreign tyranny.

I'm all for putting the human race first and looking how the US can practically help reduce poverty and injustice globally, but the African-American history is unique.

Of course, when you agenda is nothing more than some combination of racism and ignorance, I don't expect you to agree much.

The group who has nothing to say for other oppressed poor, except when they can be used for debating points against African-American programs.

EVERY group identifiable over time has a unique history. Otherwise it would not be an identifiable group. You claim you want to put the human race first, but in actuality you want to separate and divide Americans up into identifiable groups and use them against each other to empower government. My preference is for government to be color blind and treat all Americans the same. Where one group (be it blacks or Haitians or recent immigrants or whatever) is disproportionally affected by poverty, it will also be disproportionally affected by programs to alleviate poverty, without also lifting those members in that group who are NOT in poverty. No honest and intelligent person should ever agree that government judging people solely on the basis of skin color is somehow less racist than government judging people solely on the basis of performance and qualification, that's just silly and fundamentally dishonest.

You call my example of the heart surgeon's son a lie because it is "atypical" (suggesting that you are unable to be honest about the very definition of a lie) but who do you think benefits from those set-asides? Much more so than the poor black man who is trying to build up a business, it's those blacks who already have money, resources, and connections who benefit from quotas and set-asides.