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From: gannon@MDI.COM (Alden Gannon)
Newsgroups: soc.feminism
Subject: Re: "64 cents!" (Was Re: The problem in academia)
Message-ID: <1991May7.205934.3343@MDI.COM>
Date: 7 May 91 21:33:14 GMT
References: <.005737.22242@informix.com>> <1991May1.165702.21235@MDI.COM> <673368117@lear.cs.duke.edu>
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In article <673368117@lear.cs.duke.edu> gazit@cs.duke.EDU (Hillel Gazit) writes:
>In article <1991May1.165702.21235@MDI.COM> COM (Alden Gannon) writes:
>#At some point down the road, A acquires skill level 2 in field X,
>#which commands a mean $30K in the industry (A is already getting
>#$30K), and finds himself/herself looking for a job again (the company
>#had financial troubles, A had to move, A was unsatisfied, etc.).  A
>#will quickly find that A's $30K salary is a detriment.  A can't get
>#skill level 2 jobs, because applicants with skill level 2 who got $25K
>#jobs right out of college will be favored.  Further, A can't get skill
>#level 3 jobs, because A will be screened on qualifications, not
>#salary.  Even worse, A can't even step back and take a skill level 1
>#job, because qualified entry-level candidates surely have had a lower
>#income than $30K.
>
>You assume that A's extra education/experience has no influence
>on his qualification, an assumption that I don't accept.

I understand you to mean that A can compete for skill level 3 jobs.
Good point, Hillel, and you win half of the argument with it.
However, what about blind luck?  A gets the $30K job right out of
college for no reason besides there being no outstanding applicants.
Now, A is unfairly disadvantaged.  A is average, but has a "less than
average" chance of getting the next job.

Also, there was another post proposing differences in affluent and
indigent college students, which I thought was a pretty good argument.
How do you answer that one?

[Note to moderators:  Although this thread has adopted an abstract example
('A' instead of Black/Woman/etc.), I believe any debate on AA fits squarely
in the realm of feminist issues.]
--
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Alden B. Gannon, a.k.a. Zarathustra. INTERNET: gannon%mdi.com@uunet.uu.net
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