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From: orb@whuxl.UUCP (SEVENER)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Re: Affirmative Action, Reverse Discrimination
Message-ID: <524@whuxl.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 19-Mar-85 08:43:42 EST
Article-I.D.: whuxl.524
Posted: Tue Mar 19 08:43:42 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 20-Mar-85 05:05:47 EST
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> All that Sevener says in his article are quite true and
> are hoped for goals for affirmative action, however, the
> goals he enumerates are not complete.  The other side of the
> coin in the affirmative action debate is the thorn that
> pricks most people.  That goal is quota setting.  The idea
> that an organization MUST attain a certain goal in minority
> employment, disregarding ability, is the repugnant side
> of affirmative action.  We have all seen the stories concerning
> fire companies, police departments, and other government
> entities which have been ordered to conform.  The case of
> Western Electric Corporation several years ago was
> another instance in which quotas were mandated to the
> detrement of the company.  Affirmative action would not
> be such an issue if the underlying threat of quotas
> were not held up as the penalty for not complying.
> There has to be a better way, quotas are not the
> answer.
> T. C. Wheeler

No quotas are absolutely mandated by any affirmative action program.
But if I see that a company or organization has 1% blacks for instance
when it is surrounded by an area with 15% blacks, then am I to
conclude that the company is being fair in considering blacks for
jobs?  The point of affirmative action is not to say "this job must
be filled by a minority or woman", the point is to create a more
generalized pressure for those hiring to seriously consider and promote
those who have been discriminated against in the past.
There are many myths that get perpetrated about affirmative action.
My own dept had an affirmative action meeting and several people complained
that "blacks were getting promoted to supervisory positions just to
meet quotas".  People on the affirmative action committee went and got
the data_ it was horrendously depressing.  Not only was it untrue that
blacks were being disproportionately promoted in certain depts and divisions
but even in divisions such as plant maintenance and security where minorities
were often 50% of the employees, supervisors were 90% white males.
Why? Are we to just assume that minorities and women are "incompetent"?
I would like to see the evidence that such is the case.
                  tim sevener   whuxl!orb