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From: wh@homxb.UUCP (W.HEINMILLER)
Newsgroups: net.women
Subject: Re:  Discrimination
Message-ID: <611@homxb.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 13-May-85 14:51:42 EDT
Article-I.D.: homxb.611
Posted: Mon May 13 14:51:42 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 14-May-85 20:39:40 EDT
Organization: Bell Communications Research
Lines: 29


From Beth Christy (ihnp4!gargoyle!sphinx!beth):

> Imagine a highway 10 miles wide and stretching from coast to coast.
> Further imagine that there's a silver dollar on every square foot of
> the highway.  Now in 1776, we all started a race to see who could get
> the most money.  Except that all black men, all women, and all
> foreigners were tied up , effectively preventing everyone except white
> men from getting more than a mile down the road.  So now, 200+ years
> later, it's time for the referees to prevent discrimination.

Beth goes on to propose that it might be acceptable to hold back
some with more advantages (achieved because of past discrimination)
to allow other to catch up.  This would be a great idea, EXCEPT
that she assumes that all white males are part of the "advantaged"
class.  There are whites in Appalachia and large cities that
are just as disadvantaged as anyone else, and just as deserving.
There were also whites that came to this country 200+ years ago
as indentured servants or convicts (effectively "slaves").

To define "advantaged" or "disadvantaged" solely on the basis
of race and sex does everyone a disservice, and I would hope
that laws and policies to prevent discrimination would serve
everyone equally.  Let's stop making assumptions based on race
and sex (or anything else that isn't really relevant) because
that's what discrimination is!

	Wayne Heinmiller	Bell Communications Research
	houxm!homxb!wh		Freehold, NJ