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From: mfs@mhuxr.UUCP (SIMON)
Newsgroups: net.women
Subject: Re: Discrimination and Affirmative Action
Message-ID: <357@mhuxr.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 18-Jun-85 19:18:10 EDT
Article-I.D.: mhuxr.357
Posted: Tue Jun 18 19:18:10 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 19-Jun-85 06:00:05 EDT
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Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill
Lines: 42

> For reasons that have a lot to do with governmental discrimination in
> schooling, and somewhat to do with social tendencies towards racism, there
> is frequently a shortage of *qualified* female or black engineers.  I 
> am sure that this problem will go away over the next few years.  Nonetheless,
> it seems reasonable to me that an employer would, if they needed to hire
> a minority or female engineer, would hire the best that they could find.
> The alternative is to believe that the racism is *so* widespread that 
> employers can afford to hire unqualified workers without fear that their
> competitors (admittedly, few and far between in aerospace) will hire
> qualified minority or female engineers.  I know few people who are that
> racist.
> 
I have difficulty with believing that racism and sexism will "get better"
without vigorous action, with government leading the way. We have heard that
repeatedly throughout the century ('don't make waves, thigs will get better"
sometime, always just after my life expectancy)

When we have enough qualified minorities and women candidates on a
habitual basis, there will be no need for AA programs

> Saying that a company isn't "required" to implement affirmative action
> is rather like saying, "Blacks weren't *required* to ride in the back of
> the bus --- they could have walked."  When the government is redistributing
> wealth from taxpayers to government contractors, it is reasonable, just,
> and essential, to require that those contractors give everyone a fair shot
> at employment, regardless of race or sex --- affirmative action is not a
> fair shot.
> 
And given past history, it is "reasonable, just  and essential" to
require that they demonstrate that they have given everyone a fair shot.

> I had to drop out of college do to funding problems; I did not graduate;
> fortunately, college is only necessary for a good job in software if you
> lack character or intelligence.  (Then, a degree is essential.)

You did have a tough road to travel. Consider, however, the chances of a woman
or a black with no degree, compared to yours (I am assuming you are a
white male; correct me if you are not) I am inclined to say they
would have had a tougher time of finding a job. We can never know for sure,
however.

Marcel Simon