Hiring diversity ad nauseum?

Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 21 total)
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  • #8427

    Adam-R
    Participant
    Why is it that Corporate America seems to have given the edge to hiring minorities over white males? Everywhere you look, there is a disproportionate number of minorities being represented by Corporate America.

    User Detail :  

    Name : Adam-R, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Bisexual, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 42, City : North Chicago, State : IL Country : United States, Occupation : Accountant, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 
    #19471

    Mary
    Participant
    Yep, and it's a damn shame, too! I think that all the hype over Affirmative Action in the '90s opened the way for people to sue companies because they thought they didn't get hired 'because of their ethnic background,' so rather than getting slapped with a lawsuit, many companies are biting the bullet and hiring too many minorities who might be un- or under-qualified.

    This also is happening in the academic community. A friend of mine was passed over for a placement in a PhD. program because she wasn't black. She was even told that they chose the other woman because of her color. The sad thing is that these two women were friends and knew each other's scores. My friend's were higher, yet they chose the black candidate.

    Personally, I would feel slighted if I were given a position within any setting because they were trying to fill a quota.

    User Detail :  

    Name : Mary, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Methodist, Age : 28, City : Philadelphia, State : PA Country : United States, Occupation : social work, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 
    #45322

    Carol S.
    Participant
    I agree with Mary's response. Affirmative action has made businesses nervous. What a shame that people seek every opportunity to 'sue' to gain something for nothing more then hurt feelings. What ever happened to 'the best person qualified'? I guess prejudice got in the way of good sense on both ends of the spectrum. White Man's Burden, a movie from some time ago with John Travolta, is worth watching. It could make a white boss really take a new perspective of his own character.

    User Detail :  

    Name : Carol S., Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 57, City : Mountain Home, State : AR Country : United States, Occupation : retired, 
    #39706

    Jay31099
    Participant
    Corporate America (and colleges) are representative of a society that has decided that the problem of hiring/admitting on the basis of race and gender can be rectified by hiring on the basis of race and gender (affirmative action/pro-diversity/quotas) Unfortunately, many white males with talent may get overlooked, and minorities/females with talent may be viewed as tokens. As a female who could 'benefit' from such policies, I find it disgusting that any success that comes from all my hard work and dedication will be viewed solely as a result of preferential treatment. I don't want to be denied employment because I am female, but I definitely don't want to be hired because I'm female. I think ability, experience, character and education should be the only determining factors for employers.

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    Name : Jay31099, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, City : New York, State : NY Country : United Kingdom, Social class : Middle class, 
    #31521

    Mark Bentley
    Participant
    I am heavily involved in the diversity push at the global electronic giant I work for. I find your premise without support in my company. There is plenty of diversity in the lower levels of 'corporate,' but that mix does not extend to the upper echelons. The diversity 'glass ceiling' is still firmly in place. The only goal at this company is to have a mix that is representative of the available work force, no quota system. Seems fair enough to me. I would theorize that you are seeing a mix of ethnicity and gender where there used to be none at all, so any change seems drastic. The 'white male hegemony' is going the way of the Jurassic Age.

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    Name : Mark Bentley, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Gay, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : UFMCC - Cathedral of Hope, Age : 39, City : Dallas, State : TX Country : United States, Occupation : Financial analyst, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, 
    #14131

    ED25483
    Participant
    Yeah, and look what happened at Enron, World Com and Arthur Anderson because of all them damn minorities they hired!

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    Name : ED25483, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, Age : 46, City : Kansas City, State : MO Country : United States, 
    #14147

    Kristina
    Member
    Your post is a perfect example of how in the United States today subtle racism is encouraged. No. 1, why should you care if minorities are getting hired more than whites? If you view them as human beings first and not people who happened to have different physical features than you, it shouldn't matter. There shouldn't even be a thought to 'disporportion' in comparison to how many white males are hired. Minorities are no less deserving of a position in Corporate America than any white man.

    Second, you seem to not be very realistic. Most companies in the United States are predominantly white because our country is predominantly white. And companies that are more lenient to hiring more minorities usually find non-white human beings that are of high quality. For example, Asian Americans are entering Corporate America in higher numbers, but their intelligence and work ethic are often higher than many white males. This is also the case for African Americans seeking jobs in Corporate America. The media wants to stereotype blacks as getting certain jobs because of their skin color, but it isn't true. Check out the resume of a minority employee (especially a black person) in Corporate America, and you most likely will see outstanding credentials. Affirmative action helps get many (especially blacks) through the door for an interview, but their own merits get them hired. Those who think differently struggle with subtle racism and cannot judge a minority in an honest light because they are clouded by their own misguided perceptions.

    User Detail :  

    Name : Kristina, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Christian, Age : 20, City : Washington, State : DC Country : United States, Occupation : Transcriber, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, 
    #38998

    Seymour
    Participant
    I assume you are referring to affirmative action in Corporate America. Fundamentally, the intent of affirmative action was to depress the tightly controlled networks of privileged white males who monopolized the good jobs and influential positions in U.S. society. That being said, arbitrary racism and exclusion that is institutionalized in education, health care, housing and employment cannot be overcome by affirmative action. The legacy dwarfs the policy by far. So what are you crying about? That African Americans might struggle to reach 10 percent representation on major college campuses and corporations? That is far from a black takeover.

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    Name : Seymour, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Age : 21, City : Chicago, State : IL Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, 
    #39793

    Tola24660
    Participant
    I think this situation is overstated and false. Whites face far more competition from other whites than from black people. There are relatively few of us (12 percent of population), and we are also under-represented in colleges. But I think the most obvious proof that affirmative action is not giving blacks an unfair advantage is that we still have a higher unemployment rate and we're still under-represented in academia. Affirmative action has benefited white females more than any other group (look up education and employment stats from 1960 to present on this site: http://w3.access.gpo.gov/eop/ca/index.html) So people should question who's the real target with the attacks on affirmative action.

    User Detail :  

    Name : Tola24660, Gender : M, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Catholic, Age : 23, City : Silver Spring, State : MD Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 
    #45165

    Michele-Holly20738
    Participant
    Adam, have you ever had a Black or Latino boss? White men still represent the largest percentage of employers. If you check with the Bureau of Labor Statistics, I'm sure you'll be comforted to know that white males are not losing as much ground as you think.

    User Detail :  

    Name : Michele-Holly20738, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Age : 36, City : Chicago, State : IL Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 
    #45649

    kit26409
    Participant
    The fact is, WHITE women were the biggest benefators of affirmative action policies. Surprised? Moreover, the slight gains that 'minorities' have made in Corporate America do not begin to compare to hires that continue to be made through the old white boys' network. You should just get over the idea that white peeple are ENTITLED to everything and that if a non-white has it then it must have been stolen from you. We live in a multicultural nation which is getting browner with every decade -- adapt or perish.

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    Name : kit26409, Gender : F, Age : 28, City : chicago, State : IL Country : United States, Social class : Middle class, 
    #15824

    Wayne24406
    Participant
    Do you even look at the people you are working with? I have worked for various companies in my career, and I am usually one of a very few blacks working at the company. I am not just speaking of small companies -- most of my employers have been large corporations. I have worked on floors with more than 200 professionals, three of whom were black. The only 'minority' hired in disproportionate numbers that I have seen has been white females.

    User Detail :  

    Name : Wayne24406, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Age : 41, City : Parsippany, State : NJ Country : United States, Occupation : marketing, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 
    #47049

    jim30699
    Participant
    i am curious about the 'everywhere' you are referring to, because it certainly doesn't seem to be true in the corporate america i live and work in.

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    Name : jim30699, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : prefer, Religion : Buddhist, Age : 37`, City : seattle, State : WA Country : United States, Occupation : writer/musician, Social class : Lower middle class, 
    #38050

    AmberW
    Participant
    Why is it that whenever blacks start to make some strides, it has to be b/c we are black? Why can't it be b/c we ACTUALLY deserve the postion? Whenever blacks start to come up in the workplace, it seems many whites pull the old 'affirmitive action' thing out of their hats.Whites have been privliged enough to enjoy 'white affirmative action' since this friggin country was built.The tables turn and NOW that whites are not at the recieving end it is so wrong? I did not hear Whites whine about discrimination when blacks were the ones being passed over for every job other than a cook, maid, or brick layer.PLEASE! Can you not deal with the fact that some blacks may be getting picked over whites b/c they are simply (gasp!) BETTER? That they may have had more experience or a better work ethic? Could the black person just have had a better resume and went to a better school? Why are none of these factors ever considered? Adam, have you looked at the resume's of every black in this country? Of course you haven't. You are just assuming that these blacks were picked b/c of their skin color, not b/c they were better candidates.Why can some whites not admit that there are blacks that are smarter, more experienced and more educated than they? My parents make a combined $128,000 a year and I went to a very nice private university and recieved a great education,but if I were picked over a white girl, it would be seen as affirmative action.

    User Detail :  

    Name : AmberW, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, Age : 23, City : Greenville, State : NC Country : United States, Occupation : student, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 
    #44242

    AmberW
    Participant
    And Adam, what is a 'disproportionate number of minorities'? Proportionate to what? How many minorities are we allowed to have in corporate america?Think of it like this Adam :suppose Big Corp. Inc. needed more bisexuals on their team. They find out you are bisexual, and call you in for an interview (notice that your bisexuality got you IN THE DOOR, not the job). They also interview your neighbor Jack, who is straight, but does not have your experience. They offer you the job after a brilliant interview. Soon Jack is telling the whole neighborhood you got the job b/c of your sexuality, not understanding it was not your sexuality that got you the job, but your experience. Jack did not see your resume, or hear how wonderful your interview went, he just assumes you were picked b/c of your sexuality. Same thing here Adam. Our skin color may get us through the door initially, but WE get the job. We would not apply for a postion in which we are obviously not qualified.It is unfortunate that you are 42 and still have this attitude, but I guess being black in america and having to deal with people with attitudes such as yours have matured me past my 22 years. Next time, check to see if a BETTER man was hired, not just a BLACK man.

    User Detail :  

    Name : AmberW, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, Age : 23, City : Greenville, State : NC Country : United States, Occupation : student, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 
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