Hello. So, the debates. I think ours went well. Since I've been neglecting the blog, I decided I should post something about it - or about my part, at least.
About the resources I used... Yeah... I could give you the sources and links except for the fact that I sort of kind of accidentally deleted the folder in which I had them from my bookmarks toolbar... If any question comes up about something specific though, I won't mind looking up the specific sources I used again, so let me know.
Keep in mind these are my notes: I didn't say them all exactly like they are written here, nor in the exact order, and I did skip some parts. But here it is anyway:
Breaking stereotypes; Fairness; Examples
We believe certain stereotypes can never be broken without affirmative action. For a very long time, women were considered less capable than men, and blacks were considered less capable than whites, and so on. It wasn't a matter for discussion, those ideas were considered facts. Racism and sexism and xenophobia were acceptable. And it took a lot to change that.
We understand it may not have always been fair. In an professional setting, between a man and a woman, for example, of course the most qualified individual should get the job, regardless of anything else.
Today, although racism and sexism and xenophobia still happen indirectly or passively, they aren't considered acceptable anymore. For example, mutter a racial slur in any serious workplace, and you'll be called to attention for it and might even be fired.
Looking back, would this change have happened naturally, without Affirmative Action and all the other similar initiatives? Would these attitudes have changed on their own? Because what Affirmative Action did was almost force companies and employers to put aside their prejudices and hire people they considered and thought inferior. Would they have done that if they hadn't been forced to do so?
We believe we're on the right path. Certain attitudes are not considered acceptable anymore; stereotypes have started to change, and we believe they will continue to change with the help of Affirmative Action.
Thing is, we're not exactly there yet. And the evidence for that is very easy to verify, both in independent studies and in real life.
Minorities and women remain behind in what concerns employment;
The unemployment rate for black people, for example, is over twice the one for white people;
Employers still tend to hire men more than women;
Another example is the difference in payment. Even with all the different factors considered – age and experience, education, etc – minorities and females typically earn less money.
Then you have specific practical studies and tests when there's a sort of set up, in which two almost equal résumés are sent to a company, being the only difference the gender or race of the person who's supposedly applying for the job. On those studies, the minority always gets turned away. If it weren't for the seriousness of the issue, it'd be almost funny how blunt companies are about that.
Qualifications
Affirmative Action is not about preferential selection, where a person is hired to a certain job solely because of their race and gender. It's about the preferential selection among equal or comparable candidates. Being reasonable, a company would never hire a person – whatever minority they might belong to – if they weren't qualified for that position. They would – and actually still do – however, not hire that same person out of prejudice. It's not about blindly hiring minorities who are not qualified and taking away the jobs of people who are qualified, it's about giving the minorities a chance, at the very least.
Diversity won't happen on its own. The “colour blind” policies – as they're often refered to – only put minorities at a disadvantage, and that existing imbalance will only continue if there are no initiatives – like Affirmative Action – to put a stop to them.
Demeaning
We also don't believe it's demeaning in any way for the minority involved. Blacks and women and other minorities weren't considered capable or competent enough to have decent, well paying jobs not so long ago. And that discrimination still happens today, that much is clear by now. So, is it really that shameful that there's still a need for help for certain minorities to get started, to actually have access to opportunities?
Rationally, we know everyone is capable and competent regardless of colour, gender, religion, preferences, or anything else. But that wasn't that the case before, and we're still not at a point where everyone is considered equal, specially in what concerns employment. We do believe it makes sense that those minorities would get a “head start”. Putting it in simple terms, it's almost like making things right, now that we have a different mentality in what concerns equal rights and opportunities. Allowing the minorities to have those opportunities is what Affirmative Action is about.
Past, Progress
Looking at our not so distant past, we've certainly come a long way, minorities and women have made a substantial progress towards equality. And we don't think we could have gotten to where we are today without that initiative that was Affirmative Action.
Like it's been said though, evidence shows that this kind of discrimination still exists and still happens on a daily basis. The differences in unemployment between races and genders, the non equal pay, the indirect or subtle preference for white males over other racial minorities or females, so on.
In our opinion, not only was it a good idea when it first started happening, when actual laws and quotas began appearing for companies to follow forcefully; as it is a good idea now. Looking at our past and comparatively at our present – at how minorities managed before and how they manage now – even with the problems that are still there, it seems we're headed the right way. We're not there yet, but we're headed the right way in what concerns equality.
Affirmative Action definitely took a part in that progression and improvement – and logically, for us – if it's been working so far, we should keep doing it.
