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[prytania3]

All Affirmative Action does is make people aware of differences in potential employees and they hire to meet some quota or other. Then others resent those hired, because of the reasons they were hired, and refuse to believe the person may actually be qualified for the position. Hardly makes for a non-racist workplace.

I was a pure Affirmative Action hire, and I know this for a fact, (though it took me about 3 years to get the details)  I was hired at my college because I am Latina and for no other reason. Was I unqualified? Absolutely not. Were there people more qualified? On paper, probably so. Did people resent me? Yes, for the first year, and I didn't even know why.

But here's the deal: People got over their resentment when they got to know me, and I'm a fantastic teacher--no, I'm a freaking cult figure with hordes of students who worship me. So, I may not have been the most qualified candidate, but I know I was the best candidate.

They wanted to hire a white male adjunct, but because accreditation was around the corner, they needed some color. Interestingly, they ended up hiring the white male, too.

AA doesn't legislate behavior, but so what. It legislates the flow of money, and money is power.

I'm such a Wall Street wannabe.

[crazybatlady]

I don't think you can have it both ways: either inequality isn't a problem, OR you are a woman in a man's world.  Not both.

I also don't see the "advancements in civil rights and education" that seem to be a cornerstone of your argument.  But smarty pants said it best.

[smart_e_pantz]

<OFF TOPIC>

One of my colleagues patted my hair yesterday (I am sporting a TWA these days). Lucky for him I quickly calculated that if I gave him the beatdown he so richly deserved in this lily-white town, I would be arrested for assault and battery and that wouldn't look so good when I applied for jobs this semester.

It would be in his best interest that we not meet in a dark alley one night.

If he knew more black people, he would have known that is violation of rule #1 for dealing with black people.

<CARRY ON>

[helpful]

What the heck is a TWA?

[smart_e_pantz]

What the heck is a TWA?

Teenie Weenie Afro.

[trystero49]

Maybe some people would be interested in checking out this site:

http://www.blackpeopleloveus.com/


And watch more Steven Colbert!

[anthroid]

You can't legislate change in human behavior.  AA does help the people it was designed to help. 

Actually, that's exactly what legislation can do--change behavior.  Laws are very effective at making people a) not do things they want to do but shouldn't and b) do things they don't want to do but should.

White privilege is alive and well, and forty years of formal affirmative action for historically oppressed people doesn't nearly make up for four hundred years of informal affirmative action for European-American land-owning men.  Once we actually see real equality, we can abandon affirmative action.  Until then, I will argue for it over and over and over again.

I really couldn't care less about hearts and minds.  Be as racist as you like.  Just act right.  That's why it's far more important to address institutional discrimination (through AA among other things) and why "education" against prejudice will never be enough to create an equal society.  Change behavior, then minds.

[gennidad]

You have a point that laws do alter behavior patterns.  That being said, I never said AA was a bad thing.  I asked the question of how do we get to the point of not needing it. 

If you want to discuss what happened 400 years ago, that is fine with me, just don't expect me to change it.  Sorry, I must have misplaced my time machine somewhere.  The only thing I can change is from here forward.  So again I ask my question.  What can we do now? 

This is a serious question.  All everyone wants to talk about is what happened 400 years ago or even 50 years ago.  I know where we have been.  I want to know what we do now to get where we want to be.  Is there a plan?  Or are we hoping that by passing laws we will change what is being taught to the kids in their homes?

[gennidad]

Oh.  When I said behavior, it should have been thought.  Sorry. 

[newfac2007]

Back to the original question...

I definitely do not state it whatsoever in my cover letter. However, on my vita, I am a member of a couple of university and national professional organizations that make it obvious. So they can do with it what they'd like.

[acrimone]

You can't legislate change in human behavior.  AA does help the people it was designed to help. 

Actually, that's exactly what legislation can do--change behavior.  Laws are very effective at making people a) not do things they want to do but shouldn't and b) do things they don't want to do but should.

White privilege is alive and well, and forty years of formal affirmative action for historically oppressed people doesn't nearly make up for four hundred years of informal affirmative action for European-American land-owning men.  Once we actually see real equality, we can abandon affirmative action.  Until then, I will argue for it over and over and over again.

I really couldn't care less about hearts and minds.  Be as racist as you like.  Just act right.  That's why it's far more important to address institutional discrimination (through AA among other things) and why "education" against prejudice will never be enough to create an equal society.  Change behavior, then minds.

I can get behind this.  What's even more important than the material benefits of 400 years of institutionalized privilege is the knowledge base that the "white" community has, and which many in minority communities lack -- knowledge about how the business world works, what's expected in the professional world, etc.

Not growing up in that environment can present serious obstacles.  One of my favorite stories I've heard (and I've heard quite a few) is about a student who was a junior in their undergrad when she first heard of the idea of unpaid internships.  She sincerely didn't get it -- why would someone work for free?  It wasn't part of the world she grew up in.  Things like that can be really hard to surmount.

If White Privilege is alive and well -- something that I have reservations about but which I'm willing to accept for now -- then its most strongly found in this transmission of professional and future/economic-oriented culture.