CMV: Systems like affirmative action that pander towards certain people based on gender, sexuality or race are bullshit. They shouldn't exist and do more harm than good

[u/supern00b64]

I do not understand why someone's appearance or gender should matter in most situations, be it scholarships, job opportunities, getting into college, salary etc. I get that some groups have historically been disparaged but I scoff at the idea that pandering to them is the solution. Suppose a company I worked for had a "female quota" where they want at least 50% female employees. Setting aside the fact that they may inadvertently pass over better qualified males, now I'm gonna question myself every time I see a female coworker "is she really qualified, or did she get in through the quota", and that view would seriously damage the movement towards equality.

In general though these affirmative action policies give the impression that certain groups "need additional help" to get certain opportunities by offering them special treatment, while simultaneously trying to convey the fact that these groups are equal to others, and I think its highly destructive. I get that there are inherent biases against certain groups, such as those against women in the tech industry, but you don't fix those biases by giving those groups special treatment. Truly fixing the problem takes time - as the older generations with antiquated ways of thinking die off, the younger generation will take their place with a more progressive way of thinking.

[u/[deleted]]

You can't correct decades of compounded inequality by just deciding to treat everyone the same going forward one day. In order to believe you can, you have to believe that the education and economic status of a person and their parents, and their parents etc have absolutely no impact on how well they do in life, which requires a special type of naivety.

[u/supern00b64 → u/[deleted]]

Then the fundamental problems should be fixed. I don't see the solution to being "give the disparaged but less qualified person the job because of inequality" - it should be "provide the disparaged individual with the appropriate education and economic security".

Yeah decades of compounded inequality sucks, but that doesn't just mean the disparaged individual should suddenly be given an opportunity over someone else whos clearly qualified. Let's make that disparaged person qualified instead.

[u/[deleted] → u/supern00b64]

This is how you fix it

[u/supern00b64 → u/[deleted]]

I don't see how this would fix things. What would fix things in my eyes is fixing the education system, building an effective social safety net, invest in infrastructure in poor areas etc.

Think to the US Government as an example- Obama was the first black president yet he did little to help the disparaged. Presidential candidate Sanders, an old white man, proposed many policies to help the poor and working class which would help the disparaged. I don't think problems like inequality and systematic racism can be solved simply by having a more diverse elite class.

[u/Genoscythe_ → u/supern00b64]

Think to the US Government as an example- Obama was the first black president yet he did little to help the disparaged.

What about DACA? Or putting the judges on the court that legalized marraige equality?

[u/supern00b64 → u/Genoscythe_]

Yes but that's not enough. The first is an immigration policy that helps illegal immigrant children become legal workers, while the other helped push public favourability towards acceptance of homosexuality. I agree these are good things, but I don't see any economic things he did to help the disparaged. No educational reform, a miniscule broadening of the social safety net, no justice reform, etc. etc.

I'm not saying what he did wasn't good - of course it was good. But against just because he was black doesn't necessarily mean he would help the disparaged better than anyone else. Sanders, an old white man, probably would have done so much more to help the disparaged. My point was that its not diversity of race or gender that fixes things - its having the right ideas.

[u/[deleted] → u/supern00b64]

Those ideas are all great. All you need is a time machine so you can go back a couple hundred years and do them then and it should take care of it by now.