Visible miniority BS

[Rapscallion]

I'm a visible minority, I have a vagina. It does not matter what color it is, I'm still a minority, dammit.

If it's visible, can I arrange to ...

Never mind. Bad admin. Very bad admin. Needs spanking.

Rapscallion

[Ree]

I thought that women edged out men in terms of population.

I'M the minority for having a schlong. What now? Take away all the female scholarships and start giving men them since WE are the minorities!

I am going to have to disagree with blas, when she states women are a minority. What she is referring to does not make women a minority.

I think blas is referring to the fact that, for centuries, women were held back and not given the opportunities that men were.

When it came to job opportunities, men almost always edged out women, regardless of the qualifications, unless it was a job related to something domestic (cleaning, cooking, childcare), and even then, if it came down to a man with a family, or a single woman, the man usually got the job.

That all changed a few years ago, however, with the women's movement and the politically correct attitude that took over.

Depending on where you live, it seems that many places now have quotas to fill with regard to gender as well as race.

In speaking with a lot of guys I know, it would seem that the white male is now on the very bottom rung for the most part when it comes to opportunities.
That doesn't actually make them a minority, though.

[Wingates_Hellsing]

It's not who's a minority or not, it's whether or not it should matter.

Quotas for gender and race are the opposite of fair, they seek to correct perceived problems with racial and gender bias. As someone who is firmly against racial and gender bias, I can't see the hiring of anyone based on their gender or race as anything other than the discrimination everyone said they wanted to end.

What we want is for the most qualified / best suited person do be hired for the job. If that just so happens to be a white guy instead of a black woman, there's no justifiable reason to turn around and hire the lesser applicant.

[smileyeagle1021]

What we want is for the most qualified / best suited person do be hired for the job. If that just so happens to be a white guy instead of a black woman, there's no justifiable reason to turn around and hire the lesser applicant.

You would have no idea how many black women I know who agree with that (OK, so there is two, but those are the only two I've talked to on the subject ). Both of them said that if they got a job/promotion it was because they worked hard and they earned that job/promotion... not because they happened to have the right color skin and genitals.

Then again, on the flip side, I've met people of multiple different ethnicity that will pull the "I come from a disadvantaged background, I should be given the better jobs as compensation"
I'm sorry, my Grandma came from a disadvantaged background and you know what she did... she worked her ass off, became a registered nurse, saved up every penny she could, opened her own convalescent care facility, ran it for years and earned enough to put all three of her children through school and then retire in relative comfort. My mom had a boss who's background was that he was born in a Japanese internment camp... he now owns his own company through hard work and perseverance. One of my former bosses was born a dirt farmer in Bangladesh, worked hard in school, got himself a scholarship, was later accepted to a school in the US and now works full time as a software engineer and owns two hotels.
It's a cliche but it's true. Life is like poker, it's not the person who's dealt the best hand who wins but the one who plays it best.

[KnitShoni]

Part of that trouble is black people getting prissy about being black and picking a new label that doesn't make sense

Yes, thank you for lumping us all in the same box.

[KnitShoni]

This is something I have a problem with, the whole visible minority thing. Regardless of whether they are immigrants or First Nations.

People seem to think that it's okay to blend every culture that they see as "white" together. Sorry, I don't consider myself white, sorry my heritage is Croatian, not "white".

Diversity for employers should mean they simply don't discriminate about who they hire based on looks, culture or race. They shouldn't be looking for a certain skin tone, sounds an awful lot like what was happening 50 years ago or so in reverse.

I agree. My husband looks white. He's got brown hair and blue eyes. His parents and siblings are the same. However, his parents have enough Native American blood to have reservation roll numbers. But, they're all described as "white" because of their physical characteristics.

[KnitShoni]

Seriously though:
It's not overly surprising to me that there are those who think 'black' when they hear African-American. Especially since it's become the PC way to refer to blacks regardless of their heritage. Doesn't make it any less retarded that they reacted the way they did.

As far as that, not all of us use African-American to describe ourselves. A lot of us refuse to because we feel the term better describes people who were born in Africa, then became citizens here, or have immediate ancestors (parents/grandparents) who have done so. That, and the fact that there are so many non-Black Africans in the world, means it CAN'T accurately be used to describe all Black people in the US.

[Gravekeeper]

Damn, kiwi. Didn't you move to BC? Where the heck are you applying that's pulling this stuff on you?

Hell, I can name two temp companies off the top of my head that almost exclusively send us Brits, Aussies and Zealanders whenever we need extra staff ( Which is fairly regularly depending on whats going on ). They liven the place up. -.-

[Wingates_Hellsing]

As far as that, not all of us use African-American to describe ourselves. A lot of us refuse to because we feel the term better describes people who were born in Africa, then became citizens here, or have immediate ancestors (parents/grandparents) who have done so. That, and the fact that there are so many non-Black Africans in the world, means it CAN'T accurately be used to describe all Black people in the US.

Oh I know, 7/10 times I catch shit for saying 'black' instead of 'African-American' it's some stick-up-the-ass hippy-type liberal flapping their jaw Doesn't help that public schools (or at least mine) insisted we don't use the term 'black' despite everything.

[KnitShoni]

Oh I know, 7/10 times I catch shit for saying 'black' instead of 'African-American' it's some stick-up-the-ass hippy-type liberal flapping their jaw Doesn't help that public schools (or at least mine) insisted we don't use the term 'black' despite everything.

You know what I've noticed? A lot of Black people who insist on being called African-American only insist on it from other races.

[KnitShoni]

One of these days (hopefully VERY soon), companies will realize the quotas do "visible" minorities not one damned bit of good. Why? Because those of us who bust ass to earn what we have are assumed to have gotten it ONLY because of quotas. I'm sorry. I didn't put in years of work, practice, sweat, getting my ass beat for grades below a B, for some guy to give me a job just because I was born Black and/or female.

[Fryk]

The only times I have ever been given harsh looks for referring to someone as black, it's always been from someone who's WHITE.

Although I also find it kind of silly that black people are referred to as "black". I have never EVER met a someone whose skin color was actually black. Although perhaps it was at night, and I just didn't notice them...

I have also never met a "white" person who was actually white. Even an albino's skin is kind of pinkish.

We need more color-accurate terms!

[Boozy]

I don't think I've ever used the term "African-American". It would seldom make sense, since I live in Canada.

Like KnitShoni, I don't like it because it implies a person born in the continent of Africa who emigrated to the U.S. 9 times out of 10 that's not what the speaker means.

It's absurd to call a sixth or seventh generation American an "African-American". They're about as African as I am Scottish, which is to say, not at all.

[smileyeagle1021]

The only times I have ever been given harsh looks for referring to someone as black, it's always been from someone who's WHITE.

Although I also find it kind of silly that black people are referred to as "black". I have never EVER met a someone whose skin color was actually black. Although perhaps it was at night, and I just didn't notice them...

I have also never met a "white" person who was actually white. Even an albino's skin is kind of pinkish.

We need more color-accurate terms!

You could just call people... people...
I like how one of my classmates who is mixed race put it when I asked what he would technically classify himself as, white, black or mixed, and he said "I would classify myself as Robert." touche.

[Wingates_Hellsing]

You could just call people... people...
I like how one of my classmates who is mixed race put it when I asked what he would technically classify himself as, white, black or mixed, and he said "I would classify myself as Robert." touche.

All very funny until it's time to describe them. Seriously, while skin color shouldn't be a factor in whether or not someone is a good worker or good person, it's still a vital part of their appearance and their ethnicity is a vital part of who they are.

"So what did this guy look like?"

"6 maybe 6-2 with short black hair and all blue clothes"

"Anything else?"

"He looked like a Robert, maybe a Rob"

"..."