Positive discrimination

[the_GoDdEsS]

Does it do any good? Isn't it also discriminating against your own people? And double discrimination in the end?

[Vera]

Er, what is positive discrimination?

[the_GoDdEsS]

Affirmative action, if you want US English.

[HornyPope]

Welcome to 2002?

[wheelchairman]

Wasn't it incredibly succesful at integrating parts of the black lower class into the middle class?

I'm generally for it. In most nations there is an artificial ethnic underclass. Integration into the middle class would break the ethnic suppression. Although affirmative action can only be a partial step in what should be a comprehensive program.

[TheUnholyNightbringer]

In principle, I'm against it, simply because it's discrimination of one group over another, which I'm generally very wary about.

But in practise, it does seem to work. So I'm officially undecided.

[wheelchairman]

What principle?

It's there to counter-act the cultural racism of the majority due to years of racial and class segregation?

And if you're a communist. You should be much more wary of the dialectics at play. Who is doing the oppressing, and who is the oppressed? If blacks are in a poverty cycle (growing up in poor communities, with poor educational facilities, which leads to poor jobs, which means living in a poor community and raising children who will go to poor educational facilities) Giving them the opportunity to break the cycle would help break the economic segregation in effect in most countriess.

[TheUnholyNightbringer]

But there's always the issue of when "racial equality" becomes "racial favouring" in favour of black people, which of course wouldn't and shouldn't be allowed for white people. And sure, positive discrimination does certainly help black people get out of the cycle of poverty, but who's to say a white person who was also up for a job wouldn't be trying to break the same cycle?

But then again there's the issue of overcompensating to make up for past undercompensating. It's a complicated issue, and like I said, I'm still undecided on it.

[JohnnyNemesis]

Originally Posted by TheUnholyNightbringer

"racial favouring" in favour of black people, which of course wouldn't and shouldn't be allowed for white people.

Correction: "racial favouring" has been, and continues to be, in place for white people. That's the reason affirmative action even exists: to respond to the every social institution historically favoring whites over nonwhites.

[TheUnholyNightbringer]

Ah, hmm. Good point.

I'm not pretending to be a great expert on this. I don't know enough about it, nor the kind of society it's aimed at.