When we Christians do it right, there is no male/female, no black/white, just all of us as God’s children.

Trey

Maybe the guy also thinks there should be a Black Air Conditioning Technology course.

In any case, he needs surgery to remove that huge chip from his shoulder, followed by a long rest somewhere.

Florida Technical School Student Angry Over Lack of Black History Classes Stabs 3 With Screwdriver
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,249939,00.html

Of course, I can never use my middle name, since it’s the name of a very famous Confederate general, and that would ruin my “bonifides” in the sensitivity arena.

The opposite of “discriminate” is “indiscriminate” – which generally does not carry good connotations.

Just tossing that into the mix.

WHAT’S DISCRIMINATION?

There’s so much confusion and emotionalism about discrimination that I thought I’d take a stab at a dispassionate analysis. Discrimination is simply the act of choice. When we choose Bordeaux wine, we discriminate against Burgundy wine. When I married Mrs. Williams, I discriminated against other women. Even though I occasionally think about equal opportunity, Mrs. Williams demands continued discrimination.

You say, “Williams, such discrimination doesn’t harm anyone.” You’re wrong. Discriminating in favor of Bordeaux wine reduces the value of resources held in Burgundy production. Discriminating in favor of Mrs. Williams harmed other women by reducing their opportunity set, assuming I’m a man other women would marry.

Our lives are spent discriminating for or against one thing or another. In other words, choice requires discrimination. When we modify the term with race, sex, height, weight or age, we merely specify the choice criteria.

Imagine how silly, not to mention impossible, life would be if discrimination were outlawed. Imagine engaging in just about any activity where we couldn’t discriminate by race, sex, height, weight, age, mannerisms, college selection, looks or ability; it would turn into a carnival.

I’ve sometimes asked students if they believe in equal opportunity in employment. Invariably, they answer yes. Then I ask them, when they graduate, whether they plan to give every employer an equal opportunity to hire them. Most often they answer no; they plan to discriminate against certain employers. Then I ask them, if they’re not going to give every employer an equal opportunity to hire them, what’s fair about requiring an employer to give them an equal opportunity to be hired?

Sometimes students will argue that certain forms of discrimination are OK but it’s racial discrimination that’s truly offensive. That’s when I confess my own history of racial discrimination. In the late 1950s, whilst selecting a lifelong mate, even though white, Mexican, Indian, Chinese and Japanese women might have been just as qualified as a mate, I gave them no chance whatsoever. It appears that most Americans act identically by racially discriminating in setting up marriage contracts. According to the 1992 Census Bureau, only 2.2 percent of Americans are married to people other than their own race or ethnicity.

You say, “All right, Williams, discrimination in marriage doesn’t have the impact on society that other forms of discrimination have.” You’re wrong again. When there is assortive (non-random) mate selection, it heightens whatever group differences exist in the population. For instance, higher IQ individuals tend toward mates with high IQs. High-income people tend to mate with other high-income people.

It’s the same with education. To the extent there is a racial correlation between these characteristics, racial discrimination in mate selection exaggerates the differences in the society’s intelligence and income distribution. There would be greater equality if there weren’t this kind of discrimination in mate selection.

In other words, if high-IQ people were forced to select low-IQ mates, high-income people forced to select low-income mates, and highly educated people forced to select lowly educated mates, there would be greater social equality. While there would be greater social equality, the divorce rate would soar since gross dissimilarities would make for conflict.

Common sense suggests that not all discrimination should be eliminated, so the question is, what kind of discrimination should be permitted? I’m guessing the answer depends on one’s values for freedom of association, keeping in mind freedom of association implies freedom not to associate.

I do not need you to tell me about race in America. You have no lectures to offer me. Maybe we can compare experiences one day, but don’t think you have anything to teach me.

This conversation about names was not an attempt to imagine the world as a fairy tale place. I like to have intelligent conversations, and I especially love the exchange of ideas. I can see that’s not going to happen this time, and I’m sorry about that. I’ll try to keep this simple. Before I go further, I’m going to remind you of your place: It is not your place to say what someone is obliged to think, and I have the distinct impression that if I don’t agree with you, I’m apparently trying to whitewash the world. In your imagination, what is my motive for wanting to do this? Maybe I’m a weak person who can’t handle being black, so I make up whatever I have to in order to survive mentally and emotionally? Is that it? By the way, I hope it’s not a revelation that I’m black. I hope your response wasn’t because you were making yet another assumption.

If you dare to try and tell me that I’m trying to block out the world or whatever your imagination dreams up, know that I’m just going to scroll right past you. I’ve been polite to you this whole time, so you can do the same. You’re no longer young, as you say, but don’t think you’re of an age where you can get away with being rude.

Just so you know, in the last post my reply to you wasn’t intended to provoke emotion. I don’t care if you get the warm and fuzzies. I would only care were I writing fiction, which is not what I was doing here. My reply to you was intended to provoke thought. I’ve failed. I’m sorry.

When people read your name, they don’t doubt your sex. Your race is up in the air. I happen to have an aunt named Laura, so I know it’s not a given that Lauras are white or black, but they’re definitely female. My own name is sexually ambiguous in real life, too. No one knows my age or race or sex and I find that this causes a reaction that the Lauras and Peters of the world never experience. For the record, I have successfully applied for and been interviewed for jobs.

Apropos of nothing, I have a story to share: I once saw a listing for submissions to an anthology of black horror writers. The black author/editor, who had an Irish first name, wanted everyone to include their photos with their stories, I guess because he didn’t want to accidentally toss out a damn good Laura and accept only a mediocre LaKeisha just because he didn’t know Laura’s race. He probably also wanted to make sure no smart aleck tried calling himself LaKeisha if said smart aleck was actually a white guy. Race mattered then, but he obviously knew (I guess from having the Irish first name) that names don’t don’t tell the whole story about identity.

Moving on, if you yourself were trying to get a job with a company that only knew your name, you could get your foot in the door. Once they see you, they might decide you’re too old, if they practice age discrimination. But Ethel? Her application gets tossed by that company. Why? Because in this country, Ethel is an old woman’s name. Laura can be any age. In that instance, LaKeisha might stand the better chance, since I’m pretty sure there aren’t (yet) any old women with that name. You’re not supposed to feel good about poor Ethel. You’re not supposed to think it’s right for her to be discriminated against. I never gave you any reason to believe I want you to feel that way at all. I’m simply telling you what is. You don’t have any evidence of what’s going on if you’re relying on data that ignores that angle.

Next time you wonder about motive? Just ask. Don’t assume.

P.S. about the “LaKeisha” names…they seem to be of recent vintage. I wonder if the position you’ve staked is motivated by a belief that only racist white people think certain things about these names? Or is it generational? I notice that people in my parents’ generation (my mother is turning 50 this year) comment on these names, and shake their heads when hearing some of the more outlandish ones. As a bystander I once listened to an uncle wonder to his nieces and nephews about “what’s up with your names?!?”

The reason I say class is an issue that shouldn’t be ignored is because Anfernee’s mother comes from a different background than Anthony’s does, even though both women are black. One of them had schooling, the other one did not. You cannot tell me that anyone glancing at the two names on applications will not realize this. (Anfernee’s mother, IIRC, actually intended his name to be Anthony, which is the point of comparing the two. Just trying to avoid confusion and pointless assumptions here).

OK, I’ll bite, what is ‘white society’ and where aren’t blacks accepting it??

You see _no_ difference between “black” culture, and “white” culture in the United States(limiting to the US – it’s a big enough issue without going into other countries and cultures!)?

I certainly hope not!

I prefer to live on a planet where people listen to one another and to what is actually said rather than reacting to a distorted view of comments which buttress one’s own hostility.