You know sometimes it seems like the more things change the more they stay same. Black people had a real grievance until the last 20 years, they really did. I believe affirmative action was a real need at one point in our histories time, but now, it's just an excuse to get what you haven't earned. I think racism in ANY form is morally wrong. I am not talking about just a differing opinion mind you, but true discrimation against someone because they are different than you are-Gay,straight,black,Indian, and yes EVEN white. Yes I said it,even white. It's kind of like the table have flipped and to be honest cases like the firerighters in CT are something I am hearing more and more these days. Some folks might say well now you know it feels, true, but why should I have to pay the price for the sins of my forefathers, so to speak, thats not fair either. In this particual case it is just wrong to blame the white firefighters for something that is just not their fault. If you don't do the preparation and do the work for whatever test or exam it may be, then why should you get the job or the promotion? Hiring someone in this day and age just because they are black and NOT hiring someone just because they are white is DISCRIMINATION period.
I think it seems to me, that these firefighters have every reason to be upset. You should hire someone because they are qualified for the promotion or the job, END OF STORY. If it happens that less blacks end up for a set number of postions or less whites for that matter, then perhaps they need to look at whether there was adequate study prepatation going on and not neccarily immediately chalk it up to discrimination.
I am not saying it doesn't still exist, but I am sick to death of people in general making excuses based on their skin color or sex,or sexual preference. I didn't get this job cause I am (fill in the blank). How about you just weren't qualified? What a novel concept.
So my final thoughts on this are this. IF you want a level playing field, and aren't just looking for a handout,then I think Affirmative action should be abolished. It has outlived its justifiable purpose and is now doing much more harm than good. People who are qualifed for a job aren't getting them because they are the wrong race or sex. It's ridiculous and infuriating. Just hire someone based on their qualification and experience, and if applicable their tests scores. Whoever does best should get it, whether they be white, black, gay,straight, or from Mars for crying out loud.
Martin Luther King would be happy to see the progress we have made in making his dream come true, but I think he would be somewhat sad as well. He would be sad to see how there is still discrimination in all quarters, not just against blacks. We have all been victims of it at one time in our lives, white, black, gay, straight. How we handle that is up to us. We can have a chip on our shoulder or we can just work hard, play by the rules and do our best anyway.
And that's how I feel about it. You may hate it or may love it, but I hope it makes you think just a little beyond the knee-jerk reactions I see so much of these days, frankly I am just sick of all.
In the immortal words of Rodney King "Cant we all just get along?"
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