Comments on: Positive Discrimination

By: dr.kedar karki

dr.kedar karki — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 04:45:41 +0000

have always strongly been against affirmative action, pretty much since I learned the definition as a child. I’ve been raised and taught that people should always be treated based on their values, their skills, and their merit in regards to the position being sought. It is never, under any circumstances whatsoever, ethical to allow affirmative action, as it takes one group of people based on an arbitrary classification such as race, religion, or sex, and separates and discriminates against them. In every moral objective concept of affirmitive action, it is extremely wrong. It furthermore cannot be proven that affirmitive action has any positive merits whatsoever, as the candidates for this “assistance” may never know if they were qualified for the position on their own skills. Vice versa, we may be denying the opportunity of a brilliant individual the chance for a position simply because of categorization and labelling. I may be white in skin colour, and traditionally those of white skin colour have succeeded in stark contrast to other “races” in North America. But I can assure you that nothing about my race has ever provided me with privilege, and affirmitive action here in Canada would only perpetuate the life of poverty and disadvantage I have always known already.

India has a different history, certainly, the concepts are not. Whether or not Hindus have always benefited in a general way over Christians or Muslims is irrelevant. Societal values are changed slowly over time, but to try and “force” them only creates animosity and further invokes racism and resentment. It’s time we stopped labelling and classifying people, regardless of whether or not they “belong” to a religion, and simply treat people based on their merits for the job/position.

Nothing can ever be “positive” about discrimination. State sponsored discrimination is just about the most irresponsible form of it possible.

By: headsetop

headsetop — Fri, 26 May 2006 13:02:07 +0000

Well put Adrian, there is nothing “positive” about discrimination, it’s like “fighting” for peace.

By: Adrian MacNair

Adrian MacNair — Fri, 26 May 2006 04:15:34 +0000

I have always strongly been against affirmative action, pretty much since I learned the definition as a child. I’ve been raised and taught that people should always be treated based on their values, their skills, and their merit in regards to the position being sought. It is never, under any circumstances whatsoever, ethical to allow affirmative action, as it takes one group of people based on an arbitrary classification such as race, religion, or sex, and separates and discriminates against them. In every moral objective concept of affirmitive action, it is extremely wrong. It furthermore cannot be proven that affirmitive action has any positive merits whatsoever, as the candidates for this “assistance” may never know if they were qualified for the position on their own skills. Vice versa, we may be denying the opportunity of a brilliant individual the chance for a position simply because of categorization and labelling. I may be white in skin colour, and traditionally those of white skin colour have succeeded in stark contrast to other “races” in North America. But I can assure you that nothing about my race has ever provided me with privilege, and affirmitive action here in Canada would only perpetuate the life of poverty and disadvantage I have always known already.

Nothing can ever be “positive” about discrimination. State sponsored discrimination is just about the most irresponsible form of it possible.