Re:Facebook Tools Are Used to Screen Out Older Job Seekers, ...
by paulddraper on Wednesday May 30, 2018 @12:29PM
(#17189092)
> Webster gives pride of place
In practice, discrimination has largely negative connotations https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/183093/is-there-...
> "use good judgment."
"The screening exercise _____ aggressively."
* "The screening exercise uses good judgement aggressively." Awkward.
* "The screening exercise filters aggressively." No implication that choice is based on the candidate's characteristics instead of random chance.
* "The screening exercise distinguishes aggressively". Sounds odd, plus has positive rather than neutral connotations.
* "The screening exercise differentiates aggressively " Best one, though it doesn't hint at the pass/fail nature of the distinction.
Webster gives pride of place to both the transitive and intransitive definitions that could fit your "once upon a time" definition.[1]
Furthermore, of the six definitions given, five are what I'd consider a trait or ability that is wholly positive to possess. Only the 2nd definition for the intransitive form has a negative connotation.
> But show me an organization that doesn't discriminate, and I'll show you an organization of utter incompetence.
Any organization that isn't utterly incompetent would avoid using the ambiguous word "discriminate" in place of the unambiguous phrase "use good judgment."
Also, HR is just one tiny and narrow domain of human affairs. Music, writing, even dating see way more use of the positive definitions of "discriminate."
[1] https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/discriminate