garbagetoss

First, please accept my thanks for the excellent and difficult job you do in moderating this board.

I didn't believe I was engaged in name-calling directed toward any individual, however, calling policies that are discriminatory based on sex and race as sexist and racist merely seemed to me to be a straight-forward use of the English language. Either that or the analogy to cancer? I don't know.

I assume the relevant section of the guidelines is

> When disagreeing, please reply to the argument instead of calling names. "That is idiotic; 1 + 1 is 2, not 3" can be shortened to "1 + 1 is 2, not 3."

Therefore, please accept in spirit my amendment, that my comment should have read:

> It's frustrating that these policies that discriminate based on sex and race have multiplied out-of-control across our industry.

Best regards,

GarbageToss.

PS: Having been "burned" by social approbation due to incorrect sentiment in the past, I am very thankful for the opportunity to use a throwaway account so that issues can be discussed honestly, without the chilling effect of the fear of blowback. That is the main reason why I am responding, to let you know that I have read the guidelines, and my intent was to post within those guidelines. Again, sincere thanks for your efforts, without which we all would surely suffer from an inferior space where we can discuss these issues.

Yes, it is disgusting. Why are you proud?

Yes, it is unreasonable. I am a visible minority, and am very offended when that factors in to hiring practices. It matters to me that my acceptance is legitimate and based on merit, and it tarnishes my reputation every day that others who do not meet the same standard are accepted (i.e. meet the threshold) merely due to their skin color.

Aside from that, whoever this "we" is that you're discussing, it does not include myself. You may have unconscious biases to people who are of the same race, etc., that's on you, and people on average may have such inclinations. However, you have cited no references indicating the universality of this phenomenon, nor do you possess any pertinent data on me. It would be more fair and correct to use "I" or "in general, people...".

The fact that you're a racist person is not in dispute here, we both agree. The question is whether you want to apply your prejudices in an affirmative or negative sense. My contention is that I prefer and believe it is ethically superior for hiring and acceptance practices to consciously remove, as much as possible, the influence of prejudice for each candidate.

It is not a small or reasonable action to declare that judgements of suitability to work with an organization will be made based on sex, race, and other non-functional dimensions. The fact that large nations, corporations, and universities routinely engage in this kind of behavior does not mean that an as ethical individual one must acquiesce when others do so, especially when that person feels it may be within their reach to potentially make a difference.

It's frustrating that these sexist and racist policies have spread like a cancer across our industry.