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- Posted September 30, 2012 by
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Discrimination
By: William Marlowe
CNN iReport:
Are your opportunities to be selected for a job or break into a field limited by a hegemonic culture in that field or profession? Do you belong to a part of society that has a ‘Glass Ceiling’ and is limited to breaking into a field or advancing in an occupation because another part of society is practicing hegemonic discrimination? Would you know it was happening to you if it was very hidden and only practiced and discussed by those on the inside?
If one segment of society dominates the hiring and occupational advancement of other groups in society to the point of excluding any one group or all other groups that is a form of hegemonic discrimination. In our culture and society it is illegal to discriminate because of race, sex, age, disability or medical condition but unfortunately is still practiced in our society by ignorant people. Fortunately many of the people discriminated against in the past that were prevented from advancing or being considered for opportunities are now in positions of power and leading but unfortunately a small group of those same people have decided to now practice reverse discrimination by now only considering and hiring those from their previously excluded cultural group.
Is it fair for a woman to be passed by and not considered for an executive position when she is the most qualified for the job but the selecting body has decided to practice hegemony and only consider men for the position?
Is it fair in the past to consider only white candidates for opportunities of leadership such as coaches in the NFL, MLB, and NBA and not consider black men with better qualifications, experience and insight?
Is it fair for any religious group, Christian, Jewish, or Islamic to select based primarily on religious affiliation for an opportunity in business that has nothing to do with religion?
Is it fair to discriminate against others of different sexual orientation such as those of the LGBT community when considering hiring someone in a professional position where their sexual orientation has no influence on the quality of work they will deliver in that position.
I hope you will agree that all of these examples of hegemonic discrimination are wrong and do not belong in our society and if you do, I offer the following conclusions.
Just as it is wrong to discriminate in any of the ways listed above in hiring someone it is also just as wrong for those previously discriminated against to, now once they are in authority, to discriminate against all others in a form of retaliation for the discrimination their group experienced in the past.
It is not fair for those that are LGBT to predominately hire others that are also LGBT in any area where they have attained leadership positions.
It is not fair for those that are of a particular religious group, now in the seats of Authority, i.e., Christian, Jewish, Mormon, Scientology, or Muslim, to hire predominantly from the religious group they belong in a form of retaliation over any another group of people based on religion.
It is easy to admit there was and still is racial discrimination in our society to which everyone must stand and be counted in pointing it out and insist that it be removed as acceptable in our society but the same must also be said for practicing racial discrimination in reverse. We cannot become a society where reverse decimation is acceptable either where the color of one’s skin is one of the factors in being selected for an occupation or job. It is simply not fair or appropriate and cannot be tolerated.
All the new forms of reverse discrimination are not just promoting ones culture to help make up for discrimination in the past but are forms of modern discrimination that are basing the qualifications and select ability of a candidate for a professional position based on a criteria that has nothing to do with quality, qualifications and experience of the individual. This in turn has a negative effect on our society and the continued advancement of our Nation as a whole as we are not selecting the most talented for the positions but instead are being ‘Tribal’ and reversing advancement.
It is wrong, ugly and unfair and does not serve to improve the quality of our society, our joint culture or our Nation. Next time you begin considering someone for a position take the time to intellectually ask yourself if you are practicing this behavior even unintentionally.
CNN iReport:
Are your opportunities to be selected for a job or break into a field limited by a hegemonic culture in that field or profession? Do you belong to a part of society that has a ‘Glass Ceiling’ and is limited to breaking into a field or advancing in an occupation because another part of society is practicing hegemonic discrimination? Would you know it was happening to you if it was very hidden and only practiced and discussed by those on the inside?
If one segment of society dominates the hiring and occupational advancement of other groups in society to the point of excluding any one group or all other groups that is a form of hegemonic discrimination. In our culture and society it is illegal to discriminate because of race, sex, age, disability or medical condition but unfortunately is still practiced in our society by ignorant people. Fortunately many of the people discriminated against in the past that were prevented from advancing or being considered for opportunities are now in positions of power and leading but unfortunately a small group of those same people have decided to now practice reverse discrimination by now only considering and hiring those from their previously excluded cultural group.
Is it fair for a woman to be passed by and not considered for an executive position when she is the most qualified for the job but the selecting body has decided to practice hegemony and only consider men for the position?
Is it fair in the past to consider only white candidates for opportunities of leadership such as coaches in the NFL, MLB, and NBA and not consider black men with better qualifications, experience and insight?
Is it fair for any religious group, Christian, Jewish, or Islamic to select based primarily on religious affiliation for an opportunity in business that has nothing to do with religion?
Is it fair to discriminate against others of different sexual orientation such as those of the LGBT community when considering hiring someone in a professional position where their sexual orientation has no influence on the quality of work they will deliver in that position.
I hope you will agree that all of these examples of hegemonic discrimination are wrong and do not belong in our society and if you do, I offer the following conclusions.
Just as it is wrong to discriminate in any of the ways listed above in hiring someone it is also just as wrong for those previously discriminated against to, now once they are in authority, to discriminate against all others in a form of retaliation for the discrimination their group experienced in the past.
It is not fair for those that are LGBT to predominately hire others that are also LGBT in any area where they have attained leadership positions.
It is not fair for those that are of a particular religious group, now in the seats of Authority, i.e., Christian, Jewish, Mormon, Scientology, or Muslim, to hire predominantly from the religious group they belong in a form of retaliation over any another group of people based on religion.
It is easy to admit there was and still is racial discrimination in our society to which everyone must stand and be counted in pointing it out and insist that it be removed as acceptable in our society but the same must also be said for practicing racial discrimination in reverse. We cannot become a society where reverse decimation is acceptable either where the color of one’s skin is one of the factors in being selected for an occupation or job. It is simply not fair or appropriate and cannot be tolerated.
All the new forms of reverse discrimination are not just promoting ones culture to help make up for discrimination in the past but are forms of modern discrimination that are basing the qualifications and select ability of a candidate for a professional position based on a criteria that has nothing to do with quality, qualifications and experience of the individual. This in turn has a negative effect on our society and the continued advancement of our Nation as a whole as we are not selecting the most talented for the positions but instead are being ‘Tribal’ and reversing advancement.
It is wrong, ugly and unfair and does not serve to improve the quality of our society, our joint culture or our Nation. Next time you begin considering someone for a position take the time to intellectually ask yourself if you are practicing this behavior even unintentionally.
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