Beat you to it.

Affirmative action isn't meant to discriminate against white people, it's meant to ensure workplaces aren't discriminating against minorities. The only reason it was enacted in the first place and is still in effect today is because discrimination is still very prevalent in society today.

Originally Posted by sinthusized

True, but the federal government has a history of discriminating against a lot of those groups you've mentioned (and in some cases ongoing discrimination).

What I don't understand is how overcompensating now and discriminating against other groups in their favour makes up for or changes the fact that were discriminated in the past. It doesn't change anything, many groups have been discriminated against throughout the course of history. Giving them preferential treatment now won't make up for that or change that.

I don't get why its supremacy over equalization. It should be equal, not in favour of minorities based on the fact that they are minorities.

How are policies that give preferential treatment to minority groups fair to those that don't fall into these groups and that also were not part of the past discrimination against said minority groups.

Re: Souldier, that's what affirmative action should be about but I don't know if it always is.

Just as a side note that kinda made me lol: taunton, sew, and i are all white.

inb4 anyone tries to use it against us.

XDD

Originally Posted by Souldier

Affirmative action isn't meant to discriminate against white people, it's meant to ensure workplaces aren't discriminating against minorities. The only reason it was enacted in the first place and is still in effect today is because discrimination is still very prevalent in society today.

It doesn't work; I would argue it increases discrimination and racial tensions, and it should be abolished.

Originally Posted by lawleypop

Just as a side note that kinda made me lol: taunton, sew, and i are all white.

inb4 anyone tries to use it against us.

XDD

I'm still waiting for a "you're white, you don't understand!!11" post.

Originally Posted by Taunton

It's really quite simple.

Two wrongs don't make a right. A potential candidate should be considered based on their abilities, not on their colour, age, gender, or if they're disabled or not. End of story.

I couldn't care less what has happened in the past; by correcting actions and behaviours now and sticking by it, everything can be corrected with time.

My view is that for some groups, the problems they face now are due to discrimination in the past. Federal government is trying to right their wrongs to solve problems now. It's not about disadvantaging anyone else. Also, my other point is that those groups are also still being discriminated against too and that's because it's the same discrimination that rooted in the past. I guess everyone has different opinions but I think it is ignorant to dismiss history or the past.

Affirmative action is happening. What do you do if you're a white male? Go gay.

Originally Posted by sinthusized

It's not about disadvantaging anyone else.

It's not about disadvantaging anyone else, so why are other people being disadvantaged?

The solution is not "Oh, people discriminated against minorities in the past, so we'll discriminate against white people for a few years to make up for it".

Everyone should be treated equally all the time. Problems of the past should stay in the past.

Well I don't think anyone is implying that we forget the past outright; rather, we should be using the past to correct our future.

In this instance, affirmative action is one way to try and balance discrimination, but I agree that it can end up discriminating against perfectly worthy candidates because they are of a majority race. I think it's more of a root problem that certain people are naturally inclined to discriminate against others, so I don't know...no matter what there will always be some discrimination; it's just that we should seek to reduce as much as possible.

Just doing some reading on this...

apparently in Canada, a law passed called the Canadian Employment Equity Act requires employers in federally regulated industries to give preferential treatment to four designated groups: women, people with disabilities, aboriginal people, and visible minorities. The Act uses the language "non-white". The legislation leaves white males as being the only unprotected ethnic group. Discrimination anyone? This should be illegal!

However, the concept is far from uncontroversial and a few states in the US have banned "affirmative action". I'd have to say I'm on the side of Michigan and California.

Originally Posted by Taunton

Just doing some reading on this...

apparently in Canada, a law passed called the Canadian Employment Equity Act requires employers in federally regulated industries to give preferential treatment to four designated groups: women, people with disabilities, aboriginal people, and visible minorities. The Act uses the language "non-white". The legislation leaves white males as being the only unprotected ethnic group. Discrimination anyone? This should be illegal!

However, the concept is far from uncontroversial and a few states in the US have banned "affirmative action". I'd have to say I'm on the side of Michigan and California.

Agreed, that should be illegal.

Equality not supremacy.

Originally Posted by Taunton

Just doing some reading on this...

apparently in Canada, a law passed called the Canadian Employment Equity Act requires employers in federally regulated industries to give preferential treatment to four designated groups: women, people with disabilities, aboriginal people, and visible minorities. The Act uses the language "non-white". The legislation leaves white males as being the only unprotected ethnic group. Discrimination anyone? This should be illegal!

However, the concept is far from uncontroversial and a few states in the US have banned "affirmative action". I'd have to say I'm on the side of Michigan and California.

Like I said, the States are actually ahead of us in something important. xD

Doesn't matter where I go, I will always be the minority.