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189184 Responseshttp://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/question-on-discrimination/Question+on+Discrimination2010-02-26+03%3A47%3A11Sam+Richards to Question on Discrimination
In my opinion I would say a colored person would choose another colored person. Most people are comfortable around others who are similar to them. I am not certain this may be the case but I would assume so. My father owns a grocery store and a while back we were talking about the application process in his store. My dad’s assistant covers up the tops of the applicant’s resumes and my dad selects people to interview and hire based solely on the content of the resume. I never applied this as a problem in real life, I always wondered why he did this but now I understand. I think more employers should begin to do this to see if those of color have just as impressive resumes.
That’s actually a pretty cool and smart idea to cover the top (name) of one’s resume. I would agree with you and say that a colored person would probably choose another colored person over a white person. With affirmative action, white supremacy, slavery, and all these factors that have oppressed African-Americans for generations, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Blacks give “justice” to Whites by not choosing them. As a minority (specifically an Asian-American), I can somewhat sympathize with Blacks by feeling that we don’t live in an environment of equality like we’re “supposed to.” As part of this minority group, however, I wouldn’t necessarily choose an Asian over a White person if I were to be part of the job application process. Like Sam mentioned in class, everyone’s capable of doing something and two people could have very similar resumes and backgrounds to each other but be of different races. It’s just sad to see Whites choosing Whites with a criminal record over Blacks without a criminal record. I’m interested to see more colored people respond to this blog and see their take on this issue. Not that it would benefit me, since I’m an Asian-American, but I think it would benefit more White people to place themselves in a Black person’s shoes.
I agree with the three of you who posted responses before me! I think the important part of the hiring process isn't what someone's name is or what they look like but simply the experience they have had and their people skills. My old high school social studies teacher used to always quote, "Life is a people business". I think this quote is really applicable to a lot of topics but especially being interviewed and hired for a job. It shouldn't be important how foreign or unique your name is, just because someone's name is Bob, Joe or Sue doesn't make them more qualified. My parents don't have to worry about hiring employees, but if they did I definitely think the idea of covering up someone's name is a good idea. If I were a colored person applying for a job where I was up against white people, I would want my name to be covered up on my resume, just to have more of an equal playing field.
I'm not sure how colored people would hire employees…I'm white, so I can only say how I would hire employees. It would make sense if they had about the same chances of hiring someone of a different race than anyone else would. I agree with the notion that people tend to feel more comfortable when around those that are similar to them. Have you noticed in our class how we tend to sit in clumps together – a clump of white kids, a clump of black kids? Not that I would oppose having to sit next to someone who's different than me, but I guess people of the same color naturally tend to stick together.
Responding to cmaverick's post, I think Thursday's class hopefully helped white people place themselves better in a black person's shoes. I felt ashamed, angered and just flat out disgusted at some of the statistics Sam posted in class. It seems that white people and people of color truly do live in two different worlds. I was never exposed to the racism and discrimination that some of you endure quite often, and I do feel bad – I think that's just a natural response. I don't feel bad because I should feel guilty or anything, I feel bad because I can't imagine having to endure what some people struggle with daily. I don't think its fair and I don't want to be associated with those awful statistics about white people with criminal records being more likely to be hired than black people with clean records.
Anyways, Thursday's class definitely was an eye-opener for me, as I'm sure it was for others as well. I’m looking forward to Tuesday’s class.
That's funny because I was just thinking the same thing. My father owns his own retail store as well and I have asked him about hiring people and what goes into choosing an applicant, etc. He told me it is based solely on the content of the persons resume to get them to an interview. In the interview the determining factor is the ability to use people skills, not who they are. A large portion of my dad's client base are black americans, and I can recall a time when I asked him why he didn't hire more black americans to work. He has 2 black employees and I figured having more would attract more black customers. He explained that its not who the person is, but how they perform in the necessary situation. My dad is an old white man, and he still has a huge black clientel. Its not who you are but how you treat people, no matter what their color.
I really find this view on the ever popular race question to be extremely interesting. Too often we tend to focus upon the actions of White people and not enough on the actions of African American people and their viewpoints on things. In my opinion, I also would agree with the post from "EmilyButzner" in the fact that an African American would be more likely to choose another African American in an interview; and a White person would be more likely to choose another White person in an interview. Unless the African American or White person is very concerned with remaining politically correct, I think that all people would rather surround themselves with people that are similar to them (race, ethnicity, likes, dislikes, etc.).
There may be a special case of an African American choosing a White person or a White person choosing an African American person, but I believe that the majority of people would choose the applicant based on how similar they are to them. Yet, race should not be the end all and be all deciding factor. I think that the average person realizes that the skills and qualities that one posesses are what should matter most in an interview. Therefore, if an African American is interviewing an unqualified African American and a qualified White candidate, chances are the African American interviewer would still choose the qualified White person over the unqualified African American, even though they are of a different race.
Focusing on hiring a qualified person is much more important than focusing on hiring someone of the same race because it can either positively or negatively affect the success of your business. For a business to thrive, you need quick, intelligent, knowledgeable employees (no matter what color they are). A business can fail fast if the workers are lazy, unmotivated, and unqualified (even if the boss feels at ease with having employees all the same color as him or her.) Because, at that point, color doesn't matter. Rather, the overall well-being of the business matters.
The whole atmosphere at a business should be as diverse as possible. In this day and age, we should be more focused on integrating instead of segregating. By African Americans picking White employees and by White people picking African American employees, we can further break down the stereotype that everyone is racist. And if someone wants to hire someone else of a different color, they should be respected in their decision and not judged for it. Obviously, the person did what they felt was right in their mind. They didn't do it to please others or to prove a point, they hired someone different to start opening up the minds of others.
I agree with you on one hand. I do think people choose the same color first, but then I think of the example Sam gave in class with the white guy walking by and dropping something a colored person would pick it up for them and a white guy would not do it for a black person. So going by this example I would think that a colored person would hire a white person because i do not think they hold grudges like whites do. I think this can go both ways, but again it depends on the person and their view on things.
I completely agree with you also that a person of a certain race or heritage is more likely to choose a person of the same ethnicity. I feel also that it is not an issue of race, but more of an issue of comfort. Is it right? I do not think that most people would think that it was, but the bottom line is that it does happen at every level of business to some extent. While it is simply human nature to choose favorites, people have to start to realize that the best thing for business is having the most qualified candidate in a position regardless of outside appearance.
I believe this is how the application process should be executed- with a blind eye to race. It is important to focus on the content of the application and the quality of the applicant, and to leave race out of the picture when making a hiring decision. While I believe that this is the way business hiring practices should be conducted, I am pretty confident that a majority of most companies (mostly smaller, sole proprietorships) do not handle hiring in this manner. With no discrimination against race, whether the business owner is white, brown, black, red, etc. most people generally will feel more comfortable hiring people of their own race and cultural ties, simply because they can relate and trust the person more than someone of a different background.
However, many larger corporations claim to be Equal Opportunity Employers and are required by law not to discriminate in terms of race. While there are never 100% guarantees that application and hiring processes are completely discrimination free, corporations do tend to have a higher rate of diversity, which adds to corporate culture and enriches the company.
I think that a colored person would be more likely to choose another colored person than a white person. I think that a white person is more likely to choose another white person because they are more apprehensive when it comes to race. I think that a colored person will maybe put his or her shoes in the other colored person and feel more comfortable with giving them the job. This of course doesn’t justify a white person choosing a white person over a colored person because I also think that a colored person is more likely to pick a white person more than a white person is likely to pick a colored person. I think this is because a colored person may view both people more equally than the white person.
I agree, I think that a person that isn't white would be more likely to choose a person that is a minority, simply because they would look at the situation rationally instead of seeing color. Also, they would know how people of color are discriminated against when it comes to jobs so they may try to give other minorities an opportunity that they couldn't get elsewhere. One thing that may cause a person of color to choose a less qualified white person is that the business environment that has caused this discrimination may have an effect on the person doing the hiring.
I think a black person doing the application process will pick the person best suited for the job. Because being a black person they probably know the struggle that black people have, and the struggle that they been through to get where they are at now. I personally do not think that a smart black business person will pick a black person over a white person, just because he or she is black. Me personally being a black woman, if a black person is lacking a certain still or is not as on top of their game as I need them to be for the time being I will hired the person who is more skillful, whether the other people is white, Chinese, Hispanic, Indian etc.
However I do think that there are some black people out there who will definitely hire a white person over a black person. And the only reasons I can think of for why they would do that is because, they probably think that having white employees will enhance their business and give them a "good look". Or because a white person looked out for them, so they probably feel that they owe white people something. Or they probably think that white people attract more people, which more than likely mean more money, and more success.
I don't necessarily think that it is wrong or unfair for a black person to hire a white person over a black person. But if the resume and the application of the white person and the black person is completely the same, and me being black i would definitely hire the black person, because I would not have a good enough reason to not hire them. I think when people only hired people based off of their race that affects the work industry today, because if I hire a black person who is not qualified for the job and do not have the stills to be good worker, I am slowing up my business and missing out the people who would be perfect for the job and really make a difference for the business. And I fell like nowadays people do that a lot, they feel like they have to "look out" for their people and "hook them up" and this is for all races!
I also think black people who do the application process, probably feel like it is the "right" thing to pick the white person because if he or she don't, they probably get accuse of being racist by only hiring the black person. I think that if it really comes down to black and white during the application process, with people who have the same resumes they should just keep going back and forth, when a white person quit the job hire a black person for they spot, when that person get laid off or quit hired a white person, that way the job setting will be more diverse.
In Psychology 100, my professor, Dr. Hunt showed us this interesting experiment.
There's a YouTube video on it, so, if you're interested, definitely check it out— not sure what the title is though.
Anyway, in the experiment, a psychologist took a handful of young, elementary school-aged black girls, and took them into a room to play with dolls, and then asked them questions about the dolls.
On the table were two baby dolls: a white baby doll, and a black baby doll.
Both were from the same manufacturer, wore the same clothes, had the same face- the only difference between the two dolls was the color of the plastic they were made from.
Among the series of questions, at least the ones that still continue to stick out in my mind, were:
1) Which doll would you rather play with?
To this question, many of the girls answered that they would rather play with the white doll. Some girls hesitated, but most of them pointed straight to the white one.
2) Which doll is the "good" doll?
Many, if not all, (I don't remember which,) pointed to the white one. Inversely, when asked which doll was the "bad" doll, the girls pointed to the black one.
The point that I make by referencing this experiment is that white people aren't the only race conditioned to think that white people are more preferable or better in some way, shape, or form. It's shown that, from an early age, black children already, somehow, have this concept in mind.
It's very likely that this ideology would stick, sub-consciously or not, into adulthood, and consequently affect their opinions in daily life, manifesting in areas like the workplace.
I remember this exact study in PSYCH 100 with Dr. Hunt last year. You bring up an excellent point that most people fail to recognize. We all develop similar ways to interpret our world as we develop mentally and physically throughout childhood. Every person has schemas that allow us to interpret the world around us. These provide structure in a world of what is really meaningless objects. I know Wikipedia is not the most scholarly source of information but they definitely word it better than I can.
Wikipedia says schema "influence our attention as we are more likely to notice things that fit into our schema. If something is contradicting our schema it may be encoded or interpreted as an exception or unique. Thus schema are prone to distortion. They influence what we look for in a situation. They have a tendency to remain unchanged, even in the face of contradictory information."
The fact that both black and white children at a very young age both pick white dolls provides great evidence that certain schemas may be ingrained in children already at such a young age. This is disturbing to think about.
I think most people are unaware of what is really going on in the world around them. Sam continuously drives home this message in class, "Just because you can't see it doesn't mean its not there." Like you stated, "It's very likely that this ideology would stick, sub-consciously or not, into adulthood, and consequently affect their opinions in daily life, manifesting in areas like the workplace." People need to be more conscious about what influences the things they are doing on a daily basis. They need to perceive and evaluate more information that they currently take into account.
The information overload in our world drives people to be influenced by things they would never imagine. I think that people need to break down their schemas in order to see what is really happening in the world. Like Sam says, just being aware of another viewpoint is enough to help you consider the other side of the story.
Another key idea that shaped my decision on this topic is the discrepancy between perception and reality. The fact is that we all have much different schemas of reality than say, native tribal aborigines in the Australian Outback. Again Wikipedia puts it best, “What one perceives is a result of interplays between past experiences, including one’s culture, and the interpretation of the perceived. If the percept does not have support in any of these perceptual bases it is unlikely to rise above perceptual threshold.
I found this example to be extremely interesting. I never heard of this before when I took psych100. I think it is weird that the black children chose the white doll. I would have assumed that they would pick the black doll because it looks like them. I have a few ideas on why children may have had this reaction.
First, I think one reason may be because more white people who have service jobs surround children. For example the children may see white people who are doctors, policemen, or teachers therefore, they identified the white doll as being good. Another reason may be because of the environment the children are surrounded by in school. Maybe the kids have black children who are constantly getting in trouble and that is why they believed that the black doll was not the good one. Along with this, it may be the fact that the color “white” is usually used to symbolize purity, and things that are good. The movies tend to portray the villains of movies and T.V. shows to be dark, and evil. This could possibly be why the children acknowledged the white doll as being good.
The other thought I have as to why the children identified the white doll as being good is their friends at school. The children may be experiencing kids taunting them or making fun of them for being black, and they could have a low self esteem about themselves. This could be the result as to why they feel the white doll is good, because they are relating it to their life in school.
Either way, no matter what the reasoning behind all of it is, I do not think it is right that the results were what they were. I do not think that there should be on race that is known as the “good” race, especially coming from children. Children are so innocent and don’t fully understand the world yet, and it is a shame that at such a young age this ideas are already being placed in their head. I am an elementary education major, and I think one way to prevent this problem from occurring is incorporating more lessons about race into elementary classrooms. I think that by presenting this issue at a young age, it can help the children to understand about the past and the issues of race.
A reason why race isn’t talked very often in elementary classrooms is because it is an uncomfortable subject. I know there are even times in section where I feel uncomfortable participating in some of the things we talk about. Maybe if this issue was presented at a younger age people would be more familiar with it and not feel as uncomfortable talking about it.
I remember this experiment from Psych 100 as well, but I youtubed it just as a refresher. It's really a shame that these types of schemas exist in our society to this day, while we pretend their is race equality and no one is better than anyone else. I wonder what it will take to de-condition ourselves as a society to accept all colors as equal and not judge someone based on something as asine as skin color. As a person of mixed race (black/white), and growing up with mother, who is white, it took me quite awhile to identify with the other side of my background. Growing up in a white, middle class area surrounded by other white folks, and being raised culturally to be white, even though my skin is dark (relatively) makes seeing the world at times difficult and easy. It is difficult because it took coming to college and identifying with people like me, and changing my viewpoints of the world. I always knew I was black, of course, but it was easier for me to identify with things that were white and white culture being the "norm" or acceptable way of living. I never thought being black was a bad thing, per say, but my previous contact with other black people was non-existant, and essentially all input was from the media, which tends to show black people doing bad things, shootings in the hood, gang violence, rap stars selling drugs, etc. I believe that mass media coloring the news and tv shows with poor/undereducated black people acting in negative way as the only way black people act is a main instigator of this negative viewpoint young black children can have about themselves. Early I said it was both difficult and easy to flow between cultures, and the easy part is simple. Being able to "speak white" with those in positions of power, who tend to be white, and being able to identify with the "problems" associated with being white, and any other part of white culture you can think of, being around white people has always been easy for me. Now that I have a more holistic viewpoint on my life and where I fit into society, I find dealing with both white and black people to be easy. I no longer see the skin color as a difference; in fact, the only real difference is how people are raised and brought up. With a big part of that maturation process involving mass media influences, now more than ever the importance of equal and positive coverage of events in black communities to match that of white communities is apparent. One can only hope with time this will become a reality.
It’s actually pretty cool that you brought that up because I was thinking the same exact thing and remember that particular class. However, while it is a valid point, it is not congruent with my personal standpoint on the matter.
Though I would like to say that I would choose the most competent and capable person, regardless of color, that is not always the case. Personally, I feel as though a person of color would tend to choose another person of color, just as a white person would tend to choose another white person. In many ways, it comes down to who you are most comfortable around and, more times than not, it will probably end up being the person most similar to yourself.
I find this to be a very interesting question, especially since we talked about race’s role in the application process in my discussion group this week. Although I strongly disagree with it, I firmly believe that a colored person would choose a colored person over a white person and a white person would choose a white person over a colored person. I just feel that this is the way today’s society has been brought up – to favor your own race or ethnical background. However, this is why I think race should be excluded from all job and college applications. It is not fair to accept or reject someone based primarily on race.
I think colored people on admissions committees are more likely to choose a colored person because they know that people of these backgrounds have struggled in the past so they have to be pretty determined and hard-working if they are applying for jobs or colleges. I also think they may choose the colored person over the white person as a way of rebelling against white supremacy. Maybe they’re tired of white people stealing the show all the time so they want to give others a chance to shine.
At the same time, I think white people on admissions committees are more likely to choose white people because of the common belief that whites are more capable of doing the job and have a higher rate of success. Many believe that if they had hired a black person instead in order to fulfill diversity quotas, their business or university may not thrive as much as it would if they had hired a white person. I’m not saying this is true in all cases, but it is the case more often than not. And I do not agree with this at all.
I believe that everyone on an admissions committee should accept or reject their applicants solely based on academic achievements and strength of resumes. While it is true that colored people may not have had the same opportunities as white people to build their resumes, it is also not fair to reject white people with exceptional resumes just to have diversity. I think that by getting rid of the racial/ethnical background questionnaire, admissions officers will have an easier job because they will only have to base their decisions on well roundedness. If it comes down to two applicants who have very similar resumes, the decision should be made according to which person submitted their application first. By doing it this way, diversity quotas may even still be met anyways because there are plenty of colored people who come from all sorts of ethnical backgrounds who are more qualified than white people and vice versa. Whether or not this idea works, I think it’s at least worth a shot!
I agree with almost everything in the post above. I feel that race should be excluded from the application process, especially from job applications. To me, it seems that having race on applications is, more or less, setting a company or school up for discrimination. This discrimination can go both ways. For example, a less qualified african american may be admitted over a white applicant because the school feels a need to enroll a certain amount of black students. At the same time, according to Sam's lecture, an equally qualified white person may be selected over a black applicant for a job because of the employer's preference. In my opinion, if race was never discussed on an application, then we wouldn't be setting ourselves up for discriminatory practices.
Similarly, I see many problems with affirmative action in general. I feel that it contradicts its very purpose; eliminating discrimination. Ideally, race would not play an issue in any application process. But with affirmative action, people make it very clear that race plays a big part of this process. By making this a factor in acceptance, the very nature of affirmative actions seems discriminatory to me. People may counter this argument by saying minorities are given less opportunities so this is used to 'level the playing field'. But that seems like too broad of a generalization to me. Some minorities are given many more opportunities than whites. How level is the playing field then when an underprivileged white applicant must overcome both the financial and race burdens of being accepted into school? I am not against financially driven scholariships in any way. I think they are very necessary. But I think it is asinine to generalize in such a broad manner. In addition, I always wonder, "when is the playing field going to be level?" Is there a timeline in place with affirmative action? Once a certain percentage of college students are minorities, are we going to do away with affirmative action completely? Then what happens to the percentages? Overall, I just feel like the current system of affirmative action is not the most fair way to accomplish the goals it intends to, and it is actually contradictory of itself.
First I want to start out again by saying that this class was once again very interesting. Now about the question do I think that a black person or a person of color who is in charge would pick a white person or a person of color? I feel that a person of color should pick the best possible candidate for the job and they shouldn’t look at the skin color of the person at all. So I don’t think that they are more likely to pick a person of their color or a white person based on skin color. Because if they are a successful business person I know that it probably to a while and a lot of hard work to get too where they are and if they wouldn’t have been given a job when they first started because of there skin color they wouldn’t be where they were today and able to make the decision they are. Now I know that I am not talking about previous experience because I have only had one job and the person who hired me is white and I am white, but I think that I am just hoping that this world has change and people don’t base people on skin color any more. But as I learned in the discussion group last week that, that in fact is not true. A couple of the kids in my class who were people of color were telling us stories about they got in trouble with the cops for not doing anything except being a person of color on a Thursday. I really thought that stuff like that had stopped a while ago but I guess that I was wrong because it has happened recently. When I heard that I was very shocked and after hearing it I am wondering if there would ever be a world where race is a not a problem. Where everybody will get treated equally no matter what skin color they are or where they are from. But on the other hand I still don’t see a respectful business man being racist or he probably wouldn’t have gotten to where he was so I expect him to do the right thing and hire the person best suited for the job. I don’t think they would use reverse affirmative action and have to hire the white person. Like I don’t feel like we need affirmative action any more as we were discussing in the discussion group a couple weeks ago about the NFL and the Rooney rule where they redskins new they were hiring a white guy because he was the best for the job and they had to waste the time of a black coach just to interview him because of the rule. I feel that this is really stupid and I hope there comes a time where we wont need affirmative action any more.
As a white person myself, I have to say that I for one would help anyone or any person no matter of color or race. I do think however, that in the example of two people with equally similar resumes, a white interviewer would choose favor a person whose name isn’t “normal”. It’s a shame that the world is like this, but looking around in the world, you can see it happening. I think our generation has become better with this issue and would choose a person with the best possible qualities for a specific job if they were an interviewer. I think we don’t look at people as black or white, we look at them who is more deserving.
Additional blog Response # 1
People of color who do the application process are more likely to pick those of their own particular race. They will do this for two reasons: 1. because they feel that they owe it to their community to give back to those of their own kind or 2. Because they do not want to see white people get any farther than they already are.
I think this is ethically and logically wrong. We as people of color are always complaining how we are discriminated against within the work place and yet we turn our backs on white people the same way that some of them do to us. Nothing regarding race within the workplace will change if we as a whole do not change our attitude towards one another. It should be about the best candidate, not the race of the candidate.
I think this lecture brought out a good point that I had never considered. I have never really fully understood affirmative action or the biased job application process, but I now understand why it was put into place for the reason we discussed that people may pick a person for there name because it sounds "white" instead of the content of the resume. However I don't think all employers who do this do it consciously.
So back to the question: "Do I think that a black person or a person of color who is in charge would pick a white person or a person of color?" Personally think that there is a good chance a person of color may pick a white person over another person of color. I don't believe this because I think white people are better than or superior in any way to people of color. I feel this way because of what Sam has said time and time again "It's good to be white". As we have seen with the prison and criminal record data in class, white people can more easily get away with something or a lesser punishment and no explanation seems as correct as there skin color. I think people of color recognize this advantage white people seem to have in this country. Although it is unfair it is happening. So, if I were a person of color and was running a business or hiring people I may want to have at least a few white people as employees for the best interest of business competition. I am not saying a company with white people on the team can not be a successful company or business, but I am suggesting that some business owners that are not white may be able to use the unjust white favoring system to their advantage. Because for many businesses pleasing as many people as possible is going to increase your customers or clients. And since the population majority is white than it may be good to have white people on your staff to represent your company and appeal to a larger audience that may subconsciously be more comfortable or trusting of a white person.
I don't mean this to sound insensitive because I would personally hire a person based on their credentials and would probably cover their names to eliminate any possibility of subconscious biased toward any race. However as a white person I would also (depending on what my company was about) want to have a diverse staff to also appeal to customers of color. Therefore, I feel a boss of color may want not only "black and brown" workers, but also some white people as well to again appeal to a wider audience and opportunity to expand the business.
In my opinion people of color are still more likely to choose a white applicant for the position then someone of their own race or color. The reason why I assume this is because I think their ego might be a big part for this, which was not mention in class, but I feel that for someone of color to hire someone of color is rare in the corporate world. I think that they might feel that person being a treat to who they are in their specific company and don’t want to risk something they think they have work so hard for and loosing it to someone of their own race or color. Its as if they work extremely hard to get to that position there are in and don’t want to give a free pass to someone of color, as if they have to prove their self with their own resources in order to respect them as a co worker.
In my own personal case I have been shut down from a job interview because of my skin color and nationality, even when the interview is someone of my own race. Its like a feeling of hate right off the bat, not everyone is like this but non the lease this is really comment with the younger generation of people I have interview with.
I guess what I am trying to say is that in my opinion there is racism within once race specially here in the united states, I have feel as if people of my own race have a grudge or develop some kind of hate when seeing how people around them of their own race move up faster weather is carrier wise or just from being harder workers, but this to them is unacceptable and their way of getting you back is by probably talking about you behind close doors or just being assholes. I know this occurs specially in the Latino communities cause I have seen it and have talk about it with friends and we all agree with it, but I hope this comes up later in class and maybe see some research that will actually back my thuds up cause to me this is interesting. As a race we suppose to help one another but not in the U.S. at least not from what I have experience.
I might have steer a little off topic from the question but I think this is probably the base of my argument on why I think people of color might rather hire a Caucasian applicant rather then someone of color…. And I know I still need about twenty more words to complete the 450 words but hopefully this will count cause I have nothing else to say.
I would think that a colored person would choose another colored person, but a white person as well equally. I think that a colored person would choose a white person equally because I think colored people view it the same way and I think that views may be different than ours maybe because of the problems they faced with slavery in the past. It may make them have more respect towards people’s race than white people have. I think that white people would choose as equally too, if they had a history like colored people did and I think we would be more respectful about it.
If the last class had been the first class of Sam’s I had ever taken, the absence of the following would be a surprise. But it is not. Examples of “people of color” preferring “white people” have largely been ignored in favor of smothering the idea of “white” responsibility in our faces. The implicit association test (IAT) was designed to assess a person’s precognitive feelings about race, gender, and other categories. The tests are conducted on a computer. In one such test, “African American or Good” is displayed at the left of the screen and “Caucasian or Bad” is displayed at the right. Alternately “African American or Bad” is displayed on one side and “Caucasian or Good” is displayed on the other. During the test, an image of either a black or white person pops up in the middle of the screen, and the test taker is instructed to strike a key corresponding to either the left or right choice, as quickly as they can. Incorrect key strokes and long response time were indicative of cognitive controversy. The results of white test takers are more obvious than that of black test takers. White participants more often have a preference for whites, but so do, more often than not, black participants. Google it.
I don’t agree with the preference, I believe it demonstrates the cognitive roots of discrimination, but I would like it recognized that it is not just Whitey enabling the discrimination.
Hip hop categories are Violence, Drugs, Sex, and Fuck the Police. By association, the majority of media exposure for people of color paints them as basic, aggressive, and dangerous. African Americans have really dug themselves a hole with that one. I understand that this sort of music is the most popular for an African American to make, and trying to step out of the boundaries of what is most popular can greatly increase the chances of failure. But it remains a hole. A hole from which only discrimination can spring.
Hiring someone is not just about their credentials. It is about the image brought to the company. If the image of black people is one of violence, it will hurt their credibility. I feel I have to clarify here again, I personally do not think black people are violent, but I may not be representative of my customers.
I have a landscaping business and I would be hesitant to hire a hardworking, honest black person. Why? The majority of my customers are elderly white people. While I have Zero personal contention with black people(I have several black friends), what if the presence of black workers on the property of these people from an intensely different generation caused me to lose business?
If they are racist, do I have to sacrifice that business in the name of equality? Am I racist for wanting to get as much business as possible and ignore this problem? Am I COMPLETELY wrong about the possibility of the negative judgment of my company?
I think it comes down to what Sam said, “what are You going to do about it?” Honestly, I don’t know yet.
This is a really interesting question, and it's good to wonder about how things would be if the roles are reversed. I think it's important to remember that everyone feels more comfortable with people who are like them (in a number of different aspects). That's just how it is. I went on a field trip to an elementary school recently, and watched the interaction between young kids. I didn't see any mean or disrespectful behavior between them; they all seemed to get along pretty in this certain situation. But as they sat down at tables, all of the white kids sat and talked together and all of the black kids sat and talked together. I could even see that to a certain degree in my high school. There were some racial groups, but also groups developed based on sports teams, clubs, and high honors classes. People relate and are comfortable around people who are like them. I feel that initially any employer would be more comfortable hiring someone they feel that they can relate to and can be comfortable with. I think culture and race have a lot to do with that comfort and relation. And I think that although it may seem surfacy and assuming, that could be why employers tend to hire people they believe are the same race as they are. So I feel like a black employer would tend to hire a black person over a white person, like how a white employer tends to hire a white person over a black person. I'm not completely sure if my reasons are valid or if my assumption is true, but that's just what I think from what I have observed in parts of society. I also noticed this when we did the activity in class about choosing students to accept into a college. I noticed that I was figuring out who I could relate to from the list and hoped that my group would end up choosing them. The list showed a variety of aspects that I could relate to, but I noticed that one of the applicants was Chinese and Peruvian, and since I'm part Peruvian I instantly starting rooting for that person in my head. I lucked out in the fact that he did well actively and academically, because I'm not sure if I still would have pushed for him if he had poor scores. But I do think that relating has a lot to do with the choices people make, whether it be who they want to hang out with or who they choose to employ.
We talked about affirmative action during one of our first meetings in group discussion. And, there were so many different ideas that were thrown around. Everyone seemed to agree that there was a need of some type of support to help people of color, but we also all seemed to agree that affirmative action was not the answer. So I don’t know if anyone can really say exactly what should be put in place for affirmative action, but affirmative action is not the perfect solution. There must be a better system to help society.
Going back to this original question, I think that black people are very similar to white people in the way that they decide on applicants for colleges and careers. I think on the whole for the most part people do not intentionally single applicants out because of the color of the skin. But, I do think that many people have these underlying inhibitions that many people have to those of another skin color. And, to try to keep these inhibitions from being there, I think the only thing that will really help is time. Overtime things will change, as they have done during the past. I know that there are lots of issues with affirmative action and job candidate selection but people are trying to do what they see as the best solution. And sadly it is the only solution we have, at the time, so we have to try and make it work.
I think it will be intriguing to see how black people respond to the question this girl raised. I think that if I were a black person, then I would see things differently, but not too differently. Morally I would say that most human beings have a good set of morals to live by. And on the whole, most people respect other life and hopefully do not try to deter it. So, it’s always hard for me to understand why there is so much racism in this world. And as a white person I just think that it is important to try and understand why things are how they are.
If you asked me, I would say that a black person would respond similarly to a white person. They may have some underlying inhibitions about employing a white staff member. But I do not think that most intelligent businessmen and women would hire a far less competent applicant on the basis of color. It is simply not an effective way to do good business. If one applicant if far more intelligent and productive than the other, then the company should hire that applicant. That would be the best way to optimize your employees and your companies productivity.
This is another good question. I would like to know what the statistics are surrounding this question. My guess would be that the results would be similar to the stats in the example that Sam talked about in class with the distance between two people who are sitting in front of one another and the fact that the black person’s distance was the same no matter whether the person was white or black whereas the white person sat further away from the black person than they did the white person. So I would think that the black person would probably be a bit more objective.
This makes me think of all the job applications labeled "equal opportunity employers" How equal is it? Probably not at all. It takes a conscious effort to put your prejudices aside and truly make an unbiased decision about anything. I think that covering up names on resumes would be a brilliant idea, it'd stop much of the discrimination right in its tracks. As Sam pointed out, many times people of color will be kinder to white people. Much kinder than is probably deserved. It makes sense though if they were more inclined to hire other people of their race simply because they feel more comfortable around them. It works just like when you make friends with people who you feel comfortable around. You may not realize you do it, and they may not realize it, but it happens.
I am a Chinese, one of the so called brown people. I think I could talk about this issue, because I am not white. From my point of view, if I am an employer, what I want are people who are hard-working, with good personality and can contribute to teamwork. A company is a big network; every employee is one part of it. Teamwork is really important, because a boss wish all their staff could put company’s profit at the first position. Most of the white people are easy going, and they are respective and easier to work with others. As an employer, I also want people who are obedient and easy to manage. It is the truth that Asian people are really hard-working. However, we are lack enthusiasm to work with others, we tend to be independent and dislike others to point out our mistakes so that we can be corrected. We really cares our face or reputation, don’t want others put us down. So, we are afraid to making mistakes and feel embarrassed. Meanwhile, I am a little bit afraid of black people, especially black male. I don’t mean they are not good person; however it is difficult for me to close to them. I just feel they are less obedient and can’t control. As a result, white people are good choices. However it depends, not every white person is qualified. Some of them are lazy and grumpy.
I think balance is really important, and I will choose some white people, some black people and some brown people. Some people think I will choose more Chinese over American, but this is not true at all. Come from the same country, not means we have a strong relationship. I am Chinese, so I know them well, including advantages and disadvantages. I will less easily hire someone who is known me well in the past, because they may feel I am their friend instead of their boss. They may expect I give them some kind of privilege. That is not a good thing, because fairness is one of the most important characteristic an employer should have. This makes actually difficult for me select an Asian compare a white people.
Another reason is that I don’t want others say I am favor Asian people, or more specifically the Chinese. The reputation of my company is really important, because I want future development and hire more and more peoples in the future. If white people think I am discriminate in some way, and they will refuse to apply to my company. That will become a negative effect and no one will like that situation.
In the end, I want talk something form my experience. Most of white people are willing to help, not because they want to seek benefits from me. However, most of Asians are so astute; they barely want to do something for others without benefit.
I don’t think a person of color would deny another person of color a position or an interview. If someone does that, I would consider that person as ignorant. At the same time, some people discriminate their own race. Some people of color, especially people from the West Indies, don’t like when other people have higher achievements than them. In this case, they might deny someone the Job. By the way, I’m speaking by my own experience, but in most of those cases, those people have been uneducated people. I would expect someone that has a higher education to act differently. This is the reason why I believe a person of color would not deny another person of color a job over a white person. I mean, why would they? First of all, the person of color who’s doing the interview can obviously relate to that other person of color. Second of all, race should not matter when someone is looking for a job. If someone has a good resume, they should be eligible to get a job. The facts that Sam presented to us shouldn’t be happening, if two people have identical resumes, they should have an equal opportunity to the position. However, the truth is people always thought white people are more reliable. I don’t think racism is the main cause; it is the fact that people of color have always been interpreted as not trustworthy by society. Either the media showing black or brown people finding a way to get out of debt illegally, or black and brown people are always starting trouble. Also some black or brown employers relate more to the white person than the person of color. Other employers of color don’t like the person’s cultural background. For example, if the employer has a Puerto Rican background, he or she might not hire someone with a Dominican background. Like I said, it’s not really because of racism; it’s more a preference issue. However, I am positive if someone truly considers themselves as a non-racist person, they should hire anyone of any color, as long as they qualify for the Job. I can’t really bring myself to believe that someone of color would not hire someone because of their colors, it’s just a shame. I have always picture people of color as the most acceptable people in the world, like, I thought they were for the most part open-minded. And if by any chance they were going to discriminate against another race, I would have thought it would be the white people, but most of the times it is not the case. People of colors really need their own identity, why they are trying to act like the white man?
I’m not sure if people of color would choose necessarily a person of color or a white person. In my opinion, a well educated colored person would choose a white person’s name over a colored person’s name. I would think in the city environment, that small shop business owners would be more selective on name. It all comes down again to the topic of stereotypes. In ever culture, where social classes are relevant, there will be stereotypes. Just like in the United States, place in the Far East and in undeveloped countries still have stereotypes. Maybe a tribe might use prior judge to characterize another tribe or the same tribe but just a different generation of people. Stereotypes aren’t just made up. They are actions that a particular group of people perform. For example, I’m half Polish and the stereotype is that Polish people are stupid. Is that necessarily true to me personally?
This is a good question. I would assume that they might still choose a white person just based off the statistic we saw in class but I could see them choosing an African American also. I guess it would depend on the boss. If it was my decision I wouldn't be discriminatory towards race. I would hire the best fit for the job because at the end of they day its all about making money in a business. I feel that this should be a standard with all business application processes. If you choose someone just based on the color of their skin not by the accolades then your hurting your business in the long run.
This is a really interesting question and I would really like to see the statistics on this. Seeing that most people reading resumes pick the white names over the black names doesn’t surprise me much from the common stereotypes create for each race. Personally, I think a black person choosing an white or black employee over the other could go both ways. I think some people will continue the stereo type and pick the white person because they might think they are smarter or do better work. Some people think that having the white person in the office gives the company a better reputation and a better look to other outside of the company. They could possibly think that the white person can bring in more business which would lead to more money and more recognition. On the other side of this I think that some will pick the black person to give them an opportunity. Some will want to display their own race in the work place and prove that black people can work just as hard and do the same level of work as white people. An employer will want to see some of their own kind when walking around the office or building.
I think that anyone hiring others should solely look on education and experience. I think that those are the most important things when it comes to getting a job. Resumes and job applications shouldn’t have questions of race or background and focus on what school they graduated from, if they even have a diploma, or what experience in the field they have before applying. I agree with some people after reading some comments on the point that if two resumes are the same and the names sound different, they should hire the person that hand it in first. Almost like a first come first serve basis. Even though discrimination based on race does occur and isn’t fair, I don’t think that hiring a black person over a white just to bring a change to the company isn’t fair either. .
I know that many company owners are concerned with the image and what customers think about their specific company. Once again, I think this shouldn’t affect the fact that some black people have better qualities and additions to the company as well as some whites have better qualities and additions to bring to the company also. I think everyone should be given the chance to work for any company they wish to work for and not be ruled out based on their race or even name. To be honest I don’t think this will ever occur because some people view black people and white people very differently
I personally feel like there might be a difference between salary brackets. If you have some black bro who is the manager at Popeye's, he might be more likely to hire a black person just because the application process is much more personal and the turnover rate is high at that level. Therefore, qualifications are much less important; it pretty much comes down to whether you can say your name correctly. However, if you got a colored bro who is the CEO of Huge Rich Financial Investments, Inc he's probably going to hire whoever is the most qualified because it won't get his ass fired.
In general, I think that people of color would choose whoever is best for the job. In today's day and age, I think that white people are on the whole, more educated because on average, white people make more money. This means that white people on average get a better education, which makes them more qualified for higher positions. In positions where both candidates are equally qualified and one of those candidates is white, and the other colored, I think colored people will more equally pick between white and colored people than white. I think that the main reason that colored people would pick more evenly is because they are able to connect with both races. Since colored people live in a white-dominated society, they know the norms between white people. Also since they live in colored society, they have the ability to connect with colored people in a way I don't think white people do, in general. This is especially true between groups of white people, as Sam pointed out in the activity he showed us in class. That is why I think colored people are more likely to pick evenly between colored and white people, as opposed to white people, which may have trouble connecting with colored people, especially in group situations.
I think that it is all relevant. People of color are probably given the same set of instructions that are given to all of the white people who are performing the same process. I don't know exactly what percentages these people are supposed to be trying to obtain as far as the people that they select, but I can't imagine they openly or at least purposely select a certain number of people from each ethnic group. I think that the idea of ethnicity and in many cases sex should not be included in the selection process. At all. If certain groups of people have larger numbers being accepted then regardless it can have absolutely nothing to do with that persons race. Then there isn't even an argument that can be made. If people are chosen strictly on the basis of numbers or facts or merits or whatever it is that people are being selected by then there is no controversy because only the best candidates are being chosen for these positions.
With all of that being said, it is very unlikely that this will ever happen. Since race issues are ever so present in society and in our every day lives the percentages of people of a certain race holding a position compared to other ethnicities will always be an issue. People will never stop separating everyone and because of that things like this will always be a problem. I think that the only logical thing that can be done is to try and never make it apparent to the person running the selection process how many of each ethnicity you want and that way it will be left up to the selector to make the right decisions. Because of that I think that people of color probably don't pick very differently from the white people who also make the selections.
Those crazy white people. I think that there is a few deciding factors that some people depend on when going in for a interview when either trying to get a job or evaluating people to give them the job they apply for. I know for one thing I'd look at the person's ability to carry on an intelligent conversation with the least likely amount of "like" "you know" "ummm's" which I found that one interviewer pulled that into a quick ending quote when somebody couldn't express what they were trying to say without saying those phrases over and over during the entire interview. "ummm like, you know, you didn't get the job." But when the applications are carrying themselves well I don't think it comes down to the race but who will better apply themselves and who looks better in an interview. When you have people send in resumes they most likely do look at names because that is all they see and the qualifications you hold when comparing to other people for a single position. When you go in for an interview you’re not only representing yourself to get a certain position but your forcing them to look past what is on the piece of paper and show what qualities you hold that make you stand out apart from the other people. Like the application process for college, each person wanted to make themselves stand out from the rest by telling a life story of something they experienced or they learned and what would make them interested in the college. Some tell riveting stories or others may talk about some experiences which made them choose the career path they wanted and does something differ such as spraying a hint of perfume on the paper before sending it in. It’s all to make you stand out from the dull that is the other thousand people they did not want to accept and made them choose you. The race card will only differ a few times out of the choices some people make. Yes affirmative action has put some people in a better position to get a job over a white person. I think the affirmative action system is kind of skewed that some place are associated with being racist if they don’t meet certain quotas of different ethnic groups. But for those people that rely on AA some questions arise as to it being more motivating to getting that position by beating out the competition fairly or because you were given the edge, but either way no one likes to lose. So it leaves the system to a point where they rather have it in place and keep in different ethnicities as ‘quotas’ and not as people. It is a little depressing to see that there has become somewhat of a reverse racism become common and how it has basically made the playing field very treacherous for any group.
This is a really interesting question. I feel like the more you can relate to the applicant, the better your chances are of getting whatever your applying for. So if the applicant is black and the application reviewer is also black, he or she will obviously feel more of a connection to the applicant because of that reason. However, I feel race is not the only thing that people can relate to. For instance a connection can be formed from where a person is from or where someone went to school. In the future, maybe your applicant reviewer will be a graduate of Penn State, and you may get an interview because you both went here.
Of course people of the same color usually hire each other more often then someone of a different color. People always feel safer when they are with people they can relate to or share the same characteristic. A white CEO who has an education from an Ivy League school and has always been surrounded by white upper class is going to choose someone exactly like him. On the other hand I’m not sure if a CEO of color would hold the same feelings. I think black people would give have a fairer set of mind when it came to hiring people of different races. My team (white) usually always wins when it comes to getting a job. I’m not saying whites are always guaranteed a job when people of colored are involved but they definitely have an unfair advantage.
I disagree with some of the things that you said, when you said that people of color generally would hire people of color I would have disagree because you must keep in mind that there are many people that completely distrust people in there own race. So they would choose to hire a white person over a black person. That’s not to say that there aren’t people of color who won't hire other people of color some of the reasons that people of color hire there own race is because some feel that it is there obligation to there race and others just want to as you said feel more comfortable around a group of there peers. Also, I feel that the stigma that is attached to people of color in employees is something that makes employers think twice when they look at someone of color for a job.
The part that I agree with that you argue is that most white ceo's will hire people that are similar to them. They will hire the elite Ivy League white guys because they are similar to them in interests and characteristics and because they can relate more with someone just like them. With that being said yes some black ceo will when hiring look at applicants more fair because rather then looking at the race they may look at the qualifications that the person holds and if they are right for the job and if they have the skills to do a good job. Also blacks will try to give others blacks a fairer chance when applying for jobs if they believe they are qualified for the job. That’s how some of the organizations that exist today for African American employment came about and why there are black owned businesses that only hire people or color just so that people of color will have a chance in today’s society.
But the fact still remains that discrimination in the work place exists and that those who hold the power to hire and fire do not always have the best interest for people of color. It’s sad that people of color are at such a disadvantage just because of there race. How two people can have the same resume but the white person is still more likely to be called back and for blacks males it’s even worst. I guess if you really look at the facts discrimination could account for some of the people in black communities being unemployed. But that’s not to say that discrimination is the only reason that African Americans have a higher unemployment rate then any other race, there are some other things that make up that unemployment rate.
It is an interesting question that you ask. I really think that people who have to review applications for a job really have to be censored in the fact that they are really choosing people for their information not pertaining to what they look like or what their name sounds like. They are going by how their application looks and how well they are expected to perform the job. I really think that dark skinned employers are less likely to be discriminative about applicants because they have experienced discrimination first hand and they know what its like. They are going to truly look at a person for who they are not what they look like. They are less likely to discriminate against a black person or a white person the same way. Its amazing that there are so many people who think that racism doesn't exist in the workplace and that most of it has been completely erraticated. I have seen it, I work with plenty of people of other races and I know that many of the white girls are favored more than the black girls. Its sad but it really is what it is. I do believe that people want to change and that people of color are more likely to help other people of any race, white, black latino, native american… whatever because they know what its like and they understand and because of that they don't discriminate. Something that white people cannot understand is real discrimination…
In my opinion of answering this question, I think that colored employees have a higher rate of employing other colored people in the company. I feel this way because I feel like colored people in a work environment have more obligations to spread diversity throughout the company, as well as to themselves. Obviously, the general type of answer to this question would be that an employer would look for someone who is well qualified, have good credentials, and be the most fit for the job. However, I think our society has reared itself with trying to find more diverse talent especially within other races. Although this preference is kind of ridiculous from colored people to colored people; but that’s the given truth. Coming from an Indian family, I can 100 percent agree on the fact that when hiring others in a given company; the tendency to find someone of equal race or of other color more prevalent. I think this standard shows symbolism to the specific people that are hiring as well as a natural comfort in displaying pride throughout culture. Other Indian people are more likely to hire other Indian people. I can definitely say this with other Asians as well. Although many companies state that they are an equal opportunity company, this idea is very skewed to this fact. Not always are all companies looking for equal growth and opportunity. I still think to this day, that if another white person was looking at resumes of one colored, and one white identically the same. The stereotype of that person with their nationality might get in the way of hiring that specific person; and the white person would eventually get the job. Sadly, our society has still been on the bandwagon in changing specific ideals that we as a whole should follow through. I don’t think that these ways are the right way to go. I think that each person without race or ethnicity should be given the complete opportunity to work for a certain job. I mean at the end result it doesn’t even matter what they look like, where they come from, and how they speak. If the job can completed at the given time and done thoroughly in a good manner, isn’t that all that matters at the end of the day? Race still has a very big impact on achieving a job; no doubt about it. But I would at least hope that this idea is culturally changing with slow growth, and people are now recognizing that the way it is right now isn’t the right way it should be. Race is just a color, it doesn’t depend on anything else but that itself.
I am not sure about whether a colored person would choose another colored person or a white person. It would make sense that they would choose a person of the same color, but how can anybody be sure? Everybody is different, and it is hard to say what goes through people’s minds. However, I understand that this is subconscious for the most part, especially in today’s modern world. I think there should be a way to avoid the discrimination when it comes to people choosing others for employment or something. Maybe the names should be concealed until the decision is made or something like that. I feel as if that would help bring more equality in the process.
I believe that colored people, when conducting an interview and then hiring people, would tend to hire other colored people. I do not believe that they would instead hire white people for the job. I believe this because in my opinion, people will tend to have more of a connection with people who are more like them. For instance, if a black man were conducting an interview, I believe that he would hire other black people for the position, as opposed to white people. I'll admit that even though I have no problem with black people, if I were in the position where I had to hire people, I would definitely hire whites instead.
I find it interesting that so many people feel that a person of color would automatically choose another person of color if they were in charge of the hiring person. Although I do agree that there would be some people of color that would be more inclined to hire another person of color, for the most part I don’t think that would be the result. I think if a colored person was in charge of hiring there would be several factors that would affect their final decision on who deserves to have the job. The first factor would of course be qualification. They would need to make sure that the person meets certain requirements to obtain the job. The next factor would have to be the type of job the applicant is applying. If two people of different color were applying for a job at a grocery store, I think there would be less of a chance for a colored person to turn anyone down based on color. In contrast, if two people of different color were applying for a job in the corporate world, I think the Caucasian person would have an advantage even if the person in charge of hiring were African American. I feel this way because there are a lot of African Americans in the corporate world that identify more with their Caucasian counterparts than “normal” African Americans. In the corporate world, white males are dominant so if an African American has the opportunity to make into that world, they have to make decisions that will preserve their status. In this case choosing a black male over a white male applicant could jeopardize their job if their manager doesn’t agree with their decision.
There is a HUGE misconception that all African Americans stick together no matter what because the color of their skin and that is not true at all. Contrary to popular belief, not all black people have the same views of the world. We don’t all have the same struggles as one another. We don’t all know what it’s like to grow up poor or not have good education. With that said, all African Americans don’t feel the need to reach out or support every person of their race. There are even some African Americans that look down on their race and try to distance themselves from that as much as possible. Since being white seems to be “right” in our society, some African Americans just want to be part of that world and accepted by the majority. For that reason alone I don’t think it is safe to assume that a person of color would automatically choose another person of color if they were in charge of hiring applicants.
This is a very interesting question. Being white, I have idea whether a person of color would have an opinion about hiring someone white instead of someone black, or do they just look for the person most qualified for the job. How do you decide who to hire if the two people have exactly the same credentials? I honestly don't know what I would do in that situation. Maybe one time pick the white person and the next time pick the person of color? Is there a solution that is fair to everyone? Isn't that what all this is really about, fairness?
I think a black person would be more inclined to hire another black person. It is not because they are racist, and I think half the time it's not because white people are racist either. People tend to stick to with their comfort zone. Think about most everything in life, what pizza place do you order from? It's because you're comfortable with it, you could try dominos over pizza hut but you don't because dominos is average to you. It's what you eat all the time. It's not that pizza hut is bad pizza but you just stick with dominos. Another example is in groups in classes. You tend to pair up with a person of the same sex, not always but probably most of the time you look to the nearest girl (or boy). It's not because were being discriminatory against boys (or girls), were just more comfortable. And it gets confusing because people will read this post and say well I have a ton of white friends or a ton of black friends and I always look for a guy to pair up with and yes that might all be true but I think our general instinct is to go toward what we know.
I would be curious to see what the statistics are for black people hiring employees. It could either make or break my assumptions. While there is still a ton of racism in the workplace, I think we are over-analyzing what racism really looks like. Those statistics may be true but it is unfair to call that racism. It's merely sociology at work. I think racism is the wrong word to use in a situation like this. It is just unfair, not racism.
I would say that I have to do a lot of the store image. i just recently read an article on obesity and the work force. And the main issue for people not being hired was because of the fact that they were overweight and insurance purposes and of course "store image." I guess you can say the same thing minus the insurance problems that would follow if the person is more susceptible to being hurt or ill. But in my opinion that would be the main reason for any company or store for not hiring them. If they want to have more people in their line of work, the majority of the world is white, i would expect them to hire more white people. Also you can take into consideration the community. I don't see a while person working in a gas station in the middle of downtown Harlem, NY it just does not seem correct and to be honest i would be frighten as hell to be there. but that's just what it is, fear has a lot to do with a lot of outcomes with race. for example the same situation as before with discrimination about obese people.
1. Companies are afraid of having an obese person working because they are more of liability than an asset.
2. They are stereotyped as lazy compared to someone that is skinny.
3. They want to promote a better store image.
So as we learned in class already that the question she wants answered is "yes" people of color are just afraid of having that discrimination card pulled on them as well. In society today people will react out of fear of an outcome. I follow this idea of fear because that's what people are doing. People are afraid of being different compared to a more supposedly superior race. But the truth of the matter is they all just want to be like as individuals/feel bigger/feel better compared to another person. In a job situation you can really take this question anywhere, the chances of having equitable living place atmosphere is impossible with the level of competition to succeed. But of course the white population is always going to have this advantage unless another kind of race decides they want to discriminate against the white people. The chances of that ever happening are pretty slim especially in this age.
I say that people of certain races would stick together no matter what. But another way that needs to be looked at is what region that you are living now. Where were these studies taken from? Most of these studies people do not hold true in like little Cuba. Consider this; i was living in Texas before my parents decided to move up to the Northeast area, Mainly NJ. I was the odd ball out going to a PA school. People there were not easy to get used to because well they are not likely to see someone of my color (tan, mocha) whatever you want to call it. But if we could flip the situation, having someone of while go to some place that is pretty much dominated by a tan, brown, mocha culture; it would feel that same exact way.
First off I would like to say that these weeks lectures were the must eye opening of all of Prof. Richards controversial classes. I think most people agree that there is definitely discrimination in the workplace that is obviously not needed. There are many laws that protect minorities from discrimination, but when there's a white man who is the "King of the Hill" at the top, the few times when these issues reach the point of legal decision they are shot down instantly to keep the world in order. It really bothers me when white people complain about affirmative action. Even before Prof. Sam Richards told us about how affirmative action is only 10% of how we get to our career opposed to 90%, which benefits white people. White people just have no idea how many advantages they have over minorities that they don't even understand. When talking with my black friends and a couple of black students in my discussion class they talk about how they feel out of place all the time and feel as if everyone is looking at them. I also was told that one of the main reasons some black people come to Penn State is to get used to being around tons of white people; in other words, getting ready for the work world. Personally, my father is Colombian and my mother is American, so I am a mix and have never really had any problem like that. But for some reason I feel like I partially know what they're feeling. The fact that they have to work harder to get to the same position I would be with the normal amount of work make me sympathize with them. Sam Richards talked about how people in hiring positions that are not racist still pick white people self consciously which makes me believe that the only way to eliminate this problem would to make this issue aware throughout education. Before these classes I know that there was discrimination in the work place and beyond, but not to this dramatic level. We are all human beings and all deserve the right to compete fairly for the jobs that we desire, even if I was affected by discrimination in a way that benefited me I would be disgusted for the reasons I have gone over.
The video we saw in class that was made by ABC News also bothered me immensely. Post 9/11 discrimination against Muslims has sky rocketed and I'm sure that also trickles down to the work place and choosing qualified applicants. I hate how American citizens judge an entire race just upon an act made by terrorists. Ever since that horrid day discrimination against muslins have increased every day. What about all the horrible things white people have done? Do we become prejudice against them? Of course we don’t. I just hope I experience the day in my lifetime when we all understand each other, but for some reason I doubt that will happen.
I think that the point made in this post is very interesting. according a person is very comfortable to work with people who are similar to themselves. I'm an international student here and from my experience of living in another country, I think that even though i din't really have problem staying, I'm still more comfortable staying in my own country. I think that is partly because the people there are similar to me and we have more in common to talk about then I would have with a person who is not similar to me.
Only you can judge that. The point I’m trying to make is that Polish people when they came over to the United States must have been very uneducated therefore; other social groups classified them as stupid. Stereotypes are true when they are made. Polish people when they came over were probably a lot less educated then other social classes. The problem is when the stereotype crosses into other generations and the classification is no longer true. The issue of being false is the greatest effect among society. Maybe colored people many generations ago did not work hard and slacked off in the working world? Because stereotypes exist through generations, colored people and non colored people still feel the harmful effects. A black person has every right to get a fair chance a job, just like a white man should have a fair chance also.
I know when I’m an employer I will not socially categorize names. I will want my company to grow therefore; I will pick the best candidate for the job. Resume quality is the most important thing for a job application. Someone’s name or title is irrelevant for a company that wants to prosper. Unfortunately to the colored community they are still feeling side effects to a stereotype. The only way to combat this stereotype is not to complain about, but show everyone how hard you work individually. American people need to change this thought over time. The next working force, our working force, can change this thought. Business owners will change in the next 20 years because the United States is on its way to not being a powerful nation. Only if we, as Americans, can find a way to low our national debt then we will be able to withhold our social power. With job opportunities become smaller every day, social stereotypes will dwindle, because it will be a nation driven by personal greed.
I think it depends on which application process that persons of color and Caucasian apply for. In an example of educational application, college application, it is true minorities get some kinds of bonus points in admission process. However, because of the situation where people in a particular race competes each other, those need to have higher specifications in order to get in the school. When the case is about getting a job then persons of color are more likely to get ‘minus points’ since these types of interviews are done by private companies that governmental emphasis on diversity has relatively weaker impact on.
If there is a strong stereotype in the community regarding a certain race such as black people being more violent than white people, then that tends to stick in the unconsciousness of people in the hiring process. Also, some people might not want to deal with people who might possibly have an accent in their language so therefore, I would not be surprised if there is some discrimination displayed by even colored people in the application process due to some of the stereotypes built into the society. If someone has a choice between a sharp dressed white man with equal qualifications as any other man, chances are, they are probably going to pick the white man..
I feel that why certain people of color choose the white option on applications is because they feel that whatever the application is for that they will look more appealing and better there chances of getting what they want out of the process. Because it is still in thought that people of color are still discriminated against and will have a poorer chance of acceptance if they put that they are Hispanic, black, Native American, etc… However, nowadays it is almost seemed that it is better to mark down your true race because of things such as affirmative action. People of color are getting more of a chance these days but not necessarily for the right reason. Companies and such have to meet quotas and there are certain discrimination laws against not having a diverse correlation of people you accept into your company, school, etc… I’ve never been one to put down I was white on an application because I felt it would better my chances. I am proud of whom I am and I want to be accepted for who I am. I don’t feel I have to lie or hide behind the truth to get by in life. In the end it will come back to haunt you because let’s just say you put down you were white when you weren’t and got accepted simply on that fact. When it comes down that you found out you were accepted just because they thought you were white and you aren’t, that isn’t too good of a feeling to me. That isn’t something that I would want to happen to me. Some people do though and that’s unfortunate. I wish that there were more people that were more comfortable in their own shoes nowadays because it is a new world that we live in. Just Barrack Obama being president is a big step not just for blacks but for all people who are discriminated against saying that they can do a certain thing or be a part of a certain group. One day equality will stand but for now, baby steps.
It is sometimes easily considered that the governmental emphasis on diversity and negative public consensus on those have racial discrimination are only benefiting the minorities. However, it must be noted that the persons of color who are in positions which have power to choose someone sometimes struggle because of the equality issue. For example, if job duties are dealing with a group of people from one country, a person from the country would be more qualified because of he or she can understand the social norms and culture of the country. However, it is sort of discriminatory if an employer chooses an applicant solely because of that aspect. Therefore, they have to hire Caucasians as well to make their image as ‘fair and equal’ companies.
I don't see no shock to this but obviously a person is more likely going to feel more comfortable choosing someone that looks more like them than another. Of course a colored person will rather be with another colored person because they assume that they share similar beliefs and ideals of the world. I see this all the time especially here at Penn State. As freshmen, most people typically hang with people who look like them and are from the same background. I rarely see a mix of groups walking to events because different groups have different interest. and if I do its always one odd person. Like it'll be a bunch of whites and one black or vice versa. We all came from different walks of life and would rather remain in that comfort zone than try to establish another lifestyle.
With me being an African American and if I was choosing applications yes to be honest I would be more lean to pick the same race as me because I feel that my race need every opportunity that is needed if they deserve it because when they go to other job race and color means allot in allot of people eyes , If a white male or female come in my office wanted a job I would look at it like it’s a problem I think they deserve a shot and chance to. So yes I would choose a white person because white people tend to know how to work hard just as anyone else. I feel race has no matter to me who ever I feel is about making that money is ok with me in my book forget the rest.
It would be awesome if the world could be without bias and prejudice, but the fact of the matter is, bias and prejudice has always existed in the past and will continue to exist in the future. That being said, I think it's very important to stress what others above me have repeated numerous times already: people feel more comfortable with others that look like them. Fortunately for me, I did not realize this fact until the beginning of 7th grade. Before this realization, I rarely classified people as different based on the color of their skin. My friend circle was very diverse – my best friend was white and my other best friend was Arab (and I am Asian). Then, I entered 7th grade. Once I entered 7th grade, the other Asian girls in my classes approached me and we started doing everything together. Honestly, I don't even remember how it happened. I just know that one day, I started hanging out with more Asian people than non-Asian people. Anyways, back to my point – people start to associate with others that physically resemble them, because friends usually have things in common, and the physical attributes are what brings them together. The group forms based on the common “look” that they possess. Of course, not to say that exceptions don't exist, but for the most case, you see white people hanging out with white people, black people hanging out with black people, and etc.
Back to what I was trying to say from the beginning, the world is always going to be prejudiced. And since there are many recognizable names with different culture (i.e. John Smith – white, compared to Tyrone Jackson – black), it is easier to distinguish people. Therefore, it is easy to become prejudiced as well. So, do colored people tend to choose white people as far as job applications go? Personally, I think colored people will be more fair as far as picking people of color for the job openings. Sure, they might pick more white people compared to black and brown people, but I think they would pick more black and brown people than white people would. I think it's because they would be more open to choosing black and brown people, since they are more familiar of black and brown people. Plus, remembering what Sam said in class about white people being less likely to help out black and brown people than white people, whereas black and brown people were more likely to help out both white and colored people equally. This made me think and assume that black and brown people would be more likely to choose both white and colored people when choosing job applicants for their companies.
I think the whole ‘check which race you are’ section on any papers is stupid. Why do we have to do it? What happens when a person is mixed? If they were a really mixed person and checked every box, wouldn’t the person looking at the application or whatever paperwork they are filling out be like “oh, they are not taking this seriously” and just throw them out the window? I do not understand the need to put what race you are on anything, why should it matter? The only reason it does matter and why we have to do it, I feel like, is so people can discriminate. In the discussion group this week, when we had to do the activity on picking the best five people to get into whatever school I did not even look at race, it just is not something I automatically look at nor do I think it should be. But it the end our assignment was to have the best and the most diverse, so we did as such. But to answer this question, I feel as though a white person choosing between a white and black person, will mostly chose white people, like what was said in class. But for a black employer, I feel as though they will choose the most qualified and the person who they connected the most with during the interview. And if each man talked exactly the same and both men made the exact same connection with the employer, then I have no idea. I just still do not understand the need to say which race you on paperwork. Because in class, Sam said race is just a made up thing and I feel like other people know this or feel the same way, so why hasn’t someone done something about this? Why do we need to continuously count how many white, black, Asian, Hispanic, and whomever else, is in this country? Why can’t we just count the amount of people, apply for jobs without having to get discriminated against, and apply for all colleges and scholarships etc. with the equal chances of getting in? I just do not understand and I think it is terrible that in 2010, with the amount of time all races have spent together, that there is still all of this terrible discrimination and because of it, people must almost fear not getting a job because they are black. I knew it still existed, but I guess just because of where I am from and how mostly white it is, I just never realized it was still happening because everyone was all the same so it couldn’t really happen. It is just really surprising.
In my opinion I would say a colored person would choose another colored person. Most people are comfortable around others who are similar to them. I am not certain this may be the case but I would assume so. My father owns a grocery store and a while back we were talking about the application process in his store. My dad’s assistant covers up the tops of the applicant’s resumes and my dad selects people to interview and hire based solely on the content of the resume. I never applied this as a problem in real life, I always wondered why he did this but now I understand. I think more employers should begin to do this to see if those of color have just as impressive resumes.
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cmaverick Reply:
February 26th, 2010 at 5:04 pm
That’s actually a pretty cool and smart idea to cover the top (name) of one’s resume. I would agree with you and say that a colored person would probably choose another colored person over a white person. With affirmative action, white supremacy, slavery, and all these factors that have oppressed African-Americans for generations, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Blacks give “justice” to Whites by not choosing them. As a minority (specifically an Asian-American), I can somewhat sympathize with Blacks by feeling that we don’t live in an environment of equality like we’re “supposed to.” As part of this minority group, however, I wouldn’t necessarily choose an Asian over a White person if I were to be part of the job application process. Like Sam mentioned in class, everyone’s capable of doing something and two people could have very similar resumes and backgrounds to each other but be of different races. It’s just sad to see Whites choosing Whites with a criminal record over Blacks without a criminal record. I’m interested to see more colored people respond to this blog and see their take on this issue. Not that it would benefit me, since I’m an Asian-American, but I think it would benefit more White people to place themselves in a Black person’s shoes.
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flippyfloppies Reply:
February 27th, 2010 at 4:03 am
I agree with the three of you who posted responses before me! I think the important part of the hiring process isn't what someone's name is or what they look like but simply the experience they have had and their people skills. My old high school social studies teacher used to always quote, "Life is a people business". I think this quote is really applicable to a lot of topics but especially being interviewed and hired for a job. It shouldn't be important how foreign or unique your name is, just because someone's name is Bob, Joe or Sue doesn't make them more qualified. My parents don't have to worry about hiring employees, but if they did I definitely think the idea of covering up someone's name is a good idea. If I were a colored person applying for a job where I was up against white people, I would want my name to be covered up on my resume, just to have more of an equal playing field.
I'm not sure how colored people would hire employees…I'm white, so I can only say how I would hire employees. It would make sense if they had about the same chances of hiring someone of a different race than anyone else would. I agree with the notion that people tend to feel more comfortable when around those that are similar to them. Have you noticed in our class how we tend to sit in clumps together – a clump of white kids, a clump of black kids? Not that I would oppose having to sit next to someone who's different than me, but I guess people of the same color naturally tend to stick together.
Responding to cmaverick's post, I think Thursday's class hopefully helped white people place themselves better in a black person's shoes. I felt ashamed, angered and just flat out disgusted at some of the statistics Sam posted in class. It seems that white people and people of color truly do live in two different worlds. I was never exposed to the racism and discrimination that some of you endure quite often, and I do feel bad – I think that's just a natural response. I don't feel bad because I should feel guilty or anything, I feel bad because I can't imagine having to endure what some people struggle with daily. I don't think its fair and I don't want to be associated with those awful statistics about white people with criminal records being more likely to be hired than black people with clean records.
Anyways, Thursday's class definitely was an eye-opener for me, as I'm sure it was for others as well. I’m looking forward to Tuesday’s class.
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OldGreg8 Reply:
February 27th, 2010 at 12:29 am
That's funny because I was just thinking the same thing. My father owns his own retail store as well and I have asked him about hiring people and what goes into choosing an applicant, etc. He told me it is based solely on the content of the persons resume to get them to an interview. In the interview the determining factor is the ability to use people skills, not who they are. A large portion of my dad's client base are black americans, and I can recall a time when I asked him why he didn't hire more black americans to work. He has 2 black employees and I figured having more would attract more black customers. He explained that its not who the person is, but how they perform in the necessary situation. My dad is an old white man, and he still has a huge black clientel. Its not who you are but how you treat people, no matter what their color.
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LME132 Reply:
February 27th, 2010 at 4:12 am
I really find this view on the ever popular race question to be extremely interesting. Too often we tend to focus upon the actions of White people and not enough on the actions of African American people and their viewpoints on things. In my opinion, I also would agree with the post from "EmilyButzner" in the fact that an African American would be more likely to choose another African American in an interview; and a White person would be more likely to choose another White person in an interview. Unless the African American or White person is very concerned with remaining politically correct, I think that all people would rather surround themselves with people that are similar to them (race, ethnicity, likes, dislikes, etc.).
There may be a special case of an African American choosing a White person or a White person choosing an African American person, but I believe that the majority of people would choose the applicant based on how similar they are to them. Yet, race should not be the end all and be all deciding factor. I think that the average person realizes that the skills and qualities that one posesses are what should matter most in an interview. Therefore, if an African American is interviewing an unqualified African American and a qualified White candidate, chances are the African American interviewer would still choose the qualified White person over the unqualified African American, even though they are of a different race.
Focusing on hiring a qualified person is much more important than focusing on hiring someone of the same race because it can either positively or negatively affect the success of your business. For a business to thrive, you need quick, intelligent, knowledgeable employees (no matter what color they are). A business can fail fast if the workers are lazy, unmotivated, and unqualified (even if the boss feels at ease with having employees all the same color as him or her.) Because, at that point, color doesn't matter. Rather, the overall well-being of the business matters.
The whole atmosphere at a business should be as diverse as possible. In this day and age, we should be more focused on integrating instead of segregating. By African Americans picking White employees and by White people picking African American employees, we can further break down the stereotype that everyone is racist. And if someone wants to hire someone else of a different color, they should be respected in their decision and not judged for it. Obviously, the person did what they felt was right in their mind. They didn't do it to please others or to prove a point, they hired someone different to start opening up the minds of others.
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paulh1124 Reply:
March 3rd, 2010 at 11:37 pm
I agree with you on one hand. I do think people choose the same color first, but then I think of the example Sam gave in class with the white guy walking by and dropping something a colored person would pick it up for them and a white guy would not do it for a black person. So going by this example I would think that a colored person would hire a white person because i do not think they hold grudges like whites do. I think this can go both ways, but again it depends on the person and their view on things.
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erc5036 Reply:
March 4th, 2010 at 1:38 am
I completely agree with you also that a person of a certain race or heritage is more likely to choose a person of the same ethnicity. I feel also that it is not an issue of race, but more of an issue of comfort. Is it right? I do not think that most people would think that it was, but the bottom line is that it does happen at every level of business to some extent. While it is simply human nature to choose favorites, people have to start to realize that the best thing for business is having the most qualified candidate in a position regardless of outside appearance.
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daw291 Reply:
March 4th, 2010 at 5:35 pm
I believe this is how the application process should be executed- with a blind eye to race. It is important to focus on the content of the application and the quality of the applicant, and to leave race out of the picture when making a hiring decision. While I believe that this is the way business hiring practices should be conducted, I am pretty confident that a majority of most companies (mostly smaller, sole proprietorships) do not handle hiring in this manner. With no discrimination against race, whether the business owner is white, brown, black, red, etc. most people generally will feel more comfortable hiring people of their own race and cultural ties, simply because they can relate and trust the person more than someone of a different background.
However, many larger corporations claim to be Equal Opportunity Employers and are required by law not to discriminate in terms of race. While there are never 100% guarantees that application and hiring processes are completely discrimination free, corporations do tend to have a higher rate of diversity, which adds to corporate culture and enriches the company.
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I think that a colored person would be more likely to choose another colored person than a white person. I think that a white person is more likely to choose another white person because they are more apprehensive when it comes to race. I think that a colored person will maybe put his or her shoes in the other colored person and feel more comfortable with giving them the job. This of course doesn’t justify a white person choosing a white person over a colored person because I also think that a colored person is more likely to pick a white person more than a white person is likely to pick a colored person. I think this is because a colored person may view both people more equally than the white person.
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ryanscherer Reply:
February 27th, 2010 at 6:02 am
I agree, I think that a person that isn't white would be more likely to choose a person that is a minority, simply because they would look at the situation rationally instead of seeing color. Also, they would know how people of color are discriminated against when it comes to jobs so they may try to give other minorities an opportunity that they couldn't get elsewhere. One thing that may cause a person of color to choose a less qualified white person is that the business environment that has caused this discrimination may have an effect on the person doing the hiring.
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I think a black person doing the application process will pick the person best suited for the job. Because being a black person they probably know the struggle that black people have, and the struggle that they been through to get where they are at now. I personally do not think that a smart black business person will pick a black person over a white person, just because he or she is black. Me personally being a black woman, if a black person is lacking a certain still or is not as on top of their game as I need them to be for the time being I will hired the person who is more skillful, whether the other people is white, Chinese, Hispanic, Indian etc.
However I do think that there are some black people out there who will definitely hire a white person over a black person. And the only reasons I can think of for why they would do that is because, they probably think that having white employees will enhance their business and give them a "good look". Or because a white person looked out for them, so they probably feel that they owe white people something. Or they probably think that white people attract more people, which more than likely mean more money, and more success.
I don't necessarily think that it is wrong or unfair for a black person to hire a white person over a black person. But if the resume and the application of the white person and the black person is completely the same, and me being black i would definitely hire the black person, because I would not have a good enough reason to not hire them. I think when people only hired people based off of their race that affects the work industry today, because if I hire a black person who is not qualified for the job and do not have the stills to be good worker, I am slowing up my business and missing out the people who would be perfect for the job and really make a difference for the business. And I fell like nowadays people do that a lot, they feel like they have to "look out" for their people and "hook them up" and this is for all races!
I also think black people who do the application process, probably feel like it is the "right" thing to pick the white person because if he or she don't, they probably get accuse of being racist by only hiring the black person. I think that if it really comes down to black and white during the application process, with people who have the same resumes they should just keep going back and forth, when a white person quit the job hire a black person for they spot, when that person get laid off or quit hired a white person, that way the job setting will be more diverse.
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In Psychology 100, my professor, Dr. Hunt showed us this interesting experiment.
There's a YouTube video on it, so, if you're interested, definitely check it out— not sure what the title is though.
Anyway, in the experiment, a psychologist took a handful of young, elementary school-aged black girls, and took them into a room to play with dolls, and then asked them questions about the dolls.
On the table were two baby dolls: a white baby doll, and a black baby doll.
Both were from the same manufacturer, wore the same clothes, had the same face- the only difference between the two dolls was the color of the plastic they were made from.
Among the series of questions, at least the ones that still continue to stick out in my mind, were:
1) Which doll would you rather play with?
To this question, many of the girls answered that they would rather play with the white doll. Some girls hesitated, but most of them pointed straight to the white one.
2) Which doll is the "good" doll?
Many, if not all, (I don't remember which,) pointed to the white one. Inversely, when asked which doll was the "bad" doll, the girls pointed to the black one.
The point that I make by referencing this experiment is that white people aren't the only race conditioned to think that white people are more preferable or better in some way, shape, or form. It's shown that, from an early age, black children already, somehow, have this concept in mind.
It's very likely that this ideology would stick, sub-consciously or not, into adulthood, and consequently affect their opinions in daily life, manifesting in areas like the workplace.
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amd5442 Reply:
February 26th, 2010 at 6:50 pm
I remember this exact study in PSYCH 100 with Dr. Hunt last year. You bring up an excellent point that most people fail to recognize. We all develop similar ways to interpret our world as we develop mentally and physically throughout childhood. Every person has schemas that allow us to interpret the world around us. These provide structure in a world of what is really meaningless objects. I know Wikipedia is not the most scholarly source of information but they definitely word it better than I can.
Wikipedia says schema "influence our attention as we are more likely to notice things that fit into our schema. If something is contradicting our schema it may be encoded or interpreted as an exception or unique. Thus schema are prone to distortion. They influence what we look for in a situation. They have a tendency to remain unchanged, even in the face of contradictory information."
The fact that both black and white children at a very young age both pick white dolls provides great evidence that certain schemas may be ingrained in children already at such a young age. This is disturbing to think about.
I think most people are unaware of what is really going on in the world around them. Sam continuously drives home this message in class, "Just because you can't see it doesn't mean its not there." Like you stated, "It's very likely that this ideology would stick, sub-consciously or not, into adulthood, and consequently affect their opinions in daily life, manifesting in areas like the workplace." People need to be more conscious about what influences the things they are doing on a daily basis. They need to perceive and evaluate more information that they currently take into account.
The information overload in our world drives people to be influenced by things they would never imagine. I think that people need to break down their schemas in order to see what is really happening in the world. Like Sam says, just being aware of another viewpoint is enough to help you consider the other side of the story.
Another key idea that shaped my decision on this topic is the discrepancy between perception and reality. The fact is that we all have much different schemas of reality than say, native tribal aborigines in the Australian Outback. Again Wikipedia puts it best, “What one perceives is a result of interplays between past experiences, including one’s culture, and the interpretation of the perceived. If the percept does not have support in any of these perceptual bases it is unlikely to rise above perceptual threshold.
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aam5215 Reply:
February 27th, 2010 at 12:59 am
I found this example to be extremely interesting. I never heard of this before when I took psych100. I think it is weird that the black children chose the white doll. I would have assumed that they would pick the black doll because it looks like them. I have a few ideas on why children may have had this reaction.
First, I think one reason may be because more white people who have service jobs surround children. For example the children may see white people who are doctors, policemen, or teachers therefore, they identified the white doll as being good. Another reason may be because of the environment the children are surrounded by in school. Maybe the kids have black children who are constantly getting in trouble and that is why they believed that the black doll was not the good one. Along with this, it may be the fact that the color “white” is usually used to symbolize purity, and things that are good. The movies tend to portray the villains of movies and T.V. shows to be dark, and evil. This could possibly be why the children acknowledged the white doll as being good.
The other thought I have as to why the children identified the white doll as being good is their friends at school. The children may be experiencing kids taunting them or making fun of them for being black, and they could have a low self esteem about themselves. This could be the result as to why they feel the white doll is good, because they are relating it to their life in school.
Either way, no matter what the reasoning behind all of it is, I do not think it is right that the results were what they were. I do not think that there should be on race that is known as the “good” race, especially coming from children. Children are so innocent and don’t fully understand the world yet, and it is a shame that at such a young age this ideas are already being placed in their head. I am an elementary education major, and I think one way to prevent this problem from occurring is incorporating more lessons about race into elementary classrooms. I think that by presenting this issue at a young age, it can help the children to understand about the past and the issues of race.
A reason why race isn’t talked very often in elementary classrooms is because it is an uncomfortable subject. I know there are even times in section where I feel uncomfortable participating in some of the things we talk about. Maybe if this issue was presented at a younger age people would be more familiar with it and not feel as uncomfortable talking about it.
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jnp5021 Reply:
February 27th, 2010 at 3:16 am
I remember this experiment from Psych 100 as well, but I youtubed it just as a refresher. It's really a shame that these types of schemas exist in our society to this day, while we pretend their is race equality and no one is better than anyone else. I wonder what it will take to de-condition ourselves as a society to accept all colors as equal and not judge someone based on something as asine as skin color. As a person of mixed race (black/white), and growing up with mother, who is white, it took me quite awhile to identify with the other side of my background. Growing up in a white, middle class area surrounded by other white folks, and being raised culturally to be white, even though my skin is dark (relatively) makes seeing the world at times difficult and easy. It is difficult because it took coming to college and identifying with people like me, and changing my viewpoints of the world. I always knew I was black, of course, but it was easier for me to identify with things that were white and white culture being the "norm" or acceptable way of living. I never thought being black was a bad thing, per say, but my previous contact with other black people was non-existant, and essentially all input was from the media, which tends to show black people doing bad things, shootings in the hood, gang violence, rap stars selling drugs, etc. I believe that mass media coloring the news and tv shows with poor/undereducated black people acting in negative way as the only way black people act is a main instigator of this negative viewpoint young black children can have about themselves. Early I said it was both difficult and easy to flow between cultures, and the easy part is simple. Being able to "speak white" with those in positions of power, who tend to be white, and being able to identify with the "problems" associated with being white, and any other part of white culture you can think of, being around white people has always been easy for me. Now that I have a more holistic viewpoint on my life and where I fit into society, I find dealing with both white and black people to be easy. I no longer see the skin color as a difference; in fact, the only real difference is how people are raised and brought up. With a big part of that maturation process involving mass media influences, now more than ever the importance of equal and positive coverage of events in black communities to match that of white communities is apparent. One can only hope with time this will become a reality.
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thebathingape Reply:
March 5th, 2010 at 10:22 am
It’s actually pretty cool that you brought that up because I was thinking the same exact thing and remember that particular class. However, while it is a valid point, it is not congruent with my personal standpoint on the matter.
Though I would like to say that I would choose the most competent and capable person, regardless of color, that is not always the case. Personally, I feel as though a person of color would tend to choose another person of color, just as a white person would tend to choose another white person. In many ways, it comes down to who you are most comfortable around and, more times than not, it will probably end up being the person most similar to yourself.
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I find this to be a very interesting question, especially since we talked about race’s role in the application process in my discussion group this week. Although I strongly disagree with it, I firmly believe that a colored person would choose a colored person over a white person and a white person would choose a white person over a colored person. I just feel that this is the way today’s society has been brought up – to favor your own race or ethnical background. However, this is why I think race should be excluded from all job and college applications. It is not fair to accept or reject someone based primarily on race.
I think colored people on admissions committees are more likely to choose a colored person because they know that people of these backgrounds have struggled in the past so they have to be pretty determined and hard-working if they are applying for jobs or colleges. I also think they may choose the colored person over the white person as a way of rebelling against white supremacy. Maybe they’re tired of white people stealing the show all the time so they want to give others a chance to shine.
At the same time, I think white people on admissions committees are more likely to choose white people because of the common belief that whites are more capable of doing the job and have a higher rate of success. Many believe that if they had hired a black person instead in order to fulfill diversity quotas, their business or university may not thrive as much as it would if they had hired a white person. I’m not saying this is true in all cases, but it is the case more often than not. And I do not agree with this at all.
I believe that everyone on an admissions committee should accept or reject their applicants solely based on academic achievements and strength of resumes. While it is true that colored people may not have had the same opportunities as white people to build their resumes, it is also not fair to reject white people with exceptional resumes just to have diversity. I think that by getting rid of the racial/ethnical background questionnaire, admissions officers will have an easier job because they will only have to base their decisions on well roundedness. If it comes down to two applicants who have very similar resumes, the decision should be made according to which person submitted their application first. By doing it this way, diversity quotas may even still be met anyways because there are plenty of colored people who come from all sorts of ethnical backgrounds who are more qualified than white people and vice versa. Whether or not this idea works, I think it’s at least worth a shot!
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GreatWhiteMarc Reply:
February 26th, 2010 at 11:52 pm
I agree with almost everything in the post above. I feel that race should be excluded from the application process, especially from job applications. To me, it seems that having race on applications is, more or less, setting a company or school up for discrimination. This discrimination can go both ways. For example, a less qualified african american may be admitted over a white applicant because the school feels a need to enroll a certain amount of black students. At the same time, according to Sam's lecture, an equally qualified white person may be selected over a black applicant for a job because of the employer's preference. In my opinion, if race was never discussed on an application, then we wouldn't be setting ourselves up for discriminatory practices.
Similarly, I see many problems with affirmative action in general. I feel that it contradicts its very purpose; eliminating discrimination. Ideally, race would not play an issue in any application process. But with affirmative action, people make it very clear that race plays a big part of this process. By making this a factor in acceptance, the very nature of affirmative actions seems discriminatory to me. People may counter this argument by saying minorities are given less opportunities so this is used to 'level the playing field'. But that seems like too broad of a generalization to me. Some minorities are given many more opportunities than whites. How level is the playing field then when an underprivileged white applicant must overcome both the financial and race burdens of being accepted into school? I am not against financially driven scholariships in any way. I think they are very necessary. But I think it is asinine to generalize in such a broad manner. In addition, I always wonder, "when is the playing field going to be level?" Is there a timeline in place with affirmative action? Once a certain percentage of college students are minorities, are we going to do away with affirmative action completely? Then what happens to the percentages? Overall, I just feel like the current system of affirmative action is not the most fair way to accomplish the goals it intends to, and it is actually contradictory of itself.
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First I want to start out again by saying that this class was once again very interesting. Now about the question do I think that a black person or a person of color who is in charge would pick a white person or a person of color? I feel that a person of color should pick the best possible candidate for the job and they shouldn’t look at the skin color of the person at all. So I don’t think that they are more likely to pick a person of their color or a white person based on skin color. Because if they are a successful business person I know that it probably to a while and a lot of hard work to get too where they are and if they wouldn’t have been given a job when they first started because of there skin color they wouldn’t be where they were today and able to make the decision they are. Now I know that I am not talking about previous experience because I have only had one job and the person who hired me is white and I am white, but I think that I am just hoping that this world has change and people don’t base people on skin color any more. But as I learned in the discussion group last week that, that in fact is not true. A couple of the kids in my class who were people of color were telling us stories about they got in trouble with the cops for not doing anything except being a person of color on a Thursday. I really thought that stuff like that had stopped a while ago but I guess that I was wrong because it has happened recently. When I heard that I was very shocked and after hearing it I am wondering if there would ever be a world where race is a not a problem. Where everybody will get treated equally no matter what skin color they are or where they are from. But on the other hand I still don’t see a respectful business man being racist or he probably wouldn’t have gotten to where he was so I expect him to do the right thing and hire the person best suited for the job. I don’t think they would use reverse affirmative action and have to hire the white person. Like I don’t feel like we need affirmative action any more as we were discussing in the discussion group a couple weeks ago about the NFL and the Rooney rule where they redskins new they were hiring a white guy because he was the best for the job and they had to waste the time of a black coach just to interview him because of the rule. I feel that this is really stupid and I hope there comes a time where we wont need affirmative action any more.
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As a white person myself, I have to say that I for one would help anyone or any person no matter of color or race. I do think however, that in the example of two people with equally similar resumes, a white interviewer would choose favor a person whose name isn’t “normal”. It’s a shame that the world is like this, but looking around in the world, you can see it happening. I think our generation has become better with this issue and would choose a person with the best possible qualities for a specific job if they were an interviewer. I think we don’t look at people as black or white, we look at them who is more deserving.
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Additional blog Response # 1
People of color who do the application process are more likely to pick those of their own particular race. They will do this for two reasons: 1. because they feel that they owe it to their community to give back to those of their own kind or 2. Because they do not want to see white people get any farther than they already are.
I think this is ethically and logically wrong. We as people of color are always complaining how we are discriminated against within the work place and yet we turn our backs on white people the same way that some of them do to us. Nothing regarding race within the workplace will change if we as a whole do not change our attitude towards one another. It should be about the best candidate, not the race of the candidate.
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I think this lecture brought out a good point that I had never considered. I have never really fully understood affirmative action or the biased job application process, but I now understand why it was put into place for the reason we discussed that people may pick a person for there name because it sounds "white" instead of the content of the resume. However I don't think all employers who do this do it consciously.
So back to the question: "Do I think that a black person or a person of color who is in charge would pick a white person or a person of color?" Personally think that there is a good chance a person of color may pick a white person over another person of color. I don't believe this because I think white people are better than or superior in any way to people of color. I feel this way because of what Sam has said time and time again "It's good to be white". As we have seen with the prison and criminal record data in class, white people can more easily get away with something or a lesser punishment and no explanation seems as correct as there skin color. I think people of color recognize this advantage white people seem to have in this country. Although it is unfair it is happening. So, if I were a person of color and was running a business or hiring people I may want to have at least a few white people as employees for the best interest of business competition. I am not saying a company with white people on the team can not be a successful company or business, but I am suggesting that some business owners that are not white may be able to use the unjust white favoring system to their advantage. Because for many businesses pleasing as many people as possible is going to increase your customers or clients. And since the population majority is white than it may be good to have white people on your staff to represent your company and appeal to a larger audience that may subconsciously be more comfortable or trusting of a white person.
I don't mean this to sound insensitive because I would personally hire a person based on their credentials and would probably cover their names to eliminate any possibility of subconscious biased toward any race. However as a white person I would also (depending on what my company was about) want to have a diverse staff to also appeal to customers of color. Therefore, I feel a boss of color may want not only "black and brown" workers, but also some white people as well to again appeal to a wider audience and opportunity to expand the business.
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In my opinion people of color are still more likely to choose a white applicant for the position then someone of their own race or color. The reason why I assume this is because I think their ego might be a big part for this, which was not mention in class, but I feel that for someone of color to hire someone of color is rare in the corporate world. I think that they might feel that person being a treat to who they are in their specific company and don’t want to risk something they think they have work so hard for and loosing it to someone of their own race or color. Its as if they work extremely hard to get to that position there are in and don’t want to give a free pass to someone of color, as if they have to prove their self with their own resources in order to respect them as a co worker.
In my own personal case I have been shut down from a job interview because of my skin color and nationality, even when the interview is someone of my own race. Its like a feeling of hate right off the bat, not everyone is like this but non the lease this is really comment with the younger generation of people I have interview with.
I guess what I am trying to say is that in my opinion there is racism within once race specially here in the united states, I have feel as if people of my own race have a grudge or develop some kind of hate when seeing how people around them of their own race move up faster weather is carrier wise or just from being harder workers, but this to them is unacceptable and their way of getting you back is by probably talking about you behind close doors or just being assholes. I know this occurs specially in the Latino communities cause I have seen it and have talk about it with friends and we all agree with it, but I hope this comes up later in class and maybe see some research that will actually back my thuds up cause to me this is interesting. As a race we suppose to help one another but not in the U.S. at least not from what I have experience.
I might have steer a little off topic from the question but I think this is probably the base of my argument on why I think people of color might rather hire a Caucasian applicant rather then someone of color…. And I know I still need about twenty more words to complete the 450 words but hopefully this will count cause I have nothing else to say.
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I would think that a colored person would choose another colored person, but a white person as well equally. I think that a colored person would choose a white person equally because I think colored people view it the same way and I think that views may be different than ours maybe because of the problems they faced with slavery in the past. It may make them have more respect towards people’s race than white people have. I think that white people would choose as equally too, if they had a history like colored people did and I think we would be more respectful about it.
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If the last class had been the first class of Sam’s I had ever taken, the absence of the following would be a surprise. But it is not. Examples of “people of color” preferring “white people” have largely been ignored in favor of smothering the idea of “white” responsibility in our faces. The implicit association test (IAT) was designed to assess a person’s precognitive feelings about race, gender, and other categories. The tests are conducted on a computer. In one such test, “African American or Good” is displayed at the left of the screen and “Caucasian or Bad” is displayed at the right. Alternately “African American or Bad” is displayed on one side and “Caucasian or Good” is displayed on the other. During the test, an image of either a black or white person pops up in the middle of the screen, and the test taker is instructed to strike a key corresponding to either the left or right choice, as quickly as they can. Incorrect key strokes and long response time were indicative of cognitive controversy. The results of white test takers are more obvious than that of black test takers. White participants more often have a preference for whites, but so do, more often than not, black participants. Google it.
I don’t agree with the preference, I believe it demonstrates the cognitive roots of discrimination, but I would like it recognized that it is not just Whitey enabling the discrimination.
Hip hop categories are Violence, Drugs, Sex, and Fuck the Police. By association, the majority of media exposure for people of color paints them as basic, aggressive, and dangerous. African Americans have really dug themselves a hole with that one. I understand that this sort of music is the most popular for an African American to make, and trying to step out of the boundaries of what is most popular can greatly increase the chances of failure. But it remains a hole. A hole from which only discrimination can spring.
Hiring someone is not just about their credentials. It is about the image brought to the company. If the image of black people is one of violence, it will hurt their credibility. I feel I have to clarify here again, I personally do not think black people are violent, but I may not be representative of my customers.
I have a landscaping business and I would be hesitant to hire a hardworking, honest black person. Why? The majority of my customers are elderly white people. While I have Zero personal contention with black people(I have several black friends), what if the presence of black workers on the property of these people from an intensely different generation caused me to lose business?
If they are racist, do I have to sacrifice that business in the name of equality? Am I racist for wanting to get as much business as possible and ignore this problem? Am I COMPLETELY wrong about the possibility of the negative judgment of my company?
I think it comes down to what Sam said, “what are You going to do about it?” Honestly, I don’t know yet.
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This is a really interesting question, and it's good to wonder about how things would be if the roles are reversed. I think it's important to remember that everyone feels more comfortable with people who are like them (in a number of different aspects). That's just how it is. I went on a field trip to an elementary school recently, and watched the interaction between young kids. I didn't see any mean or disrespectful behavior between them; they all seemed to get along pretty in this certain situation. But as they sat down at tables, all of the white kids sat and talked together and all of the black kids sat and talked together. I could even see that to a certain degree in my high school. There were some racial groups, but also groups developed based on sports teams, clubs, and high honors classes. People relate and are comfortable around people who are like them. I feel that initially any employer would be more comfortable hiring someone they feel that they can relate to and can be comfortable with. I think culture and race have a lot to do with that comfort and relation. And I think that although it may seem surfacy and assuming, that could be why employers tend to hire people they believe are the same race as they are. So I feel like a black employer would tend to hire a black person over a white person, like how a white employer tends to hire a white person over a black person. I'm not completely sure if my reasons are valid or if my assumption is true, but that's just what I think from what I have observed in parts of society. I also noticed this when we did the activity in class about choosing students to accept into a college. I noticed that I was figuring out who I could relate to from the list and hoped that my group would end up choosing them. The list showed a variety of aspects that I could relate to, but I noticed that one of the applicants was Chinese and Peruvian, and since I'm part Peruvian I instantly starting rooting for that person in my head. I lucked out in the fact that he did well actively and academically, because I'm not sure if I still would have pushed for him if he had poor scores. But I do think that relating has a lot to do with the choices people make, whether it be who they want to hang out with or who they choose to employ.
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We talked about affirmative action during one of our first meetings in group discussion. And, there were so many different ideas that were thrown around. Everyone seemed to agree that there was a need of some type of support to help people of color, but we also all seemed to agree that affirmative action was not the answer. So I don’t know if anyone can really say exactly what should be put in place for affirmative action, but affirmative action is not the perfect solution. There must be a better system to help society.
Going back to this original question, I think that black people are very similar to white people in the way that they decide on applicants for colleges and careers. I think on the whole for the most part people do not intentionally single applicants out because of the color of the skin. But, I do think that many people have these underlying inhibitions that many people have to those of another skin color. And, to try to keep these inhibitions from being there, I think the only thing that will really help is time. Overtime things will change, as they have done during the past. I know that there are lots of issues with affirmative action and job candidate selection but people are trying to do what they see as the best solution. And sadly it is the only solution we have, at the time, so we have to try and make it work.
I think it will be intriguing to see how black people respond to the question this girl raised. I think that if I were a black person, then I would see things differently, but not too differently. Morally I would say that most human beings have a good set of morals to live by. And on the whole, most people respect other life and hopefully do not try to deter it. So, it’s always hard for me to understand why there is so much racism in this world. And as a white person I just think that it is important to try and understand why things are how they are.
If you asked me, I would say that a black person would respond similarly to a white person. They may have some underlying inhibitions about employing a white staff member. But I do not think that most intelligent businessmen and women would hire a far less competent applicant on the basis of color. It is simply not an effective way to do good business. If one applicant if far more intelligent and productive than the other, then the company should hire that applicant. That would be the best way to optimize your employees and your companies productivity.
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This is another good question. I would like to know what the statistics are surrounding this question. My guess would be that the results would be similar to the stats in the example that Sam talked about in class with the distance between two people who are sitting in front of one another and the fact that the black person’s distance was the same no matter whether the person was white or black whereas the white person sat further away from the black person than they did the white person. So I would think that the black person would probably be a bit more objective.
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This makes me think of all the job applications labeled "equal opportunity employers" How equal is it? Probably not at all. It takes a conscious effort to put your prejudices aside and truly make an unbiased decision about anything. I think that covering up names on resumes would be a brilliant idea, it'd stop much of the discrimination right in its tracks. As Sam pointed out, many times people of color will be kinder to white people. Much kinder than is probably deserved. It makes sense though if they were more inclined to hire other people of their race simply because they feel more comfortable around them. It works just like when you make friends with people who you feel comfortable around. You may not realize you do it, and they may not realize it, but it happens.
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I am a Chinese, one of the so called brown people. I think I could talk about this issue, because I am not white. From my point of view, if I am an employer, what I want are people who are hard-working, with good personality and can contribute to teamwork. A company is a big network; every employee is one part of it. Teamwork is really important, because a boss wish all their staff could put company’s profit at the first position. Most of the white people are easy going, and they are respective and easier to work with others. As an employer, I also want people who are obedient and easy to manage. It is the truth that Asian people are really hard-working. However, we are lack enthusiasm to work with others, we tend to be independent and dislike others to point out our mistakes so that we can be corrected. We really cares our face or reputation, don’t want others put us down. So, we are afraid to making mistakes and feel embarrassed. Meanwhile, I am a little bit afraid of black people, especially black male. I don’t mean they are not good person; however it is difficult for me to close to them. I just feel they are less obedient and can’t control. As a result, white people are good choices. However it depends, not every white person is qualified. Some of them are lazy and grumpy.
I think balance is really important, and I will choose some white people, some black people and some brown people. Some people think I will choose more Chinese over American, but this is not true at all. Come from the same country, not means we have a strong relationship. I am Chinese, so I know them well, including advantages and disadvantages. I will less easily hire someone who is known me well in the past, because they may feel I am their friend instead of their boss. They may expect I give them some kind of privilege. That is not a good thing, because fairness is one of the most important characteristic an employer should have. This makes actually difficult for me select an Asian compare a white people.
Another reason is that I don’t want others say I am favor Asian people, or more specifically the Chinese. The reputation of my company is really important, because I want future development and hire more and more peoples in the future. If white people think I am discriminate in some way, and they will refuse to apply to my company. That will become a negative effect and no one will like that situation.
In the end, I want talk something form my experience. Most of white people are willing to help, not because they want to seek benefits from me. However, most of Asians are so astute; they barely want to do something for others without benefit.
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I don’t think a person of color would deny another person of color a position or an interview. If someone does that, I would consider that person as ignorant. At the same time, some people discriminate their own race. Some people of color, especially people from the West Indies, don’t like when other people have higher achievements than them. In this case, they might deny someone the Job. By the way, I’m speaking by my own experience, but in most of those cases, those people have been uneducated people. I would expect someone that has a higher education to act differently. This is the reason why I believe a person of color would not deny another person of color a job over a white person. I mean, why would they? First of all, the person of color who’s doing the interview can obviously relate to that other person of color. Second of all, race should not matter when someone is looking for a job. If someone has a good resume, they should be eligible to get a job. The facts that Sam presented to us shouldn’t be happening, if two people have identical resumes, they should have an equal opportunity to the position. However, the truth is people always thought white people are more reliable. I don’t think racism is the main cause; it is the fact that people of color have always been interpreted as not trustworthy by society. Either the media showing black or brown people finding a way to get out of debt illegally, or black and brown people are always starting trouble. Also some black or brown employers relate more to the white person than the person of color. Other employers of color don’t like the person’s cultural background. For example, if the employer has a Puerto Rican background, he or she might not hire someone with a Dominican background. Like I said, it’s not really because of racism; it’s more a preference issue. However, I am positive if someone truly considers themselves as a non-racist person, they should hire anyone of any color, as long as they qualify for the Job. I can’t really bring myself to believe that someone of color would not hire someone because of their colors, it’s just a shame. I have always picture people of color as the most acceptable people in the world, like, I thought they were for the most part open-minded. And if by any chance they were going to discriminate against another race, I would have thought it would be the white people, but most of the times it is not the case. People of colors really need their own identity, why they are trying to act like the white man?
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I’m not sure if people of color would choose necessarily a person of color or a white person. In my opinion, a well educated colored person would choose a white person’s name over a colored person’s name. I would think in the city environment, that small shop business owners would be more selective on name. It all comes down again to the topic of stereotypes. In ever culture, where social classes are relevant, there will be stereotypes. Just like in the United States, place in the Far East and in undeveloped countries still have stereotypes. Maybe a tribe might use prior judge to characterize another tribe or the same tribe but just a different generation of people. Stereotypes aren’t just made up. They are actions that a particular group of people perform. For example, I’m half Polish and the stereotype is that Polish people are stupid. Is that necessarily true to me personally?
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This is a good question. I would assume that they might still choose a white person just based off the statistic we saw in class but I could see them choosing an African American also. I guess it would depend on the boss. If it was my decision I wouldn't be discriminatory towards race. I would hire the best fit for the job because at the end of they day its all about making money in a business. I feel that this should be a standard with all business application processes. If you choose someone just based on the color of their skin not by the accolades then your hurting your business in the long run.
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This is a really interesting question and I would really like to see the statistics on this. Seeing that most people reading resumes pick the white names over the black names doesn’t surprise me much from the common stereotypes create for each race. Personally, I think a black person choosing an white or black employee over the other could go both ways. I think some people will continue the stereo type and pick the white person because they might think they are smarter or do better work. Some people think that having the white person in the office gives the company a better reputation and a better look to other outside of the company. They could possibly think that the white person can bring in more business which would lead to more money and more recognition. On the other side of this I think that some will pick the black person to give them an opportunity. Some will want to display their own race in the work place and prove that black people can work just as hard and do the same level of work as white people. An employer will want to see some of their own kind when walking around the office or building.
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I think that anyone hiring others should solely look on education and experience. I think that those are the most important things when it comes to getting a job. Resumes and job applications shouldn’t have questions of race or background and focus on what school they graduated from, if they even have a diploma, or what experience in the field they have before applying. I agree with some people after reading some comments on the point that if two resumes are the same and the names sound different, they should hire the person that hand it in first. Almost like a first come first serve basis. Even though discrimination based on race does occur and isn’t fair, I don’t think that hiring a black person over a white just to bring a change to the company isn’t fair either. .
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I know that many company owners are concerned with the image and what customers think about their specific company. Once again, I think this shouldn’t affect the fact that some black people have better qualities and additions to the company as well as some whites have better qualities and additions to bring to the company also. I think everyone should be given the chance to work for any company they wish to work for and not be ruled out based on their race or even name. To be honest I don’t think this will ever occur because some people view black people and white people very differently
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I personally feel like there might be a difference between salary brackets. If you have some black bro who is the manager at Popeye's, he might be more likely to hire a black person just because the application process is much more personal and the turnover rate is high at that level. Therefore, qualifications are much less important; it pretty much comes down to whether you can say your name correctly. However, if you got a colored bro who is the CEO of Huge Rich Financial Investments, Inc he's probably going to hire whoever is the most qualified because it won't get his ass fired.
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In general, I think that people of color would choose whoever is best for the job. In today's day and age, I think that white people are on the whole, more educated because on average, white people make more money. This means that white people on average get a better education, which makes them more qualified for higher positions. In positions where both candidates are equally qualified and one of those candidates is white, and the other colored, I think colored people will more equally pick between white and colored people than white. I think that the main reason that colored people would pick more evenly is because they are able to connect with both races. Since colored people live in a white-dominated society, they know the norms between white people. Also since they live in colored society, they have the ability to connect with colored people in a way I don't think white people do, in general. This is especially true between groups of white people, as Sam pointed out in the activity he showed us in class. That is why I think colored people are more likely to pick evenly between colored and white people, as opposed to white people, which may have trouble connecting with colored people, especially in group situations.
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I think that it is all relevant. People of color are probably given the same set of instructions that are given to all of the white people who are performing the same process. I don't know exactly what percentages these people are supposed to be trying to obtain as far as the people that they select, but I can't imagine they openly or at least purposely select a certain number of people from each ethnic group. I think that the idea of ethnicity and in many cases sex should not be included in the selection process. At all. If certain groups of people have larger numbers being accepted then regardless it can have absolutely nothing to do with that persons race. Then there isn't even an argument that can be made. If people are chosen strictly on the basis of numbers or facts or merits or whatever it is that people are being selected by then there is no controversy because only the best candidates are being chosen for these positions.
With all of that being said, it is very unlikely that this will ever happen. Since race issues are ever so present in society and in our every day lives the percentages of people of a certain race holding a position compared to other ethnicities will always be an issue. People will never stop separating everyone and because of that things like this will always be a problem. I think that the only logical thing that can be done is to try and never make it apparent to the person running the selection process how many of each ethnicity you want and that way it will be left up to the selector to make the right decisions. Because of that I think that people of color probably don't pick very differently from the white people who also make the selections.
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Those crazy white people. I think that there is a few deciding factors that some people depend on when going in for a interview when either trying to get a job or evaluating people to give them the job they apply for. I know for one thing I'd look at the person's ability to carry on an intelligent conversation with the least likely amount of "like" "you know" "ummm's" which I found that one interviewer pulled that into a quick ending quote when somebody couldn't express what they were trying to say without saying those phrases over and over during the entire interview. "ummm like, you know, you didn't get the job." But when the applications are carrying themselves well I don't think it comes down to the race but who will better apply themselves and who looks better in an interview. When you have people send in resumes they most likely do look at names because that is all they see and the qualifications you hold when comparing to other people for a single position. When you go in for an interview you’re not only representing yourself to get a certain position but your forcing them to look past what is on the piece of paper and show what qualities you hold that make you stand out apart from the other people. Like the application process for college, each person wanted to make themselves stand out from the rest by telling a life story of something they experienced or they learned and what would make them interested in the college. Some tell riveting stories or others may talk about some experiences which made them choose the career path they wanted and does something differ such as spraying a hint of perfume on the paper before sending it in. It’s all to make you stand out from the dull that is the other thousand people they did not want to accept and made them choose you. The race card will only differ a few times out of the choices some people make. Yes affirmative action has put some people in a better position to get a job over a white person. I think the affirmative action system is kind of skewed that some place are associated with being racist if they don’t meet certain quotas of different ethnic groups. But for those people that rely on AA some questions arise as to it being more motivating to getting that position by beating out the competition fairly or because you were given the edge, but either way no one likes to lose. So it leaves the system to a point where they rather have it in place and keep in different ethnicities as ‘quotas’ and not as people. It is a little depressing to see that there has become somewhat of a reverse racism become common and how it has basically made the playing field very treacherous for any group.
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This is a really interesting question. I feel like the more you can relate to the applicant, the better your chances are of getting whatever your applying for. So if the applicant is black and the application reviewer is also black, he or she will obviously feel more of a connection to the applicant because of that reason. However, I feel race is not the only thing that people can relate to. For instance a connection can be formed from where a person is from or where someone went to school. In the future, maybe your applicant reviewer will be a graduate of Penn State, and you may get an interview because you both went here.
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Of course people of the same color usually hire each other more often then someone of a different color. People always feel safer when they are with people they can relate to or share the same characteristic. A white CEO who has an education from an Ivy League school and has always been surrounded by white upper class is going to choose someone exactly like him. On the other hand I’m not sure if a CEO of color would hold the same feelings. I think black people would give have a fairer set of mind when it came to hiring people of different races. My team (white) usually always wins when it comes to getting a job. I’m not saying whites are always guaranteed a job when people of colored are involved but they definitely have an unfair advantage.
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jayjewelzisme Reply:
February 27th, 2010 at 3:48 am
I disagree with some of the things that you said, when you said that people of color generally would hire people of color I would have disagree because you must keep in mind that there are many people that completely distrust people in there own race. So they would choose to hire a white person over a black person. That’s not to say that there aren’t people of color who won't hire other people of color some of the reasons that people of color hire there own race is because some feel that it is there obligation to there race and others just want to as you said feel more comfortable around a group of there peers. Also, I feel that the stigma that is attached to people of color in employees is something that makes employers think twice when they look at someone of color for a job.
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jayjewelzisme Reply:
February 27th, 2010 at 3:48 am
The part that I agree with that you argue is that most white ceo's will hire people that are similar to them. They will hire the elite Ivy League white guys because they are similar to them in interests and characteristics and because they can relate more with someone just like them. With that being said yes some black ceo will when hiring look at applicants more fair because rather then looking at the race they may look at the qualifications that the person holds and if they are right for the job and if they have the skills to do a good job. Also blacks will try to give others blacks a fairer chance when applying for jobs if they believe they are qualified for the job. That’s how some of the organizations that exist today for African American employment came about and why there are black owned businesses that only hire people or color just so that people of color will have a chance in today’s society.
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jayjewelzisme Reply:
February 27th, 2010 at 3:50 am
But the fact still remains that discrimination in the work place exists and that those who hold the power to hire and fire do not always have the best interest for people of color. It’s sad that people of color are at such a disadvantage just because of there race. How two people can have the same resume but the white person is still more likely to be called back and for blacks males it’s even worst. I guess if you really look at the facts discrimination could account for some of the people in black communities being unemployed. But that’s not to say that discrimination is the only reason that African Americans have a higher unemployment rate then any other race, there are some other things that make up that unemployment rate.
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yo
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It is an interesting question that you ask. I really think that people who have to review applications for a job really have to be censored in the fact that they are really choosing people for their information not pertaining to what they look like or what their name sounds like. They are going by how their application looks and how well they are expected to perform the job. I really think that dark skinned employers are less likely to be discriminative about applicants because they have experienced discrimination first hand and they know what its like. They are going to truly look at a person for who they are not what they look like. They are less likely to discriminate against a black person or a white person the same way. Its amazing that there are so many people who think that racism doesn't exist in the workplace and that most of it has been completely erraticated. I have seen it, I work with plenty of people of other races and I know that many of the white girls are favored more than the black girls. Its sad but it really is what it is. I do believe that people want to change and that people of color are more likely to help other people of any race, white, black latino, native american… whatever because they know what its like and they understand and because of that they don't discriminate. Something that white people cannot understand is real discrimination…
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In my opinion of answering this question, I think that colored employees have a higher rate of employing other colored people in the company. I feel this way because I feel like colored people in a work environment have more obligations to spread diversity throughout the company, as well as to themselves. Obviously, the general type of answer to this question would be that an employer would look for someone who is well qualified, have good credentials, and be the most fit for the job. However, I think our society has reared itself with trying to find more diverse talent especially within other races. Although this preference is kind of ridiculous from colored people to colored people; but that’s the given truth. Coming from an Indian family, I can 100 percent agree on the fact that when hiring others in a given company; the tendency to find someone of equal race or of other color more prevalent. I think this standard shows symbolism to the specific people that are hiring as well as a natural comfort in displaying pride throughout culture. Other Indian people are more likely to hire other Indian people. I can definitely say this with other Asians as well. Although many companies state that they are an equal opportunity company, this idea is very skewed to this fact. Not always are all companies looking for equal growth and opportunity. I still think to this day, that if another white person was looking at resumes of one colored, and one white identically the same. The stereotype of that person with their nationality might get in the way of hiring that specific person; and the white person would eventually get the job. Sadly, our society has still been on the bandwagon in changing specific ideals that we as a whole should follow through. I don’t think that these ways are the right way to go. I think that each person without race or ethnicity should be given the complete opportunity to work for a certain job. I mean at the end result it doesn’t even matter what they look like, where they come from, and how they speak. If the job can completed at the given time and done thoroughly in a good manner, isn’t that all that matters at the end of the day? Race still has a very big impact on achieving a job; no doubt about it. But I would at least hope that this idea is culturally changing with slow growth, and people are now recognizing that the way it is right now isn’t the right way it should be. Race is just a color, it doesn’t depend on anything else but that itself.
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I am not sure about whether a colored person would choose another colored person or a white person. It would make sense that they would choose a person of the same color, but how can anybody be sure? Everybody is different, and it is hard to say what goes through people’s minds. However, I understand that this is subconscious for the most part, especially in today’s modern world. I think there should be a way to avoid the discrimination when it comes to people choosing others for employment or something. Maybe the names should be concealed until the decision is made or something like that. I feel as if that would help bring more equality in the process.
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I believe that colored people, when conducting an interview and then hiring people, would tend to hire other colored people. I do not believe that they would instead hire white people for the job. I believe this because in my opinion, people will tend to have more of a connection with people who are more like them. For instance, if a black man were conducting an interview, I believe that he would hire other black people for the position, as opposed to white people. I'll admit that even though I have no problem with black people, if I were in the position where I had to hire people, I would definitely hire whites instead.
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I find it interesting that so many people feel that a person of color would automatically choose another person of color if they were in charge of the hiring person. Although I do agree that there would be some people of color that would be more inclined to hire another person of color, for the most part I don’t think that would be the result. I think if a colored person was in charge of hiring there would be several factors that would affect their final decision on who deserves to have the job. The first factor would of course be qualification. They would need to make sure that the person meets certain requirements to obtain the job. The next factor would have to be the type of job the applicant is applying. If two people of different color were applying for a job at a grocery store, I think there would be less of a chance for a colored person to turn anyone down based on color. In contrast, if two people of different color were applying for a job in the corporate world, I think the Caucasian person would have an advantage even if the person in charge of hiring were African American. I feel this way because there are a lot of African Americans in the corporate world that identify more with their Caucasian counterparts than “normal” African Americans. In the corporate world, white males are dominant so if an African American has the opportunity to make into that world, they have to make decisions that will preserve their status. In this case choosing a black male over a white male applicant could jeopardize their job if their manager doesn’t agree with their decision.
There is a HUGE misconception that all African Americans stick together no matter what because the color of their skin and that is not true at all. Contrary to popular belief, not all black people have the same views of the world. We don’t all have the same struggles as one another. We don’t all know what it’s like to grow up poor or not have good education. With that said, all African Americans don’t feel the need to reach out or support every person of their race. There are even some African Americans that look down on their race and try to distance themselves from that as much as possible. Since being white seems to be “right” in our society, some African Americans just want to be part of that world and accepted by the majority. For that reason alone I don’t think it is safe to assume that a person of color would automatically choose another person of color if they were in charge of hiring applicants.
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This is a very interesting question. Being white, I have idea whether a person of color would have an opinion about hiring someone white instead of someone black, or do they just look for the person most qualified for the job. How do you decide who to hire if the two people have exactly the same credentials? I honestly don't know what I would do in that situation. Maybe one time pick the white person and the next time pick the person of color? Is there a solution that is fair to everyone? Isn't that what all this is really about, fairness?
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I think a black person would be more inclined to hire another black person. It is not because they are racist, and I think half the time it's not because white people are racist either. People tend to stick to with their comfort zone. Think about most everything in life, what pizza place do you order from? It's because you're comfortable with it, you could try dominos over pizza hut but you don't because dominos is average to you. It's what you eat all the time. It's not that pizza hut is bad pizza but you just stick with dominos. Another example is in groups in classes. You tend to pair up with a person of the same sex, not always but probably most of the time you look to the nearest girl (or boy). It's not because were being discriminatory against boys (or girls), were just more comfortable. And it gets confusing because people will read this post and say well I have a ton of white friends or a ton of black friends and I always look for a guy to pair up with and yes that might all be true but I think our general instinct is to go toward what we know.
I would be curious to see what the statistics are for black people hiring employees. It could either make or break my assumptions. While there is still a ton of racism in the workplace, I think we are over-analyzing what racism really looks like. Those statistics may be true but it is unfair to call that racism. It's merely sociology at work. I think racism is the wrong word to use in a situation like this. It is just unfair, not racism.
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I would say that I have to do a lot of the store image. i just recently read an article on obesity and the work force. And the main issue for people not being hired was because of the fact that they were overweight and insurance purposes and of course "store image." I guess you can say the same thing minus the insurance problems that would follow if the person is more susceptible to being hurt or ill. But in my opinion that would be the main reason for any company or store for not hiring them. If they want to have more people in their line of work, the majority of the world is white, i would expect them to hire more white people. Also you can take into consideration the community. I don't see a while person working in a gas station in the middle of downtown Harlem, NY it just does not seem correct and to be honest i would be frighten as hell to be there. but that's just what it is, fear has a lot to do with a lot of outcomes with race. for example the same situation as before with discrimination about obese people.
1. Companies are afraid of having an obese person working because they are more of liability than an asset.
2. They are stereotyped as lazy compared to someone that is skinny.
3. They want to promote a better store image.
So as we learned in class already that the question she wants answered is "yes" people of color are just afraid of having that discrimination card pulled on them as well. In society today people will react out of fear of an outcome. I follow this idea of fear because that's what people are doing. People are afraid of being different compared to a more supposedly superior race. But the truth of the matter is they all just want to be like as individuals/feel bigger/feel better compared to another person. In a job situation you can really take this question anywhere, the chances of having equitable living place atmosphere is impossible with the level of competition to succeed. But of course the white population is always going to have this advantage unless another kind of race decides they want to discriminate against the white people. The chances of that ever happening are pretty slim especially in this age.
I say that people of certain races would stick together no matter what. But another way that needs to be looked at is what region that you are living now. Where were these studies taken from? Most of these studies people do not hold true in like little Cuba. Consider this; i was living in Texas before my parents decided to move up to the Northeast area, Mainly NJ. I was the odd ball out going to a PA school. People there were not easy to get used to because well they are not likely to see someone of my color (tan, mocha) whatever you want to call it. But if we could flip the situation, having someone of while go to some place that is pretty much dominated by a tan, brown, mocha culture; it would feel that same exact way.
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First off I would like to say that these weeks lectures were the must eye opening of all of Prof. Richards controversial classes. I think most people agree that there is definitely discrimination in the workplace that is obviously not needed. There are many laws that protect minorities from discrimination, but when there's a white man who is the "King of the Hill" at the top, the few times when these issues reach the point of legal decision they are shot down instantly to keep the world in order. It really bothers me when white people complain about affirmative action. Even before Prof. Sam Richards told us about how affirmative action is only 10% of how we get to our career opposed to 90%, which benefits white people. White people just have no idea how many advantages they have over minorities that they don't even understand. When talking with my black friends and a couple of black students in my discussion class they talk about how they feel out of place all the time and feel as if everyone is looking at them. I also was told that one of the main reasons some black people come to Penn State is to get used to being around tons of white people; in other words, getting ready for the work world. Personally, my father is Colombian and my mother is American, so I am a mix and have never really had any problem like that. But for some reason I feel like I partially know what they're feeling. The fact that they have to work harder to get to the same position I would be with the normal amount of work make me sympathize with them. Sam Richards talked about how people in hiring positions that are not racist still pick white people self consciously which makes me believe that the only way to eliminate this problem would to make this issue aware throughout education. Before these classes I know that there was discrimination in the work place and beyond, but not to this dramatic level. We are all human beings and all deserve the right to compete fairly for the jobs that we desire, even if I was affected by discrimination in a way that benefited me I would be disgusted for the reasons I have gone over.
The video we saw in class that was made by ABC News also bothered me immensely. Post 9/11 discrimination against Muslims has sky rocketed and I'm sure that also trickles down to the work place and choosing qualified applicants. I hate how American citizens judge an entire race just upon an act made by terrorists. Ever since that horrid day discrimination against muslins have increased every day. What about all the horrible things white people have done? Do we become prejudice against them? Of course we don’t. I just hope I experience the day in my lifetime when we all understand each other, but for some reason I doubt that will happen.
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I think that the point made in this post is very interesting. according a person is very comfortable to work with people who are similar to themselves. I'm an international student here and from my experience of living in another country, I think that even though i din't really have problem staying, I'm still more comfortable staying in my own country. I think that is partly because the people there are similar to me and we have more in common to talk about then I would have with a person who is not similar to me.
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Only you can judge that. The point I’m trying to make is that Polish people when they came over to the United States must have been very uneducated therefore; other social groups classified them as stupid. Stereotypes are true when they are made. Polish people when they came over were probably a lot less educated then other social classes. The problem is when the stereotype crosses into other generations and the classification is no longer true. The issue of being false is the greatest effect among society. Maybe colored people many generations ago did not work hard and slacked off in the working world? Because stereotypes exist through generations, colored people and non colored people still feel the harmful effects. A black person has every right to get a fair chance a job, just like a white man should have a fair chance also.
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I know when I’m an employer I will not socially categorize names. I will want my company to grow therefore; I will pick the best candidate for the job. Resume quality is the most important thing for a job application. Someone’s name or title is irrelevant for a company that wants to prosper. Unfortunately to the colored community they are still feeling side effects to a stereotype. The only way to combat this stereotype is not to complain about, but show everyone how hard you work individually. American people need to change this thought over time. The next working force, our working force, can change this thought. Business owners will change in the next 20 years because the United States is on its way to not being a powerful nation. Only if we, as Americans, can find a way to low our national debt then we will be able to withhold our social power. With job opportunities become smaller every day, social stereotypes will dwindle, because it will be a nation driven by personal greed.
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I think it depends on which application process that persons of color and Caucasian apply for. In an example of educational application, college application, it is true minorities get some kinds of bonus points in admission process. However, because of the situation where people in a particular race competes each other, those need to have higher specifications in order to get in the school. When the case is about getting a job then persons of color are more likely to get ‘minus points’ since these types of interviews are done by private companies that governmental emphasis on diversity has relatively weaker impact on.
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If there is a strong stereotype in the community regarding a certain race such as black people being more violent than white people, then that tends to stick in the unconsciousness of people in the hiring process. Also, some people might not want to deal with people who might possibly have an accent in their language so therefore, I would not be surprised if there is some discrimination displayed by even colored people in the application process due to some of the stereotypes built into the society. If someone has a choice between a sharp dressed white man with equal qualifications as any other man, chances are, they are probably going to pick the white man..
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I feel that why certain people of color choose the white option on applications is because they feel that whatever the application is for that they will look more appealing and better there chances of getting what they want out of the process. Because it is still in thought that people of color are still discriminated against and will have a poorer chance of acceptance if they put that they are Hispanic, black, Native American, etc… However, nowadays it is almost seemed that it is better to mark down your true race because of things such as affirmative action. People of color are getting more of a chance these days but not necessarily for the right reason. Companies and such have to meet quotas and there are certain discrimination laws against not having a diverse correlation of people you accept into your company, school, etc… I’ve never been one to put down I was white on an application because I felt it would better my chances. I am proud of whom I am and I want to be accepted for who I am. I don’t feel I have to lie or hide behind the truth to get by in life. In the end it will come back to haunt you because let’s just say you put down you were white when you weren’t and got accepted simply on that fact. When it comes down that you found out you were accepted just because they thought you were white and you aren’t, that isn’t too good of a feeling to me. That isn’t something that I would want to happen to me. Some people do though and that’s unfortunate. I wish that there were more people that were more comfortable in their own shoes nowadays because it is a new world that we live in. Just Barrack Obama being president is a big step not just for blacks but for all people who are discriminated against saying that they can do a certain thing or be a part of a certain group. One day equality will stand but for now, baby steps.
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It is sometimes easily considered that the governmental emphasis on diversity and negative public consensus on those have racial discrimination are only benefiting the minorities. However, it must be noted that the persons of color who are in positions which have power to choose someone sometimes struggle because of the equality issue. For example, if job duties are dealing with a group of people from one country, a person from the country would be more qualified because of he or she can understand the social norms and culture of the country. However, it is sort of discriminatory if an employer chooses an applicant solely because of that aspect. Therefore, they have to hire Caucasians as well to make their image as ‘fair and equal’ companies.
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I don't see no shock to this but obviously a person is more likely going to feel more comfortable choosing someone that looks more like them than another. Of course a colored person will rather be with another colored person because they assume that they share similar beliefs and ideals of the world. I see this all the time especially here at Penn State. As freshmen, most people typically hang with people who look like them and are from the same background. I rarely see a mix of groups walking to events because different groups have different interest. and if I do its always one odd person. Like it'll be a bunch of whites and one black or vice versa. We all came from different walks of life and would rather remain in that comfort zone than try to establish another lifestyle.
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With me being an African American and if I was choosing applications yes to be honest I would be more lean to pick the same race as me because I feel that my race need every opportunity that is needed if they deserve it because when they go to other job race and color means allot in allot of people eyes , If a white male or female come in my office wanted a job I would look at it like it’s a problem I think they deserve a shot and chance to. So yes I would choose a white person because white people tend to know how to work hard just as anyone else. I feel race has no matter to me who ever I feel is about making that money is ok with me in my book forget the rest.
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It would be awesome if the world could be without bias and prejudice, but the fact of the matter is, bias and prejudice has always existed in the past and will continue to exist in the future. That being said, I think it's very important to stress what others above me have repeated numerous times already: people feel more comfortable with others that look like them. Fortunately for me, I did not realize this fact until the beginning of 7th grade. Before this realization, I rarely classified people as different based on the color of their skin. My friend circle was very diverse – my best friend was white and my other best friend was Arab (and I am Asian). Then, I entered 7th grade. Once I entered 7th grade, the other Asian girls in my classes approached me and we started doing everything together. Honestly, I don't even remember how it happened. I just know that one day, I started hanging out with more Asian people than non-Asian people. Anyways, back to my point – people start to associate with others that physically resemble them, because friends usually have things in common, and the physical attributes are what brings them together. The group forms based on the common “look” that they possess. Of course, not to say that exceptions don't exist, but for the most case, you see white people hanging out with white people, black people hanging out with black people, and etc.
Back to what I was trying to say from the beginning, the world is always going to be prejudiced. And since there are many recognizable names with different culture (i.e. John Smith – white, compared to Tyrone Jackson – black), it is easier to distinguish people. Therefore, it is easy to become prejudiced as well. So, do colored people tend to choose white people as far as job applications go? Personally, I think colored people will be more fair as far as picking people of color for the job openings. Sure, they might pick more white people compared to black and brown people, but I think they would pick more black and brown people than white people would. I think it's because they would be more open to choosing black and brown people, since they are more familiar of black and brown people. Plus, remembering what Sam said in class about white people being less likely to help out black and brown people than white people, whereas black and brown people were more likely to help out both white and colored people equally. This made me think and assume that black and brown people would be more likely to choose both white and colored people when choosing job applicants for their companies.
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I think the whole ‘check which race you are’ section on any papers is stupid. Why do we have to do it? What happens when a person is mixed? If they were a really mixed person and checked every box, wouldn’t the person looking at the application or whatever paperwork they are filling out be like “oh, they are not taking this seriously” and just throw them out the window? I do not understand the need to put what race you are on anything, why should it matter? The only reason it does matter and why we have to do it, I feel like, is so people can discriminate. In the discussion group this week, when we had to do the activity on picking the best five people to get into whatever school I did not even look at race, it just is not something I automatically look at nor do I think it should be. But it the end our assignment was to have the best and the most diverse, so we did as such. But to answer this question, I feel as though a white person choosing between a white and black person, will mostly chose white people, like what was said in class. But for a black employer, I feel as though they will choose the most qualified and the person who they connected the most with during the interview. And if each man talked exactly the same and both men made the exact same connection with the employer, then I have no idea. I just still do not understand the need to say which race you on paperwork. Because in class, Sam said race is just a made up thing and I feel like other people know this or feel the same way, so why hasn’t someone done something about this? Why do we need to continuously count how many white, black, Asian, Hispanic, and whomever else, is in this country? Why can’t we just count the amount of people, apply for jobs without having to get discriminated against, and apply for all colleges and scholarships etc. with the equal chances of getting in? I just do not understand and I think it is terrible that in 2010, with the amount of time all races have spent together, that there is still all of this terrible discrimination and because of it, people must almost fear not getting a job because they are black. I knew it still existed, but I guess just because of where I am from and how mostly white it is, I just never realized it was still happening because everyone was all the same so it couldn’t really happen. It is just really surprising.
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