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Originally posted by pritchke:
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Originally posted by MagiK:
Edit: I believe that all applications for schools, jobs and or Government service should not have any entries for Race, Sex or Religious information on them.
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I agree totally. It should be based on merit alone. [/QUOTE]I'm conflicted about this subject. Merit has to be the primary consideration, of course, but what if two candidates are exactly equal except in racial/ethnic background?
I think affirmative action is a good tool to help correct imbalances, but it loses its effectiveness and rationality if it is not race that is the determining factor, but merit. That is to say, if the inequality is based on race (e.g. blacks prevented or discouraged from attending a private school based on their race, but have the grades to do so), affirmitive action is a positive thing. However, it is negative when meeting racial quotas is more important than the merits of the candidate.
Affirmative action is mostly a surface solution. The real (and very difficult) way to deal with the problem is provide more education and opportunities to those in the ghettoes.