Diversity and Me

A reader commented on my piece about Susan Boyle (which was more about a columnist writing about Ms Boyle than about the woman) and brought up a good point. It was reinforced by a post on Thunder From A Quiet Storm called Diversity. All of which ties into the controversy, small though it is, regarding President Obama's nominee for the Supreme Court.

We are wandering off, as humans are wont to do, into a briar patch while attempting to escape the swamp.

Diversity is a wonderful thing. It is not, however, the only thing. It is also no better a motive for discrimination than homogeneity was. We once discriminated against the powerless (and, therefore, kept them that way) by prizing homogeneity. That is, it was nice to have everyone in a workplace look alike, gender and skin color -wise. Of course, it wasn't nice for those who did not fit in. It excluded people simply because of their skin color or gender (or both at times) even though they were perfectly capable of doing the job and, in fact, were nice people who would get along great with all the other workers (or, at least, most of them).

Fortunately, we began to move away from that as we became aware of something called civil rights. First, we began to change how we treated people under the law and then we extended that to the workplace. No more separate but equal (which was really only separate). But, as humans often do, we decided to right some wrongs of the past.

However good intentioned we were, we managed to continue to do the same things only now in a different direction. Instead of discriminating against certain groups, we began discriminating in favor of certain groups. There is an old saying that goes "Two wrongs do not make a right." Still, that's exactly what we have done in trying to remedy past discrimination.

Regardless of the rightness of intent, we can still do harm. And we have and are continuing to do so.

When you have two applicants for a job and both are well qualified, you are caught in a quandary. Which to choose? Well, I would choose based on personality. If applicant A is friendly, outgoing, and pleasant and the job entails working with others (and maybe the public) and applicant B is dour , withdrawn, and unpleasant so then guess which one I would hire. No problem there, right?

Wrong. What if applicant A is of a gender or ethnicity that is, shall we say, over represented in my workplace? What if applicant B is of a gender or ethnicity that is under represented? Now who do I choose?

And who is harmed if I choose B? My workplace, my business, my employees and A.

Who is harmed if I choose A? B, of course.

So, because the law is involved, because I fear a lawsuit and bad publicity which might damage my business, I choose B.

And nothing has changed in society. We have merely changed who we discriminate against. We have not put an end to discrimination, we have not even made a dent in it. We have reinforced the idea that skin color, or gender, or some other thing is more important than who a person is inside.

And all because we want to do what's right...

Everyday People (Sly and The Family Stone)

Sometimes I'm right, but I can be wrong
My own beliefs are in my song
The butcher, the baker, the drummer and then
Makes no difference what group I'm in

I am everyday people
Yeah, yeah

There is a blue one who can't accept the green one
For living with a fat one trying to be a skinny one
Different strokes for different folks
And so on, and so on and scooby-dooby-doo

Ooh, sha, sha
We got to live together

I am no better, and neither are you
We are the same, whatever we do
You love me, you hate me, you know me and then
You can't figure out the bag I'm in

I am everyday people
Yeah, yeah

There is a long hair that doesn't like the short hair
For being such a rich one that will not help the poor one
Different strokes for different folks
And so on and so on and scooby-dooby-doo

Ooh, sha, sha
We got to live together

There is a yellow one that won't accept the black one
That won't accept the red one that won't accept the white one
Different strokes for different folks
And so on, and so on and scooby-dooby-doo

Ooh, sha, sha
I am everyday people

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