Richard,
I think you may have misunderstood my argument a little, but hey, you bring up some interesting stuff. I'm actually not so opposed to affirmative action; while I do think that in the long run, we are going to have to get rid of it if we ever want real equality, I still think that the racial gap (economically, in particular) is too wide (and discrimination is too widespread) for a supposedly color-blind policy to really give rise to a diverse workplace. I know far too many white folks in positions of power who are made so uncomfortable by minorities that they would never hire them if they didn't have to.
What I was really reacting to was that while on the surface, W's cabinet looks like America, beneath that surface they are very much not. This is an incredibly common occurrence, not at all unique to this cabinet, and one that I feel is damaging to racial unity. The only minorities who are able to get power in politics are the ones who disagree with the overall view of the minority to which they belong. Look at the African-American community; the only ones who have really come to be accepted by Washington have been conservatives, while countless polls show us the liberality of that constituency. Thus, having a cabinet that "looks like America" is, I feel, far less important than having a cabinet that thinks like America. After all, it's not their skins that will be making the policy, but their viewpoints.
And while I do see your point that having a Hispanic in a position of political power would provide someone to look up to for the Hispanic community, I have two issues with it. The first is that, if that powerful Hispanic has completely different ideas than the community which she presumes to represent, she won't be so much of a role model for them. The second thing is that (and I hate to say this) almost no-one knows who the cabinet is. I know I don't. I could maybe name two members of the current cabinet, tops. So, I think it would be far more useful to the Hispanic community to have someone in an office making policy to help that community than to have a figurehead who looks like them in office.
Hope that clears up what I was trying to get at.
-Scott
interesting, but...
Scott
location: Canada
listening to: Brooks Williams
registered: 2009.07.04
posts: 89
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Richard,
I think you may have misunderstood my argument a little, but hey, you bring up some interesting stuff. I'm actually not so opposed to affirmative action; while I do think that in the long run, we are going to have to get rid of it if we ever want real equality, I still think that the racial gap (economically, in particular) is too wide (and discrimination is too widespread) for a supposedly color-blind policy to really give rise to a diverse workplace. I know far too many white folks in positions of power who are made so uncomfortable by minorities that they would never hire them if they didn't have to.
What I was really reacting to was that while on the surface, W's cabinet looks like America, beneath that surface they are very much not. This is an incredibly common occurrence, not at all unique to this cabinet, and one that I feel is damaging to racial unity. The only minorities who are able to get power in politics are the ones who disagree with the overall view of the minority to which they belong. Look at the African-American community; the only ones who have really come to be accepted by Washington have been conservatives, while countless polls show us the liberality of that constituency. Thus, having a cabinet that "looks like America" is, I feel, far less important than having a cabinet that thinks like America. After all, it's not their skins that will be making the policy, but their viewpoints.
And while I do see your point that having a Hispanic in a position of political power would provide someone to look up to for the Hispanic community, I have two issues with it. The first is that, if that powerful Hispanic has completely different ideas than the community which she presumes to represent, she won't be so much of a role model for them. The second thing is that (and I hate to say this) almost no-one knows who the cabinet is. I know I don't. I could maybe name two members of the current cabinet, tops. So, I think it would be far more useful to the Hispanic community to have someone in an office making policy to help that community than to have a figurehead who looks like them in office.
Hope that clears up what I was trying to get at.
-Scott
I think you may have misunderstood my argument a little, but hey, you bring up some interesting stuff. I'm actually not so opposed to affirmative action; while I do think that in the long run, we are going to have to get rid of it if we ever want real equality, I still think that the racial gap (economically, in particular) is too wide (and discrimination is too widespread) for a supposedly color-blind policy to really give rise to a diverse workplace. I know far too many white folks in positions of power who are made so uncomfortable by minorities that they would never hire them if they didn't have to.
What I was really reacting to was that while on the surface, W's cabinet looks like America, beneath that surface they are very much not. This is an incredibly common occurrence, not at all unique to this cabinet, and one that I feel is damaging to racial unity. The only minorities who are able to get power in politics are the ones who disagree with the overall view of the minority to which they belong. Look at the African-American community; the only ones who have really come to be accepted by Washington have been conservatives, while countless polls show us the liberality of that constituency. Thus, having a cabinet that "looks like America" is, I feel, far less important than having a cabinet that thinks like America. After all, it's not their skins that will be making the policy, but their viewpoints.
And while I do see your point that having a Hispanic in a position of political power would provide someone to look up to for the Hispanic community, I have two issues with it. The first is that, if that powerful Hispanic has completely different ideas than the community which she presumes to represent, she won't be so much of a role model for them. The second thing is that (and I hate to say this) almost no-one knows who the cabinet is. I know I don't. I could maybe name two members of the current cabinet, tops. So, I think it would be far more useful to the Hispanic community to have someone in an office making policy to help that community than to have a figurehead who looks like them in office.
Hope that clears up what I was trying to get at.
-Scott
