International Debate

The effect of reverse discrimination on the young

November 27, 2013 2854

alone Shutterstock.com Suzanne Tucker I’m not a huge fan of the topic of racial and gender discrimination. The heated debates that go around it have always made me uncomfortable because I couldn’t care less what gender or race someone is, isn’t or, in the case of gender, has changed to. However, while teaching a couple weeks ago a little boy I teach in a homeschool group broke my heart. This small boy is only 8 years old, and his parents are both politically active Democrats fighting for human rights. The child is more aware of things going on in this area than I am. Thus, it took me by surprised when one day I asked him why he was sullen and angry, he replied, “I’ll never get anywhere in America because I’m a white male. I’m doomed to be treated badly because I’m not a girl and I’m not a special race.”

Admittedly, I reeled backward as if someone slapped me in the face. This was definitely not the best reaction to have because he continued on explaining how his parents were always fighting for ethnic minority rights and women’s rights. He explained how “it’s not fair or balanced” with who they fight for. After a while of silence, he asked, “Why can’t it just be fair and balanced? My best friend is black, but we don’t even see skin color. Well, at least I wouldn’t if my parents weren’t always shoving it in my face that it makes him special while I’m not.”

While listening to this young boy rant and complain about adult issues in a child-like way, I began to question myself. Are we, as adults, doing more harm than good? Are we creating a monster in society because we believe in “fairness”, and yet our ideas are skewed? These are tough questions to ask, but even harder to quantify. Everyone has a different level of what they think is fair, and there are some quite convincing facts that some people are more privileged than others and this has something to do with race, gender, and socio-economics.

I’ve seen the type of discrimination he was talking about when I started my R&D firm, Insanitek. In the first stages of setting up the company, we looked into labor laws so we could plot out our 5 year business plan. When we saw that we accepted any federal funding (and in some cases state level funding) or accepted any federal contracts for research, we’d have to have a minimum percentage, or quota, of “historical minorities”. When we looked further into this, we discovered that this quota was based on the population of where the company is based. So, as Insanitek is in Indianapolis, Indiana where the historical minority population is well over 80 percent, we’d have to hire 80 percent of our workforce as what the government classifies as a historical minority. This includes basically anyone that isn’t a white male. I recalled this with painful clarity while my young student complained of the unfairness of it all.

I asked my student what he wanted, and he replied, “To be be anything but a white boy so my parents see me for who I am… and so I can have a good life.” This simple statement spoken in plain honesty brought on by a child’s anguish should not go unheard. At a certain point in time we should stop and ask about the damage being caused to our future generations and society. Up until this moment I stoutly believed in the reason behind affirmative action. Now, however, I’m not so sure — not when it creates thoughts like these, least of all among ones so young.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com/Suzanne Tucker


My name is Grace Conyers. I am the CEO of Insanitek Research and Development, a freelance science writer, an educator, and a geoarchaeologist. I spend a good deal of time in the lab or on business meetings observing the world around me and writing down what I see, then sharing it with others as honestly as I can. In my spare time I can be found practising martial arts, marksmanship or gardening. I'm also addicted to tea and reading fiction.

View all posts by Grace Conyers

Related Articles

Daniel Kahneman, 1934-2024: The Grandfather of Behavioral Economics
News
March 27, 2024

Daniel Kahneman, 1934-2024: The Grandfather of Behavioral Economics

Read Now
2024 Holberg Prize Goes to Political Theorist Achille Mbembe
News
March 14, 2024

2024 Holberg Prize Goes to Political Theorist Achille Mbembe

Read Now
New Feminist Newsletter The Evidence Makes Research on Gender Inequality Widely Accessible
Impact
March 4, 2024

New Feminist Newsletter The Evidence Makes Research on Gender Inequality Widely Accessible

Read Now
Why Don’t Algorithms Agree With Each Other?
Innovation
February 21, 2024

Why Don’t Algorithms Agree With Each Other?

Read Now
Contemporary Politics Focus of March Webinar Series

Contemporary Politics Focus of March Webinar Series

This March, the Sage Politics team launches its first Politics Webinar Week. These webinars are free to access and will be delivered by contemporary politics experts —drawn from Sage’s team of authors and editors— who range from practitioners to instructors.

Read Now
A Black History Addendum to the American Music Industry

A Black History Addendum to the American Music Industry

The new editor of the case study series on the music industry discusses the history of Black Americans in the recording industry.

Read Now
There’s Something In the Air…But Is It a Virus? Part 1

There’s Something In the Air…But Is It a Virus? Part 1

The historic Hippocrates has become an iconic figure in the creation myths of medicine. What can the body of thought attributed to him tell us about modern responses to COVID?

Read Now
2 2 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments