I read a comment a couple of days ago regarding, essentially, horrors from the past that must be made right; and at first I left it alone, but now I have been brewing on it. And of course, the more I brew the worse I feel about it.
Essentially, this comment said that we cannot forget the sins of our past (true), and because of this we are forced to make up for it now (debatable).
But do we really need to overcompensate as a measure to make up for these things?
Women, do you really think you need or deserve special treatment to make up for the fact that our female ancestors were oppressed for so long? Has their oppression affected you directly? Should the fact that your great-great-grandmothers were refused the right to vote or work mean that you should be paid double your worth? Or offered twice the amount of scholarships for college?
And the same questions go to any members of any minority group on this site. Do you need or deserve to be overcompensated because your ancestors were mistreated? Is it really fair to expect us, today, to go above and beyond fairness and equality to make sure you get compensated?
Now, I'm not saying that I don't think there should be scholarships available to only women, or only minorities, etc. But there seems to be an attitude that we owe these things to women and minorities; and I think this expectation is both unfair and unreasonable.
Yes, Americans have done some awful things in the past; things that many Americans would like to erase from the past (and some have tried). No, the idiots that would bring back these awful times are not completely wiped out yet. But holding the rest of us responsible is ludicrous.
I know I certainly wouldn't want any special treatment just because I'm a woman and 100 years ago my family couldn't vote; Hell, for that matter, 100 years ago my family wasn't even here. What right would I have to demand overcompensation for being a woman? Or for that matter, for the wrongs that happened to my family when they did come here from Ireland?
And I certainly don't like the idea at all that I could be promoted (or hired) just because some idiot felt guilty that I was a woman and was trying to prove to me that he believes in gender equality, or was trying to fill some stupid quota to make him look good for EEO.
I'm better than that; I think we all are. And I think it's time we begin acting like it.
finally someone/something i agree on.
and likewise should be punished for the tests we put others through. i agree, the tests from our ancestors are ours to learn from, not pay for.
how do we correct past injustices without compensating for them. It seems quite an over exaggeration that many americans are "paying" as a result of compensatory measures.
Those who work hard should be proud of themselves, not critical of others who are believed to have it easy, because there are more scholarship options.
Why is there no critique of those who truly have it easy, far easier than 99 percent of the population. These folks gained their status through the injustices of the past, yet they are asked to make no changes.
I do understand about making things right; that's what, for example, Affirmative Action was started for. To set things straight.
But I don't think we should be overcompensating. Women weren't allowed to go to school or find a job. Then for a long time they weren't paid an equal amount. How do you set that right? You let them go to school, and pay them the same amount of money. You don't give them special privileges and make it easier for them to go to school and pay them more for the same job.
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"Dream as though you'll live forever, but live as though there's no tomorrow" --James Dean
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/fanaile-essence
I dont think that there should be over compensations at all for the past; It happened , it was bad, but giving people who didnt even experience the predjudice reparations does not make sense. I was not alive when women could not vote or when blacks were second class citizens, so why should I benefit from their suffering when there are people in poverty in the US who are suffering currently who could use financial aid.
Francesca Chambers