Why there is no such thing as reverse discrimination


Every once in a while I hear someone use the term "reverse discrimination", and it just makes me cringe. Discrimination is discrimination. If someone is denied a job on the basis of their gender or the color of their skin, they have been discriminated against. And not only has it been against the law in the United States for almost fifty years, it's just plain wrong, cruel and evil.

Equal opportunity is not about discriminating against one group of people, and favoring another group. It's about equality. And equality does not mean "turnabout is fair play" and creating a barrier for someone in a particular group. For people who believe in this, they have missed the point.

Yes, discrimination is still functioning with a lot of people in the United States. They have selected groups to favor, and groups to discriminate against. And that brings me to "reverse discrimination".

I'm a white guy, so discriminating against me is typically called "reverse discrimination". So if I'm denied a job on the basis of my gender and race, it's as illegal as discriminating against a person for being a woman, or being black, which is wrong.

As a young man in Los Angeles in the 1980s, I saw it up close and personal as companies tried to figure out what to do to be inclusive, and have a diverse workplace. And all it meant to me personally is that I was told that because of my race and gender that I couldn't get the job. If you think it's funny, think again. People need jobs, and being discriminated against stinks. When I did get a job in a company in Los Angeles, my boss regularly was given memos which effectively said "skip over any person of a particular race and gender for promotions" - which was me.

No, I'm not complaining, I'm just looking back. And things have gotten so much better since then. There's still a long way to go, and it begins with everyone understanding that a person should be judged by the content of their character, not the color of their skin.

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