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I guess it depends on perspective, but I disagree about equality being achieved decades ago. The laws have been in place for decades, but acceptance of those laws is still far from universal. I've heard people say, in this forum as well, hires should be based on merit only. I agree with that 100%. The problem is, for multiple generations those hires weren't based on merit only. They were based on the merit of the best white male candidate. There is a difference. What you have now, by and large, are those same white male candidates making the hiring decisions. With absence of malice, people like people, like them. Companies should be able to hire whomever they want, but if all those hires are "like me" hires then everything remains the same.

When it's actually completely merit based you still have to deal with the hundreds of years of biased employment decisions. How do you bring parity when the deck has been stacked so high for so long?

What's the answer? Hell, I don't know. But I have a pretty good idea that if no light is shined on the issue things will go back to the way they used to be.

Agree or not, but equal opportunity was not achieved decades ago; not even for the most part.

People are also ignoring the fact that it could be a simple business strategy as well- Apple produces and markets products to people of different cultural backgrounds. It might not necessarily hurt to have people from a greater number of cultures designing/programming/influencing the products they sell.
 
I guess it depends on perspective, but I disagree about equality being achieved decades ago. The laws have been in place for decades, but acceptance of those laws is still far from universal. I've heard people say, in this forum as well, hires should be based on merit only. I agree with that 100%. The problem is, for multiple generations those hires weren't based on merit only. They were based on the merit of the best white male candidate. There is a difference. What you have now, by and large, are those same white male candidates making the hiring decisions. With absence of malice, people like people, like them. Companies should be able to hire whomever they want, but if all those hires are "like me" hires then everything remains the same.

When it's actually completely merit based you still have to deal with the hundreds of years of biased employment decisions. How do you bring parity when the deck has been stacked so high for so long?

What's the answer? Hell, I don't know. But I have a pretty good idea that if no light is shined on the issue things will go back to the way they used to be.

Agree or not, but equal opportunity was not achieved decades ago; not even for the most part.

You know, acceptance goes both ways. It's not just about whites accepting blacks you know. I don't care about color, sex or age. But you have to at least pretend to be professional and grown up.
 
I think the biggest problem with topics like this are that some people work under the assumption that a job given to another race means it was done at the exclusion of a white person.

Like if I hire one white person and one black person for my company, they see this first and foremost as a white person having lost a job. It's basically the same mindset that's been used against immigrants and "different" people since time immemorial.
 
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People are also ignoring the fact that it could be a simple business strategy as well- Apple produces and markets products to people of different cultural backgrounds. It might not necessarily hurt to have people from a greater number of cultures designing/programming/influencing the products they sell.

But forcing the diversity or only hiring people of these other groups is just wrong. How is it right to turn down an applicant just because he's a white male?
 
I think the biggest problem with topics like this are that some people work under the assumption that a job given to another race means it was done at the exclusion of a white person.

Like if I hire one white person and one black person for my company, they see this first and foremost as a white person having lost a job. It's basically the same mindset that's been used against immigrants and "different" people since time immemorial.

No, but hiring one person "because he's black" is saying you wouldn't have hired a white person or an Indian person for the position because you wanted a black person in the position, so yes, you potentially took a position from a white person.
 
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There are plenty of white people whose families were not in the United States until well after slavery was abolished, so there can't be any economic benefits of slavery for them to enjoy. The aristocrats who benefited from slavery are most likely in the minority, actually.

And I don't see how any black person born in the U.S. and a descendant of slaves is disadvantaged compared to non-black immigrants who come here with nothing and can hardly speak English (whose ancestors may have been enslaved in foreign countries too). I would never use "someone in my family was enslaved many generations ago" as an excuse for anything.

I get Jesse Jackson is involved, but to assume this is just a black issue is short sighted at best. To use it as your argument against diversity says something. What I'm sure. But diversity is more than race. It encompasses many other things. I don't want to presume that you think this but what I got from your quote is the thought that once slavery was abolished, everything was even. You didn't say it so I won't put that on you. You did say that piece about the aristocrats... Uh, a history book would serve you well my friend.
 
OMG people - do you even read? These partnerships are about increasing technological training to underrepresented groups. Not about affirmative action in hiring practices. Many underrepresented groups are not afford an even playing field when pursuing STEM fields (Science, technology, engineering, math) due to a myriad of socio-economic reasons I won't even bother going into.

This is a good thing people. It is good for product design, workplace environments, public relations, and society as a whole.
 
But forcing the diversity or only hiring people of these other groups is just wrong. How is it right to turn down an applicant just because he's a white male?

Does it say that in the article? Must have missed that. Does it even say anything about direct hiring? Sounds more like it would increase the number of applicants and provide support for people considering the tech field.
 
Because it is pushing the notion that employment decisions should not be made on the content of ones character rather the color of ones skin (or gender).


Where is employment mentioned? These are scholarship funds Apple is donating to.
 
No, but hiring one person "because he's black" is saying you wouldn't have hired a white person or an Indian person for the position because you wanted a black person in the position, so yes, you took a position from a white person.

Saying that you'd like to see more black or Indian people working for you is quite a bit different than saying you want to hire black or Indian people at the exclusion of everyone else.
 
You know, acceptance goes both ways. It's not just about whites accepting blacks you know. I don't care about color, sex or age. But you have to at least pretend to be professional and grown up.

I don't mind entering this discussion with you but do me a favor. Address my actual comment. Nowhere in this comment do I say anything regarding a black/white issue. As it stands, I have no idea what you're talking about, what it references, or why it was address to my comment.
 
OMG people - do you even read? These partnerships are about increasing technological training to underrepresented groups. Not about affirmative action in hiring practices. Many underrepresented groups are not afford an even playing field when pursuing STEM fields (Science, technology, engineering, math) due to a myriad of socio-economic reasons I won't even bother going into.

This is a good thing people. It is good for product design, workplace environments, public relations, and society as a whole.

Listen, any time you add artificial advantage to a group, which this does, it's wrong. I don't care about their "disadvantage", if they want to get past it they can. They just need to work for it.
 
this program should focus almost solely on kids/teens. you can't force amateurs or incompetents into a professional field they don't yet belong in. yes teaching is helpful and many adults will benefit, but only temporarily as the public schools continue to flounder worse and worse each year. dollar for dollar, i'd argue this is a better long term strategy.

most other solutions simply tossed at folks pursuing ANY industry an don't have a strong background in it already, are still at least slightly handicapped and potentially a liability, no matter what the idealists say. so start young.
 
Where are the "I'd rather they fix Wi-Fi and third party keyboards" people? Come on! Speak your mind, you chickens!
 
At the risk of sounding like a conspiracy theorist, the feeling I get from the modern successors of the feminist and civil rights movements is that they've basically progressed to a point where it's no longer about getting equal opportunity, that was (for the most part) achieved decades ago, but how much MORE can they get in the name of equal opportunity.

Systemic and institutionalized discrimination is alive and well in this country. Obviously you've never been subjected to it, therefore you proudly proclaim it doesn't exist. I'm surprised that you didn't end your post with some of my best friends are Black.

There are plenty of white people whose families were not in the United States until well after slavery was abolished, so there can't be any economic benefits of slavery for them to enjoy.

This country was built on the backs of Black slave labor much to the benefit of White slave owners, businessmen, and politicians who all perpetuated the injustice. Those economic benefits existed then and now, and continue to be passed down from generation to generation.

Just my .02 worth. I'm out of here before the White backlash and sense of privilege fully displays itself in this thread. Based on past experience it also won't be long before folks will level attacks on Tim Cook because of his sexual preference.
 
So it is interesting when Apple donates money for scholarships for students, that it devolves into "this is racist because hiring due to race is racist". This is scholarships... for students.

Having said that, there have been many studies done on race/sex and hiring practices. One of the most famous one involved sending out resumes with 'white sounding' names and others with 'ethnic' sounding names. The white sounding names had overwhelming responses with the same resumes. There have also been studies to show that white males are more likely to hire white males. And recently I read an extensive study that showed diverse technical teams perform better.

Also, as a women, I see sexism all the time in the tech industry. Many men can deny it exists if they want but that doesn't make it go away. I was at a tech conference last year where the announcer was introducing a presenter and then made a comment about her boobs, that isn't the kind of things you want to hear from your peers in a professional setting. But that type of thing happens. And yes there is some inherent racism that goes on as well as sexism.

Anyway, I'm glad that Apple is giving back and providing scholarships to those that desire to enter into the tech field. We definitely need more diversity.
 
I'm probably going to get attacked by people representing the far left for this as usual, but I personally don't like to see favoritism no matter who it favors. My idea of equality is to offer everyone equal opportunities and then hire people based on their skills, motivation, experience, past achievements and teamwork skills, not their gender, sexual orientation or their ethnic background.

I don't mind working with minorities or women, I have worked with both and never had an issue because of gender or ethnicity, but diversity for the sake of diversity is as dumb as separation based on gender, ethnicity or sexual orientation. The way you should hire people is by getting the best people you can find no matter what gender, age, race or sexual orientation they represent. Plenty of people have tried convincing me that diverse groups provide the best results, but all the evidence I've been presented has been anecdotal at best.

At the risk of sounding like a conspiracy theorist, the feeling I get from the modern successors of the feminist and civil rights movements is that they've basically progressed to a point where it's no longer about getting equal opportunity, that was (for the most part) achieved decades ago, but how much MORE can they get in the name of equal opportunity.

Forcing companies to hire equal numbers of men and women isn't what is suggested here. The suggestion is to change a societal mindset that would result, in the long term, equal number of men and women applicants.

The inequality today begins at a very young age. Girls aren't pushed to be problem solvers like boys are. Starting from baby toys, to pre-school, and so on. Because of this, by the time they reach college age, it is no surprise that only a few women are interested in engineering when they have been steered away from problem-solving analytic thinking for their entire upbringing (and those few tend to have parents who are engineers).
 
this program should focus almost solely on kids/teens. you can't force amateurs or incompetents into a professional field they don't yet belong in.

This is another assumption that has little basis in reality. Like companies are handing out positions to people off the street just because they're a certain color, rather than them being qualified, which is, of course, still the primary requisite that exists beyond race, color, and creed.

"Well hello there, my dusky colored friend! Would you like to be the CEO of Apple Inc."

"WHY SURE! I love fruits and vegetables! Ran a stand back in '87! Like to think I'm a bonafied entrepreneur, I do, I do!"

"You got it! AFFIRMATIVE ACTION FTW!"

...this doesn't happen.
 
I don't mind entering this discussion with you but do me a favor. Address my actual comment. Nowhere in this comment do I say anything regarding a black/white issue. As it stands, I have no idea what you're talking about, what it references, or why it was address to my comment.

Read back to what you said about acceptance and white candidates making hiring decisions.
 
Because it is pushing the notion that employment decisions should not be made on the content of ones character rather the color of ones skin (or gender).

This is nothing about hiring. It is about giving students opportunity to go into the tech industry with scholarships. Whatever happens after they graduate has nothing to do with the scholarship.
 
This is another assumption that has little basis in reality. Like companies are handing out positions to people off the street just because they're a certain color, rather than them being qualified, which is, of course, still the primary requisite that exists beyond race, color, and creed.

"Well hello there, my dusky colored friend! Would you like to be the CEO of Apple Inc."

"WHY SURE! I love fruits and vegetables! Ran a stand back in '87! Like to think I'm a bonafied entrepreneur, I do, I do!"

"You got it! AFFIRMATIVE ACTION FTW!"

...this doesn't happen.

well, if you read the rest of my comment, taking that sentence out is a bit disingenuous. i didn't really imply what you're speaking to, at least not to the effect you've taken it.

edit: i should have written 'you can't insert amateurs or very inexperienced folks into industries.." which is more to my point, and satisfies your grievance with it, i believe.
 
So it is interesting when Apple donates money for scholarships for students, that it devolves into "this is racist because hiring due to race is racist". This is scholarships... for students.

Having said that, there have been many studies done on race/sex and hiring practices. One of the most famous one involved sending out resumes with 'white sounding' names and others with 'ethnic' sounding names. The white sounding names had overwhelming responses with the same resumes. There have also been studies to show that white males are more likely to hire white males. And recently I read an extensive study that showed diverse technical teams perform better.

Also, as a women, I see sexism all the time in the tech industry. Many men can deny it exists if they want but that doesn't make it go away. I was at a tech conference last year where the announcer was introducing a presenter and then made a comment about her boobs, that isn't the kind of things you want to hear from your peers in a professional setting. But that type of thing happens. And yes there is some inherent racism that goes on as well as sexism.

Anyway, I'm glad that Apple is giving back and providing scholarships to those that desire to enter into the tech field. We definitely need more diversity.

Whether it is a scholarship helping certain minorities special access to school or hiring based on minority is the same bloody thing. You are still giving undeserved privilege to a group based on perceived disadvantage.
 
Whether it is a scholarship helping certain minorities special access to school or hiring based on minority is the same bloody thing. You are still giving undeserved privilege to a group based on perceived disadvantage.

Undeserved privilege is given to whites and specifically white males all the time. It isn't special access to school, it is funding for those that are interested in the tech industry. They still have to get into school and pass their classes. If you don't think black people in the US are disadvantaged, you have your eyes closed.
 
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