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Noah Crossfield

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Is equality what we strive for in a democratic society?

Our society today often strives to reach equality in all aspects of the legal system. Equal is defined as "having the same status, rights, or opportunities" or "evenly or fairly balanced." One of the biggest parts of equality is in civil rights.

On two very controversial issues, I have noticed that different groups are treated differently, but the effect has been rather beneficial. The groups are not treated equally in the sense that they are treated the same, yet a large portion of people have accepted that.

The two issues are on the draft and also minority scholarships. On the issue of the draft, I have seen no push on either side for required female enrollment. Females have been enlisted for a long time and have proven that they are equally capable of serving in armed services. Is the fact that only males are required to sign up for the draft a remnant of an old way of thinking? Is having only males sign up for the draft a good thing? Is this equality? If it is not equality, is that even a bad thing?

The second issue is minority scholarships. Minority scholarships grant money to different people based on achievement, plans, and also race. I see these scholarships as great things which provide opportunities, but it still raises the question "is it equal?" These scholarships still are based on race. Is this equality? If not, are minority scholarships still necessary at this point in time? Will they be removed in the future?

These are both very sensitive issues, and I am trying to as respectful as possible. It just seems that these are two instances where groups are not treated the same. I do not think that they are necessarily bad, but I do not seem them as equal. Will these issues change in the future in order to treat everyone the same, or are these methods the best way to handle the situation?

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    Robert Winner 50+

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    Aug 4 2012: Equal under the law. However, you have opened Pandoras box and it will be hard to close. We have pagents where everyone is allowed Ms America and Ms USA. We have pagents where race is the criteria, Ms Balck America, Ms Latino, Ms Itally, Ms Native American, etc ... I am going to catch it for this but its is true ... there will never be a Ms White America because that would be racist. As Ed stated below two wrongs do not make a right. In industry we cannot hire the best person for the job. We must have X % women. black, mexicans, however there is no % for whites. I applied at a firm owned by Native Americans. They said I could not work there because I am white they only hire natives. I ask the Department of Economic Security if that was allowed and they said yes there is no law that says whites must be a part of the workforce.

    The olympics are on .. Only two members from a countrys gym team can go for the all around crown. What if the five best gym people are from one country and six from another country, and four from yet another. The 15 highest scoring "best" gym people will only have 2 each in the finals. So is the winner really the "best" in the world. Hard to tell when 9 had a equal shot at the title but could not go forward.

    The point is I want a opportunity to compete equally for what ever the slot is. If John is faster ..go John, Judy is smarter .. yeah Judy, we all had the same opportunity and I lost. Better luck next time. Race, religion, sex, as qualifiers should be done away with. Resumes should be written without qualifiers, and judged on merit ... may the best person win.

    I really am not bitter. I had three great careers and retired from each. When someone is selected by "special criteria" it is really hard for them to achieve. I refuse to tap dance around the subject. I hope no one was offended as none was intended.

    Bob

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      Aug 8 2012: I feel as though you are claiming that Whites (the majority) suffer from disadvantages that minorities get to enjoy.....

      Can you clarify what those are?

      You say you want to compete equally....I agree....If you are better qualified so be it. However, if I can't even enter the race to compete in the first place......Would you still be more deserving for the position?

      Lastly, the lack of a Ms. White America Pageant is a seriously warped hypothetical/example of "minority privilege"
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        Robert Winner 50+

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        Aug 9 2012: Let me try one more time. There are colleges for black students only. Can you explain why there are no white student only colleges. We have black entertainer of the year program who can also win the entertainer of the year award as it is open to everyone. I tried to make a point about equality and I gave specific examples. You did not dispute them as they are true. Your response contain no rebuttal ony the statement that it is warped.

        You state ... would the person still be more deserving? We are not discussing deserving we are speaking of opportunity to compete based on merit. I still want a level playing field. I do not want anyone to suffer from disadvantages.

        Ms White America was a example of "inclusion" and "exclusion" based on the color of skin. It is wrong period. However, as I pointed out it does occur.

        Hope this clears up the intention for you. Bob.

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          Aug 9 2012: There are historically black colleges true, but they are not closed to anyone else. Furthermore, they are historically black because they were excluded from other colleges in favor of all white colleges. IN fact, the whole purpose of these things for minorities are a RESULT of DISCRIMINATION.They exist as a reaction to exclusion.

          There is no need for a white student only college because there is no history of slavery or disenfranchisement and institutional racism. There?? If you want to go to an All White school and college, and then live in an all white neighborhood and have an all white job......lets not play dumb, you always have that option....in fact you always have that privilege as being a member of the majority...its called white privilege.

          By making claims like this you insult the history, the experiences of millions who suffer from institutional racism including myself.
          ONce again you are claiming some sort of grievance that is just mindblowing...unbelievable.

          The fact that you make statements like why aren't there white only things, makes me realize just how backwards society still is.

          Black entertainer of the year? Oh so Chris Rock is so lucky, he gets to host the BET awards and the OSCARS...damn, isn't that racism too?
          You can't deny African American culture, just like you can't deny Asian culture, Indian, Hispanic, sub-cultures....like the reason there is telemundo, or BET, or a China Town.
          Minorities are given these small spaces in a country that gives the rest to the majority. Everyday life, is already a given for whites.
          If you want to learn more about white privilege, there are numerous sources you can access...like this one:

          http://www.amptoons.com/blog/files/mcintosh.html

          By the way, I'm clearly worked up because the things you've noted are incredibly insulting and belittles so much of the history of racial injustice. I'm done entertaining these kinds of things, its NOT my responsibility to educate white people about race and racism
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      peter lindsay 30+

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      Aug 9 2012: The problem with interviews for jobs is that the ability to interview well and the ability to do the job are two different things. Do you not think a black man with a southern accent would be at a disadvantage applying for a job in finance on wall street. People make a lot of decisions based on first impressions and the assumptions that come from them. It does work both ways though. As a school teacher I have often dealt with asian students who are P'ed of because everyone assumes they're good at math.

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