Ted, And your freaked out because the NFL requires teams to interview black coaches. And you call yourself a Christian.
First of all, you've changed your tone from denial ("It doesn't make economic sense," #reply-19369816) to defensiveness.
Not at all.......the issue with McNabb is an economic one. Why would the owner of the Eagles hire a mediocre QB and then say he's grand and wonderful just to be PC when its at the expense of the team's bottom line? It doesn't make sense.
Second, you are assuming that I'm somehow "freaked out" by this. I'm not. I'm just pointing out how upper management meddles in the decision-making process for reasons unrelated to the goals of the decision-maker. In this case, the owner is looking for a coach who will win games, but the execs are looking for coaches that will "add color" to the NFL.
That's not what the NFL is saying. First, upper mgmt is not meddling. They are abiding by the law........a good thing. They're saying that the NFL must abide by AA requirements which means that minority coaches should be interviewed during Detroit's hiring process. Not HIRED, interviewed. Detroit claimed they could not comply. I find their reason a bit specious and wonder if there's not more to this exchange than news reports suggest.
Third, you are once again calling me un-Christian. Either tell me how my views supposedly run contrary to the Bible, or don't even bother to bring it up.
First, you were the one who wore your Christianity like a badge of honor when you first posted on this thread.......that's fine although I found it a bit surprising. However, I too was raised Christian and I am somewhat familiar with the teachings of Christ. And there are times where your positions do not reflect what I consider to be Christian views......your complaint about interviewing black coaches being one of those times. And I definitely find your party of choice, the GOP, to be very un Christian like in spite of all the religious nuts in the party. That's why I bring the issue up form time to time.
However, I will refrain from doing so in the future.
Fourth, you notice how well Asians have done without affirmative action in any form whatsoever? (Well, except in the case of broadcast journalism, thanks to Connie Chung.)
I don't understand the slam against Connie Chung but to compare the Asian position with that of blacks is a bit unfair. First, they have benefited from AA whether you wish to acknowledge that or not. Secondly, their history is very different from blacks and to a lesser degree, Latinos.
Blacks were kidnapped from their homes in Africa and taken as slaves to the US. Their period of slavery was not just a few years but hundreds. Even after the Civil War, many remained as slaves because they were incapable of leading independent lives having been treated as cattle for years. Even when they became freed men, the level of discrimination against them was the worst of any group.
Hangings of black men for acting friendly to a white woman were a common practice in the ole South well into the 20th century. In that same century early on, a whole village of black people in FLA were slaughtered because one of them was believed to have done something wrong against a white person......I don't remember the details. As late as 5 years ago, people were going around the South burning down black churches.
I live in liberal Seattle. Just two weeks ago, an Asian man, who just a month earlier had told me of his own problems with discrimination growing up Asian in Seattle, pointed out that a black had moved on the block and he was the first to do so as an owner. Neither fact surprised me since the guy had moved next door.
What surprised me is that this was an item of discussion well into the 21st century and that it had been brought up by a man who had hated the discrimination he had felt as a kid. And this guy was not old, he was relatively young....in his early 30s.
Discrimination dies hard; discrimination against blacks dies harder. I don't know why.....it just is.
In the meantime, Asians came to this country in numbers in the late 19th century........some were shanghaied; others came voluntarily. They were treated as indentured servants, not slaves. They were more advanced than the blacks at the time of each's transition, and therefore, had a whole culture to fall back on. Most also began their life in the western US where discrimination was not as prevalent as in the old South.
In a hundred years, the first wave Asians have done well for themselves much like other immigrant groups to this country. Later generations of Asians, Koreans to be specific, have also done well. In many instances, they came with some money and were able to move quickly into small businesses.
Latinos have come later still and are just starting to make their move up. They are starting to leapfrog the blacks and that's disturbing. They too had some advantages over the blacks.
Why do you think they are leapfrogging the blacks? Do you believe the Bell Curve that blacks are racially inferior?
In any case, the gaps between races were significant.....they were cultural and financial. For late arriving Europeans, Asians and to a lesser extent Latinos, they had greater advantages, both cultural and financial, than blacks. They had not had decades of discrimination to undermine their sense of value. These advantages played a considerable role in how quickly certain races were able to move up. Of course, it helped if your skin color was light with Europeans moving up fastest, then Asians, then Latinos.
I believe we can not overplay to these disadvantages nor can we underplay them.......its a difficult balancing act. I am the first to complain when we overplay to the blacks. And the first to complain when we underplay.
And finally, it's funny how minorities say they need affirmative action, but bristle when someone suggests they made it not because of merit, but because of affirmative action. Talk about biting the hand that feeds them.
Of give me a break.......that's so human nature. Of course, no one wants to admit they have had help.......esp. AA help. That's not the point of AA. The point is that we have segments of the population that, for varying reasons, are lagging the dominant population. Its in the best interests of the society in general for the lagging groups to play catch up. It will make for a much saner and happier culture.
ted |
