Affirmative Action Unnecessary?

[DanaC]

What's so hard about spelling or pronouncing 'ethnic' names? You seem to have a very low opinion of 'the average person'.....and black people of course. You seem to have a very low opinion of them too. Do forgive me if I have misunderstood your posts.

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by DanaC

What's so hard about spelling or pronouncing 'ethnic' names? You seem to have a very low opinion of 'the average person'.....and black people of course. You seem to have a very low opinion of them too. Do forgive me if I have misunderstood your posts.

The point I was making was that by using ethnic names parents are setting their children up for future discrimination by those who File 13 anyone that they don't wish to hire based on skin color. I am just "an average person" myself, so I don't really understand that comment. Still putting my pants on one leg at a time. I don't have a low opinion of "black people", but I do have a low opinion of anyone who thinks they deserve a handout because of the color of their skin. I think you have misunderstood some of my comments.

[Trilby]

"Sibohan" is a rather difficult name for your average American to get right on the first try.

[TheMercenary]

Hell, down here in GA the majority of the teachers try to call my son Lie-um, his name is Liam. I guess you could call that ethnic. I doubt anyone is going to trash his job app because of it.

[Trilby]

I was responding to the difficulty of pronunciation aspect. Some names are difficult to pronounce. No controversy there, eh?

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by Brianna

I was responding to the difficulty of pronunciation aspect. Some names are difficult to pronounce. No controversy there, eh?

Agreed. But let me ask you a question. If you were an employer who did not want to hire anyone of color, how quickly would it take you to comb through 100 apps and trash anyone who you suspected was not lilly white? No doubt that a good percent not trashed on name alone would be non-white, but nearly 100% of those trashed would be non-white. I am saying why start out giving your kids such a disadvantage.

[Trilby]

Originally Posted by TheMercenary

I am saying why start out giving your kids such a disadvantage.

I agree with you.

I find it interesting that first generation American children of Asian descent tend to have traditionally "American" first names: David, Ashley, Eric, Amy, etc. It's almost as if they're TRYING to assimilate! How dare they?!

[Clodfobble]

Originally Posted by Brianna

I find it interesting that first generation American children of Asian descent tend to have traditionally "American" first names: David, Ashley, Eric, Amy, etc. It's almost as if they're TRYING to assimilate! How dare they?!

Not only that, a lot of Asian immigrants take on a second American name for themselves.

"Lisa, I can't find you in the company files."
"Oh, that's because my name is actually Pyoungyang."

On the other hand, I've also found that this is not out of a desire to assimilate, but because they consider Americans too stupid to deal with their real names.

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by Clodfobble

On the other hand, I've also found that this is not out of a desire to assimilate, but because they consider Americans too stupid to deal with their real names.

I would consider that to be a true statement.

[bluecuracao]

Originally Posted by TheMercenary

Agreed. But let me ask you a question. If you were an employer who did not want to hire anyone of color, how quickly would it take you to comb through 100 apps and trash anyone who you suspected was not lilly white? No doubt that a good percent not trashed on name alone would be non-white, but nearly 100% of those trashed would be non-white. I am saying why start out giving your kids such a disadvantage.

It wouldn't be a disadvantage at all--it would be a time-saver. If the employer doesn't want to hire anyone of color, and a non-white person with a supposedly 'white' name gets called for an interview, he'd just be wasting his time if he showed up.

[Clodfobble]

That assumes the person doing the initial culling of the resumes is the person doing the interviews, which is almost never the case.

[bluecuracao]

Yes, I guess I am assuming that...it has usually been that way in my experience.

[Trilby]

Originally Posted by Clodfobble

On the other hand, I've also found that this is not out of a desire to assimilate, but because they consider Americans too stupid to deal with their real names.

Whatever. It's still a really good idea. If I moved to China, felt my home was now China, wanted to start a business in China (probably selling french fries and give birth to children in China, I would give my child a Chinese name. It just makes sense.

[wolf]

If a name represents actual ethnicity, that's one thing. My own first name is ethnic. It's the faux African names that are completely absurd. I know quite a few Africans. They have strange and exotic first names, like Jacob, Thomas, and John. All of them, by the way, think that Kwanzaa is the dumbest thing they ever heard of.

[DanaC]

"Sibohan" is a rather difficult name for your average American to get right on the first try.

I've never seen it spelt that way. I have only seen it spelt 'Siobhan'.

Mercenary, I see your point and I suppose it's a fair one. But....that suggests that the onus of responsibility is on the ethnic population to change who they are, rather than on society (and employers) to stop being racist.