Racism Paradox

Okay, so this came to mind while watching a very interesting and amusing video:



The question that came up is this: can you be considered a racist if you hate everyone with equal amounts of ire?

The question is interesting because it asks this: can you still be a racist if you hate everyone, including your own race?

 

I would consider equality. That, or a person that is impossible to be pleased by any person.
Verdict: Nope. Not racist. Just a universal jerk.

 

A better paradox is, when companies hire somebody based on a gender/race quota instead of their actual merits, does this not ironically make them sexist/racist by basing their judgment on race and/or sex?

 

So much this. It is racist and sexist by it's own right if companies are being forced to meet a quota instead of hiring based on skills/merits. People try to use the race card way too much when they don't get the job and it gets old really quickly.

 

Yes and no..

So, here's the issue. Racism has two definitions: 1) "poor treatment of or violence against people because of their race" 2) "the belief that some races of people are better than others."

If you meet number two, you most likely meet number one.. but maybe not always. But if you meet number one do you have to, necessarily, meet number two?

If you hate all people, equally, simply because you hate people, that's not racist. But if your hatred of all people, including those of your own race, is motivated by race (i.e. you hate all races), it could be argued that that is still racism. Racism against your own race included, but still racism. Why? Because your hatred of all other people is still racially motivated.

Sort of, yes. But, it would be a disservice to the issue at hand to just leave it at that and not think about it any further..

Why are there diversity quotas? Quite simply, minorities (females, and anyone of any race other than caucasian) have, historically and even today, suffered from either blatant and intentional or subconscious biases that give them a disadvantage in terms of their chances for being hired and/or promoted in various organizations simply because of their race or their gender. Diversity quotas are the best short-term (and I stress short-term) solution to this problem.

But another way to think about this is, would your team/organization/company be strong if it hired (indiscriminately) qualified individuals who are all of one race and gender? Yes. But, would it be as strong as an equally qualified team of diverse races and genders? Possibly not. Why? Because, as much as we might like to ignore that race and gender are real and play a role in our lives, we are all different. And that's okay. The simple truth is that people do have different life experiences because of their race, gender, nationality, religion, etc. These different experiences make for different viewpoints and having this variety of views and experiences on-board can only bolster your team by having individuals who may have a different take on a problem and open up a variety of solutions that may not have been considered, otherwise.