4 ms·

Ah, so doing it against whites makes it okay then, because they are the "dominant" race.

by ermir 10y ago

deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
spudlyo 10y ago
I think we're having an argument about semantics. I think it's a mistake to conflate racism with prejudice. I believe it diminishes the concepts of racism and sexism to invoke them in a non-systemic context.
- JakeAl 10y ago
  When you are basing your prejudice on the color of one's skin it's racism. As it relates to hiring, it's unconstitutional and illegal in the US. People say "cultural fit" when it means they are discriminating based on age, sex, race, religion, personal beliefs or behavior that have nothing to do with being qualified to perform the work, which is what equal opportunity laws were established to prevent.
  - npiazza83 10y ago
    Anecdotally I've never seen it used this way as much as it is a frightening possibility. Culture fit has always been synonymous with, "lack of confidence" in my view. Employers want to build a cohesive team. Companies don't want to be perceived as sterile or corporate so they allow various forms of "hazing" when bringing in new team members and if they perceive that an employee won't put up with piling on they cut it short before it becomes a disaster. I have added a little bravado and practice soft skills before interviews now, and I find this qualifies me for "culture fit" despite being a little older than my peers.
- lmm 10y ago
  When a term is as legally and morally loaded as "racism", whether something is or isn't racism is no longer just semantics.
- ermir 10y ago
  When you change the meaning of racism to actually mean only institutional racism, the behavior that the old meaning represented suddenly becomes much more acceptable. In my opinion this shows a lack of moral clarity on the part of the people who do this, either willingly or not, since it shows that the reason they were opposed to racism was only because of the social prohibition to whatever was thought to be racist, not to the act of racial prejudice itself.
  - spudlyo 10y ago
    Excellent point. Racism and sexism are big ideas that operate on more than one level. Thanks for the reminder that I was thinking about it a narrow way.

Ah, so doing it against whites makes it okay then, because they are the "dominant" race.

by ermir 10y ago

Ah, so doing it against whites makes it okay then, because they are the "dominant" race.

deleted 10y ago

[deleted]

spudlyo 10y ago

I think we're having an argument about semantics. I think it's a mistake to conflate racism with prejudice. I believe it diminishes the concepts of racism and sexism to invoke them in a non-systemic context.

JakeAl 10y ago
When you are basing your prejudice on the color of one's skin it's racism. As it relates to hiring, it's unconstitutional and illegal in the US. People say "cultural fit" when it means they are discriminating based on age, sex, race, religion, personal beliefs or behavior that have nothing to do with being qualified to perform the work, which is what equal opportunity laws were established to prevent.
- npiazza83 10y ago
  Anecdotally I've never seen it used this way as much as it is a frightening possibility. Culture fit has always been synonymous with, "lack of confidence" in my view. Employers want to build a cohesive team. Companies don't want to be perceived as sterile or corporate so they allow various forms of "hazing" when bringing in new team members and if they perceive that an employee won't put up with piling on they cut it short before it becomes a disaster. I have added a little bravado and practice soft skills before interviews now, and I find this qualifies me for "culture fit" despite being a little older than my peers.
lmm 10y ago
When a term is as legally and morally loaded as "racism", whether something is or isn't racism is no longer just semantics.
ermir 10y ago
When you change the meaning of racism to actually mean only institutional racism, the behavior that the old meaning represented suddenly becomes much more acceptable. In my opinion this shows a lack of moral clarity on the part of the people who do this, either willingly or not, since it shows that the reason they were opposed to racism was only because of the social prohibition to whatever was thought to be racist, not to the act of racial prejudice itself.
- spudlyo 10y ago
  Excellent point. Racism and sexism are big ideas that operate on more than one level. Thanks for the reminder that I was thinking about it a narrow way.