charlie@cca.UUCP (Charlie Kaufman) (08/27/83)
Comments on:
Do not we as white men have the same rights as any other member
of society, or must white men continue to be the second class
citizens of our society, without equal rights in the judicial
and political processes?
No we don't, and yes we must.
WASPMs have more than their share of power in our society, or so some
powerful subset of them has decreed. To help remedy this situation (or
to salve their consciences - its hard to judge motivations) reverse
discrimination is prescribed. This in some sense makes WASPMs second
class citizens. This is true both in a legal sense and in the sense of
popular wisdom concerning justice.
The statement was made in the context of why are female-only
organizations OK while male-only organizations are not. The primary
motivation for male-only organizations is not, as one respondant
claimed, to plot against women. They are because many men feel
uncomfortable discussing certain topics in the presence of women (e.g.
political views, arguments with spouse, dirty jokes, etc.). The same
motivation exists for groups restricted to women, blacks, gays, or
whatever.
It is the nature of politics (in the most general sense of the term)
that to exert influence, one must associate with others who exert
influence. By permitting WASPMs to limit their social interactions to
other WASPMs (which is a perfectly normal and innocent preference on
their part), society perpetuates the concentration of power in that
group. It is current wisdom that the concentration is bad, so such
social groups are discouraged by both social pressure and legal means.
No it is not fair. Many things in life are not fair. This is not one
of the more outrageous injustices.
--Charlie Kaufman
charlie@cca
...decvax!cca!charlieeich@uiuccsb.UUCP (09/09/83)
#R:cca:-556700:uiuccsb:12700002:000:14 uiuccsb!eich Sep 8 21:42:00 1983 Yes, it is.