There is nothing cool about those kids...

Someone smarter could have backed up your first statement.

Nothing like a flaming racist to bring the usually opposing right and left together.

Wow, a segregationist uniting us as one... Who'd have thought of that...

so that means white people should be ellible for minority protection!

Affirmative action is bullshit now. We don't let our brothers suffer, they let themselves suffer. If you're born into a crap-hole inner-city, work your way out of it. People do rise up from their poor up-bringings. You're not at a terrible disadvantage being black, and the fact that you worked hard pays off for you much more when things start to pick up steam. AA has outlived it's purpose. Come on, racial quotas? Gender quotas? It's BS. As tadpole stated, people need to be hired and selected based on their merits. It happens. I would assume that there is at least one black company executive in the US who was not handed the position to "diversify" the company. If you want to diversify, qualify. It's worse than those damn educational shows like Barney that make sure that every type of person imaginable is on the show (including a kid in a wheelchair, because somehow he is innately different from any other person with a disability). Where is the kid with ADHD? Or Tay Sach's Disease? Or Down's Syndrome? DIVERSIFY, PEOPLE

If you have a pool of applicants who are all very qualified, what do you do? You see what individual characteristics distinguish that person. Guess what? Chances are the black person who worked his ass off to get to into that pool is at an advantage. He can easily say that from his less-than-satisfactory upbringing, he worked his ass damn hard to get where he is. THAT shows work ethic, as opposed to the lofty white guy who's dad is a doctor and mum is a lawyer. Again, no need for AA if people are willing to work. Even Bill Cosby, of all people, thinks that the black community is getting lazier.

Too many people expect special treatment. You can't even fire someone that is retarded (literally, whether it be Down's or something else) without getting a lawsuit, regardless of whether or not the person is capable of doing the job. If they can't do the job, fire them. What is the point of having someone that can't do a job?

If I come off as "cold and heartless", especially because of the mental handicap tyrade two seconds ago, it's because there's no reason they should be given an advantage over anyone else. There are people complaining about not enough women being in the tech world anymore, like there were 10 years ago. Maybe it's because more women are choosing to opt out of those careers? Hm.

I don't see being of any particular colour or ability entitles you to special treatment. I'm a minority, should I be given preferential treatment? No. We are born with an equal oppurtunity to succeed, Joe White shouldn't be screwed out of a job because I'm a minority and I want a post as CEO, when he's more capable. As far as mentally handicapped people go, I have nothing against them, but there's no reason in Hell why they should be catered to. If they're mentally handicapped, so what? Should someone with Asberger's be treated the same as someone with Down's? They're both handicapped, but Asberger's gives you an innate advantage in the mathetmatical fields. So should the Down's person be selected over the Asberger's because he has a "worse" handicap? The person isn't being selected because he has Asberger's, he's being selected because of an above-par capability to crunch numbers.

Well said Tabris.

I think sometimes in my efforts to make sure people don't misudnerstand me, I ramble, and people misunderstand me and think I'm being cruel! It's only happened once or twice here, lol. But it's a vice of mine.

It all sounds so good and grand. Just work your way out of poverty. In my opinion you are living in a delussional reality if you think it is as simple as that to solve the problems of our inner cities in America.

Sounds like a typical non-urban white person.

I do? I guess I did use lofty langauge and whatever, but it's true. People are capable and have done it. Both my parents grew up in the middle of Lynn (near the Commons) and worked their asses off to move to a suburb. And, only one of them is white.