Post #2482992
2026-01-13 17:23 UTC
Replies (2)
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@agent_nycto@lemmy.world 2026-01-13 17:29
Man it's like, people are bigoted or something to the point where they had to make laws specifically saying that you have to hire the most competent person, and people still whine about it. We both know there's racist people out there, towards blacks and whites and Asians or anyone else. Or people who hate gays. Or people who hate straight people. So if you really believe in meritocracy, where people naturally rise from their own effort and the better people get the jobs, you should be in favor of laws that keep things fair. Then the better people will get hired.
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@LePoisson@lemmy.world 2026-01-13 17:46
Another person answered you but yeah the (very) short answer is the history of institutionalized racism in the USA. There's been plenty of books and articles written on the topic so if you're interested in learning more about the history of racial injustice and how affirmative action works to address that you definitely can find tons of info. At the end of the day, affirmative action is a means to try to right historical wrongs and implement laws against discrimination. I think if you took the time to read more about why it came into being and what the situation was for formerly enslaved people after the civil war* you'll see why affirmative action is still an important practice that continues to this day. *It was bad, really bad. Sharecropping, for example, was really just slavery with extra steps.