Affirmative Action part 2

So I got so much feedback on the last post I thought it merited a follow up.  Some things I want to discuss and clarify:

*race and affirmative action
*community involvement with your own success and pursuits
*Why it's convenient for me to have this view being white, upper middle class and from a good home

1. Race and Affirmative Action:

The bottom line is race is a HUGE part of affirmative action.  However it has nothing to do with the Ayn Rand philosophy or the views I've imbibed and imparted in my last post.  If a black man comes in for a job and has equal qualifications as a white counterpart does it ever happen that the manager making the decision hires the white guy based on race only?  Of course! Should it? No! But forcing the manager to choose on race (aka affirmative action quotas) creates divide and nourishes racism.  It may help minorities, women, under qualified applicants, etc. but while it's goal is to create equality and equal opportunity in my eyes many times it does the opposite; it intensifies the race card issue because people hate opportunities being given when it's not on merit or performance.  It also perpetuates a policy of hand holding and impedes one from realizing full potential independently.

2. Community Involvement in personal success and pursuits

I completely agree that the support and involvement of your community, friends and family has a very strong correlation with one's personal success.  Do I believe in funding entities like the Boys Club? Absolutely.  I believe in funding and giving to the immediate community around you but not to the government to make policies around affirmative action.  Less government and more community.

3.  Why is it convenient for me....

"Oh well that's easy for Jones to say cause he came from a good house (two public school teachers), is upper middle class and all that".  There is a ladder of advancement for each of us in this life and we all know what it took to climb that ladder.  I realize what gave me strength to climb when i was the lowest and my views are based on that and that alone. 

Comments

[JOHN]

There is a philosophical difference between those who believe in personal responsibility and those who believe that "it takes a village". Those who subscribe to the latter blame everyone but themselves for their personal situation; and, perhaps more terrifying, they believe they have had no responsibility for their success once achieved. I believe in charity, support, and encouragement for everyone who needs it -- but only if the attached message is that they too can achieve by their own will. That is what success should inspire in people, and that's the message the successful should convey.

[Kevin Jones]

i think you have the viewpoint of a typical californian who's in denial about their racism. if people get denied jobs, house or car loans because of race, that is a systemic injustice. because addressing systemic injustice makes entitled white guys angry is irrelevant.

[Eric Jones]

I'm perfectly aware that systemic injustice occurs everyday. My motivation to write the original Ayn Rand religion post is founded on a desire to see a system that does not impede one's potential. I can see from the comments on my blog that we all have a very different idea as to how best to accomplish this.

[JOHN]

I wonder why you chose to apply the objectivist epistemology to affirmative action in your blog. There is a myriad of topics you could have chosen to address. Would you be willing to apply this logic to other hot-topic issues in further blog posts?

[Eric Jones]

For you John? Anything. Any suggestions? I'm thinking universal healthcare next. im working on the research. I chose affirmative action only because i had a conversation about it with a friend prior to that original post and it got me all hot and bothered. Theoretically you can really apply Rand's life methodology to anything. But I'm gonna keep the hot topics going in spirit of the campaign season.