On the issue of race, I think it takes a delicate balance of government interaction in order to regulate laws made to protect race. I believe this country has come a long way with racial discrimination, especially in the last 50 years. I feel that in some areas the government has done what they needed to do in order to protect people of different races from being discriminated against. In others, I feel they have left the door open for people of minority races to receive "special" treatment.
The government has set quotas that have to be met with many employers on a certain percentage or a certain number of people from different races being hired in to satisfy the government restrictions even when they are not qualified to get the job. If these quotas aren't followed, all the person has to do is go to the court system and file a racial discrimination suit, where in most cases they win, lots of times, without the courts even looking at the fact that they were not qualified for the job. Don't get me wrong; there are a lot of white people not qualified for jobs that they apply for, but I think someone should be hired based on qualifications and ability to do the job, rather than to meet race quotas set into place by the government. I also feel that in some cases and areas of the United States, that so many rights are put into place that there is some reverse racism going on. This is not equal treatment.
I do feel that the Civil Rights movement of the 1960's was what this country needed. We need to keep in mind that blacks were brought to this country to be used for a purpose and were considered property when this country was in the building stages and this went on for many years. They did not ask to be brought here, and were brought here against their own free will. My belief is that no human being should be subjected to this type of treatment and that no human being should be considered property. President Abraham Lincoln made the right decision by signing the Emancipation Proclamation and freeing the slaves, although it caused a war and many more years of terror and suffering for the black people of this country. Many were being persecuted throughout the years just because the white man felt they were the supreme race and never looked at blacks as being human being that deserved the same basic rights that he had.
The government took a big step forwards in the 1960's by passing the Civil Rights Act. This gave minorities the right to vote, the right to be a citizen, the right to education, and the right to go out and make a living for your family and own property. These are all basic rights that should be given to every American citizen regardless of the color of their skin.
I feel that even though we have all these laws and rights in effect that we still have a ways to go where racial discrimination is concerned. As much as we, as Americans, don't like to admit it, there are still parts of the United States with very deep racist roots. I think the government will still have issues that arise form time to time in the future regarding race that they will need to address. I think we may also see some issues regarding reverse racism in the future due to some of the laws and regulations currently in place.
On the Issue of Gender; Does the government do too little or too much to reduce the instances of racial discrimination? Why or why not?
On the issue of Gender, I think women have gained some of the rights in recent years that should have been in place all along. I do feel the government has done some of the things that needed to be done regarding women but still have some work to do. Women are still viewed as the weaker or "less capable" gender which is obvious when comparing salaries of men and women. The majority of men in a same exact position as a woman, and doing the exact same job as woman, are paid higher salaries and wages across the board. Even though this country has put laws into place to keep this from happening, companies are passing out employee handbooks warning against discussing salaries and wages among employees and threatening such things as suspension and being fired if it is found out that it has been discussed among co-workers, citing it is a breach of privacy in order to do this because the contract is between the company and the employee. These are just ways of keeping individuals from finding out the salary differences. Also, sexual harassment is rampant in many of the work places, especially in and around this area. I have been on jobs where this was a major problem and it even created a hostile work environment where charges were filed and it is still going through the system and headed to federal court. I know of others in this area who deal with it on a day to day basis, and it's not always a one sided thing. Women can harass too. I think the government still has some work to do in this area of discrimination.
On the Issue of Sexual Orientation; Does the government do too little or too much to reduce the instances of racial discrimination? Why or why not?
On the issue of sexual orientation, I feel that everyone has the right to be with who they want to be with regardless of gender. My point here is if you agree with it and want to do it, you will.If you don't agree with it, and you aren't interested in being with a same sex partner, you won't. Every person has the right to be happy and live the life of choice here in the United States. I don't think the government needs to regulate what we do in our own private homes in the privacy of our own bedrooms, and I don't think the government should be in charge of matters of the heart. That is between individuals. I think gays, lesbians, bi-sexuals and transgenders should have the same right as a man and a woman have when it comes to being together. I do feel that the government needs to work toward stopping discrimination against people of different sexual orientation and give then the right to live as they please, and I think the states should be made to recognize these relationships and marriages just as they would one between a man and a woman. People who don't agree with them and their choices don't have to deal with these couples. It's that simple. I do think there is more government intervention coming in these relationships and eventually they will gain the right to marry and be recognized.
Blog Comments:
Brandi Lively
Amber Waters
Ashley Pelfrey, commented on 2/23/13 **
I agree with you about gender discrimination. Women are usually stated as being the weaker sex. Men seem to make more in the workplace as well, even though the Equal Pay Act was passed. Women are usually presented as the caretakers of the home while men are usually the workers. I think the government still has some things they need to work out. Sometimes women are not even hired because they are pregnant and the company knows they will have to take maternity leave, but no one will know because they are not going to tell you why they did not hire you. You also rarely hear of harassment made by women, but you hear a lot of men harassing women. Maybe the government will fix these situations in the future.
ReplyDeleteI am totally with you on the gender discrimination issue. I, too, have lived through and been around a number of these situations. And you're right about the employee handbook and not discussing wages in the work place thing, too. It is definitely just a tactic employers use to get away with breaking the law where wages are concerned. Another tactic that is used often is purposely not giving a female a promotion when there's a male they can put in instead. They even make up reasons for doing it to get away with it such as a woman having to miss a day or two of work, even though the reason was because she had a sick child at home, and the man had never missed a day of work. Women with children, especially, are discriminated against for higher positions, regardless of qualifications, because of this.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your comments on how the government handles racial issues. Its very hard to find a balance because it is such a sensitive subject. However it's great that we have been able to come so far thats why I think it will take a while to warm up the gay issues and really resolve them.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you about gender discrimination. In a lot of instances, women are treated like they are less than men or are incapable of doing things. Even with laws in place that are supposed to prevent men and women from receiving different salaries, it still happens a lot more than you would think. There will always be people who are against people who are different than them, even if there is no justification for it at all. There are just too many closed minded people out there.
ReplyDeleteI do agree that it really isn't the governments place to regulate in matters of the heart even if I cannot whole-heartedly endorse same-sex marriage. I'm fairly neutral and I would say it is ultimately up to the individual and government restrictions do not completely provide equality. I do support the fact that a state must ratify same-sex marriage because if it truly needs to be accepted, it will happen in time as did desegregation and women's suffrage. Time is the tool for change and some things cannot be rushed too much.
ReplyDeleteI do believe we have come a long way when it comes to race and discrimination. We have gone from slavery to being one race, to most people. It is sad that some people hold on to old ways and will not except people for who they really are. I too believe that some people take it to far and believe that they deserve things because of their skin color, but I DO NOT believe this pertains to everyone. There are good people and their are bad people and they come in all colors, shapes, and sizes. It is up to use to teach our children right.
ReplyDeleteUnlike my fellow classmates, I DISAGREE when it comes to gender discrimination. How can anyone say that women are now being given less worthy jobs? The military is now allowing women to step on the front lines and take fire next to men. This is a first considering no woman has ever saw fire from the frontlines like they are experiencing now. I know Im against almost all women who have commented however, truth must be told.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that anyone should be discriminated against no matter what but I do agree that some seem to expect special treatment. I do not think that is right and I know many people would say women are equal to men in the work place but that is not always correct either. You do not see men coming out and sueing because they have been sexually harassed in the work place because more often than not it doesn't happen to them as it does women every single day.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you said about sexual orientation. It is none of anyone else's business if you want to marry someone who is the same gender then that is fine everyone else need to just go and marry who ever they want to and leave everyone else alone. No matter what you believe in or like you are still a human being and should have the right to do and love who you please without interference.
ReplyDeleteThank you to everyone who stopped by and commented on my blog! I appreciate and respect all of your input and opinions.
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