Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site unc.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!whuxlm!harpo!decvax!mcnc!unc!fsks From: fsks@unc.UUCP (Frank Silbermann) Newsgroups: net.politics,net.social,net.women,net.flame Subject: Re: Discrimination and Affirmative Action Message-ID: <500@unc.UUCP> Date: Wed, 26-Jun-85 13:02:13 EDT Article-I.D.: unc.500 Posted: Wed Jun 26 13:02:13 1985 Date-Received: Sat, 29-Jun-85 01:32:09 EDT References: <566@sphinx.UChicago.UUCP><449@unc.UUCP> <2973@cca.UUCP> <493@ttidcc.UUCP> Reply-To: fsks@unc.UUCP (Frank Silbermann) Organization: CS Dept., U. of N. Carolina at Chapel Hill Lines: 26 Xref: watmath net.politics:9619 net.social:751 net.women:6122 net.flame:10846 Summary: [Anectdote about blatant anti-women discrimination in government] >> If this goes on in the Civil Service, imagine what happens in private >> business. In article cramer@kontron.UUCP (Clayton Cramer) writes: >Why do you assume that Civil Service is less prone to discrimination than >the private sector? From what I've read, the private sector has a better >track record over the last 50 years than the public sector. This is one of the reasons Milton Friedman, a conservative economist, favors the private sector, rather than one that is government-controlled. In his youth, anti-Jewish discrimination was much greater than it is today. When working in the private sector, Dr. Friedman discovered that he could overcome his boss's anti-semitism by being twice as qualified as the other workers. In other words, even an antisemitic boss would prefer to hire and promote an excellent Jewish worker rather than a non-Jew that was only mediocre. The boss was looking after his own self-interest. On the other hand, when working in the public sector Dr. Friedman discovered that the boss's prosperity was not so directly determined. The boss had job security and a pay scale that did not take into account his group's performance. The boss was free to indulge all his petty prejudices. He had no incentive to do otherwise. Frank Silbermann