Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site kontron.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!pesnta!pertec!kontron!cramer From: cramer@kontron.UUCP (Clayton Cramer) Newsgroups: net.politics,net.social,net.women,net.flame Subject: Re: Discrimination and Affirmative Action (in hi-tech) Message-ID: <269@kontron.UUCP> Date: Mon, 24-Jun-85 19:32:59 EDT Article-I.D.: kontron.269 Posted: Mon Jun 24 19:32:59 1985 Date-Received: Wed, 26-Jun-85 05:47:09 EDT References: <566@sphinx.UChicago.UUCP> <879@mnetor.UUCP> <394@mtxinu.UUCP> <593@ihu1h.UUCP> <408@mtxinu.UUCP> Organization: Kontron Electronics, Irvine, CA Lines: 33 Xref: watmath net.politics:9569 net.social:735 net.women:6065 net.flame:10760 > In article <593@ihu1h.UUCP> parnass@ihu1h.UUCP (Bob Parnass, AJ9S) writes: > >[reference to my earlier posting suggesting that Asians might be better > > off in the hi-tech workforce due to working harder] > > >As a matter of fact, if I understand your last sentence, it seems to > >erode your first conclusion (i.e., it's working hard that earns promotion). > > There is a degree to which hard work earns promotions, but remember that > I used the phrase "work *inordinately* harder". I don't think that Asians > do nearly as much better than other minorities to balance out the harder work. > What I was suggesting is that through working much harder than members > of the "establishment", they are able to get their representation in the > work force up to about what it "should" be, just taking numbers of people > of various races into account. > > Since they *do* work so hard, I would suggest that rather than be adequately > represented, they are still under-represented because they're more > qualified and therefore should have more of the jobs. > > -- > Ed Gould mt Xinu, 2910 Seventh St., Berkeley, CA 94710 USA > {ucbvax,decvax}!mtxinu!ed +1 415 644 0146 As a proportion to their number in the population, Asians are dramatically overrepresented in all the companies I have ever worked for --- perhaps 200% or 300% over their numbers in the population. Mr. Gould seems to be arguing that they are underrepresented in comparision to their hard work. Does he mean that Asians work 200% to 300% harder than white males? This is implausible, to say the least. If anyone ever starts to impose affirmative action as vigorously as some people seem to want, I suspect the first group to get cut back is going to be Asians --- and we will all be the worse for it.