Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version nyu B notes v1.5 12/10/84; site acf4.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxt!houxm!mtuxo!mtunh!mtung!mtunf!ariel!vax135!cornell!uw-beaver!tektronix!hplabs!pesnta!greipa!decwrl!decvax!genrad!panda!talcott!harvard!seismo!cmcl2!acf4!mms1646 From: mms1646@acf4.UUCP (Michael M. Sykora) Newsgroups: net.politics Subject: Re: (Re:**N) Affirmative Action Message-ID: <1340265@acf4.UUCP> Date: Sat, 6-Jul-85 21:09:00 EDT Article-I.D.: acf4.1340265 Posted: Sat Jul 6 21:09:00 1985 Date-Received: Fri, 12-Jul-85 03:22:20 EDT References: <259@kontron.UUCP> Organization: New York University Lines: 40 >/* mrh@cybvax0.UUCP (Mike Huybensz) / 3:23 pm Jul 5, 1985 */ >I grow very tired of these ignorant, ivory-tower economic predictions. Then stop making them! :-) Seriously, when you call someone ignorant, it would be best if you demonstrated that this is true. Calling a prediction "ivory-tower" says nothing about its merits and, therefore, does not seem to be of any use here. If you are so certain that there is a financial benefit to not discriminating, go into a bigoted white neighborhood, build housing, announce (by word or deed) that you're a "nigger lover" (they'll call you that), and that you intend to outcompete them because of this pragmatism. >You will very quickly see many of the mechanisms by which discrimination is >reinforced despite market pressures. The fact is that there are many forms >of coercion besides market pressures, and postulating a libertarian society >without coercion is as realistic as wishing away crime in our own society. >Vandalism, arson, assault, and a variety of other hate (think Ku Klux Klan) >are coercive realities that must be dealt with. Market pressures are not coercion. Such acts as you describe are already against the law. What we need is tougher enforcement. >30 years of stronger government >coercion has produced sudden and dramatic lifting of barriers, as a variety >of history and occupational statistics show. During the past 30 years great gains (and a few losses) in civil rights have been made. During that period, government has taken an active role in promoting such rights (and, to a lesser extent, in attacking them). From these facts alone, one cannot draw the conclusion that you have. >Mike Huybensz ...decvax!genrad!mit-eddie!cybvax0!mrh Mike Sykora