I think this is too simplistic. I'll use an example away from racism to illustrate how positive discrimination should work. Private schools get better results than state schools with the same standard of pupil because they have more resources. It follows therefore that someone who went to a state school but got the same exam grades as someone who went to Eton is almost certainly of higher intellectual capability. Therefore it would be very sensible for a university to choose them over the Eton candidate. Discrimination causes people to be disadvantaged and if this is not corrected by allowing for the disadvantage in selection processes then the disadvantage will be reinforced.
Or put another way it's not what you know it's who you know. The goverment is full of Eton & Harrow so reform at the top first not from the bottom up.
Regardless of the fact that Tottenham only became a London club in 1965, they have always been a North London club? Really? lol
Tottenham has been a part of London since the 19th Century. You are talking about the larger boroughs which were created in the early 1960's. So your point is not valid as it is based on a false premise.
Actually that is a different point and just reinforces the issue more - because contrary to the sensible positive discrimination that would allow for and remove the advantages of going to Eton, what happens in practice is that the Eton candidate, who is clearly objectively worse since he has the same qualification despite better teaching, gets in because he went to Eton!
I agree with all of this, Luke. What my post was trying to show was that what a lot of people call 'positive discrimination' isn't really that at all, its just taking the full effect of the actual discrimination into account. For example, I would always choose a woman doctor where possible. This is because I know that at least up to about twenty years ago there was vast discrimination against women getting into medical school so the ones who did get in have to be the better ones. Therefore they will be better doctors on average.
So, according to Herbert "many Jewish people" have contacted The Society of Black Lawyers to complain? Of course they have Peter. I mean where else would be the first place any sensible Jewish person would go to register a complaint about perceived anti semitism? Seriously, why does anybody give this rabble rousing low life any credibility at all. Unless your just a Gooner trying to Wum,of course!.
Americans love this, of course - some states universities (Texas is one) have to take a certain percentage of their annual intake from the dirt worst schools to "give them a chance" regardless of how qualified they are (or not) for a place on whichever course at that university.
A very sound policy - universities are a place where the intelligent should shine not those who have 'qualified' (perhaps by cramming knowledge). Since the worst schools are likely to have their fair share of intelligent pupils it is only right that they should get a fair share of the university places. The thing that is wrong is that their needs to be legislation in place to achieve this - if the process was non-discriminatory it would happen automatically!
But it's because it doesn't happen automatically that it's right to engineer it. That might sound dystopian to some, but I see it as pragmatic. We shouldn't be afraid to shape society for the common good. To know something is wrong and not do anything about it could be considered negligent.
Throughout history it has usually been the rich and strong who have therefore been able to successfully prevent the poor and weak being able to rise to their level. Today I think people are better educated and see the common good more clearly which is why discrimination has been reduced so much during my lifetime. There is still a way to go now.
Tottenham.......N.17. since the dawn of time. Arsenal...S.E. since....not long actually.Then one day they moved their caravans over the River Thames and settled in a remote area that had a lot of takeaways but not far from the railway lines that took them home to Woolwich for their summer holidays!
This is a point I have made on another thread, but I think it's worth repeating on here as I don't think it has been made before. The SBL is inherently a racist organisation and should be challenged on this basis. Imagine a football club for black players or a football club for white players, how would that go down? Football has and does provide fantastic opportunities for people of all colours and creeds more so than practically any other industry. The only criteria is that you are a good enough footballer. If the rest of society behaved like this we would not have a problem. The real race problems have been in Rugby, Cricket, Athletics, Tennis and Golf where colour bars have applied at various times, Augusta, South Africa and so on. Of course these are sports played by 'top people' so they were allowed to get away with it. It's ironic that football should be spotlighted in this way when it has historically been the least offender by a long long way.
Spurf - people who are victims of discrimination are inevitably going to join together in solidarity. There is no reason for a society of white lawyers since white lawyers don't suffer discrimination. Doesn't mean that it doesn't do ridiculous things though as do many organisations led by twats
These people are not victims of discrimination they are Lawyers. In other words they have successfully negotiated 'the system' to achieve a place of power in society. I have spent a lifetime fighting discrimination and IMO associations like this do far more harm than good. Our society is not 'fair' in many ways and consider that there are many far worse societys in the world it's not a good situation to say the least. While you and I agree on the outcome we would like, we disagree on how to get there. People have to band together without regard to race to fight together the real imbalances in our society and not be diverted by making faux attacks on the 'weaker' members when issues like familys who have controlled Britain for a 1000 years still remain all powerful. As I said before we need to attack 'the top' of society who perpetuate the discrimination in so many ways to maintain their positions of privilege. An attack on football which has done far more than any other sport is to divert from greater issues. And banding together by race (for whatever reason) is just perpetuating discrimination by giving it credence.
