I'm against this - this is special pleading for a favored group to get access to jobs in America. It's an attempt to do an end-run around the system.
Why is that a bad idea - after all, Indians have long been regarded as an almost "ideal minority" - they have stable family structures, low crime rates, their children typically do quite well in school - shouldn't the USA encourage that?
Well, no. Favoring one group over another, particularly one that is prone to practicing endogamy, will NOT lead to a better situation for those Americans already here.
According to this writer, approximately 90% of American-born Hindus marry within their religion. In practice, this means that almost all Indians marry another Indian. Any wealth or advantages accumulated will stay within that group.
As a person in a STEM field who knows, personally, multiple people who were displaced by H1-B visa holders... NO.
ReplyDeleteI once went to a seminar on offshoring. While there two "suits" were talking about offshoring their tech development to India. Once said "Why should I hire an American when I can get two Indians for the same price?"
Put me up against someone skill to skill; if I win, great - if I don't, OK, the better person won. But I can't provide for my family on 50% of my salary. So there's a depressive effect on wages, and then they wonder why Americans don't pursue STEM careers.
When I started working, I was in the oil field offshore, working for a contract company as a contract laborer The field superintendent told me he wanted to hire me, but minorities, women and veterans were hired first. Otherwise no chance to work for a major oil company.
ReplyDeleteThe doors were closed every other place for the same reason. Even my efforts to join a trade union led to the same loss of opportunities.
I ended up with a shovel, and hard days in the weather. Eventually, I worked my way up the ladder to management. This is where I remained, which was my fate in life, but my life would have been much different with the jobs I was prevented from having due to my white skin, and gender.
Discrimination, for any reason, denies opportunities, and never works, unless you're one that receives special treatment.
Back in college I had better grades and experience than many of the non-white and/or women students. But they got offer after offer after offer while I went through graduation not having a job in hand.
ReplyDeleteHow do I know this? I HELPED THEM WRITE THEIR RESUMES since mine was, in the words of one of the career-center counselors, at the level where I "had to have" hired a professional. Nope. I just know how to do resumes... so I helped others and saw the relative qualifications.
But I'm as white-bread as you can get, visually. Don't hit any quota checkmarks, so back of the line for you.
Funnily, when I was young, actual diversity was widespread. In Cleveland, non-natives, limited English speakers were able to work their way into jobs. I roomed with one of the first female gas meter readers since WWII. She wasn't a feminist, just a woman who wanted to earn more money. And, she got respect for willingness to work in parts of the city that were almost exclusively Black and poor (Hough neighborhood - and she was a good-looking blue-eyed blonde).
ReplyDeleteAs a woman in STEM fields, I didn't experience bias. I got the same ball-busting that rookie men do - even today, it's common. No problem, I had brothers, and had been a tomboy, so was used to the 'guy' atmosphere.