andrel <byt### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
> >> More like "employers must not take ethnicity into account, and the
> >> presumption is that if minorities aren't hired in approximately the same
> >> ratio as they apply, the employers are probably discriminating illegally."
> >
> >    A perfect example of a false dichotomy.

> Indeed and I think we have too often indicated that we are aware of 
> that. Though that is not only what it was about.

> Let's put it this way: the problem is that of statistical physics.

  Well, I'd say the problem is one of basic principles of human rights.

  One of them is "innocent until proven guilty". If the basic assumption
is that "if an employer doesn't hire enough members of a minority group,
it's probably discrimination" that's an assumption of guilt by default,
which is the completely opposite to what it should be.

  The accuser (in this case the government imposing the quotas) has the
burden of proof, not the accused (in this case the employer). That's
judicial procedure 101. It doesn't matter what statistics may say. You
can't go making guilty-by-default assumptions.

> Possibly another way to describe our misunderstanding is that Darren and 
> me are also talking about systems/societies while you keep focussing on 
> the individual interactions.

> Question: do you think that a society can or even should have goals?

  A society consists of individuals, all of who must have the same
constitutional rights and responsibilities. There are no "minorities"
from the point of view of the constitution, only individuals. (Well,
I'm sure there are some countries which have a constitution which
explicitly makes some exceptions towards some minorities, but that
doesn't make it right.)

-- 
                                                          - Warp

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