Platform : Affirmative Action: Discriminatory or Merely Fair?

DAN PUGEL

LAPD sergeant, supervisor at Harbor Patrol Division

Minorities’ whole complaint has been that they have been discriminated against. How can they justify discrimination against another group?

People, humans in general, are not equal. Some are superior physically, some are superior mentally. (One could say) “I think the L.A. Lakers need to reflect the ethnic makeup of the community. Therefore we need at least an Asian, certainly some Hispanics, and I feel very sorry for those outstanding black players, but they must have a policy that reflects the community.” Now, that sounds pretty silly. We want the best athletes on the court. (But) I think the taxpayers of L.A. have the right to demand nothing less of their municipal services than the most competent individuals.

I think affirmative actions programs work against the people that they are designed to help. They create resentment. They create an air of suspicion.

JOLINE GODFREY

Author of “Our Wildest Dreams: Women Entrepreneurs Making Money, Doing Good, Having Fun.”

To speak of minorities as having an unfair advantage is to dismiss the advantages white males have always had. It’s as though (those who attack affirmative action) are able to carry this naive idea that we live on a level playing field. By doing that, they wipe out the reality of racism and sexism. It’s much easier to ignore racism and sexism if you aren’t subject to it.

Affirmative action feels unjust to those who have been previously protected. There is a perception among well-educated people that well-educated middle-class blacks are no longer touched by discrimination. What they don’t understand is that black men who are well-educated are still stopped and pulled out of their cars and thrown to the ground. Black women still face obstacles in terms of how many are getting through the gateway to the upper echelon. It continues to get in the way.

DAVID WELLMAN

David Wellman, professor of community studies, U.C. Santa Cruz

I think it is important to recognize that we’ve always had affirmative action programs, but in the past they’ve always benefited white males. It’s not new. It was called “that is the way things are.” What makes it so controversial now is that it is directed at those who were out of power.

I think we’re sitting on a tinderbox. It’s not the fire next time, it is the fire now. I think we need to reorder our priorities. I think we need to handle the question of race in much the same way we handled national security and the (old) Soviet Union. It should be a priority because a lot of Americans are afraid to inhabit certain public spaces. There is almost a subterranean war between races and classes.

CELESTE H. GRIEG

Chatsworth, corporate controller

Affirmative action will never help minorities. People should be hired based on their qualifications, not based on their color or creed or religion. I don’t consider myself (a Latina) a minority. I consider myself equal to everyone.

I know (affirmative action) has never worked. I’d like to think that when I’m praised--and the job I have now is a high-level position at very good salary--it is based on my ability, not because I’m a woman, not because I’m Hispanic. It should be that way for everyone. I would be very offended if I knew that I was meeting a quota at the company.

There will always be (discrimination). You have to understand, there are still a lot of ignorant, stupid people.

WILEY HORNE

Assistant general manager, Metropolitan Water District

I think it’s a grossly mistaken stereotype that somehow equal opportunity translates into taking a weak employee over a strong one or a weak service provider over a strong one. I just absolutely reject that based on my experience here. The truth is that if you don’t go out of your way to ensure equal opportunity, you won’t get the strongest employee.

What you come down to is some really practical things. Make sure your vendor list is broad. Recruit more broadly as opposed to more narrowly. It pays off in the end. By having a greater range of choice, you’re going to come up with a lower bid.

DOLORES COLE

Director, affirmative action office, USC

I think that people still have difficulties in seeing women and minorities in non-traditional positions. They’re still thinking that the only reason they’re there is because of “affirmative action.” You know what I say to that? It’s true. But for affirmative action most of them wouldn’t be there. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t competent and qualified. Affirmative action requires us to look at what we ought to have and try to do something to get there.

I’ve been having conversations with some non-minority male friends of mine--and women seem to be bothering them a little bit more because they’re doing better than minorities when it comes to breaking into the executive suite. It bothers them when they see a woman there because if you’ve got 10 people in the pool for consideration for a position and five are women, if you don’t have to compete with those women, you’ve got a one in five chance. But if you’ve got to compete with all 10, you’ve got only a one out of 10 shot.