How is having "protected classes" not discrimination?
I am a 30 year old, straight, white male, born in the USA. I have been to several diversity classes and have attended numerous discrimination seminars due to my position at work (Leadership). I do not understand how recognizing and reacting differently to someone from a “protected class” is not discrimination. Regardless of what the issue is, why should anyone be treated any differently? I feel that treating someone better because of race, gender, etc. is discrimination to someone not from one of the “protected classes”. How come I don’t get the same rights as others? Because I am “common” or I “don’t meet the protected class requirements” I don’t get any perks or protection that “protected classes” get? How is that not discrimination?
Answer: You have it a little backwards. The law says you can’t treat a protected class any differently than, as you put it, “common” people. You said “I do not understand how recognizing and reacting differently to someone from a “protected class” is not discrimination.” Actually, that is the very definition of discrimination – treating them differently. Your diversity training is telling you NOT to treat them any differently.
Those protected classes were established because people are morons. Take for instance pregnancy. A woman cannot be denied a job or be fired because she is pregnant. You must treat her as if she’s NOT pregnant. If her condition requires special accommodations, then she can request them. However, an employer cannot force modified job duties on her. Example: Let’s say she works in a dusty environment and the employer thinks it would be best for her and her unborn baby to assign her different job duties away from the dust. As well intentioned as that may seem, IT IS ILLEGAL because the employer is treating her differently because of the pregnancy. However, if the employee requests a job reassignment because of the dust, then it’s ok.
The bottom line is, you must treat everyone the same regardless of their age, race, gender, disability and a bunch of other stuff. You can read more about it here: http://www.eeoc.gov/employees/
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One Response to How is having "protected classes" not discrimination?
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It is not about treating a specific race better, it is about giving the other races ie blacks/asians/hispanics/indians equal rights. Up until about 30-40 years ago–which I assume you know about or should anyway–blacks were discriminated against all the time…they had designated dressing rooms/bathrooms/property etc….no one should ever be treated differently than the other person next to them but since that theory has flown out the window we have created laws so that everyone can be treated equally….and another thing, it was the white race that pretended to be (and some still do) better than blacks/hispanics/indians….so no you do not meet the "protected class" requirements….blacks were lynched/killed/beat/enslaved and had no rights in this so called "free country," indians had their land taken away from them, the japanese were held in concentration camps against their will and mistreated….it’s a shame all of this had happened and it is embarassing that we have to create laws to protect people who are of a different ethnicity so they won’t get treated any differently….and most of this discrimination was from the white race, and then you wonder why your not ‘protected’….