Have you ever been a victim of "reverse" discrimination?

I once had a man reporting to me, who made more money but had the same job description. He worked about 15 hours a week less than me. I was told that he had a stay-at-home wife and “needed the income.” I got to have the “experience” of the extra work.

Yep. DWW. Driving while white. In a predominate African American neighborhood I have been pulled over 3 times in a course of about 2 years. I have gone to court each time and ticket has been thrown out. Now, I have been driving for 32 years and drive about 45,000 miles per year. I have not had a ticket anywhere but in that same neighborhood in over 20 years. I am not angry about this. I know it happens to all my brothers and sisters of color. But it is reverse discrimination. Or wait, is it just discrimination? Whatever….

First thing, I do not believe in reverse discrimination or reverse racism. Discrimination and racism, no matter who it is directed at, is just plain old discrimination and racism.

I am not white so I do not fall under the “reverse discrimination” category but I had to sound off about “reverse” any of that lot.

It is lawful but I do not think quotas should be. I am going to pull up an old answer of mine from AB to point out a system that I think could replace the quota system (this could be applied to job applicants and college applicants):
http://www.answerbag.com/a_view/4819106

This would make all of our lives easier because I, too, am bloody tired of being passed over for jobs just because of how I was born.

Not precisely, but I was once told in a job interview that the job was mine as long as no woman or black person applied for it. I turned down their offer. I think that all discrimination is wrong regardless of who it is against or why.

My son got a ticket while crossing the street after the white walky man had stopped. It was one of those that had a countdown and he knew he could make it across before it counted down. The 2 officers that stopped him were African American and kept saying, “If whitey ain’t three, you can’t go!” Another person who happened to be African American did the same thing my son did while they were writing the ticket and they just yelled out a warning.
My so was really upset when he called me. I told him that yes, what he experienced wasn’t right, but it was nothing compared to what minorities experience every day. Compared to being beat up for trying to vote, being discriminated against in a job, or getting poorer customer service in business establishments day after day, what he experienced was minor.

I was once applied for a job, but was told that there was only one opening and it had to be held open just in case a person who was considered in an ethnic minority decided to apply for it. Some might consider that “reverse” discrimination…I don’t. I consider it discrimination…period.

Why, yes. Yes I have. My school is what’s known as an ‘entry school’. It allows for adults to come back for further education or for non english-speakers to integrate into our education system and get basic qualifications/finish school to get into university.

Before being allowed to enter the regular lessons you need only to be what is called a ‘class 10’. In other words, you need to know the amount of English a year 10 would.
Last year it was established that the average class of non english-speakers getting into the regular lessons was a 4. This number hasn’t changed much since then.

This is occurring as a result of two things: teachers passing students through the basic english courses when they really should have been failed, and students refusing to remain in the basic english courses when they have been failed. It’s an adult school, they can do that apparently.

Anyway, this ‘teachers passing students’ continues even into the regular courses. Despite being required to have far greater understanding of english than they have, many of the teachers continue to mark them well. Even in cases of clear failure.

All of this wouldn’t really be so bad, except I’m a native english-speaker. As a result of this, I get marked at the year level which I’m in, instead of being marked at a year level 6 years below me. It’s quite frustrating to see people around me passed for doing less work at a worse quality than mine, for an assignment in which I’ve failed (or passed, even. That really cheapens the victory).

I’d just like either all of us to be marked harshly, or all of us to be marked pathetically. I can easily understand a bit of leeway for someone who isn’t native to the language, but six years’ difference, especially in a classroom setting, just doesn’t work.

Isn’t a serious issue. But it’s persistently annoying.

Wow, bigger rant than I thought.

Affirmative Action started out with good intentions, but it’s nothing more than trying to fight discrimination with discrimination. It creates animosity and does little to advance race relations. Forms of discrimination will always exist, but there are laws on the books which fight it. Let’s just enforce our laws.

No matter what it is called, “reverse discrimination”, “positive discriminattion” or “affirmative action”, it all comes down to one thing – discrimination. It’s not good.

I have never knowlingly been a victim of reverse discrimination. I believe that I have, however, benefited from it. It doesn’t make me feel good.

I understand that the intent behind such moves is honourable, I understand it is to create equality and specifically equality of opportunity. However, governments embracing such policies are going in entriely the wrong direction. If anything, it adds to hostility towards minority groups.

If you want to solve inequality, then start at the root. Tackle the causes of it, not create a false end.

@rawpixels: Affirmative Action did NOT start out with good intentions. The intention of Affirmative Action has always been discrimination against white (and sometimes Asian) individuals.