Affirmative actions
In considering the latest of the series of (political) affirmative actions by the HRD ministry, one has to wonder where is all this leading us. I must say that the depth of the issue baffles me less than the indifference with which the whole issue has been treated by the honorable ministers. Of course, we need to ensure equal opportunity and equality for all in our society. But at the same time, we also need to make sure that the nation’s progress in not affected. I found this very interesting article on affirmative actions, which highlights 7 popular myths about such policy measures:
The crux of the issue perhaps lies in myths 4, 5 and 7.
What does equal opportunity mean... how can we ensure that we provide equal opportunity to all... and then, will it actually lead to equality for all castes and tribes. And above all, what is equality .. is it possible to bind all humans in an agreement proclaiming all fellow humans are equal.
How are we going to ensure that the society is actually making some progress due to these affirmative actions.
Before we embark upon the debate, here and here are two very insightful pro-reservation articles.
Your views invited on the above.
Myth 1: Affirmative action can involve goals and timetables while avoiding quotas.
Myth 2: Colour-blind policies offer an efficient substitute for colour-sighted affirmative action.
Myth 3: Affirmative action undercuts investment incentives.
Myth 4: Equal opportunity is enough to ensure racial equality.
Myth 5: The earlier in education or career development affirmative action is implemented, the better.
Myth 6: Many non-minority citizens are directly affected by affirmative action.
Myth 7: Affirmative action always helps its beneficiaries.
The crux of the issue perhaps lies in myths 4, 5 and 7.
What does equal opportunity mean... how can we ensure that we provide equal opportunity to all... and then, will it actually lead to equality for all castes and tribes. And above all, what is equality .. is it possible to bind all humans in an agreement proclaiming all fellow humans are equal.
How are we going to ensure that the society is actually making some progress due to these affirmative actions.
Before we embark upon the debate, here and here are two very insightful pro-reservation articles.
Your views invited on the above.
posted by Ash at 9:19 AM
1 Comments:
"And above all, what is equality .. is it possible to bind all humans in an agreement proclaiming all fellow humans are equal. "
More importantly, is it important that humans think of others as their equals?
I say yes, not because I feel that all humans are carbon copies of each other, but I believe that whenever I think that a person is "less" than me [using attribute X as a measuring axis], there exists an attribute Y where he/she indeed is better than I, something I will conveniently choose to forget.
The presumption of inequality breeds ill-attitude towards the perceived "lesser" mortals, and the juggernaut starts rolling. Killing the lesser people becomes as easy as killing animals, and so on..
All people should be equal in "opportunity" - to go to a good school, irrespective of financial background. To get an atmosphere at home that facilitates independent thought and pursuit of knowledge, irrespective of what your parents do [one of the toughest problems]. Then , given they all have completed their education, they should have equal opportunities in jobs, irrespective of their backgrounds - and this does not mean reservations, this means the absence of a bias while awarding jobs, and keeping merit as the only criteria. ... you get my idea.
But the above is an idealistic [socialist?] PoV. The real world is different, and it will take some time before people willingly give up the advantage that they have gained over the years and think about giving all equal opportunity. The existance of more people and less opportunities make it all the more difficult.
Lets see.. lets see how it goes.
But yes, equality, in my view, is needed, to prevent re-occurances of tragedies like WW2.
-A
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