Pseudonymous
Nameless
A thread over at the Cannabis Culture forums prompted this response, I will post what I wrote unedited, so while this thread is aimed at the issues of affirmative action, you can also address the original question of "do you vote?"
I tend to vote NDP, but they along with the Green Party seem partial to affirmative action which is "reverse discrimination." Reverse discrimination only implies a directionality, i.e., it implies this is discrimination against the original discriminators. It is simply discrimination. Using discrimination to combat discrimination is clearly contradictory. That does not sit well with me.
I also know why these policies are supported by some people and I respect their intentions. They start with the question "Do you believe that past events and conditions influence future events and generations?" Clearly, the answer is a resounding "Yes!" A child has a better chance of succeeding in life if they are from a well-off family for many reasons, I trust you people have sufficient imagination to abstract reasons of your own. Similarly, people of different backgrounds, particularly those who are decedents of a traditionally oppressed group, are likely to have been negatively affected by the past actions of our society. For example, white people had a better chance of leading good lives and very adequately supporting their families for a longer period of time than black people would.
However, is race really the problem? Is gender? Women make less money than men if doing the exact same job on average, this is true, but is the answer to enforce ethnic, gender, or other quotas? I don't think so. It's entirely possible a poor white person could be denied entrance into a law school over a minority with lesser qualifications. This not only is wrong because merit is not the determining factor, but also because it exactly contradicts the intentions of affirmative action. As I have already stated, the first contradiction is fighting discrimination with further discrimination. The second is that it is meant to equalize society, to make society more fair.
But what are the reasons why these groups are put in a disadvantageous position? Surely, racism is not absolutely eliminated from anywhere. With that said, though, I believe there are adequate laws in place and that society has progressed far enough such that we do not need to institute quotas. But the main reason these groups could be considered to be placed in disadvantageous positions is because of socioeconomic conditions. Does this mean that we should change affirmative action to be geared toward individuals of lower incomes? I don't think this is a good idea, either. It is a better idea, but still not a good idea. There is still the issue of the first contradiction (fighting discrimination with more discrimination).
I think we just need to invest more into social programs and into education. The student loan situation is not a good one and educating your populace is without question an investment. And to appeal to the core audience of this website, if we legalized marijuana, I am sure that the government would have even more funds to be able to help out those who are truly in need of help.
I hope what I said here isn't too far off topic. Just in case it is, I have one last thing to say with regards to voting. I saw Marc Emery speak today in St. John's, Newfoundland. It was a very good talk. Something he mentioned was that voting can change things, but not voting is absolutely worthless. This is true. If you feel like you have to choose between (to cite South Park) a giant douche or a turd sandwich, why even choose? Why be forced to choose between the lesser of two evils? Or maybe all options are not worthy of your vote for different and difficult to quantify reasons? In Canada, I think that they record the number of spoiled ballots. If this is the case, that is one option. In fact, it is the only option present that I can think of. Well, besides "strategically voting," which is very anti-democratic.
I would very much like to see an additional box on every ballot:
"None of the above."
http://forums.cannabisculture.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1560076#Post1560076
I tend to vote NDP, but they along with the Green Party seem partial to affirmative action which is "reverse discrimination." Reverse discrimination only implies a directionality, i.e., it implies this is discrimination against the original discriminators. It is simply discrimination. Using discrimination to combat discrimination is clearly contradictory. That does not sit well with me.
I also know why these policies are supported by some people and I respect their intentions. They start with the question "Do you believe that past events and conditions influence future events and generations?" Clearly, the answer is a resounding "Yes!" A child has a better chance of succeeding in life if they are from a well-off family for many reasons, I trust you people have sufficient imagination to abstract reasons of your own. Similarly, people of different backgrounds, particularly those who are decedents of a traditionally oppressed group, are likely to have been negatively affected by the past actions of our society. For example, white people had a better chance of leading good lives and very adequately supporting their families for a longer period of time than black people would.
However, is race really the problem? Is gender? Women make less money than men if doing the exact same job on average, this is true, but is the answer to enforce ethnic, gender, or other quotas? I don't think so. It's entirely possible a poor white person could be denied entrance into a law school over a minority with lesser qualifications. This not only is wrong because merit is not the determining factor, but also because it exactly contradicts the intentions of affirmative action. As I have already stated, the first contradiction is fighting discrimination with further discrimination. The second is that it is meant to equalize society, to make society more fair.
But what are the reasons why these groups are put in a disadvantageous position? Surely, racism is not absolutely eliminated from anywhere. With that said, though, I believe there are adequate laws in place and that society has progressed far enough such that we do not need to institute quotas. But the main reason these groups could be considered to be placed in disadvantageous positions is because of socioeconomic conditions. Does this mean that we should change affirmative action to be geared toward individuals of lower incomes? I don't think this is a good idea, either. It is a better idea, but still not a good idea. There is still the issue of the first contradiction (fighting discrimination with more discrimination).
I think we just need to invest more into social programs and into education. The student loan situation is not a good one and educating your populace is without question an investment. And to appeal to the core audience of this website, if we legalized marijuana, I am sure that the government would have even more funds to be able to help out those who are truly in need of help.
I hope what I said here isn't too far off topic. Just in case it is, I have one last thing to say with regards to voting. I saw Marc Emery speak today in St. John's, Newfoundland. It was a very good talk. Something he mentioned was that voting can change things, but not voting is absolutely worthless. This is true. If you feel like you have to choose between (to cite South Park) a giant douche or a turd sandwich, why even choose? Why be forced to choose between the lesser of two evils? Or maybe all options are not worthy of your vote for different and difficult to quantify reasons? In Canada, I think that they record the number of spoiled ballots. If this is the case, that is one option. In fact, it is the only option present that I can think of. Well, besides "strategically voting," which is very anti-democratic.
I would very much like to see an additional box on every ballot:
"None of the above."
http://forums.cannabisculture.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1560076#Post1560076