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Is There Still Racism in IT Hiring Practices?
noahz asks: "Today [now three days ago] in the United States marks Martin Luther King Day, remembering the birthday - and legacy - of the great civil rights leader. It's been over 40 years since his march on Washington, back when IT was still in its infancy and was exclusively a white, male field. But, how much progress has been made in the IT world? I recently had a recruiter tell me that I would have no problem finding a job in the current economy - not because I am enthusastic, well-educated and have good experience - but because I am caucasian - 'white'. This particular recruiter insisted that his years experience has led him to this conclusion - but I wonder: what the collective experience of the Slashdot readership has found?"
I love it when racist white people blame being firing from jobs on the desire of their employer to hire minorities.
You were fired because you're an incompetent jackass, not because they wanted more black/asian/hispanic/etc., people there.
Face it. That reverse discimination card is overplayed by you crackerass motherfuckers.
As a Honky I have found no trouble obtaining IT employment at any time during the last 8 years. A friend and colleague who started working in IT at the same time as me is a self-described kaffir (though he's not from south Africa, he simply likes the term) has had no trouble finding similar employmentfor the same period of time, at equivalent rates of pay. In my country, at least, Kaffirs and Honkies have equal chances of obtaining IT work.
I know an asian woman. She is dumb as a post. She has a degree in statistics (took seven years.) By talking to her, you can quickly tell she knows nothing about nothing. But she has no trouble landing 6 figure DBA positions in large corporations. Personally, I believe she is a "slot filler". She fills a needed diversity slot.
Just my opionion.
Fuck you, you trolling bitch.
It's not my fault you're a racist pig.
Fuck you, you neo-Nazi fuck. Fuck you.
I work in a small IT company in Australia. The owner and all of the people running it are white but more than 50% of the employees are not (including me). I suppose my boss believes that he should get the best person for the job.
However I have seen that in many cases, if there are 2 people (one white and an Asian for instance) with the exact same skillset and experience applying for a job, then the white man will most probably get the position. There isn't much racism when the non-caucasian has obviously better skills. This is just from my experience that's why I suppose us "minorities" are somewhat forced to work harder, get more qualifications, get better grades than the white masses. We can't compete with them on the same level so we have to do more.
I'll tell you where--we're no further along the road to equal rights than we were when King marched. The only difference now versus then is there are no colored entrances.
Racism still abounds--both in America and around the world. People are still paranoid, xenophobic, prejudiced, racist fucks that all deserve to be shot.
I refuse to answer that question on the grounds that you're an idiot!
Actually I've encountered many minorities and women promoted over my Male White Mind and Body (MWMAB) to meet EOE requirements. It happens a lot in companies run by Jewish shareholders/upper management..that is companies like IBM, Microsoft, Financial center Banks, etc. Generally after I've saved their minority asses (at least 12 occasions on last count over two years) from their own ignorant disasters, I smile and know that at the end of my hard working day, no matter if my minority boss is trying to make a case about something, I am the one that carries their less intelligent asses in my hand - and they know it. Often, they thank me for saving their ignorant asses. In an earlier age of America say 1964, when the US was 80% white they would be bringing me coffee and emptying my trash can but today, I must work to overcome their ignorance and still get the job done. Call me a cracker fool but it is actually enjoyable to watch the demoted white guy call them on their stupidity without saying a word. The female managers recognize it but stupidly go along any way. Some of them actually think they did all the work and write that out on their yearly review that may get attention from the "Diversity" team at the company. Promotions for a minority are quite easy these days if an intelligent MWMAB is backing them up. These minorities would rather have another minority, preferrably Indian or Asian, backing them up so it's a full Diversity win, but from what I've seen, most intelligent foreign minorities back away from the ignorant US domestic minorities. Canada is just strange where minorities are now crawling around in companies like cockroaches over the dead MWMAB body in the corner.
Strangely, when I'm on vacation, a lot of bad things happen in the office - systems go down, bottlenecks occur, people forget things, things get lost, ideas get lost, projects get delayed, frantic calls of "whaa happen? Wad am I suppose to do?" on the voice recorder. I'm white and the leaders are black - it's a normal course of events. Yes, they talk a good game and "sound" like good managers but you can only cover up their less intelligence only so much. Eventually their ignorance sticks out like a poor inner-city 9-month single pregnant mother on crack listening to gangster rap. I've found that shouting in team meetings is fun - by going ahead and being that "crazy white guy" (I am actually a minority at this company), people shut up pretty quick and let me lay down the law. Sadly, these ignorants get paid more than me. Perhaps, this is were I let my own "ignorance" befall my state?
With the Indian H1-Bs, I've found that if I let the minority ladies explain everything to the Indian, the Indian H1-B will politely cough, become confused and then later ask me everything I know about the project they are expected to do. The H1-Bs are paid about my salary so why overwork to help the minorites? I politely smile and say those ladies are the experts follow their project plans to completion and you too will get promoted while I will stay here just doing my job. If the H1-Bs get to nosy are start angling for my job, playing the crazy, paranoid white guy is effective. Crying works extremely well. The Indians can't concentrate - hold up the picture of your child and say, "I can't lose my job, I just had a baby. What if some Pakistani with a visa took your father's job in India - what would you do? Please don't take my job.". A tear will totally draw a brain freeze. People are uncomfortable and then they will never bother you again for help. Speaking really loud also helps. Annoyingly loud when you ask the job taker, "Amin, can you come over here and help me with this- you are sooo smart? By the way what college did you graduate from? Oh I heard that college was not the best university in India. Why did they hire you?". Yes, a cracker smiles and sleeps soundly at night and earns a steady pay check.
The simple fact is that white men don't sue based on racism or sexism when let go or fired. There is that risk with minorities and women, regardless of how large or small. I've seen it happen several times now... You look and think, "Why did they keep that guy? He has no skills..." You know why? Fear of lawsuits.
I'm sorry to say it, and someone will accuse me of racism. Still, I remember a very good black friend of mine flat out telling me that the only reason I was laid off and he was kept was because he was black. He knew as well as I did. And he wouldn't have sued for being laid off, but so it goes...
[FromTheMorning]
The main reason we are so lost when you are away is that we miss your big soft white marshmellow ass and get all mauldlin. Now make me a cup of coffee and suck my cock like the submissive white-bread trailer-trash motherfucker you are.
Looking for discrimination against white men?
When I ran my own business, I hired people I could trust -- friends of the boss, people I went to college with, people with connections -- of whatever color or gender. So tell me again why I am incorrect to explain my own actions? And some people see racism where there isn't any.Check out how universities recruit and promote tenure track professors. You can be the most qualified and experienced chemist in the world, but no matter how many doctorates you have, if you are a white male good luck finding a position as an Associate Professor anywhere in the USA. Usually the second paragraph of every posting will read "Minorities and women are encouraged to apply.".
There was a guy who I worked with who was fired, when I talked to him later he ranted on and on about the only reason he lost his job was because he was of mixed race, because his grandmother was Haitian.
The truth was everybody from the CEO on down thought this dude was a full-blooded Swede, the company fired him because he came to work stoned (when he bothered showing up at all).
I do not deploy Linux. Ever.
This is something I explained to my last boss.
I am often at a disadvantage as come into any "in person" interaction in a technical conversation.
It often goes something like this.
I state the issue.
They then rephrase the issue, adding something not really relevant to the issue but closely related to show how smart they are.
I, out of politeness, say oh that's interesting, or some other meaningless drivel to show them that I too understand basic Calculus, OSI, or traffic law, etc.
I then move on to state my idea for solving the issue.
One of three things happens.
40% of the time:
"Oh no, that won't work because (insert bullshit techno babble about TCP/IP, IPSec, pointers)."
I call bullshit on them and prove it.
They then don't like it and leave me out of the little cliques and such.
20% of the time:
(They're so impressed they break into Japanese!)
40% of the time:
Show me!
Being a Black man who speaks perfect English, who can converse in multiple languages aside from only English and Spanish, and coming from a single parent home in a drug-infested, crime-ridden ghetto (think New Jack city only where the cops never won) I'm often underestimated, undervalued, and ignored. I don't let this get to me though and I'm not one who simply says, "Whitey is out to get me!" (If fact while it is very true I've over some it and many other things I won't discuss on a public forum to get where I am today). I think that people as a whole, not just white or black; have been conditioned by the mass media on how to think. When I'm presented with a hiring decision, it typically goes to whomever can come up with the best "on the spot" thinking. That said, I will admit that when spoken language isn't an issue many AMERICAN blacks are at a distinct disadvantage as critical thinking (which is something that MUST be taught) isn't very stressed in many US schools today particularly inner city urban schools where they are often focused on "cookbook math and phonics" rather than the underlying abstract meanings which is the true basis for comprehension of those subjects.
I'm digressing from my original subject not to show how smart I am but to show that the question is too limited in scope.
I've worked in IT, and because I can calculate multi-dimensional state tables in my head I can sometimes out route a router.
I've worked in sales, and because I have a firm grasp of sales psychology I can typically close sales (it took 3 other salesmen combining their sales to beat me once and they only beat me by a fraction of a percent).
I've worked in retail, and because I can multitask like a well designed Unix Daemon, I could work multiple registers simultaneously (during Xmas season it's often quicker to do it yourself than explain to a temp worker for the nth time how to do something).
My IQ was rated at about 190 when I was 12 but I never had the opportunity to just exclusively go to school and not work. I've held some type of job since I was 13 to help make ends meet. Somehow in that time, I taught myself digital electronics, and as a side effect math and physics. An abusive early childhood left me with a nearly insatiable desire to read whatever I could get my hands on (if I'm smart nothing bad will ever happen to me, hey I was only 5). I built my first computer, an Apple II clone (I had an original manual with the schematic in the back). I never got it to work quite right (Hey Woz is THE MAN!), but I use that today in a lot of the cool toys I build now.
My point is really simple.
There is significant discrimination against me. I never say my race or send a pic with my CV. That solves that as you can't inquire on someone's race in ANY kind of interview except for positions related to national security. Most roadblocks an underclass face are placed there by those with power. An easy solution would be to say that those are the minorities fault but no they're not. What IS the minorities fault and often fatal mistake is simply
"Chinese Amazons, power armor, laser swords.... things just meant to be." - Shampoo, A Very Scary Bet
Who's doing the favoring? Don't say "you're." I've never participated in any of it. And last I checked, students, regardless of race, decide their own college majors. Am I wrong?
Also, you're the one who resorted to name calling...
[FromTheMorning]
And what happens if every single person who was the best for the job was white, or asian, or some other homogeneous mix?
You'll get complaints that you are a racist company, and then they'll force hiring you to hire some other-race person, even if it's not the best person for the job. That's what will happen.
So I don't buy your argument, in theory it just might be true, but in the real world preception is everything - you might want be a very non-racist company and hire the best persons, but in the real world that just won't happen - they'll force you to hire worse people just so that you'll look less racist.
-Ariel
Last nigger I saw as an IT director ran an entirely Windows shop. That's because niggers are dumb and think microsoft will solve all their problems.
I refuse to discuss IT with niggers, unless they show up at the local LUG of their own accord. Some niggers are smart enough to use Linux, but most of them are just stupid.
It's a shame, really. Everybody talks about how Linux is nigger-rigged together, but the vast majority of niggers don't want anything to do with it.
Cook the jews.
I don't mind Indians so much. The head of my CS department is an Indian, and he is a really smart and nice guy. But I am plain scared of black people. If you just look at one for too long here in West. Ky, they get pissed of and start asking what you are looking at, and start yelling, hollering, and jumping up and down like a monkey. My white sister dated a half black guy, and he was violent as hell. He'd come to the house at like 2AM, and I'd ask him what he was doing, and he would get all crazy and violent with me. I love to give people the benefit of the doubt, but when I do, I always end up shooting myself in the foot.
Latinas-->do my landscaping and stand around my local 7-eleven in the morning. Women-->stay in the kitchen. Blacks-->provide my entertainment by playing basketball and saying "yo yo you" and "you know when I'm saying?". See. The white man will always prevail. LOL!
Linux sucks. It is an underground OS that is completely unstandardized. Linux geeks, get the fuck over yourselves.
Some time ago, while I was visiting a friend in SF, we were talking in spanish between us when another co-worker came in told us: Hey! You are in "America", speak in english!
Note that he wasn't there when we were talking, we weren't lefting him out of it.
Guess, some people forget that they live in San Francisco and some time ago spanish was the main language in that city, same with Los Angeles, etc.