I aint' afraid of no stinkin' diversity program

I’m a middle aged white man working in a large corporation with a diversity program. Does that make me an endangered species? Should I be resentful? After all isn’t my future limited by that set of circumstances? Many of my white, middle aged, male coworkers think so.

But I am not resentful because whatever “limits” may be placed on my future because of some diversity initiative, I still figure I’ve got it pretty good. The easiest path to take in this life is the one of the American white male, and it’s only yours by birth (not counting Michael Jackson.) So it seems like sour grapes to complain about attempts to improve the paths that others are on.

The kind of preeminence enjoyed by white men for the first 200 years of this nation has certainly eroded. After all, when Thomas Jefferson wrote the self evident truth that “All men are created equal”, most people of the day understood that to mean white, able-bodied, Christian men of means, not their lessers; women, people of non-European descent, people of color, slaves and the indentured, the disabled, Native Americans, and the ordinary guy with no education or property. By some accounts this preeminence has not merely eroded but is in full retreat, leaving white men at an actual disadvantage. Bullshit Lets put this another way. About 37% of adults in the U.S. are white men. A typical diversity program may target 50% of new hires or leadership positions to be women or minorities. Looks like a pretty good deal to me. 37% of the population get 50% of the jobs. Oh for the good old days when we got 90% of the jobs.

Everyone who loses a job or promotion to someone else thinks they were the better choice. Except that now white men can join ethnic minorities, women, gays, and the disabled and blame discrimination (at least the ‘reverse’ kind) for their plight. Yes, discrimination still exists, and reverse discrimination is an occasional reality. But if any white man feels that the deck has been stacked against them they need to re-examine the deck. We’re still holding most of the cards. And just in case I ever feel really threatened by reverse discrimination, I can always try playing the gay card.