Meritocracy?

Meritocracy?! We don't have no stinkin' meritocracy, fool!

Many of us don't care if you are male, female, straight, gay, black, white, Asian, Indian, old, young, etc., etc. We care that you are a good person who treats others in a civilized manner. We care about your skills, your contribution. You doing a good job. You trying for some higher personal ideals.

What we see is people hired or promoted because of their skin color, national origin, religion, gender, sexual preference or their politics. That is, all the things the law was supposed to address. This is not "righting past wrongs". When Diversity means no one outside "our group" will be hired or "No straight white men need apply." (Like in the past when "no black people need apply") This is not the way to do it. It is frankly disgustingly partisan.


I see this in microcosm in the lobby. Various vendors occasionally have lines of customers awaiting service. Some members of protected groups will allow/facilitate members of their group to cut into line, ahead of others who take no such liberties. Socking it to the man!


As I hear many times: "What good is my power and promotion if I can't hire and promote my friends, family and my group members!" Next step? "What good is my power and promotion if I can't get immense personal profit!" Welcome to the 3rd world. Oh, and no, not everybody does it!

I guess we humans are good at thinking of perfect worlds unfortunately those ideal worlds don't survive actual humans.

If one has the skills needed, one gets the job. Simply eschew your hypothetical criteria where diversity contributes to the business. This isn't college. Its work. In sales, diversity allows you to sell to prejudiced fools, it doesn't help in slinging code or making widgets. Intelligence, work ethic and cooperation counts more...unless you are in the government.