An Asian Reader Says White Unemployment Statistics Don’t Surprise Him
| AR Articles on Racial Preferences in Hiring |
|---|
|
The Fight Against Racial Preferences (Jun. 1999) |
|
Quotas in the San Francisco Fire Department (Sep. 1998) |
|
The Chicago Police Exam (Oct. 1994) |
| More news stories on Racial Preferences in Hiring |
Re: Edwin S. Rubenstein’s Column: National Data: A Cold February for White Workers
I read Rubenstein’s statistics on white unemployment and frankly, as a 28-year—old Asian, I’m not surprised.
I live in New York and grew up with a multiethnic circle of friends consisting of whites, Hispanics and Asians. As a post college graduate, I know that the realities of affirmative action and the broader goal of diversity are more far reaching than any statistics can indicate.
Let me start off by saying in the private sector minorities like me generally have layoff protection. We are essentially guaranteed employment regardless of downsizing or off-shoring.
Frankly, the only people I know who have been laid off in the past few years are white. Some white friends who are computer programmers or engineers have been unemployed for some time.
Most of the black and Hispanics from our group have stable civil service jobs at various levels of government which pay private sector salaries but offer public sector benefits and stability.
As an Asian professional, I have my pick of job openings when they become available. I have already landed positions where there were an average of 200 applicants. I have started a business and bought real estate through Small Business Association and other minority programs.
The whites in our group have not fared as well. To be honest, I feel for them.
I have three or four friends who have applied for graduate programs who have at least 3.8 grade point averages. None of them have gained admission.
Other white friends have applied for public sector and teaching jobs but again none have been called for interviews except to undesirable school districts.
And, as an added advantage, I must say that Asian’s economic success and elevated status have improved our romantic prospects.
In high school, most interracial couples were usually white men with Asian women. But now that the economic marketplace subordinates whites, every Asian I know now has a trophy white girlfriend. It is interesting to observe the link between economics and romance.
It looks like if you’re white and don’t have old money or good connections, life is pretty tough.
(Posted on March 24, 2006)