Women Refs in the NBA

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by ilyazhito

The problem is when they are promoted because they are female rather than due to ability.

While I like the idea of affirmative action for any underrepresented minority, I may have some issues with the specifics of automatic promotions for just being an underrepresented minority. I am 100% behind targeted recruiting of underrepresented minorities, but once in the system, promotions should be based on performance and ability, not on anything else (regarding gender, IAABO, from the international level down to the local level, has such a recruiting program in place).

I'm a semi-fan of the NFL Rooney Rule, a policy that requires league teams to interview ethnic-minority candidates for head coaching and senior football operation jobs, even though there is no hiring quotas, or hiring preferences, given to minorities, only an interviewing quota. At least ethnic-minority candidates get a foot in the door at interviews. The only problem that I have with it is that hasn't worked that well over time.

For me, it's a complex issue, with many layers to peel away from the onion, for example, if a private (maybe even a public institution) college or university wants to increase the number of minority students (race, gender, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, age, sexual identity, economic status (class), background (urban, suburban, rural, foreign born), etc.) because the administration sincerely believes that a more diverse student population will benefit all its students, both during their education, and after graduation out in the real world, as well as being a big "draw" ("We welcome everybody, we're very diverse, we get our students ready for the real world, etc.") that may increase overall student enrollment, both minorities and non-minorities, something that all colleges and universities are now struggling with, I'm pretty much all for it. Only pretty much because isn't that in itself a form or racism, sexism, or some other ism? Can "reverse ...ism exist? Is there something unfair to the rich, white, straight, Christian, American, boy who, while very deserving (grades, test scores, extracurricular activities, recommendations, etc.) doesn't get into his first choice college because a minority student took his "spot"? I wish I had the answer, but I don't, because I'm not smart enough.