In 2011, I wrote about living in the largely homogeneous state of Montana. Since then, I moved to Jacksonville, Florida, where I have lived for nearly four years. The transition from a rural, largely white state, to a very diverse one was challenging, but it gave me much to observe......Jacksonville is much more integrated, and my first impression was of subsumed racial tension. I noticed that whites were always overly friendly to blacks, yet at the same time they seemed guarded. I mentioned this to a co-worker and lifelong Jacksonville resident; he told me that around blacks there was always an “uneasiness,” as he put it. This is not simple “racism.” Whites are right to feel uneasy around blacks because of their crime rates, anger towards whites, and impulse to blame any disagreement on racism.
I have had two jobs in Jacksonville. My first employer held to what seemed to be strict affirmative action, hiring non-whites to maintain a racial balance. The director, for fear of lawsuits, would almost never fire black employees, but quickly got rid of incompetent whites. This led to a stratified workforce, with most whites in mid- to upper-level positions, and most blacks at the bottom. There were a few qualified blacks in important roles, but they were exceptions. Affirmative action had a predictable effect on employee race relations. Blacks assumed they were at the bottom because of racism; whites saw blacks doing little or nothing without being fired, while they had to work hard. Naturally, there was resentment on both sides.
At my second job, nearly every employee was white. In a large meeting of 40 people, maybe one was black. But he was competent because the company hired on the basis of merit. You can imagine which company had better racial harmony.............But diversity has brought what it always brings: crime, violence, tension, and lack of trust.........To Read More.....
I have had two jobs in Jacksonville. My first employer held to what seemed to be strict affirmative action, hiring non-whites to maintain a racial balance. The director, for fear of lawsuits, would almost never fire black employees, but quickly got rid of incompetent whites. This led to a stratified workforce, with most whites in mid- to upper-level positions, and most blacks at the bottom. There were a few qualified blacks in important roles, but they were exceptions. Affirmative action had a predictable effect on employee race relations. Blacks assumed they were at the bottom because of racism; whites saw blacks doing little or nothing without being fired, while they had to work hard. Naturally, there was resentment on both sides.
At my second job, nearly every employee was white. In a large meeting of 40 people, maybe one was black. But he was competent because the company hired on the basis of merit. You can imagine which company had better racial harmony.............But diversity has brought what it always brings: crime, violence, tension, and lack of trust.........To Read More.....
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