By Claire Andre, Manuel Velasquez, and Tim Mazur

Word list:

v reverse discrimination – обратная дискриминация

v preferential treatment - привилегированное, предпочтительное обращение

v to rectify present inequalities/the effects of past and ongoing discrimination against sb – исправлять существующее неравноправие/ эффекты прошлой и продолжающейся дискриминации

v to discriminate against sb/in favour of sb/on the grounds of sth, for example race, sex or religion – дискриминировать, проводить политику дискриминации по …признаку

v to eliminate inequities/racial and sexist barriers – устранять неравноправие

v to overlook=pass over for sth, for example promotion – пропускать?

v to victimize and stigmatize minorities – делать жертвой и клеймить меньшенства

v to provide an incentive to do sth - давать стимул

v to heighten animosity and tension among groups – увеличивать враждебность и напряжение между группами

v to increase friction among groups – увеличивать противоречия между группами

v entrenched and subtle discriminatory policies - укоренившаяся и хитрая политика дискриминации

v to permeate businesses and educational institutions – распространяться на бизнесы и образовательные учереждения

v to reinforce feelings of inferiority/stereotypes – усиливать чувство неполноценности, стереотипы

v to perpetuate sexism and racism - увековечивать сексизм и расизм

v bias and prejudice/to be prejudiced and biased against sb – предвзятость и предрассудки

v to be fueled by ignorance, contempt, and hatred – быть разожженным невежеством, презрением и ненавистью

v to relegate minorities and women to inferior positions in society – низводить меньшинства и женщин в низшие слои общества

Questions:

1) What’s the aim of preferential treatment programs?

2) What are the arguments for and against?

Time has not quelled (подавлять) controversy over policies of preferential treatment. First instituted in the 1960s and 1970s by employers and educational institutions in response to pressures from civil rights groups, federal legislation, and court rulings, preferential treatment programs seek to rectify the effects of past and ongoing discrimination against women and racial minorities. These programs are designed as temporary measures to increase the employment and educational opportunities available to qualified women and minorities by giving them preference in hiring, promotion, and admission. Toward this goal, some firms and institutions aggressively recruit minorities and women, others set numerical targets and timetables to raise the level of minority and female representation, and still others establish quotas to hire or admit a specified number of minority and female candidates.

As civil rights groups press for more aggressive and comprehensive preferential treatment programs to eliminate such inequities, opposition to these programs mounts. According to one poll, a majority of whites and one-third of blacks oppose preferential treatment for minorities. Opponents have long charged that the programs discriminate against white males. Recent critics, including several noted black scholars, argue that preferential treatment programs victimize and stigmatize minorities, increasing friction among groups. But defenders of the programs hail (приветствовать, провозглашать) them as the most expedient (целесообразный, подходящий) and fairest way to overcome racial and sexist barriers in our society. Are preferential treatment programs morally justified?

Дата добавления: 2015-10-31