PajamasMedia.com
By Roger Clegg

There is nothing wrong with diversity, and it is perfectly fine for companies to be vigilant and aggressive in ensuring that their workplaces seek and welcome the best people available. But, by precisely the same token, there is everything wrong with using racial, ethnic, and sex discrimination to achieve a politically correct mix of employees.

And, let’s face it, when you hear that a company “celebrates diversity,” you can be pretty sure that quotas and preferences — a.k.a. goals and timetables — are the life of the party.

A recent column in the Wall Street Journal — of all places — asserts that “diversity is good for the bottom line because it enables [business chiefs] to recruit the best talent, enlist broad thinking and reach diverse customers world-wide.” Okay, that’s a good summary of the case that is made for diversity. (The column then concludes that this “requires CEOs to link their managers’ compensation to achieving more diversity.” Quotas, q.e.d.) But if you think about it, none of the reasons given justifies race- or gender-conscious hiring.

READ MORE: http://pajamasmedia.com/2008/03/the_downside_of_celebrating_di.php

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