After reading another blogger's thread on the disparity in salary among college level educators, I have to take a serious look at things. Sure, critics can say all they want, but isn't the point of those statistics to take a look at whether we truly have become an egalitarian society?
In my life, I can honestly say I have not once seen a case of sex discrimination, and only once seen a clearcut case of racial discrimination (I applied for a job, and was hired; a hispanic man that applied at the same time, with a remarkably similar work history [we had both just completed a run of various seasonal employments] was rejected (this was on the spot...no time for reference checks or drug tests to be a factor). I have worked jobs where merit determines your salary, and hard work nets rewards. I have to ask myself: do I live in a bubble, or are a good number of Americans starting to see a person for the work skills they bring to the table, the professional attitude, etc? Since I have resided in a wide variety of regions, in rural and urban settings, I am inclined to believe the latter is true.
One of the chief benefits of the "profit at all cost" mentality that has affected many businesses, is they adopt a "what have you done for me lately" outlook. A worker that brings in productivity, efficiency, and, most importantly, profit, is likely to be highly regarded no matter the color of his/her skin, or their gender.
In closing, I tend to agree that we really do need to try to reach Dr. King's dream of not being judged by the color of our skin, but by the content of our character. But I think we're closer than many critics think. And maybe, just maybe, we can stop marching, stop pointing out our differences and truly try to behave like good little boys and girls.
Wait, maybe I AM a bit shortsighted...
signing off,
Gideon MacLeish