Well, Oklahoma’s most insane and embarrassing politician is at it again. This time, instead of saying ridiculous things like homosexuals are a bigger threat to our nation than terrorists, Sally Kern is talking about race, affirmative action and how the black kids are much lazier than (and not as ambitious as) the good little white kids she taught as an elementary school teacher.
From the Tulsa World:
The Oklahoma House of Representatives has approved a proposed constitutional amendment that would eliminate Affirmative Action in state government.
The proposed amendment passed by a vote of 59-14 Wednesday evening, with 28 members absent or not voting. It had already passed the Senate and will go to a vote of the people next year…
Rep. Sally Kern, R-Oklahoma City, said minorities earn less than white people because they don’t work as hard and have less initiative.
“We have a high percentage of blacks in prison, and that’s tragic, but are they in prison just because they are black or because they don’t want to study as hard in school? I’ve taught school, and I saw a lot of people of color who didn’t study hard because they said the government would take care of them.”
Kern said women earn less than men because “they tend to spend more time at home with their families.”
Yeah. I remember when I was a kid and the teacher would ask the class what we wanted to be when we grew up. All the white kids would shout out occupations like doctor, policeman and firefighter. The black kids would just say that they didn’t care because they wanted the government to care of them. They said this, of course, because as 7-year-old black children they not only lacked ambition and were lazy, but because they also understood federal policy on welfare, taxation and other socioeconomic issues.
Seriously, what a racist, bigoted bitch. Sally Kern is more embarrassing to our state than the dust bowl. She is the genital herpes of Oklahoma. She hides underneath bridges and eats the trolls that eat the billy goats.
That being said, her ignorant comments did accomplish one thing. They basically proved why affirmative action is still a pretty good idea.
You see, affirmative action is designed to make sure that women and minorities get a fair chance in a society that’s long been dominated by white men who own land and wackos like Sally Kern. And what affirmative action laws help guarantee is that employers, schools, and government programs do give minorities and women that fair chance.
About six months ago, I set through a presentation on affirmative action training at a management meeting with my old employer. I’m not a PHR, but this is how I gathered it worked. It was a bit different from what I thought it would be.
Basically, the demographics of a company’s workforce should correspond to the demographics of your region’s available workforce. Let’s say that data shows that the available workforce for a customer service position in a large call center in Oklahoma City is 70% female and 30% minority. Therefore, a call center in Oklahoma City should employ a similar demographic of people. But let’s say 80% of the call center’s employees are white men in their 40s. Well, that means there may be something wrong with hiring practices of that company, and that’s usually when the evil US government may intervene to find out why.
Based on that example, affirmative action doesn’t seem like that outlandish or bad of program. It basically makes sure that employers don’t discriminate. But for some reason, Chamber of Commerce and Tea Party Republicans alike both hate it. Chamber of Commerce people say that it results in reverse racism and poor hiring practices, while the tea baggers cry government interference in one of their areas where government interference is not acceptable.
But when they cry that conservative rhetoric, just go back to this quote by Ms. Kern:
“We have a high percentage of blacks in prison, and that’s tragic, but are they in prison just because they are black or because they don’t want to study as hard in school? I’ve taught school, and I saw a lot of people of color who didn’t study hard because they said the government would take care of them.”
Unfortunately, there are a lot of people out there in the world who share Sally Kern’s racism screwed up logic and ideology. The associate being poor and uneducated with being black and lazy. They think that the way you grow up and who you become is more predicated on the color of your skin than it is your culture, economic upbringing, parental involvement, etc.
Seriously, just imagine being an African-American and interviewing for a job with Sally Kern. She already has a preconceived notion in her mind that you are lazy and don’t work hard because you're black. Hell, imagine if you were gay, too. She’s then think you’re a lazy terrorist. Good luck getting that job!
Anyway, I could write on and on about this, but I'll end it with this point. Affirmative action laws are specifically designed to protect minorities and women from the Sally Kerns and other discriminatory bigots of the world. It’s no surprise she would want a program like that to end.
