In the new millennium, discrimination and prejudice have been all but eradicated. Discrimination and prejudice have been debated over and over with only one answer to the problem, to try and end it. As of this point in my life, I haven't been faced with much discrimination or prejudice because I am a white male, but I have observed it all around me. .
The most personal case of discrimination that comes to mind has happened to my mother. A few years ago (after teaching for twenty years in the Pinellas County school system) she applied for the job Curriculum Regulator for the Home Economics department. After many arduous and time consuming interviews that lasted over a month, she received news that she didn't get the job. This was no big deal to my mother, who said she was relieved because she wouldn't have to drive farther to work every day. After a few days she heard from friends who work in the school board that she didn't get the job because "they needed to hire a minority."" It turns out that the "minority- was a young Mexican lady who had only been teaching for 4 years. This information came as a shock for my mother and she was very upset that ethnic origin had more weight in the hiring process than work experience and a good résumé. .
This personally upset me very much because I know how hard my mother worked to have a shot at that position. I feel that people have pressured the government so much about discrimination and prejudice that the government has made it very hard for the common white person to get a job. I feel that if two people are of different backgrounds and have the same qualifications, the employer can decide who he wants to hire. I think it is morally and ethically wrong to hire someone because of their ethnic background over anyone else with better qualifications.
In the future, I think I will also be faced with discrimination. If today's trends continue and all of the minorities want their fair share in the workforce, regardless of experience, then I can see myself being in the same situation as my mother was.
