this post was submitted on 07 Mar 2024
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A federal judge in Texas has ruled that the U.S. Minority Business Development Agency, founded during the Nixon administration, must avail itself to disadvantaged entrepreneurs of all races and ethnicities, including whites.

The summary judgment rendered on Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman, appointed in 2019 by then-President Donald Trump, was the latest in a recent series of federal court decisions rolling back decades of affirmative action programs aimed at remedying racial discrimination.

Pittman, a judge in the Forth Worth branch of the Northern Texas District, sided with two white businessmen who sued the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA), a branch of the Commerce Department, last year after being denied benefits on the basis of race.

The plaintiffs were told they were ineligible for agency assistance because they were not members of any of the races or ethnicities included on a list of qualified minorities presumed to be disadvantaged and thus entitled to services, according to the judge's summary of the case.

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[–] [email protected] 30 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (9 children)

Honestly I don't understand the problem here. Poverty is a class issue, not a race issue. Who cares what somebody's skin colour is if they need help?

Edit: Apparently calling out racism is controversial in US subs 🤷

[–] dogslayeggs 38 points 8 months ago (2 children)

It's not controversial, but it is ignorant of the underlying issues. Yes, poverty is a class issue; but it's also a race issue. It's a lot easier for a white person to change their class than it is for a black person (or any person of color). Give a white person a million dollars and they are accepted almost everywhere. Give a black person a million dollars and they are still denied access to opportunities.

If you give two race car drivers the same car and training, but one of them has friends/family who are a fully professional crew to do their pit stops and the other doesn't have any friends who know about cars and has to change their own tires and fill their gas tank, then guess who is going to win that race. If you give those same two drivers the same professional pit crew but one has a shitty car, then guess who is going to win. The problem is unequal starting points requiring unequal assistance to ensure equal ending points. Giving everyone equal access to equipment/training doesn't give equal endpoints if the starting point is different.

[–] shalafi 2 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

Go ahead and breakdown black/white ancestry for me, judge for us who belongs to what race, because America truly is a melting pot, kind of a mess.

Fuck me, I dated a Jamaican woman that had pale(ish) skin and hazel eyes, but seriously tight curls. Black or no? My wife is 50/50 Japanese/Pilipino. Which is she?

Here's a starter guide:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mischling_Test

Quadroons count as black? How about octoroons? 1/16th, uh, roon?

[–] Maggoty 10 points 8 months ago (1 children)

You guys are agreeing. Their analogy is talking about systemic racism and not getting the same treatment.

[–] shalafi 2 points 8 months ago (1 children)

I get systemic racism and privilege. As a middle-aged white guy, I'm stunned at the privilege, even vs. being a poor young white guy watching blacks get fucked over. Man do I have stories.

But granting government privilege by race sounds kinda messy, given my post, doesn't it?

My point is, we're so genetically mixed, it's getting harder by the day to point to a person and say, "Black!", or anything else. Jo Koy has some hilarious standup about Philippinos being the Mexicans of Asia. If you dropped me in a room with my wife's friends, and put in ear plugs, I couldn't tell!

Anyway, I'm white as fuck, and it's obvious. Maybe I should shut up.

[–] Maggoty 6 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Well if you want an answer, go tell a racist you have a black great grandparent. They subscribe to the one drop theory. But it's also not just about current stuff. It's about the generational trauma too. Just because someone was born lighter than their parents does not erase the difficulty inherent in anything involving their parents. Getting into school, camps, sports, banking, networking, etc.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Because whenever you try to target class, it ends up excluding on race.

Every single time it just so happens that white applicants hoovered up all the available program benefits and NOBODY ever knows why!

Not to mention the racial wealth gap, it is impossible to achieve racial equality so long as the same amount is being given to everyone. All that's doing is maintaining the current wealth gap, it does nothing to close the gap.

Equality will not be achieved until white people can fucking let go of the fact that black folks have to get stuff that white people will not for everyone to be on the same playing field, and that's just economically, we're not even talking about how "just hire the most qualified candidate!" only ever seems to be an issue when the qualified candidate is a PoC.

[–] MinorLaceration 20 points 8 months ago

"Who cares what somebody's skin colour is if they need help?"

Exactly. Helping people is helping people, regardless of who.

[–] Maggoty 5 points 8 months ago

Calling out racism? Are you really going to come in here with the affirmative action equals racism line and expect not to get downvoted?

Go look up banking while black and come back and tell me it's just a class issue.

[–] eatthecake 2 points 8 months ago

Texas already offers help for small business regardless of minority status:

The Governor's Office of Small Business Assistance and the Business Permit Office assist small and medium Texas businesses through advocacy, entrepreneurial support, education and technical assistance. The team serves as a focal point in the state for start-ups and small businesses of all sizes in urban, suburban and rural communities. The offices offer a variety of services, including assistance with permitting, licensing and regulatory compliance, small business resource referrals and informational small business webinars and events.

If a society is to properly serve the needs of all it's members then it must recognise that those needs differ, sometimes due to historical and ongoing abuse of certain groups. A one size fits all approach to social services is not going to work. Targeted help is needed and when racism is a factor then that help will naturally reflect the problem.

[–] shalafi 2 points 8 months ago

My wife is half Japanese, half Pilipino. So which is she?

Now take that to America. What if a person is half black, half white? The Nazis had some great ideas on breaking this sort of thing down.

[–] [email protected] -4 points 8 months ago (2 children)

I was concerned that this comment only had 5 downvotes, but then I saw you'd only posted it 12 minutes ago, so I have faith it will be bombed into oblivion as it deserves.

Targeted corrections to racism are not racism and racism is a separate problem from class. Sorry the demographic massively overrepresented in business and politics might have a few programs not available to them.

[–] MinorLaceration 0 points 8 months ago (1 children)

This comment didn't age well.

[–] [email protected] -2 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

There were 5 downvotes after 12 minutes and thirty something now. That there's a lot of other whiners upvoting doesn't make it a less derision-worthy comment.

[–] harderian729 -5 points 8 months ago

A lot of people on these forums don't understand how much they've been indoctrinated, on either side.