Apparently it is actually news to people that companies such as LinkedIN and Google hire mostly white males. As a person who has not been living under a rock and reads material other than Salon, Counterpunch and Alternet I have long known that not only is the US a majority white nation (including white "hispanics") but it also follows that White folks create the vast majority of businesses. Not only that but white folks create the vast majority of businesses that hire people other than the principals (the majority of black owned businesses only employ the owner). Combining these two bits of information it is
expected that the vast majority of those hired at companies started by whites (particularly males) would in fact hire mostly white folks.
In other news, Korean grocery stores employ mostly Koreans and Chinese restaurants have mostly if not entirely Chinese staff.
Nothing to see there.
Moving onto the more interesting data, these companies both hire a staggeringly disproportionate number of Asians. Asians make up a very small percentage of the US population. They are less than half the population of African-Americans, and yet in both Google and LinkedIn, they make upwards of 30% of the workforce. Now either there is a hella affirmative action program for Asians or Asians as a group have such desirable skills that they are sought after by high tech companies.
I'll take the latter for $1000 Alex.
In predictable fashion both LinkedIN and Google promised to "do better". Do better at what? Hiring black folks to increase that 2%? How do they figure they'll do that? In a recent report on black students at NYC's premier public high schools which are populated by students on a strictly merit basis: An entrance exam; Whites and Asians make up the vast majority of the students. With Asians once again represented far higher than their population suggests they should. Blacks? Well you could count them on two hands. No
seriously. Two hands.
Are black folks going to actually blame white folks for the fact that they apparently cannot raise a decent cohort of students that can be competitive at science and math? I mean you don't need high tech equipment or even a computer to do math. Seriously. Paper, pencil and a book out the library will do. If the pipeline of top notch black programming talent is
dryer than Califorinia reservoirs, how exactly do LinkedIn and Google "do better"?
Seriously. Explain this to me. How is this Googles problem or LinkedIN's fault?
Look. If HARPO Studios, created by none other than Oprah Winfrey herself
cannot manage to employ 60% African-Americans at her studio why the hell should anyone be mad at Google or LinkedIN? Someone ought to send the EEOC to Harpo studios and get them to explain why a black company apparently cannot find qualified black staff.
I mean how is it that Oprah Winfrey could not find a BLACK CEO to run her company?
How about a Black CFO?
Nope. No dice.
No seriously. If I'm supposed to be mad at Google and LinkedIN for hiring their own and not hiring black folks, why should I let Harpo off the hook?
Question: If black people start businesses and employ white folks to run them and not other black folks, what signal does that send to the rest of the world about the qualifications of black professionals? And if black folks don't trust their own to run their own businesses why the hell should anyone else hire black folks to work for them?
Lead by example? No?
A little suggestion as to how to get black children to be good at math from
a recent article in the NY Times:
Soon Chrispin and Christopher had no choice but to listen to Haelleca. In February, their mother disconnected the television and locked away the Xbox after discovering that Chrispin had not been doing his homework for weeks in a row.
The television, and the things attached to it are the greatest detriment to a child's education in modern creation. Black children watch
more TV than any other group in the US.
This constant entertainment and stimulation that requires no effort is a top reason for the poor performance of students. Children who are watching TV are not reading. They are not being read to. They are not problem solving. They are not being creative with their time. They are not taking apart radios and other items out of curiosity (or straight boredom) and learning how things work. In short they are NOT LEARNING.
The Asians and whites who are clogging up the likes of Google, LinkedIn and Harpo are those who's parents did what they were supposed to do and made it clear to their children what was expected of them. Unlike say these folks:
Clearly a budding scholar in training. What are the odds that thing child will be suspended from school for discipline problems in the not to distant future? And surely the parents and others will blame racism and the all powerful white folks for that.
Cause you know, White folks are the reason for everything under the sun. Don't you know?
