>No discrimination problems in Europe? It is still ocurring today:
>
http://academic.udayton.edu/Race/06hrights/GeoRegions/Europe/EU01.htmI can't follow the article at all. It must be difference in the definition of what discrimination means. Women are under presented in top functions as well and often receive lower saleries than their male counterparts. It does not have anything to do with raceism. It often has to with culture and practical limitations. Females between 20-40, tend to get pregnant a couple of times and when they return from maternal leave they often return of a limited number of hours a week (parttime), which could explain why you won't see so many women in top positions as top positions tend to anything but parttime.
As for blacks and arabs. The article describes two situations (the US and Europe) that cannot be compared at all. One different factor is integration. On the average black americans are way better integrated in the american society than the blacks and arabs in european society. In europe they are more able to sustain their own culture and therefore creating a gap between them and native europeans. This is esspecially true in france and maybe germany as well. If you look at the dutch situation, the proportion of well educated minorities is way different than in the US. And of course there is a great difference in immigration policies we have received a lot of chanceless refugees from all over the world that would not have been excepted in the US. Today our newspaper says that though we have an unemployment rate of about 6 percent, about 200.000 (approx 2.5%) positions cannot be filled in because of shortage of skilled craftsmen.
But this discussion started with the discrimination that happened in the US in the first half of the 20th century. Something that to my knowledge was not anything as severe up here. The thing the article observes IMO is caused by integration of minorities rather than discrimination. We are giving them a chance, but they have to take it.
BTW, I do have one black hero in dutch parlement: Ayaan Hirsi Ali. I don't neccesarely agree with her all the time, but she showed that though she could integrate into the dutch society within a couple of years and made it to the dutch parlement. She only in the beginning of her 30-ties, but already has shown an exceptional courage. And as in the US, the news is broadcasted by minorities, you'll find minorities as standup comedians, in all ranks in the government as well.
Also the article points out that there are a lot of cultures in europe and that depending of where you are, you are a minority, regardless whether you're black or white. You cannot compare people from scandanavia with people from spain, italy, greece and france. There are huge differences which probably are far greater than you'll find in the US.
Walter,
>
In Europe, we could not find one top company with a minority CEO, and few with even one minority officer at any senior level. There’s a pretend colorblindness in Europe today." says Dr. John Wrench of the Danish Centre for Migration and Ethnic Studies. " In Britain, Government statistics show that 18- to 24-year-old Asians and blacks are overrepresented in higher education, yet are less likely than whites to find jobs directly after graduation.>
>Thhis was of course before the 2003 EU law.
