Yeah I think targeting income brackets is the way to go. It’s a more precise target. Because not everyone from a minority group is economically disenfranchised, though of course many are. So targeting income brackets would still have the effect of increasing diversity, but at the same time it would ensure that the individuals benefiting from these programs are those that need it most.
In addition to targeting, my concern is making such initiatives socially sustainable by defusing the backlash that tends to occur when minority groups get (deserved) advantage over the majority, along with the ease of weaponization of such backlash by political actors. It should be much more difficult to get people to sign up to “We shouldn’t be giving preference to poorer people for hiring!” than “We shouldn’t be giving preference to [insert visible minority] for hiring!” because most people do not feel very wealthy and thus the former slogan goes against their own (and their children’s) interest. And thus I think the majority would tend to willingly uphold such policies on the basis of their own self-interest, similar to how the vast majority of canucks support universal healthcare.
Yeah I think targeting income brackets is the way to go. It’s a more precise target. Because not everyone from a minority group is economically disenfranchised, though of course many are. So targeting income brackets would still have the effect of increasing diversity, but at the same time it would ensure that the individuals benefiting from these programs are those that need it most.
In addition to targeting, my concern is making such initiatives socially sustainable by defusing the backlash that tends to occur when minority groups get (deserved) advantage over the majority, along with the ease of weaponization of such backlash by political actors. It should be much more difficult to get people to sign up to “We shouldn’t be giving preference to poorer people for hiring!” than “We shouldn’t be giving preference to [insert visible minority] for hiring!” because most people do not feel very wealthy and thus the former slogan goes against their own (and their children’s) interest. And thus I think the majority would tend to willingly uphold such policies on the basis of their own self-interest, similar to how the vast majority of canucks support universal healthcare.
I agree with you completely