[Vigilanteman]

Once, at a company ‘holiday party’ (you can't say Christmas), I had the HR manager explain to me that there is a very simple and practical reason why this may be the case. It could have been the alcohol talking but what he said in essence was this: “It is very easy to fire a white person if the hire doesn't work out. But it is very complicated to fire a black person for the same reason.”

[Leaning Right]

> “It is very easy to fire a white person if the hire doesn’t work out. But it is very complicated to fire a black person for the same reason.” <

Good point. On a related note, it’s also why companies are often reluctant to hire workers over 40. Fire a younger worker, and out he goes. Fire an older worker, and you might get slapped with an age discrimination lawsuit.

[bigbob]

They told you the quiet part out loud. Some of us managers figured that out on our own but just kept it to ourselves and hoped HR didn’t cop to it when reviewing our hiring offers.

[Rockingham]

That is exactly the problem. Years ago, in "Civil Rights: Rhetoric or Reality?," Thomas Sowell made the same point. I also heard an interview in which he explained how as a young professor, he went through several dismal black secretaries.

In frustration, Sowell then asked his friend and mentor Milton Friedman how he had a black secretary who was a respected and popular marvel of cheerfulness and efficiency. Friedman explained that it was simple: he interviewed many applicants for the position, checked references, and then hired the best one without regard to race.

Using that method, Sowell never had another bad secretary, hiring black and white ones from time to time based solely on merit. Our idiotic Supreme Court makes that extraordinarily difficult these days.

[Mr. Jeeves]

But it is very complicated to fire a black person for the same reason.

Even 35 years ago the large company I was working for at the time would just pay fired blacks a lump sum of cash (rumored to be $10,000) if they would just go away quietly and not sue.

[Glad2bnuts]

A simple but elegant reason. In the 70’s I had a friend who was just 20 years old, but a dept manager in a mall. He hired a black guy to fold clothes, straighten up and schmooze and sell items. They guy was a disaster. He fired him after 1 week. The guy came back with “friends” and talked to the Manager of the entire mall, and threatened lawsuits etc. My buddy quit his job, because he got no support. They black guy was lazy, and he was stealing clothing. So there have been reasons to avoid hiring blacks for 54 years at least.

Ever wonder why all Post office jobs are staffed by minorities? Then you must be a redneck.

[Chickensoup]

That is very true.

Saw a medical center bring 4 attorneys a unit manager, and supervisor snd sn veep to the firing of a black CNA!