Donald fires Carolyn, Trump kids benefit: A lesson in affirmative action

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Donald Trump fired Carolyn Kepcher, which is obviously big news if you watch The Apprentice, and still big news, though in a less obvious way, if you don’t.

Kepcher started her career as a waitress and she worked her way up in his organization. Recently she has become a counterpart to Trump (and generally more respected than he is) as the sidekick on his TV show the Apprentice. More importantly, she is a widely listened to speaker and author about how women can maneuver in the workplace.

But Carolyn will be fine. She’s talented and smart and she’s probably fielding great offers as I type.

The important thing here is nepotism. Donald fired Carolyn because he realized that he gave her a spotlight to run with (which she did, good for her), but he would rather be giving it to his kids – Ivanka and Don Jr. No big surprise. Most people with power want to give it to their kids. And most powerful people are white males, so white males are busy distributing power in an unequal way. Sure, Ivanka Trump benefits too, but only because she’s the daughter of a rich white man.

What about the people who are not children of rich white men? They do not receive as many opportunities to become powerful. Just look at the admissions process for top universities. If you are an alumni (and a majority of Ivy League alumni with college-age kids right now are rich, white men) you have a much higher chance of being accepted to a top university.

Everyone who complains that affirmative action is unfair should take a look at how Trump is running his organization. Because it’s not unique. And he is using a tried-and-true version of affirmative action for his family.

Affirmative action for minorities in the workplace is not a way to give minorities an advantage. It’s a way to counterbalance the combination of a concentration of wealth among white men and a strong history of nepotism in American institutions.

I’m happy that Donald fired Carolyn. It’ll give everyone a great example to point to when we talk about unfair advantages in the workplace.

/8 Comments
8 replies
  1. The Zero Boss
    The Zero Boss says:

    Wow – big news. I have to admit, I haven’t watched The Apprentice since Kendra wiped the floor with Tana’s bedazzled ass. Now, with Carolyn out, I have even less of a reason to tune in. Sounds like he’s turning it into a cross between The Apprentice and The Osbournes.

  3. Mr. Ed
    Mr. Ed says:

    I started to lose interest in the show at the close of Season 4 when the girl that worked so hard was not also hired. I felt she got a bum deal.

    Then during Season 5 I was busy with a “Real Estate” project of my own – building a storage shed – and just did not have time to watch it after about half-way into the season.

    Now with this shocker I do not plan to watch it ever again. I just don’t care for “The Donald Trump Show”.

    Besides that, I am tired of watching the immaturity of the contestants with their infighting. It has become quite stale.

  6. Andre Radojcich
    Andre Radojcich says:

    Systems of nepotism disadvantage poor white people as much as they disadvantage poor minorities. Affirmative Action doesn’t right this imbalance of opportunity, it simply shifts the weight of the imbalance further onto poor white people. The only equitable solution is a system based on socio-economic status.

    * * * * * *
    Yes. Good point. I totally agree.
    –Peneope

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