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Originally Posted by Natalya
Maybe the real problem is that it's seen as bad to be part of a minority group?
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It's not that it's bad to be part of a minority group, it's bad to be seen as a possible liability to potential employers, who might not give a damn about your skin color or ethnic background, but do care about the possibility of being sued.
Case in point: I used to work for (well, several levels down the hierarchy :-)) a black guy, who's now a VP at one of the world's largest tech companies. His first name happens to be Mark. How far do you suppose he would have gotten if his parents had saddled him with a "black" name like say "DaMark", and the attitudes that go along with such names?
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I have an eastern-european name, is that irresponsible? Should I go to the courthouse and pay to get it changed to Natalie?
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I don't know. Do eastern Europeans have a pattern of filing discrimination lawsuits &c? Or are they (as a group) seen as better educated and harder working than the average American? Maybe Natalie would have more opportunities if she changed her name to Natalya, and put on a little bit of an accent :-)
Understand that I'm not saying that these perceptions are right, either factually or ethically. I'm just saying that they do exist, and that sensible people need to recognize it.