Talk:Minority

Contents

1 split majority from minority 2 Minority? 3 moving sentance from article 4 bias 5 moved "PC" stuff from article

split majority from minority

Minority and majority should be split into two separate articles.

Minority?

This article needs to do a better job explaining the difference between the minority and majority that EVERYONE agrees with (the numerical ones) and the ones that are politically correct. Many object to the usage of of the term minority to refer to someone in the numerical majority, and it needs to be better clarified as such. I think the last paragraph needs perhaps the most work, it concerns me. Sam Spade 07:51, 26 Feb 2004 (UTC)

I wrote it, what are you objections? Nikola

I made some edits. Since I was reverted when removing the last section, I will wait for others to rewrite it. Perhaps then we might remove the NPOV header? Sam Spade 08:08, 26 Feb 2004 (UTC)

I don't know who inserted the NPOV header, I don't see the article as NPOV. Nikola 09:02, 26 Feb 2004 (UTC)

"These policies are notoriously controversial, and are often viewed as either being insufficient, or as unacceptable racial preferences" -- surely it would be unacceptable racial preference NOT to have these policies? And why would they be controversial? Nikola 22:13, 26 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Firstly, our own personal POV's are not the issue here. My opinion might upset you, and if you would like to hear it, I suggest you contact me outside of the wiki. If you would like to hear some examples of people being upset by racial preferences, here are some links [1] (http://www.oup.com/us/catalog/general/subject/Philosophy/Political/~~/dmlldz11c2EmY2k9MDE5NTE0ODk0MA==)[2] (http://www.yaf.org/press/talking_points/racial_preferences_03.asp)[3] (http://www.townhall.com/columnists/larryelder/le20030522.shtml). I will have you know that this is nowhere near as clear cut a matter of concensus as you seem to believe, and is actually the source of a great deal of contentious debate, violence, and legal contests. Sam Spade 01:12, 27 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Well, I wasn't talking about ratial preferences. I think that this rewrite will cover what you wanted to say. Nikola 00:15, 29 Feb 2004 (UTC)

• OK, I just worked over a significant amount of the article. With all due respect to the previous writer, it was simply far too lawyerly and kept beating around the bush when the point could have been made. A minority is less than half the population, and--generally speaking--is also smaller than at least one other sub-group (i.e. it does not form a plurality). There, I think that's about as good as you'll get.

moving sentance from article

"Converse is also possible: for example, although oversea Chinese people are outnumbered by local residents, they tend to dominate economy and politics." I'd like some documentation on this, I don't know it to be the case. Sam Spade 10:04, 26 Feb 2004 (UTC)

bias

Yet another page with a politically correct (aka leftist) bias. Not everyone worships certain people for the sole reason they aren't white or male. --130.218.71.187

moved "PC" stuff from article

I've removed the following:

In recent decades the term minority has taken on a new meaning among the politically correct, being used to refer to a group with which they perceive to be worthy of special preferential treatment. For instance, while numerically women outnumber men in most societies, they can be said in politically correct terms to be a minority, given their claim of inferior treatment compared to men. Some find this usage to be unhelpful or inaccurate.

This is not only unhelpful or inaccurate, it's also pointless. I'd even venture to say it's patent nonsense... If a group that is less numerous has control or power, that can be called preferential treatment, inequality, or even hegemony, oligarchy, ... but they do not automatically become a "majority" and the opposed ones "minorities", that just doesn't work that way. Political correctness means going out of one's way to avoid offending anyone, but that doesn't imply that it means talking nonsense. I'd really like to see some examples/sources for such a broken use of this terminology, esp. mainstream. --Joy [shallot] 21:26, 4 Mar 2005 (UTC)

majority is that segment of the population that [...], in a politically correct sense of the word, enjoys traditionally higher social status than other groups. For example, while men are outnumbered by women in the United States and many other countries, they are sometimes viewed as a "majority" due to their traditionally dominant social role.

This too. --Joy [shallot] 09:25, 7 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Note that there's an article dominant minority. --Joy [shallot]