Can we erase the past .... or should we learn from it ?

[Rena]

Due to your living in Mainland Europe, you obviously do not realise  that here in the UK, companies have to fulfil certain criteria when choosing a job applicant and that criteria has nothing to do with skill or experience.   For more than a decade companies have been requested by governments to increase both female and BLM employees, which as you may realise, puts the white male at a distinct advantage.

Not quite right. The requirement is to make sure that organisations are not discriminating against female or ethnic minority  applicants. It's hard to argue against that, isn't it?
It's about fairness for all.

Mike,  Prior to selling my company a couple of decades ago, a new government came into power and consequently I received a government form to fill in which requested number of employees, numbers of males/females in various management/shopfloor grades plus health (in respect of number with disabilities).   Thank goodness I'#m a female, otherwise I would  have had to admit there were no females in a management position 

About four years later a young male relative had secured a double hons degree and was casting about for work.  No vacancies in the local job centres but a few online adverts, which required applicants not to send in CVs but to download the company application form (all seventeen sheets of it !).  Five pages related to the job experience, education, etc and twelve pages requiring personal information pertained to religion; are you straight or a homosexual;  what is your nationality, including which British slot do you fit into, e.g. "British"; "British Asian", etc., etc.    My conclusion when seeing those employment questionaires was that companies of yesteryear were lucky enough to be able to employ the best they could. This could mean those that passed the entry maths test with highest marks, or those who did well in the dexterity tests, etc. and then during employment anyone inhouse with management skills would be promoted - the latter has long since been discouraged; but it still goes on, resulting in jobless hopefuls spending money travelling to an interview for a vacancy that they have no hope of filling.

[Rena]

"puts the white male at a distinct disadvantage"

When you're used to being privileged from birth, equality feels like disadvantage.

I'm white, from a white family and my children were brought up in a council house for nine years. their father died from overwork.when the youngest was 17.    How does that make us "used to privilege"?    Furthermore, due to government constraints my daughter, on return from living abroad couldn't secure a permanent state teaching job.  fortunately she was able to secure a part teaching job in a private school but only being paid when in contact with her pupils - for instance she was given ten minutes pay for supervising her pupils from the sports field to their next lesson under another teacher.

As an ex-forces wife I'm used to having pals of various shades and nationalities which includes visiting each others homes daily, weekly and for parties, thus I don't need any lectures thank you very much.

[Mike in Cumbria]

  Five pages related to the job experience, education, etc and twelve pages requiring personal information pertained to religion; are you straight or a homosexual;  what is your nationality, including which British slot do you fit into, e.g. "British"; "British Asian", etc., etc.   

I've been on both sides of the the recruitment table for large organisations - as an applicant and as a recruiter. The pages you mention (and I've never seen twelve of them), go to the HR department not to the people making decisions about who to interview or recruit. They are used for monitoring purposes so that, for instance, if 60% of suitably qualified applicants were from a minority background but only 5% of appointments went to these applicants, questions could be asked about the recruitment process.
I'm a white male and I can assure you I don't feel discriminated against.

[decor]

"puts the white male at a distinct disadvantage"

When you're used to being privileged from birth, equality feels like disadvantage.

I'm white, from a white family and my children were brought up in a council house for nine years. their father died from overwork.when the youngest was 17.    How does that make us "used to privilege"?    Furthermore, due to government constraints my daughter, on return from living abroad couldn't secure a permanent state teaching job.  fortunately she was able to secure a part teaching job in a private school but only being paid when in contact with her pupils - for instance she was given ten minutes pay for supervising her pupils from the sports field to their next lesson under another teacher.

As an ex-forces wife I'm used to having pals of various shades and nationalities which includes visiting each others homes daily, weekly and for parties, thus I don't need any lectures thank you very much.

Different aspects of our lives can bring privilege with them.
Being born poor or into a working class family clearly doesn't but being white does.
So many white people are blind to the fact that being white has made many aspects of their life easier than if they'd been born as a person of colour.

Our ethnicity, biological sex, gender identity, sexuality, being disabled or able bodied, class, religion (amongst others) and how they are perceived by society at large prevent life from being a level playing field.

[Rena]

  Five pages related to the job experience, education, etc and twelve pages requiring personal information pertained to religion; are you straight or a homosexual;  what is your nationality, including which British slot do you fit into, e.g. "British"; "British Asian", etc., etc.   

I've been on both sides of the the recruitment table for large organisations - as an applicant and as a recruiter. The pages you mention (and I've never seen twelve of them), go to the HR department not to the people making decisions about who to interview or recruit. They are used for monitoring purposes so that, for instance, if 60% of suitably qualified applicants were from a minority background but only 5% of appointments went to these applicants, questions could be asked about the recruitment process.
I'm a white male and I can assure you I don't feel discriminated against.

I should have added, that there was an addendum that stated the recruiting officer would not see, what I consider to be, extremely personal pages. 

As for the second section that I emphasised; I guessed as much, but it would be rather short sighted and silly, for any company not to select the best candidate. 

On one occasion we had a "head hunter" assist us in the choice of a manager for a new department.  He used a quick "tick" system and set aside the applications with the least number of ticks.  It was evident that, despite any other considerations, umarried males were not considered stable settled adults suitable for a management role.

[Rena]

"puts the white male at a distinct disadvantage"

When you're used to being privileged from birth, equality feels like disadvantage.

I'm white, from a white family and my children were brought up in a council house for nine years. their father died from overwork.when the youngest was 17.    How does that make us "used to privilege"?    Furthermore, due to government constraints my daughter, on return from living abroad couldn't secure a permanent state teaching job.  fortunately she was able to secure a part teaching job in a private school but only being paid when in contact with her pupils - for instance she was given ten minutes pay for supervising her pupils from the sports field to their next lesson under another teacher.

As an ex-forces wife I'm used to having pals of various shades and nationalities which includes visiting each others homes daily, weekly and for parties, thus I don't need any lectures thank you very much.

Different aspects of our lives can bring privilege with them.
Being born poor or into a working class family clearly doesn't but being white does.
So many white people are blind to the fact that being white has made many aspects of their life easier than if they'd been born as a person of colour.

Our ethnicity, biological sex, gender identity, sexuality, being disabled or able bodied, class, religion (amongst others) and how they are perceived by society at large prevent life from being a level playing field.

"perceived by society at large prevent life from being a level
playing field"

Thank you for your thoughts on what does/does not constitute a level playing field. 

Does it not enter certain people's train of thoughts that there is a reason why tribes in the north have white skin, but some white and dark skinned people of the generations born in the late 20th and early 21st century now blame white skins for wanting to stay and work on the continent nature assigned them to.

I was born in the 1930s when there were few females in offices.  I won a placement in an office at the same time as a young man of the same age.   We both did a similar job but in different offices and we received the same salary until the age of 18 when his wage packet held more than mine.   Not many years later and the country was experiencing a slow down in orders.  I received a one pound (£1.00) per week raise in salary and instructed not to speak about it as only eleven people of the several hundred workers had received a raise, and the other ten white coated managers only received a quarter of my raise.  There were ructions the next day when a lax HR manager didn't hide the figures and word spread around the factory like wildfire that a chit of a girl had received more money than the men 

As for job seekers; first impressions as soon as the applicant enters the room are important.  Dress appropriately, put shoulders back, head up, put a pair of clean shoes forward. smile, look the interviewer in the eye and show that you've researched basic information about company.

[decor]

"Does it not enter certain people's train of thoughts that there is a reason why tribes in the north have white skin, but some white and dark skinned people of the generations born in the late 20th and early 21st century now blame white skins for wanting to stay and work on the continent nature assigned them to."

This is one of the most bizarre things I've ever read. What are you actually trying to say?

[Erato]

A lot of my ancestors thought nothing of settling on a continent that nature had not assigned them to.

[Mike in Cumbria]

"Does it not enter certain people's train of thoughts that there is a reason why tribes in the north have white skin, but some white and dark skinned people of the generations born in the late 20th and early 21st century now blame white skins for wanting to stay and work on the continent nature assigned them to."

This is one of the most bizarre things I've ever read. What are you actually trying to say?

I've read it several times now and still don't understand it.