Discrimination

We often receive questionnaires or forms requesting information about the gender, race, or skin color of our stockholders.  Our policy is simple: we do not answer such questions.  This policy has given rise to additional questions, some of which are answered here.

"Discrimination" actually means making distinctions.  All discrimination is not bad.  For example, in hiring staff members we discriminate in favor of skilled, professional, literate, friendly, self-confident people with integrity.  

The conventional negative connotation against "discrimination" holds that it is morally wrong to select employees (or vendors, or suppliers, or any other relationships) based upon such factors as skin color, race, religious affiliation, gender, or sexual preference. I will call this type of discrimination "irrational discrimination".   I agree that it is morally wrong, although probably not for the reason you would think.  I do not qualify this judgment:  it's wrong, period.

The current rush of "diversity" initiatives is intended to correct the wrongs previously done by irrational discrimination.  The beneficiaries of this corrective action are not the actual victims of previous discrimination, necessarily.  Their only qualification is that they have the same skin color, or racial characteristics, or gender, or sexual preference as someone who was previously discriminated against.   The theory is, discrimination is not morally wrong if it balances some prior discrimination.  Notice that this is quite different from saying "it's wrong, period." By this theory, of course, irrational discrimination becomes a permanent, central factor in all business decisions forever.  The see-sawing effort to achieve a balance of irrationality can never end. 

It is self-destructive to make choices based on factors which are irrelevant to the outcome, while ignoring factors which directly affect the outcome.  My responsibility to interLink's owners, stockholders, employees, and customers is simple: make the best choices I can, based on the best information available, holding the integrity and continued success of the company as the standard by which to measure all actions.  There is no conflict of interest among the company's owners, stockholders, employees, and customers; therefore they all benefit from this policy.

Since skin color, race, creed, gender, and sexual preference have nothing whatever to do with one's qualifications, we do not take any of them into account when making hiring or purchasing decisions.  While we recognize the right of others to make decisions in whatever way they choose - rational or not - we do not consciously contribute to the irrationality of others.  That is why we do not answer such questions.