Quote:
Originally Posted by sw_emigre
"Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell covers this topic in some detail. As soon as the orchestra in question (Berlin? I don't recall) adopted blind auditions, their hiring practices changed. (It's been a long time since I read the book, so if details are off I apologize.)
I'll have to check that book. Ir raises some interesting questions. How about this for a start:
Does outside scrutiny promote meritocracy or is white dominance in itself a problem that must be addressed? Maybe that's the real issue here.
Frankly, I don't care whether the musicians are 75% black, 75% white, or 50/50, I just care about the music. But if I was going to playing with those musicians, I would want only the best hired.
Would you want to be on a sports team (or a high school band) with a white, asian or black player? The answer is obvious--it doesn't matter as long as the kid can play. Why should a major orchestra be any different?
When my wife and I went to an agency to adopt two older children we had to fill out a questionaire about what kinds of children we would accept. One of the questions was about race. We marked "Any."
My sister adopted a baby. My wife and I adopted three biological brothers, ages 7, 8 and 9. What is the ethnic mix? It doesn't matter. My extended family is diverse, but what color I am, what color my wife and sister are, or what color our children are is completely unimportant. Skin color is no more important than the fact that my oldest granddaughter (just turned 10) is 5 foot two. It's just one thing about that person.