StigmaPseudonym

I can't even count how many times I've been insulted or been accused of being an entitled white guy in the last 24 hours for telling this story. I think the reason why I anonymized it should be self-evident by now...

Rather than try to refute all those points which I've attempted to address elsewhere, I'll just ask you one thing.

You asserted that because my race and gender has enjoyed special privilege on the job market for so many years, that we should come to expect the kind of discrimination I experienced in order to fix the underrepresentation of women and minorities.

I understand that logic. I don't agree with it of course, but I'll concede it now for the sake of argument. Given that, can you tell me, when does the discrimination against my overprivileged group start to become wrong? What metrics can we use to declare victory in the struggle for equality of the races and sexes?

I'm urging companies to avoid overcompensating for one form of discrimination by engaging in another.

I am certain that nepotism played no role. One of the ways this company is proud of its diversity is in the diverse backgrounds of its staff. They have publicly stated that they avoid hiring within their social circle.

There is only so much detail I can provide without compromising the anonymity of all involved. I want nobody involved to be caught up in any kind of drama associated with this. I just want to tell my story anonymously and move on.

I've had a long career and have been turned down for jobs many times before. It happens. But I've never felt discriminated against until now.

This kind of backlash is exactly why I decided it had to be posted anonymously.

The last thing I need right now is my real world identity being tied to a perspective strongly associated with the bigoted political right, especially in a field dominated by strong views in the opposite direction.

I understand your skepticism of my account. You only have my word to go on.

But let me ask you this. Assume for the moment I relayed the details accurately. If that happened to you, wouldn't you feel frustrated?