
IBM sorry after jobs page asks hopefuls: Are you white, black or yellow? - rmason
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/02/26/ibm_racist_job_applications/
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jeffrallen
I suspect that the Brazil_ in the field name is the key. Brazil has a
different cultural and legal understanding of race and affirmative action. See
[https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2016/09/29/495665329/...](https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2016/09/29/495665329/for-
affirmative-action-brazil-sets-up-controversial-boards-to-determine-race)

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strict9
Surprised they didn't ask about age, given their absymal record of ageism and
pushing so many out prior to retirement so they can break promises made to
employees.

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microtherion
Kudos for IBM, though, for not playing this as background music on their
hiring page: [https://youtu.be/YSlNFMMqUs8](https://youtu.be/YSlNFMMqUs8)

> it appears the biz somehow took the Portuguese word amarelo, which is used
> in Brazil to describe people of Asian descent

... the word may be used for that, but it most assuredly does mean "yellow" as
well, and the use as an ethnonym is NOT a coincidence.

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iguy
Sure. But is it offensive in Brazil?

I really don't know -- in english it is, obviously, but white/black are seen
as fairly neutral. And these things shift weirdly with time.

Ditto mulatto I guess (which was also in their list) -- I had an idea this was
still a neutral term in parts of latin america, but could be wrong.

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wuxb
In ten years you will be encouraged to upload your DNA sequences in an
application and it's still "optional".

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thatoneuser
With an asterisk that leads to 59 pages of legalese and somewhere in the lines
you're giving up all rights to your own genetics...

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Barrin92
The derogatory word choice aside I'm surprised that this is even in the form,
especially location independent, because there must be jurisdictions where
asking for an employees ethnicity is or borders on discrimination.

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jobigoud
Illegal in France. Even for the general census the govt can't collect
ethnicity or religion.

