British Sgt. wins Discrimination suit



Question for debate:

Can you be a victim of racial discrimination by being promoted via affirmative action?

First off, it's worth pointing out that Britain, while it does have equal rights legislation to punish discrimination on the grounds of race, has no equivalent of Affirmative Action legislation to artificially advance minorities. So this example is more allegory than a direct translation of AA.

This was probably caused by some pen-pusher in either the police's royal protection unit, or perhaps the royal household itself, thinking "we need a black face close to the Duchess of Cornwall".

But yes, I guess the additional stress that comes with over-promotion might be worth compensation. Higher level jobs are more stressful anyway, especially if you don't feel competant doing them (as here).

Plus, I doubt Sgt Turner was given much choice in doing this job. Part of me wants to applaud him for having the character to admit that it was beyond him, part of me wants to applaud him for his chutzpah at managing to sue the Met for it, and part of me wants to boo because he just cost the British taxpayer $70,000 (at least, that's just the compensation, not the legal costs).

Of course, another part of me - the nasty, sneaky, non-Hanlon's Razor compliant, republican part - thinks this is probably all just a cover up because the royals are racist and this is just a way of getting rid of a black guy on their staff while saving face and shutting him up. I should go and wash my mind out. Everyone knows that only Phil the Greek ("you must all have slitty eyes" to British students in China, among many other examples) and Princess Pushy of Kent (telling a black American woman in a NYC restaurant that she should "go back home") are the not-so-closet bigots in the House of Windsor. How rude and cynical of me to think such nastiness extends to the heir to the throne and his favourite horse (oops!) new wife.