Re: Redlining

["Timothy C. May" <tcmay@got.net>]

At 12:43 PM -0600 12/11/96, Igor Chudov @ home wrote:
>
>The problem is, people can choose what credit history they want to have
>(I can be a saver or a spender, for example), but nobody can change the
>color of their skin.
>
>This is central point of the theory why discrimination based on credit
>histories is OK, while the discrimination based on race is not.

But of course one also cannot change one's gender, age (except by waiting),
or national origin, marital status (at least not easily), etc. and yet
these often offer correlation data on expectation of payback.

(If they do, they do. If they don't, they don't. My point is not to argue
for these factors, or how a lender might want to weight them, only to note
that many such criteria are in fact not changeable by the applicant for
credit (or insurance, or a rental, etc.).)

Personally, of course, I reject the notion that lenders of money or renters
of property should be told by men from the government that they may not
take into the gender, ethnicity, age, marital status, etc. of applicants.

The knee-jerk demonization of "racism" and "discrimination" in this society
needs reexamination. No, I'm not arguing _in favor_ of simplistic notions
that the color of one's skin is critical. Rather, it's clearly important
for _some_ decisions, as we all know whether we admit it or not.

--Tim May

Just say "No" to "Big Brother Inside"
We got computers, we're tapping phone lines, I know that that ain't allowed.
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Timothy C. May              | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money,
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