XYZ Coffee

Nancy is a highly respected person within her community. She is Hispanic in a largely Caucasian-populated area. Since Nancy was looking for a new job, she went to a new company in the area called XYZ Coffee, where she applied for a position. After the interview, Nancy felt confident that she would be hired because of her qualifications. However, she did not get a call back. Initially, Nancy did not think twice about it, but she felt differently when she visited the same coffee store later to purchase something for a friend. The company had hired an inexperienced Caucasian male with a history of unemployment. At this point, Nancy was quite aggravated, but she left the issue alone.

She ended up asking an associate for an espresso machine. The employee informed Nancy where the machine was located and retrieved it for her. Nancy asked if there were any other espresso machines of higher quality. When the associate said no, Nancy purchased the item and left. After she gave the gift to her friend, she noticed a much better quality espresso machine that someone else had given her. Nancy asked where they had purchased it, and they responded, “XYZ Coffee.”

-Refer to XYZ Coffee. If Nancy were Caucasian and the company employees were mostly Hispanic, the way she was treated would be referred to as
A) affirmative action.
B) legal discrimination.
C) simply unethical.
D) reverse discrimination.
E) a perfect match.

Question

XYZ Coffee

Nancy is a highly respected person within her community. She is Hispanic in a largely Caucasian-populated area. Since Nancy was looking for a new job, she went to a new company in the area called XYZ Coffee, where she applied for a position. After the interview, Nancy felt confident that she would be hired because of her qualifications. However, she did not get a call back. Initially, Nancy did not think twice about it, but she felt differently when she visited the same coffee store later to purchase something for a friend. The company had hired an inexperienced Caucasian male with a history of unemployment. At this point, Nancy was quite aggravated, but she left the issue alone.

She ended up asking an associate for an espresso machine. The employee informed Nancy where the machine was located and retrieved it for her. Nancy asked if there were any other espresso machines of higher quality. When the associate said no, Nancy purchased the item and left. After she gave the gift to her friend, she noticed a much better quality espresso machine that someone else had given her. Nancy asked where they had purchased it, and they responded, “XYZ Coffee.”

-Refer to XYZ Coffee. If Nancy were Caucasian and the company employees were mostly Hispanic, the way she was treated would be referred to as
A) affirmative action.
B) legal discrimination.
C) simply unethical.
D) reverse discrimination.
E) a perfect match.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The situation described suggests that Nancy may have experienced reverse discrimination, which is discrimination against a member of a majority or historically privileged group in favor of a minority or historically disadvantaged group. This is because the inexperienced Caucasian male was hired instead of Nancy, who was qualified and may have been overlooked due to her ethnicity. Additionally, the suggestion that Nancy was mistreated because of her ethnicity is supported by the fact that the employees at the company are largely Caucasian, and her ethnicity was noted in the scenario.

XYZ Coffee Nancy Is a Highly Respected Person Within Her Community. She