Describe disparate impact situations versus disparate treatment situations regarding age discrimination.
Sample solution
Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell.
In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.
God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.
Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.
To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.
References
Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.
Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.
Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.
Sample Answer
Sample Answer
Understanding Disparate Impact and Disparate Treatment in Age Discrimination
Age discrimination can manifest in different ways, and two key concepts used to analyze such cases are disparate impact and disparate treatment. Both these terms refer to different types of discriminatory practices related to age in the workplace. This essay will explain the distinctions between disparate impact and disparate treatment in the context of age discrimination.
Disparate Impact
Disparate impact refers to situations where a seemingly neutral employment policy or practice disproportionately affects individuals of a certain age group, resulting in adverse consequences for them. In other words, even if an employer does not explicitly target a specific age group, their policies or practices may unintentionally disadvantage older workers. To establish a claim of disparate impact, the following elements must be shown:
Identify the policy or practice: The first step is to identify a specific policy or practice that has an adverse impact on a protected age group. This could include requirements related to hiring, promotion, job assignments, training opportunities, or benefits.
Gather statistical evidence: Once a policy or practice is identified, statistical evidence is necessary to demonstrate that it disproportionately affects older workers compared to younger workers. This can involve analyzing data on the age composition of affected employees or conducting an adverse impact analysis.
No business necessity: The claimant must show that the policy or practice lacks a valid business necessity. This means that the employer cannot provide a legitimate reason for the policy that justifies its discriminatory impact on older workers.
If a claim of disparate impact is successful, the burden shifts to the employer to demonstrate that the policy or practice is job-related and consistent with a business necessity. If the employer can prove this, they may be able to defend against the claim.
Disparate Treatment
Disparate treatment refers to situations where an employer intentionally treats individuals differently based on their age. Unlike disparate impact, this form of discrimination involves overt bias or explicit targeting of a certain age group. To establish a claim of disparate treatment, the following elements must be shown:
Evidence of differential treatment: The claimant must provide evidence that they were treated less favorably than others based on their age. This could include direct evidence such as explicit age-related comments, or circumstantial evidence that indicates discriminatory intent.
Proof of discriminatory motive: It is necessary to demonstrate that age was a determining factor in the employer’s decision-making process. This can be established by showing that younger workers were treated more favorably or that older workers faced negative comments or stereotypes related to their age.
Unlike disparate impact claims, which focus on the overall impact of policies or practices, disparate treatment claims rely on proving intentional discrimination against individuals based on their age.
Conclusion
In summary, understanding the distinctions between disparate impact and disparate treatment is crucial when analyzing age discrimination cases. Disparate impact occurs when an apparently neutral policy or practice disproportionately affects older workers, while disparate treatment involves intentional differential treatment based on age. By recognizing these concepts and gathering appropriate evidence, individuals can effectively challenge age discrimination and work towards creating fair and inclusive workplaces for employees of all ages.
