The Problem of False Position

   With the rise of civil rights and the public recognition of wrongs of the past, we are faced with some tricky maneuvering. We must redress some historical wrongs; we must maintain high quality; we must allow equal opportunity. This situation also highlights an interesting deception that we practice on each other to everyone's detriment.
   Consider a job position. What are the stated requirements to successfully fill the positions? Are they the real requirements? Often they are higher than necessary because the résumés of the applicants are inflated beyond their real skills. We are faced with requirements stated higher than they should be - to forestall applicants who inflate their resumes.
   I call this dual overstatement the Problem of False Position. It is a problem in many disagreements. It works against satisfactory resolution of those disagreements.
   Unrealistic propositions are put forward; unrealistic responses are made; true accommodations are hidden by the false positions.