choosing someone over someone else based on anything other than merit is discrimination. the actual issue is not discrimination but equal opportunity. if everyone has the same opportunity to perform in a specific way as everyone else, the playing field is level and selection based on merit becomes the default discriminator. the problem no one has been able to solve is how to level the playing field across the entire social spectrum. actually, socialism in its purest form comes closer to realizing this concept. but, alas, somebody has to be in charge, and in most cases that "somebody" only has his/her parochial interests in mind when making policy and is more than willing to use force to promote them.
there may never be real resolution, so the battle lines will persist.