As a caucasian male in the United States of America, I have not been subject to the kind of demeaning discrimination that others have. For this reason I am not aware of all the ways in which racism still permeates our society. But I am aware of one: affirmative action. These two words can make or break whether or not an American high school student gets into their dream school. Its intentions are good, but it is poor means to an end. Think about what affirmative action does: if you are a minority American citizen, you receive points added to college admissions tests, GPAs, and other factors that influence admission decisions. This implies that because you are a minority student you are not as capable as your caucasian counterparts and need a little help to get where you want to go. I have seen blogs where minority students complain that while attending prestigious institutions there is a stigma that the only reason they are there is because of affirmative action. There is also the problem of reverse racism that some people see in affirmative action. They argue that the work of caucasian students is belittled because they are caucasian and do not receive the extra advantages that minorities do.
I firmly believe that anyone has the potential to succeed in his or her own way inspite of race and ethnicity. The only way to solve the underlying racism in affirmative action is to replace it with a law requiring that employers and universities must accept applicants on a "race-blind" basis. They should also be required to give need and non-need based financial aid on a "race-blind" basis. Race should not even be a question on job or college applications. This would eliminate the "affirmative action stigma" that minority students at prestigious institutions currently deal with. This would also put all applicants on equal ground, better achieving Martin Luther King, Jr.'s ideal that "all men are created equal".
The Racism of Affirmative Action
By Guest - Posted on September 30th, 2008
Tagged: Better future
I agree- I can't understand how affirmative action is still legal. Didn't the Supreme Court determine that separate but equal was inherently unequal? In other words, schools and other organizations that use affirmative action claim it's not a racist practice, and yet they employ separate standards for admitting students of certain races. Therefore, that is inherently unequal, and illegal.
I'm not sure that affirmative action means minorities get free points added to their test scores and GPAs- they just get a tiny bit of favoritism overall when it comes to deciding admission.
Besides, in a few more decades, there will no longer be a majority group in America- whites will comprise less than 50% of the population. We'll all be minorities soon- how will affirmative action be justified when that happens?
I absolutely agree. I don't get it. Granted I am a white middle class female, but I've gone to several minority schools and I honestly have seen more than my fair share of racism. This reminds me of another point about college and racism. I have a friend giving a speech this season about selective diversity. She's 100% Mexican but never gets asked to pose for diversity fliers because her skin is too light. I just don't understand these things at all.
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All men dream but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity; but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes to make it p
All things are not equal in getting students prepared for college. There is a far higher percentage of students of color living in poverty and attending failing schools. This makes getting into college much more difficult. If higher ed student bodies accurately reflected the demographics of society as a whole, the argument could be made that we are on equal ground and affirmative action should be eliminated, but the fact is that even WITH affirmative action in place, the percentage of students of color going to college is not commensurate with the percentage of people of color overall. We're just not there yet. It's far more complicated than a resume to resume comparison can reflect.
"Never go with a hippy to a second location."
~Jack Donaghy
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/ediblewoman
I understand- but notice I did not say that I believe people of different economic statuses have an equal opportunity to success. In fact, I wholeheartedly believe that one of the main reasons racism still exists is because it is a countereffect of economic class divisions. The point against affirmative action is not that all races are equal in education and preparedness for college, but that there are lower-class Americans in general that are stuck where they are because their families don't have the money to get them into schools where they have a chance at success. I agree that most lower-class Americans are minorities, and colleges should consider the economic status of the applicant's family when they apply. Instead of setting a racial quota, an economic quota should be set. This way America could increase the size of the middle class and equality will begin to emerge.
In your mind, what would the income limits be?
Also, please use the reply button at the bottom of the comment to which you are responding. This helps maintain the flow of conversations.
"Never go with a hippy to a second location."
~Jack Donaghy
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/ediblewoman
Well, I suppose that quotas could be made to match the current status of America's general population, as you suggested that affirmative action should do with race. While I do not know much about the economic standing of the general population, I do know that middle and lower class families far outnumber the upper class, and this should be reflected in most college populations. Financial aid should be made more readily available for lower income students to keep the burden of cost from falling on the families. And, if a college feels that a student is not well enough prepared for its curriculum but needs the student to meet the income quota and the student has presented a desire to succeed, it should either direct the student to resources he/she could use to get his/herself prepared for the curriculum, or offer preparatory classes to those students who need them at no extra cost. Again, this is just an amateur suggestion. More professional opinions would need to be called on to offer a workable solution. Either way, this kind of system would inevitably help those who have an academic disadvantage due to their income, which could bridge the gap between different races and possibly lead to a future where race is no longer an issue.