Affirmative Action

Andrew

Good? Bad? Discuss.

Jason

Affirmative action is racism with a smile.

Bromley

rofl

Kilarney

I will tell you one anecdote about affirmative action that has touched my life.

When I was in graduate school, there were a handful of black students in my class. The school made little secret that it utilized affirmative action. The black students were even tutored for a week prior to classes starting for the rest of us.

The problem... every one of them was from at least a solid middle class background and from the northeastern United States. One of the students was just plain wealthy.

Needless to say, it didn't leave a good taste in my mouth when a student who was admitted because of affirmative action pulled into the school parking lot driving a brand new Mercedes. (I was driving a Ford Festiva.)

And that's my beef with affirmative action. It assumes all people of a certain color share a certain background.

I have no problem with programs that look at the individual, but I do have a problem with programs that stereotype based on race.

The other problem is that affirmative action is inevitably too late in the process. We should be helping the kids much earlier in the process instead of bending rules after the damage is done.

Jason

I wish I would have thought of that first. Anything that gives you any kind of advantage or preference based on skin color/ancestry is inherently evil. Even if it is a scholarship. What would happen if there was a National Association for the Advancement of Bleached People? The racism police would start flashing their lights and sirens.

Kilarney

Anything that gives you any kind of advantage or preference based on skin color/ancestry is inherently evil.

That statement is a little too strong for me. If a majority suppresses a minority, I don't have a problem with programs that try to rectify that situation. However, any program must be very carefully tailored.

Bromley

haha..yeah like if I wanted a white only scholarship. That'd totally be racist.

serendipity

The only thing that really bothers me about affirmative action is that, as an Asian, some colleges will let less qualified students of another race in over me because people have been complaining that too many Asians have been getting in over other students.

In general, I think affirmative action is silly, though I see where they're coming from. I think colleges should take schooling, environment, financial situations etc. into consideration rather than race. Those are far more relevant anyways.

HMTKSteve

The time for affirmative action is over. It is now time for equality to be the law of the land.

Everyone should start at an equal base line and then let their qualifications get them ahead.

All applications should be devoid of names and other racial information. Just give everyone a number and be done with it...

Kiey

Affirmative action is one of those things thats a good idea, but just isn't executed well at all.

Jason

Affirmative action is one of those things thats a good idea, but just isn't executed well at all.

Yes, it is another example of an empathetic idea implemented with all the ham-handed short-sightedness our elected representatives can muster. It's akin to just throwing money at a problem; it addresses the symptoms in a very crude manner, but doesn't do anything to address the sickness.

Hitman Hart

Governments seem to love, in general, putting out ads and PSAs to create change. For example, there's a sign near the train station I go to on my way to school that is anti child obesity. Instead of putting up this sign, go and put better food in the schools or something! I never ate out of a school caf until I went to college, the stuff in my high school was sickening to look at. In this case major work should be done in areas where schools are doing poorly, and not just punishing them, but trying to help the school, do things in the neighborhood to improve the situation. Government CAN help when it is lead along properly