Affirmative Action

[Spino]

Man, this is a topic I really hate. I hate it because I see and agree with statements to the effect of "AA is a racist policy and should not exist." But at the same time, I can't block from my mind the thought that those making those statements often are not acknowledging the fact that the other (the home grown, non-leglislated, I'm not comfortable with you because you are brown) kind of racism still exists.

It would be impossible to prove one way or the other, because I don't think there would be any available statistics, but I believe that for every nice white boy who didn't get into uni because he was white, there is a nice black boy who didn't get the job because he was black.

That's only my feeling, so please don't ask me to prove it, but feel free to disagree.

There is no happy answer to the AA question.

Part of the problem is the monochromatic example you have applied to the AA equation. AA may be a blessing to Blacks and (to a lesser extent) Hispanics and a bane to Whites but in some instances it can be a veritable roadblock for Asians, especially East Asians. The racial quotas that apply to Asians have a tendency to match their overall population which is roughly 3-4%. In the aftermath of Proposition 209 Asian enrollment in California schools increased across the board. In the case of California's more prestigious schools Asian enrollment jumped dramatically with their representation in the matriculating freshman class far outstripping their representation in the overall population. Based on the US census Asians outperform every other racial group with respect to academic achievement and socioeconomic standing. Being shoehorned into a 3-4% quota clearly isn't helping Asians make the most out of their efforts in what, for all intents and purposes, should be a purely meritocratic environment.

[AntiochusIII]

I dunno. If I can convince them that me, a first-generation Asian immigrant of the United States with no prior contact or ancestral link with it whatsoever, has an Indian blood in me, I'd get into whatever University I want for the hell of it.

[Goofball]

Part of the problem is the monochromatic example you have applied to the AA equation. AA may be a blessing to Blacks and (to a lesser extent) Hispanics and a bane to Whites but in some instances it can be a veritable roadblock for Asians, especially East Asians. The racial quotas that apply to Asians have a tendency to match their overall population which is roughly 3-4%. In the aftermath of Proposition 209 Asian enrollment in California schools increased across the board. In the case of California's more prestigious schools Asian enrollment jumped dramatically. Based on the US census Asians outperform every other racial group with respect to academic achievement and socioeconomic standing. Being shoehorned into a 3-4% quota clearly isn't helping Asians make the most out of their efforts in what, for all intents and purposes, should be a purely meritocratic environment.

I dispute nothing that you say.

The other reason I really hate the topic of AA is that, unlike with just about every other issue in the world, I find myself unable to form a solid opinion and take a stand.

Everytime I think I might be leaning one way or the other, somebody points out another facet of the situation such as you have just done, which makes me have to start all over with the problem.

But it usually comes back to being unable to justify eliminating completely the mandating of minority hiring, while still hating that there is a need for it.

The current system ensures that somebody is always getting the crappy end of the stick. I guess for me it just comes down to weighing up who would suffer most from said crappy end.

Maybe the answer is to have affirmative action based not upon race, but on family income?

I don't know.