affirmative action?

[CELTICEMPIRE]

Many people think that affirmative action is a wonderful idea, but I think it is not. I understand why someone would think this is helpful, but it just leads to what is called reverse discrimination. a while ago a guy (I think he was from fox news) had a "racist bake sale" in which if you were black you paid $0.50 for a cupcake, whites paid $1.00, Asians paid $1.50. As you can imagine people were offended. I think that if you give a race special treatment, people of other races might form bigoted ideas about that race. I also have heard it said that you are telling a minority that they are stupid and need help. This is why I think affirmative action is a bad idea, what does CFC OT think?

 

[Cutlass]

In the absence of AA, it's the blacks that pay $1.50 for the cupcake. There is no race neutrality in the US.

 

[Arwon]

In before an American posts something which implies anyone has an automatic right to entrance into a particular college.

 

[sophie]

AA is bad, but socioeconomic disparity is such that without it the numbers would be worse, as displayed by the University of California's ethnicity percentages after they got rid of AA in the mid-nineties.

For lack of a repair of socio-economic issues, AA is the next best thing we have.

 

[CELTICEMPIRE]

discrimination is a terrible thing, but I want a discussion of whether affirmative action is the right thing to do.

 

[GhostWriter16]

Many people think that affirmative action is a wonderful idea, but I think it is not. I understand why someone would think this is helpful, but it just leads to what is called reverse discrimination. a while ago a guy (I think he was from fox news) had a "racist bake sale" in which if you were black you paid $0.50 for a cupcake, whites paid $1.00, Asians paid $1.50. As you can imagine people were offended. I think that if you give a race special treatment, people of other races might form bigoted ideas about that race. I also have heard it said that you are telling a minority that they are stupid and need help. This is why I think affirmative action is a bad idea, what does CFC OT think?

AA is a BAD idea, but I'm kinda sceptical about the "Racist Bake Sale" thing, because normally in America the whites would pay more.

Also, I would boycott any business that gave blacks special treatment, and affirmative action is racist.

In the absence of AA, it's the blacks that pay $1.50 for the cupcake. There is no race neutrality in the US.

 

[SerriaFox]

Wages of blacks were increasing more quickly before AA started.

 

[CELTICEMPIRE]

I think that if you give a race special treatment, people of other races might form bigoted ideas about that race. I also have heard it said that you are telling a minority that they are stupid and need help.

this is my major concern, and do similar policies exist outside the US.

 

[JollyRoger]

Many people think that affirmative action is a wonderful idea, but I think it is not. I understand why someone would think this is helpful, but it just leads to what is called reverse discrimination. a while ago a guy (I think he was from fox news) had a "racist bake sale" in which if you were black you paid $0.50 for a cupcake, whites paid $1.00, Asians paid $1.50. As you can imagine people were offended. I think that if you give a race special treatment, people of other races might form bigoted ideas about that race. I also have heard it said that you are telling a minority that they are stupid and need help. This is why I think affirmative action is a bad idea, what does CFC OT think?

You do realize that there are whites that benefit from affirmative action, right?

 

[Cu Chulainn]

Everyone is racist. It's biological. Attempting to hedge racism, subconscious though it may be, through methodology is a good idea. Affirmative action may not be the best implementation of this good idea, but the intention is in the right place, and I can somewhat respect that.

 

[CELTICEMPIRE]

, but the intention is in the right place, and I can somewhat respect that.

I respect it but dont agree

 

[Bill3000]

I prefer socioeconomic AA to race-based AA. Race doesn't fully signify the difficulties with the socioeconomic correlation. For example, African immigrants get race-based AA for being african american, but they are one of the most socioeconomically successful immigrant groups in the United States, as the African immigrants here are the cream of the crop from Africa. I don't think they deserve the same advantage that a struggling bright mind from the Mississippi Delta ought to have, or a poor white kid from West Virginia.

Considering that the problems with race is such strongly correlated to socioeconomic factors anyway, it would solve the same problems that we are trying to solve without the "AA is rasist" objection.

 

[Camikaze]

I don't really think that what is described in the OP is actually affirmative action.

The whole idea of AA is to make sure that people of all backgrounds can have an equal quality of life. In Australia, for example, AA is often targeted towards the Indigenous population, because of the absolutely horrific disparity between that segment of the population and the population as a whole. Ignoring the disparity doesn't help anyone. AA both helps that segment of the population, and benefits everyone else as a result (having a highly disadvantaged segment of the population isn't good for anyone).

I agree with Bill in preferring it to be based on socio-economic factors rather than purely on race, though.

 

[CELTICEMPIRE]

You do realize that there are whites that benefit from affirmative action, right?

how is that?

 

[cardgame]

I have no qualms with socioeconomic AA, but racial based AA is by definition racist.

 

[GhostWriter16]

Everyone is racist.

I'm not racist, thus proving your theory false

racial based AA is by definition racist.

 

[Disgustipated]

So when whites become a minority (they almost are where I live), will they be eligible for AA?

 

[civ_king]

Many people think that affirmative action is a wonderful idea, but I think it is not. I understand why someone would think this is helpful, but it just leads to what is called reverse discrimination. a while ago a guy (I think he was from fox news) had a "racist bake sale" in which if you were black you paid $0.50 for a cupcake, whites paid $1.00, Asians paid $1.50. As you can imagine people were offended. I think that if you give a race special treatment, people of other races might form bigoted ideas about that race. I also have heard it said that you are telling a minority that they are stupid and need help. This is why I think affirmative action is a bad idea, what does CFC OT think?

I hate being discriminated against because I'm Asian it isn't fair! So what if we are "over-represented, it just means Hispanics need to apply themselves. The truth is that Asian-American is a far from homogenous term. The UC system's new acceptance system starting in two years is simply massive affirmative action for whites!

 

[Bill3000]

So when whites become a minority (they almost are where I live), will they be eligible for AA?

Merely being in minority status doesn't make one eligible for AA; Asians generally don't receive the advantage.

 

[Cu Chulainn]

I prefer socioeconomic AA to race-based AA. Race doesn't fully signify the difficulties with the socioeconomic correlation. For example, African immigrants get race-based AA for being african american, but they are one of the most socioeconomically successful immigrant groups in the United States, as the African immigrants here are the cream of the crop from Africa. I don't think they deserve the same advantage that a struggling bright mind from the Mississippi Delta ought to have, or a poor white kid from West Virginia.

Considering that the problems with race is such strongly correlated to socioeconomic factors anyway, it would solve the same problems that we are trying to solve without the "AA is rasist" objection.

I agree. I find statistics about race which are not controlled for socioeconomic status to be pretty much meaningless.