Claiminglight said:
You know what really pisses me off? This reverse-racism bullcrap that they pull at every bank and school in America! Who gives a crap where someone grew up, or how oppressed they were in High School? Should circumstance play a role?
Well- if you would argue that circumstance SHOULD play a role- then I should be able to get a better loan rate. After all, I grew up in a black family.
Heh. NOPE! Nobody gives a crap where I grew up. It'd be different if I was a black man who was raised in a white family, however. I'd qualify for the 'minority only' ticket.
We'll never get over this stigma of racisim in this fashion.
Is anybody here FOR affirmative action?
I am 100% for Affirmative Action. Mostly for 1 (one) reason. It is in the best interest of the United States. It is in the best interest of all Americans.
First of all, Affirmative Action is the process of using race as one of many factors to determine qualifications for a position. In A.A. it is a positive. (In RACIAL PROFILING it is a negative. I support both because we as a people all benefit):
The premise of America is that everyone should be able to reach their God-given ability. Given the realities of racial, economic, social, geographic barriers,etc. that simply is not possible without active intervention on the part of leaders in govt., business, education etc.
Were we not to take conscious steps at redress, our own inclinations, sensibilities, and preferences would continue to lead us to value people who we are comfortable with.
With this, we have millions of people who for various reasons not of their own making, can never reach their potential.
This is especially true based on race, but not exclusively of race.
If we leave this reality as it is, then we as a country lose out on the potential of millions of people to contribute to disease cures, inventions, economic productivity, leadership ability, etc.
They will necessarily underperform.
This is not simply about race or gender, but it includes them.
Imagine all of the great Presidents that could have come from Utah, West Virginia, Hawaii, North Dakota, or Rhodes Island? But a person from one of these states has almost no chance. No matter how smart, capable, etc. They lose out as an individual, but we lose out as a nation. Generally to be a viable contender, you have to have a national base, which generally starts with a large state base. Bill Clinton proves the exception.
Similarly the high poverty rate, and other negative traits associated with various minority populations doom millions of INDIVIDUALS to a life that doesn't reach potential. Sure, a few will overcome such circumstances, but most won't. In this case, these groups COST society, breed contempt, rather than BENEFITTING society, and engendering warmth and wealth.
Think of all the ability that is being used in gangs, lost in abortion clinics, wasted in dead-end jobs. Had they had a good 2 parent family, a good school, a good neighborhood, they would be extremely more productive.
There are many answers, and one is to offer opportunity whenever they are qualified. This helps break bad cycles, and mentalities. It offers hope, and defines us as a nation. Coupled with better education, strict law enforcement, high standards, we can truly transform America even more.
Sports has become a model for A.A. Every sport where African Americans . as a group want to compete in: baseball, football, basketball, they dominate as a percentage of the sport compared to the general population. It is because of true equal opportunity. Were the effort used to give college scholarships to athletes expanded to medicine, business, etc. with equal fervor, our nation would benefit. This has been done for many years somewhat, and we now see the benefits somewhat. We are getting to a point where different people can be expected to be found almost everywhere.
For those who are injured in a specific sense by losing out to a preferred group, this is the cost of a truly free society. We all will benefit with a higher standard of living when all people are given a fair chance. The people left behind have children who start behind.
This chance shouldn't be limited to race, it should include any legitimate category that is discriminated against in our marketplace.
If there's an opening for a collegel president's job, and it's never been held by an Asian-American woman, and the qualified group includes an Asian-American woman, she should be given a preference because all other things being equal, it will validate the opportunity in the U.S. Send images in the state, country, and world that if you are an Asian girl, you can reach your potential here. Here the concept of diversity is divorced from need or historical oppression.
If a white person from Idaho is qualified to be NYC police commissioner, and all other things are equal she/he should get the job over another NYC cop, to show that NY is open to all-comers, and truly wants the best.
Rep. Nadler from New York, if he is qualified should be offered a job due to his large size.
Charles Krauthammer of FOX should be offered a job because of his disability.
ARNOLD in California should be offered a job because of his immigrant background.
A white person who grew up with black people should be offered a preference to be a provost at a school in an all-white neighborhood.
If we start with the premise that we the people through our government want everyone to have an equal start, and then merit should be determinative, we have to take action to make that possible.
These preferences will be necessary until our society becomes a true meritocracy.
My test for this would be for random people when asked to name who THEY think are the 10 most powerful people, and we compile a list collectively as a country, the list of top 100 people selected has no racial, gender, geographic, socio-economic bias, but instead represents that we all now have a fair shot to enjoy the best country ever created, the U.S.A.
Craig Farmer
making the word "liberal" safe again!
