The idea behind affirmative action is not that people of minorities are more deserving on scholarships or jobs, but rather that, if the government doesn't step in, people of race will be less likely to get these things than the non-minorities.
For instance, there are a lot of areas of the US that it would probably be very, very hard for a black person to get hired if there were no such thing as affirmative action. Unfortunately, this means either the government leaves things like they are, or they step in and "fix it." It isn't much of a fix, but it's at least better than it would be without it.
It's a very expensive band-aid on a massive gaping wound. Sure, it helps the black and other minority communities, but it breeds scorn in the long-run. There's quite a bit of ill will to the thought that tuition or tax dollars from the majority are being disproportionately spent on the minority. I'm not trying to be racist or stereotypical, but at some point enough is enough. Handouts aren't going to make you want to work harder. It gives a sense of entitlement that will ill prepare you for the future.
Sure, you can argue that they "paid their dues when their ancestors were slaves, or they were exploited by white settlers blah blah blah." How many generations must elapse before these unofficial "reparations" must go away? Do you not see how this keeps the gap large?
What is this attitude of: "WE ONLY WANT THE BEST, UNLESS YOU'RE A MINORITY THEN YOU ADD TO OUR 'DIVERSITY'." It doesn't matter about your socioeconomic status for the "diversity" scholarship at my university. It's purely race based with VERY LOOSE academic requirements. You need to have a pulse to get free or VERY CHEAP school. Socioeconomic status has MORE to do with your disadvantages than the color of your skin. This should be unconstitutional.
Anyways, I'm done ranting about institutional reverse racism.
But you're missing the point. I'm not saying they should get jobs because their ancestors suffered. I'm saying that if you don't require employers to employ a certain number of minorities, then a lot of employers won't hire minorities. If this were because minorities were lazy asses, I'd be fine with it, but it's not. For the most part, I'd say minorities work a lot harder than non-minorities do, and they get a lot less for what they do. The reason people wouldn't hire them is BECAUSE they are minorities.
But you're missing my point. When you give entitlements it only perpetuates the problem. If you really want to solve the issues it's gonna take something different than that. But anyways, I still don't understand why it's constitutional for there to be race based scholarships. Socioeconomics works fine. But no, being poor isn't enough. You have to be poor and of a certain hue. You can be beaten out by a kid who isn't as smart but whose parents just happened to be a certain color. It's silly.
But Race is going to be a consideration regardless of whether or not the government steps in. I will agree that the fix isn't the best one, but here's how it is:
Someone doesn't get a scholarship because they are black.
Someone gets a scholarship because they are black.
Both are wrong, but I would rather someone GET a scholarship BECAUSE they are black, rather than NOT get a scholarship BECAUSE they are black.
A black person doesn't get a job because the employer is racist.
A black person gets a job because the government requires the employer to hire a certain amount of minorities.
Same situation. Both are dumb, but one is less dumb than the other.
There are plenty of intelligent people who are minorities who can earn their scholarships without handouts. Do Southerners get admitted to (insert ivy league) because their education system is lacking compared to the rest of the U.S.? Do they have certain slot reservations? Because that is just as relevant as race.
I just think wealth redistribution based on race is not the way to solve the conflicts over the deep cultural differences between whites and minorities (mostly blacks, I'd say).
And those same intelligent people who are minorities might also get denied simply because they are a minority, if the person judging them is a racist. In some areas of our country, that is not unheard of.
Hybrid Mode
