I’m a white-folk. Among those I talk to of such things, the opinions on affirmative action vary widely. My personal opinion is something I have spent many years developing, and it is still in flux, as it were. I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, which is notable in that it is one of the more diverse areas of California. While not “color blind” I’d say that cultural differences were something I noticed more than the tone of someone’s skin or the accent they had. It wouldn’t matter what the person’s racial identity was—if they were wearing Fubu and XXL jeans around their knees, I was wary of them. But when you are a kid and you see people of that ilk kicking cats and beating up your friends, there are some excuses for such reactions. While some might disagree, I see these cultural differences as being more malleable than someone’s race. They aren’t mutually exclusive, either.
That being said, while affirmative action has a noble purpose—considering race, gender and ethnicity in all sorts of situations to promote diversity and equal opportunities for everyone—I don’t think it has really been applied correctly in some situations. Now, as history tells us, white men have held the power in socioeconomic and economic situations since our country’s creation. Most people are going to agree that that’s just not right. And it’s not—other races have had a huge influence in developing this country into what it is today. And it was blatant racism to deny the kind of lifestyle white folks held to minorities just because of their ethnicity. Nowadays race is a hot issue (has it ever ceased being an issue?), but in a different sense from the past. We have to be careful about what we say to the point that I’m surprised more politicians don’t end up in loony bin. This is where affirmative action begins to hurt society. It creates a divide when it should be creating connections between all colors, genders and creeds.
I’m part of the younger up-and-coming generation, and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard bitterness and rage from friends and co-workers because they were denied a job or scholarship because they were white. In many cases a racial minority was picked over them. In some of these situations they were equally qualified, but instead of a coin toss the minority always gets the ticket. Fine—it's all about making up for lost time, right? Sometimes my white friends were more qualified—and this is where they are really hurt. Not one of them thinks that those ethnicities that have been mistreated in the past shouldn’t get some help, but they also feel confusion and betrayal. I have one friend who married into a Latino family who tells me that her job searches have always been easy—they aren’t allowed to ask her race in the interview process, but she has been told flat-out that because she has her husband’s ethnic last name, she was chosen over other people. They say it makes them look good for affirmative action advocates in the government.
Some people have told me that white people should get a “taste of their own medicine”. That boggles my mind. I personally didn’t have slaves. I respect everyone to the best of my ability. By saying that I should suffer because of my race is just perpetuating a stereotype that need to be dead and buried after all these years. My parent’s families were not well-off, but I feel my parents themselves perpetuate the “American dream” by pulling themselves up by the boot-strings without outside help. It may be that my parents were given better job opportunities because they were white—I don’t know—but my father at least works in a very racially diverse field. My mother is an elementary school teacher.
To me, the real problem in economics. Some minority races have been shown to have a lower-than-average economic standing, and therefore often have access to poorer public schools and less money to fund education. Why not have affirmative action based on family income rather than someone’s race? If minorities are having difficulty getting money for college, or getting into college, it’s likely because they are in this lower economic bracket, and NOT because of their race. This way there is no racial profiling being done, but, hey look, minorities are still being helped out!
I have a white-friend who came from a lower economic bracket and struggled in college because he never had enough money. This is someone who got financial aid and whatever scholarships he could (for being a bright guy), but who also had to work several jobs during college and was dropped several times for non-payment because of issues with his financial aid approval. He’s white, he must have money stashed away somewhere! Meanwhile, non-whites from his home town (who were in the same economic bracket or higher) were skating through school with relative ease with full scholarships based on their race rather than academic merit. This white-friend struggled with the financial aspect of college, even though he was intelligent and very well qualified. Discounting the SAT completely, because I think it’s a load of trash, if colleges and grant funds had taken his economic standing into account, along with his grades, and discounted his race completely, I’m sure he would have gotten more money for school. If he had been African American I’m also sure he would have gotten close to a free-ride. Maybe he still would have had to work to pay his rent, but I bet he wouldn’t be sitting on 40k worth of student loan debt right now either. Ironically, his parents are both school teachers.
Also, though I feel I should hardly have to mention this, the education system needs an overhaul. It would benefit everyone, regardless of race or gender. I have no solutions but several ideas. I’m no expert on tax laws, so something would probably have to shift to put my ideas into practice but…Why not give good teachers incentives to work in impoverished areas? Or how about (oh the horror) paying public school teachers around the board a higher living wage in exchange for higher accountability? My junior high and high school years (don’t get me started on my elementary torture) were nightmares for me, in part because of just plain bad teachers. They disrespected me and made me feel like shit on a daily basis. I had one junior high teacher point at me in the middle of a science lab and tell the whole class that I was going to the next school shooter or serial killer because I was quiet (it’s called being shy, you dolt). Oh yeah, I was not one of the popular kids. But you see what I mean about greater accountability? I don’t care what school district you have, or how much money your parents bring in, teachers need to be screened, supported, and paid more to offset the higher standards. Make people who would make fantastic role models leave their snazzy business jobs because being a school teacher isn’t a thankless life. Quite frankly, coming from a family filled with teachers, you really have to love kids to not get embittered pretty quickly. Another side tangent: enough with the bloody worksheets! All that teaches kids is that school is and work are perpetually boring.
But back to Affirmative Action: yes, people as a whole need to recognize this countries past as it influences our present. This is the basis for concept behind this movement and these laws—the “making up” for lost time for those groups that have been wronged. How about we recognize that the only way to truly move forward is to unlock economic and social fences everywhere, instead of just giving choice individuals a leg up. It’s still true that if you teach a man to fish, he will do a whole lot better than if you just give him one you caught for an apologetic gift.
No comments:
Post a Comment