The Affirmative Action Myth

[WhoIsJohnGalt]

The Affirmative Action Myth
Wednesday, July 14, 2004
By Marie Gryphon

•The Affirmative Action Myth
The Supreme Court decided one year ago that racial preferences at public universities are legal, as long as they aren’t too mechanically applied.

But this has proved cold comfort to affirmative action supporters besieged by evidence that preferences can’t deliver the results desired. With the constitutional issue resolved, Americans are asking whether affirmative action helps students in the first place.

Just what is affirmative action supposed to do? Educators trumpet the virtues of “diverse” campuses, but their enthusiasm dates suspiciously to a 1972 court decision suggesting diversity as a legal justification for preferences.

Ordinary Americans are more practical. Those sympathetic to affirmative action assume that it offers concrete benefits to disadvantaged students. They hope that preferences will narrow our nation’s painful racial divide along such metrics as income, literacy, home ownership and health.

But affirmative action in this sense is a myth. Admissions preferences do not offer practical empowerment to struggling citizens. They do not bridge society’s racial chasms. They do not address real social problems.

For one thing, affirmative action does not send more minorities to college. Most four-year colleges and universities in America are not selective; they take anyone with a standard high school education and a Pell grant. This means that race-based preferences are relevant only to the 20-30 percent of American colleges that enjoy substantially more applicants than places. Students attending these schools have many other college options.

Marie Gryphon, a former practicing attorney, is an education policy analyst at the Cato Institute. http://www.cato.org/

[Roz]

Oddly enough, while out shopping today in downtown Royal Oak, I was waiting to cross the street with the wife. A lady was canvasing signatures to "repeal affirmative action", and approached her. She took one look at the baby, and one look at me, and muttered under her breath "I obviously won't get a signature from you!" and hurried onto the next couple behind us.

While I am very much against affirmative action (I feel people need to be judged on their merit and nothing eles beyond that), some of the people who represent those who wish to stop it, aren't exactly the best spokespeople.

The bottom line here is, those who wish to go to college will. Those who don't, won't. It's pretty simple. I don't feel that standards need to be different for any one person, and that we should all be judged on even footing.

[Slatherd]

The bottom line here is, those who wish to go to college will. Those who don't, won't. It's pretty simple.

That's all fine and good. But the fatal flaw with that is, a Black man gets more points just because of his skin color. Sure, I may go to college. But who gets bumped to the top of the selection pile? Not me.

I understand and appreciate the fact that you agree affirmative action needs to go away. It's my opinion, anyone that argues for it is a fool. It's just another example of how one side of racism is ok, yet another side isn't.

[WhoIsJohnGalt]

That woman's comment was racist. You are right Chad. Using a racist to try and end a racist policy is absurd.

[Roz]

Slatherd,

That is exactly my point. I don't feel anyone should be placed upon a higher level due to skin colour, race, creed, religion, sexual orientation, etc...

Get the best grades you can, perform/serve the community, do whatever it takes to get into college. Someone should not get a bonus biscuit just because they are different.

[Craig]

I agree with your points except for one. That is, the lady on the street corner who made the comment did not make a "racist" comment, she made a prejudicial comment. Racist or racism is the belief in ones racial superiority, where as prejudice is judging someone without any facts or evidence which is what she did.

Often time in our country, particularly the left, people often jump to the word racist as a description for anyone who has uttered a word that has offended someone. Jesse Jackson does it all the time.

[Slatherd]

Note: this joke is only acceptable for this subject.

How many black men does it take to screw in a lightbulb?

1! But he gets 6 college credits for doing it!

If thats to far, sorry... Remove it. If not, laugh about it.