time to stir the waters a bit

i dont mean to come off as racist, or worse yet a republican, but i support proposition 2.

my problem is not with the "leveling of the playing field." in fact, i completely support that. but i think affirmative action cases need to be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. i understand that some social and economic factors place some minority students at a disadvantageous starting place, but of course affirmative action doesn't consider whites in the same position. furthermore, there's no reason that someone who is a child of a doctor, lawyer, or other professional, or who is not coming from a "hard" background who has had opportunity should get precedence over a more qualified student simply because of race. socioeconomic concerns should factor into admissions decisions, but race alone should not.

the main argument for affirmative action often stems from a poor economic upbringing. but proposition 2 doesn't say anything about economic considerations, but rather just race. i think those from a poor background should be given some extra consideration to level the playing field for them. they are the ones at a disadvantage. inner city schools suck. students dont always get the attention they deserve, and aren't recognized. true, may of these students are often not white, but their race isn't why they are at a disadvantage; it's their location, their socioeconomic status.

i think something is amiss when the son of a black doctor gets preference over a poor student whose parents didnt go to college simply because of race. if there are other factors involved, ok. but race should not be the be all and end all. i talked with dominique a bit and she brought up another good point. affirmative action hurts poor minorities too. the wealthier/better off minority students will look better on paper than their poorer counterparts because they've had more opportunities and, because they are minorities, will take spots away from those poorer minority students. these students have an advantage as they're vying against the people affirmative action is really trying to benefit.

i'm not denying that there's a definite disproportionality at many colleges and universities. but blanket stereotyping is never good. and to say that someone deserves something based on their race is just that.

i also like how the article casually mentions that the white woman they were interviewing was shopping at kohl's. what a cracker store.

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and now for something completely different to lighten the mood: i dont believe in karma, but stuff like this makes me want to.