I tried to play the race card when applying to colleges by exploiting my asian half. Didn't help me a single bit. While I was peeved a bit, I can see why the affirmative action folks would overlook asians. I think most asian cultures in general place more emphasis on education. I have no numbers to back it up, but I think asians as a whole tend to get better grades than other minorities simply because there's more pressure from parents to do well. My good friend, who is a high school teacher in southern San Diego, says that a lot of her hispanic students get no support from their parents. Some even pull their kids out of class to take care of siblings or work.
I'm a bit on the fence about affirmative action... lots of smart students, because of their circumstances, are not given a chance to succeed. I think these people deserve an extra boost that they might not need had their circumstances been different. HOWEVER something as broad as using race to determine eligibility is very superficial and unfair. I think special consideration should be given to those with cirumstances that require it, no matter what your skin color.
Affirmative action does do some positive things, and was probably more appropriate back in the days when it was conceived. However we as a society have come a long way in looking at each other as equals. Affirmative action is a bit outdated now, I think they should either revise it or get rid of it. |