<p>"Quote:
We obviously cannot simply ignore the maldistribution of wealth in our society, and I certainly don;t</p>
<p>Couldn't agree more. So why not base AA on relevant facts like, say, wealth and not the color of ones skin?"</p>
<p>The legacy system which favors mostly non URMs. If you got rid of that system and AA and replaced it with a single socioeconomic sytem then you would have a valid argument but you already showed that you support the legacy system.</p>
<p>I believe affirmative action only perpetuates racism. It is completely unfair to all white students who have suffered, sweated, and toiled away their entire lives to get into good college to be denied different scholarships that they desperately need because the money is going to be given to a minority student with sub-par stats. I currently go to Vanderbilt University. I recieved a 20K a year academic scholarship because of my test scores, grades, and outside activities. An African American friend of mine only scored a 25 on his ACT (Vandy average is somewhere around a 32 now) and has a full scholarship here. His father is a lawyer and his mother is a school teacher. This kid did not come from a poor inner city neighborhood but an affluent suburb. How is it far that white kids from underprivilidged backgrounds who have worked extremely hard to better themselves are denied the money that they need to go to a good school simply because they are white? We need to equal the playing field in America. We can not be equal until we expect as much out of a minority student as any white child.</p>
<p>"We need to equal the playing field in America. We cannot be equal until we expect as much out of a minority student as any white child." </p>
<p>We also can't be equal until my uncle stops getting pulled over for being in the "wrong" neighborhood. I think its hilarious how people start thinking about "equal rights" when an African American gets into Vanderbilt with a 25. I'm assuming you weren't standing there when he was doing his application so you have no idea what kind of extracurricular's he put down, what his essays were like, or how well his interview went.</p>
<p>Listen you guys, you all have gotten into good colleges and are all perfectly capable of living wonderful and successful lives, so please don't spend the last few months of your senior year being angry at the 'urm who took you place'</p>
<p>And honestly, if you just HAVE to blame urms, blame them all, please stop ganging up on the black person. Hispanics, Native Americans and women all benefit from AA. In actuality, WOMEN are the greatest benefitters of AA- not blacks, not hispanics, not native americans-women. </p>
<p>All of you are pulling out the same, tired, story that sparked the first AA whirlwind at U of M. The woman said URMS with lower scores took her place. Many, many people pointed out that there were several WHITES with lower scores than her that were accepted. She ignored this and continued to push the idea that 'urms took her place'. Being a urm will not get you in everywhere no matter how many stories you all have about that 'dumb black girl getting into harvard and her parents have just as much money as I do so I should have gotten in because I have 1600/800/800/800/800 and I am president of student UN and I love the animals.' </p>
<p>I am black, I had a 1450/710/800/750 and a 32 ACT. I as National Merit & National Achievement. I had over 2000 hours of community service and won three state and one national award for volunterism. I started a successful reading club for homeless children AFTER I had received these awards and was written up in numerous state newspapers, was on local radio etc etc. I had a 3.6 unweighted and was top 10% of what is generally considered one of the hardest high schools in the nation. I was rejected from MIT and Caltech, which many bitter white ccers caustically assured me I would be accepted to because I'm black. AA does not get you everywhere, it gives you a nudge, just like legacies, being poor, having a handicap, raising yourself after being fostered by wolves, etc.</p>
<p>And the whopping 7% of minorities at top 25 universities does not explain all of your rejections. Even if you were to throw out every black person in every top 25 school there would still not be enough space to fit in every person who pompously points at their scores and says 'Me qualified!!!' So who would you blame then, eh?</p>
<p>I don't know if this has been mentioned before, but here is how I see it (btw I am an URM):</p>
<p>I see AA as the college admissions community telling me and my fellow minorities that we will NEVER be as good as the white people in our community, so they are going to give us a little help so that we will be different later. Not too helpful to tell us we are second-class citizens in the sense of intellectual ability.</p>
<p>I also see AA as an attempt to keep America divided and defined by race when the division is no longer needed. It may have been needed a while ago, but back then is a lot different from now. I refuse to believe that I am discriminated the least bit in the society I live in.</p>
<p>I am not reporting my ethnicity on college apps and ETS/Princeton Review tests because I refuse to let people judge me by my skin color when they don't have to. Maybe I won't get into Caltech because of it, but hey, if my race was needed to get in, I was never meant to be there in the first place. I won't have any regrets.</p>
<p>yeah man forget this crap stop arguing and being babies go to your colleges and just do well be the best student you can be. Stop crying about AA and all that stuff it exists and is good and bad depending on the situations. O well just forget it and stop being little kids dang.</p>
<p>Alas, poor white people. Poor, poor white people. My heart goes out to you. How long must you toil under the burdens of economic and social supremacy? How long must your spirits be crushed by a legal system that is far, far less likely to arrest, try, and convict you if you happen to commit a crime? How long must you live in fear of the twin terrors of affirmative action and progressive taxes?</p>
<p>Like strong ol' Atlas bears the weight of the world on his shoulders, so must white people bear the weight of the country's politcal power. And believe me, losing that many black people's votes is no easy task. And what do they get for this backbreaking labor? They must come home and watch television programs featuring intelligently written characters similar to themselves instead of ridiculous caricatures engaged in minstrel-esque shenanigans. (Seriously. Have you seen UPN? Terrible.)</p>
<p>When will the world realize that white people are magic and better than all the other races put together. And that includes fictional ones like elves and Klingons and Canadians. When we all realize this, we can finally truly acheive an egalitarian society. Oh, and Kryptonians. White people are better than Kryptonians, too.</p>
<p>I wish with all my heart that I could give my acceptance to Princeton to a more deserving white person. Someone who's gone to an upper-crust private school, has parents who actually have money in there bank account, and has a yacht or something. 'Cause this is the type of person who I've noticed complaing about AA more often than not. I've not heard much from those who really have reason to complain.</p>
<p>To begin with, personally my argument stated that black people are equals and thus should be treated accordingly. The previous poster was correct in saying that AA is simply deeming all minorities second class citizens who can never be expected to do as well in school or on tests than a white person. I find this to be disturbing, so how can you as a minority not? It seems that as long as minorities are willing to simply go along with this idea, this nation will remain divided. Chocolate Thunder maybe there was some white kid who was in reality better qualified for Princeton than you were. I can not say this for sure but this does indeed happen. You need to get your numbers correct as well; Not all white people are rich, just as not all black people are poor. Personally I did not go to a private college prep academy, my parents did not attend university, and my mother made 15K this year working a full time job. I am white and had to work extremely hard to get to where I am. I can say that I got my scholarship and accepted to great schools because of my abilities and that no concessions were made because of my skin color. I would like to say thank you to rufio055 for trying to set an example and promoting real change.</p>
<p>Though I admire your commitment to being treated as an equal, rufio055, I also feel disgusted that the social misconception of AA is forcing you to act this way. </p>
<p>AA is not telling you you are a second-class citizen, rufio055, it's a small atonement for the generations before you who WERE second-class citizens. It's a pathetic reparation, a bad patch for a huge mess that society didn't want to fix. But it's all you have to show for the hundreds of years of struggle that women, blacks, hispanics, and native americans put in to be equals. </p>
<p>Your action is similar to a holocaust victim refusing a scholarship set up by the German government, because that would mean he was a 'second class citizen.' It's not true, it's a small gift meant to help correct an atrocity</p>
<p>i agree, what rufio did is a great example. if you are accepted its impossible to feel that your accomplishment was due to AA. I hope you get in because the world needs more ppl like you. </p>
<p>also -- if you your screenname is from the band Rufio, you are even cooler</p>
<p>i don't know, i don't think its the greatest thing not to accept the benefits, i agree with red dragon...anyways good for you, i'm glad you stuck to your beliefs without letting others sway you</p>
<p>BTW: I like that show "Girlfriends" on UPN, it doesn't all suck lol</p>
<p>Red_dragone-what about all of those years when Asians were discriminated against? The Chinese Exclusion Act, the Gentlemen's Agreement, the Immigration Acts of the 1920's? They were barred from citizenship which was quite clever because it allowed Asian laborers to be imported to satisfy the US's economic need for cheap labor without having to grant them them political rights.</p>
<p>Asians were discriminated against by America, perhaps you should fight about it...AA wasn't exactly haded to urms on a silver platter...if you feel there is an injustice against your people do something about it!!1</p>
<p>What I don't understand is that you say affirmative action is a form of reparation for past discriminations. How come Asians aren't entitled to any of that?</p>
<p>It would also help if you take an Asian American Studies class instead of subscribing to the stereotype that Asians are docile and don't fight for their rights.</p>
<p>i agree with the title of the thread...not because im racist, or because i didnt get in to the school of my choice (which happens to be true), but because I'm dealing with reality.</p>
<p>a minority student who gets into a fine institution like Pton with a 1220 SAT score and a 2.9 GPA CANNOT HANDLE THE RIGOROUS CURRICULUM. How can they be expected to! The 1440 SAT kids have been working hard their whole lives, and are used to being under stress. I'll be interested to see what the dropout rates are for next year.</p>
<p>This person did not receive a likely letter from Northwestern and this is the way I perceived them:</p>
<p>"Waah waah waah, I got likely letters from Emory, Duke, Cornell, UNC, and NYU, but OMG I didn't get one from Northwestern, but I'm URM! How could this be?!"</p>
<p>I never said anything about Asians being docile, please don't try to paint me as some stereotyping monster. </p>
<p>Since I don't see a leading Asian social/political leader hitting the streets fighting for AA for asians, I will assume there is no organized effort for it...simple as that</p>
<p>needadecision, I know plenty of lazy 1400s and hardworking 1200s. Test scores are not necessarily indicators of success. And it may shock you, but 1200s have been getting into major universities for years, AND THEY'RE DROP OUT RATES ARE NO HIGHER. Though it may seem shocking, does dumb heathens have been attending major universities before your time-and succeding no less.</p>
<p>"Asians were discriminated against by America, perhaps you should fight about it...AA wasn't exactly haded to urms on a silver platter...if you feel there is an injustice against your people do something about it!!1"</p>
<p>Those were your exact words.</p>
<p>Implication: URM's have AA because they fought for it. Asians do not have AA because they did not fight for their rights. </p>
<p>Wrong. </p>
<p>That's not the reason why Asians are not included in AA and even suffer reverse discrimination because of it. Asians don't want affirmative action. That's the reason why there has never been a huge movement demanding it. However, certain segments of the Asian American population are also heavily against affirmative action. Thus, instead of demanding AA for Asians as a way of trying to gain 'equality,' Asian Americans are simply advocating for the abolishment of AA period (to avoid stereotyping all Asian Americans, I would qualify that by saying that not all Asian Americans are anti-AA but a sizable segment of the population is)</p>