<p>Let us debate.</p>
<p>I personally believe AA is fair. This roots back to slavery, blacks were oppressed for so many years that we continue to feel the effects today. Only recently has America elected a half African American president. I never got my 40 acres and a mule,or reparation AA is the least they can do to begin to apologize for slavery.</p>
<p>
I lol’d.</p>
<p>I think AA is completely fair.
But then there are those who argue “well I’m Chinese/Japanese. My people were oppressed. I face discrimination daily. Where’s my boost?”</p>
<p>For the record, I love being 3/8 black.</p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>LOL @ this thread, get ready for a war guys</p>
<p>lol ya my high school friend use to say that a lot " I never got my 40 acres and a mule" </p>
<p>No other race was taken from their continent and shipped to another continent to be slaves.</p>
<p>Native Americans were not slaves the same amount of time African’s were, even tho Native Americans got it bad too.</p>
<p>Black people are the most oppressed people in world history, and we’ve gotten the short end of the stick way more times than not. AA is definitely fair.</p>
<p>Really, I don’t think they need to “apologize for slavery” because the people who instituted it are long dead and gone and you can’t really punish their offspring for it. However it is true that because of slavery it’s taking much longer for blacks to get to the same level as whites and asians in terms of economic standing and education levels. History has kind of screwed us over for a bit.</p>
<p>So I think it is fair but I hate it when ignorant people who don’t fully understand the reasoning behind AA start spouting nonsense about how blacks are taking their spots in college or are way underqualified to be there. People think I automatically get a free pass to any college I like while disregarding my qualifications. It just gets annoying sometimes because I’ve worked hard in school to make sure I get into a top college and now my work is undermined.</p>
<p>Also lets not forget that AA is not only for blacks but for any URM and usually people of low income. I love how people tend to forget that and only assume it’s getting black people into college. It’s aimed at helping all the disadvantaged.</p>
<p>@nosike : totally agree</p>
<p>@arsenalcrazy: “they” as in America as a whole. If everyman is created equal as her ( America’s) laws say, then slavery should of never been allowed to happen.</p>
<p>And I agree with you, I hate when I got accepted into a top college and people say , " Ya , i knew youd get in , your black" they left out how I have a higher GPA etc. than them.</p>
<p>LOL im not black but i’ll pitch in here.</p>
<p>1) notice how this isn’t really a debate, everyone is agreeing with you
2) Everyone here is black (so as it seems, i could be wrong)
3) Most asians/whites (asians more though) hate AA because its used against them, it has nothing to do with the issue of slavery etc.
4) There are some really intelligent and gifted/talented blacks and URM’s, however, it’s more than not a “social norm” if i may call it that, that asians/white’ applying to top colleges generally have higher stats. Ec’s could be subjective.
5) Most asian/white CC users won’t respond to this thread because its useless, AA is obviously going to be justified by those who recieve it’s benefits, mabey some support from non URMS too ( their probably really nice and mature about the issue).</p>
<p>thats my 2 cents. I hope nothing came across as offensive, i was just trying to clear some things up about this kind of thread.
Wait i just realized something, was this thread just for African American’s since it was in this forum? lol no wonder no one else responded…but in that case, your kinda creating a 1-sided bias in this “debate” imo.</p>
<p>Apparently I wanted other African American’s view points on the topic, after all I did post this in the African American forum. I personally know some African Americans that are strongly against AA, and It is hard for me the fathom how anyone can possibly be against something that can help them.</p>
<p>The debate was to have an African American view on the subject to see if their are any AA’s here against AA.</p>
<p>Using this same logic, shall we have affirmative action for Jewish students whose families were targeted and murdered during the Holocaust? After all, the Holocaust occurred more recently than slavery.</p>
<p>I’m black and in my honest opinion it is an unfair advantage. The whole premise of Affirmative Action destroys the idea of equality. Isn’t that what everyone wants after all? I want to get into a school because I am smart enough or a good enough candidate, not because they have to meet a quota or the color of my skin.</p>
<p>This is something I posted a while back on another AA thread.</p>
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<p>^I agree with most of this; while AA is a great idea and is necessary, it isn’t executed as it should be. I’m biracial and I’ll be helped in the admissions process, which I honestly don’t need. I’m middle class, I have plenty of opportunities, and I’m not disadvantaged. And many colleges will admit me over a kid who grew up in the inner city and had to work all his/her life because I have better stats and I’ll still count as a minority. I really don’t think that should happen, so something does have to change there. However, I think we have to work with the existing system since blacks are still so far behinds whites when it comes to education. When 51% of blacks graduate from high school compared to 76% of whites, it shows that AA is still completely needed, though we do need to rethink how it works so we can make it more effective.</p>
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Lol. You do realize that chances are many colleges will admit both of you, right…?</p>
<p>^Well of course many colleges would, I’m just saying that if we were competing for one spot, they might admit me over the other kid, which depending on our total circumstances could be kind of unfair. My main point was that I shouldn’t be given the same admissions advantage of disadvantaged students, since I’m not.</p>
<p>You guys are losing the point of AA though. It allows for DIVERSITY. As of right now, there are many minorities who do not have the grades and stats to compete with the pools of applicants with stellar stats. Its not the policy, but the fact that it is a short term fix.
If we want educational “equality” I’d say in my humble opinion, that the whole secondary school system needs an overhaul. Education should start at a young age that way standards won’t need to be lowered in order to achieve diversity.
BTW I’m Black & I have the stats to compete with anyone regardless of skin tone. Many minorities do. There just aren’t enough.</p>
<p>Excuse me, but Native Americans have been slaves longer than the African Americans. African american’s were granted citizen ship BEFORE Native Americans. We were the first to be killed off, turned into slaves, almost completely wiped out. Everyone only see’s black and white. Well, I see red. The truth. Everyone wants to glorify the freedom of black slavery to distract everyone from the truth of America’s own personal Holocaust against the first people’s of America.</p>
<p>IAmHere44 are you responding to me?</p>
<p>Well, this is not about the past. It is about the present. I was only speaking from a standpoint that I know. Yes, Native Americans were given blankets infested with Malaria and forced to sign bogus treaties. But, this is not my point.</p>
<p>Affirmative action is neither wrong nor “deserved” it is a temporary fix that allows for diversity. I would like to see a long term fix.</p>
<p>I am not a person stuck in the past. Yes, it was horrible and I thank each one of my ancestors for the headway that they have created and I’m sure you do to. We are not here however, to discuss what happened THEN. Its about what is going on NOW. </p>
<p>That being said, do you have input on whether you support of refute affirmative action?</p>
<p>kmurry, would you rather have surgery performed by a person who was admitted to med school as part of a diversity program or a person who earned a place by academic standing?</p>
<p>With your argument that “As of right now, there are many minorities who do not have the grades and stats to compete with the pools of applicants with stellar stats,” you are staying that minorities are simply not smart enough to compete, which is a grave insult and simply untrue.</p>
<p>Affirmative Action is undoubtedly unfair.</p>
<p>The slave owners have died and been buried a hundred years ago. The slaves have died and been buried a hundred years ago.</p>
<p>Not only does it encourage reverse discrimination (actually, it is), but it removes opportunities from the average worker and transfers it to someone less qualified.</p>
<p>It devalues merit and disparages the virtue of our meritocracy.</p>