<p>lol and I've wasted my whole night on cc...
should I stick around to get to 4,000?</p>
<p>You got time tomorrow. I'm turning in. </p>
<p>By tomorrow morning, this board may get a little riled up about our discussion.</p>
<p>lol
good night!
(even though it's not even late in cali!)</p>
<p>it's like 2:30 now, and I'm just chiming in to say...we haven't made official reparations for slavery, but we have apologized for it. </p>
<p>all in all, with political correctness running rampant nowadays, we're quite the apologetics.</p>
<p>anyway, yes....tomorrow i fear that this thread will light up like a Christmas (oops, I mean Seasonal) Tree.</p>
<p>guess again...</p>
<p>i know, i admire your restraint.</p>
<p>the AA argument is such that in the end, we will remain at our opposite corners of the ring, with no progress or understanding from one side to the other. At the end of the day, I will be unsuccessful in convincing you that AA can be good, and you will be unsuccessful in convincing me that AA is bad. So why bother?</p>
<p>because...who doesn't enjoy a debate??</p>
<p>especially you, you're going to Georgetown! :)</p>
<p>Though neither side will be able to convince each other, a debate will bring much needed discussion to these issues and the in the end, each side may be able to understand the opposite's beliefs. </p>
<p>This country has stifled dialogue in recent years to remain politically correct amongst other things.</p>
<p>what do you identify yourself as, eiffelguy?</p>
<p>In terms of political philosophy?</p>
<p>I prefer to call myself an eclectic. I don't agree with any party 100%; however, when I register to vote this year (though it's not an election year), I'll be registering as a Republican. In terms of conservative and liberal, I'm right-center. I don't play in the far right or far left.</p>
<p>In terms of foreign policy, I'm subscribe to realism, though I remain openminded about liberalism (which is not the same "liberal" as we know it). </p>
<p>In terms of affirmative action, I'm against it.</p>
<p>I'd really like to be a liberal, but I know that being a realist is much more... well, realistic. It is the pragmatic view to have of the world. As much as I like liberalism and its philospohies, there are definitely some inherent flaws with the ideology.</p>
<p>And just for the record: I, too, am against affirmative action.</p>
<p>oh, <3 you guys</p>
<p>I realized the true Republicanness of me today, when I totally schooled my liberal friend at Risk. :)</p>
<p>OMG I loooove playing Risk. It's so awesome. :) That seems like such an appropriate Georgetown-esque board game.</p>
<p>Has anyone ever played Diplomacy? That is truly my favorite strategic game.</p>
<p>If only John Mearsheimer taught at Georgetown instead of UChicago. Oh well; Georgetown has Albright (who is not really a realist) and Tenet.</p>
<p>Well, I'm an african american student and
I think that AA is useful in our society because... at least in Houston where I live, the schools at the predominantly black/minority areas of town are soooooo much worse than in the higher income areas. I was lucky enough to grow up in a predominantly white, upper middle class neighborhood that had good schools, so I've received a very good education.</p>
<p>But I mean... just go online and look at average SAT scores by race... students identifying as african american have by far the lowest. You can't tell me that's because black people are just more stupid. AA still serves it's purpose.</p>
<p>I agree to a degree (I see we're still going to have this debate anyway). I would rather if AA were handled on a socio-economic level than on a race level, simply because of the reasons you set forth. Even though you're black, you grew up in an upper-middle class area with good schools. </p>
<p>I personally live in a lower-middle class neighborhood that is predominantly black. I, being white, am a 5% minority in my school to the 95% black population. Since we all have equal resources, there is no reason why a black student in my school deserves a tip over me in college admissions. However, if that black kid came from a home without internet access, whose parent(s) didn't make much money at all and didn't have the same resources available to him as I have, then his achievement (compared to mine, all things being equal) becomes more remarkable and he thus deserves that tip.</p>
<p>And from the race standpoint, you (being all you Republicans, and esp. you, Natasha) cannot tell me that the racial climate of this nation is such that no stigma exists towards the African-American population. As a product of a black-majority school, I have seen it for myself. The white population on the whole has had 200+ years of freedom and opportunity in this nation, while it can be argued that blacks have had less than 40 years of that same opportunity. </p>
<p>And of course, if that black kid does get admitted over me, it will also be because he is qualified to fill the position, and because the admissions committee is confident in his success at their institution.</p>
<p>
[quote]
But I mean... just go online and look at average SAT scores by race... students identifying as african american[sic] have by far the lowest. You can't tell me that's because black people are just more stupid.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>The question bears asking, why are these scores lower? And it is not because African Americans are dumb; that is certainly not the answer. But the problem has to be identified. African Americans in urban areas consider getting an education "acting white" (not all of them said that, but it was on an interview on Today some time ago). Bill Cosby, of course, made a reference to this comment in 2004 also about this. It is a cultural problem that must be overcome--that getting an education is not "acting white."</p>
<p>
[quote]
As a product of a black-majority school, I have seen it for myself. The white population on the whole has had 200+ years of freedom and opportunity in this nation, while it can be argued that blacks have had less than 40 years of that same opportunity.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 prevented Chinese in the U.S. from becoming citizens: it classifed the Chinese with African Americans and Native Americans. Chinese Americans worked on transcontinental railroads and were paid comparably less than their Caucasian counterparts, if paid at all. Ever heard of a Chinaman's chance? Chinese males were placed in baskets and dropped down a cliffside to put a dynamite. It was up to those above to pull him up in time.</p>
<p>It was not repealed until 1946 under FDR but Chinese Americans and Asians as a whole did not gain full rights until LBJ and the Civil Rights Act. The McCarran-Walter Act passed in 1952 placed quotas on Asians immigrating to the U.S. In fact, during the 1990s a new surge of anti-Chinese sentiment became apparent with the Wen Ho Lee case (the judge of the case said that Lee deserved an apology from the U.S. Government) and the spy plane in Hainan Island. It was September 11th that took the microscope of China and Chinese-Americans.</p>
<p>And let's not forget about the Filipinos who were restricted to enter or about the internment of Japanese Americans, some of whom were United States citizens and far from being "enemy Orientals."</p>
<p>And how about political representation? In California, where the population of Asian Pacific Islanders outnumber African Americans, why are there only 6 Asian members in the state Assembly? Let's institute affirmative action there. And how about the United States Congress? Only two senators and three representatives are of Asian descent. Why not apply affirmative action there too? After all, the number of elected representatives does not reflect the growing Asian population. </p>
<p>This is only a drop in the bucket. So, if we want to talk about "freedom" and "opportunities" or the lack thereof, then let's not forget what other races had to endure. </p>
<p>If affirmative action seeks to invoke a sense of equality, it should be applied broadly and not selectively. Not all Asians or Caucasians are privileged.</p>
<p>Which is why I proposed looking at it from a socio-economic perspective rather than from a racial one.</p>
<p>Exactly. I agree with socio-economic affirmative action, but I think that the established race-based AA system is inherently flawed.</p>