I benefited from affirmative action and I didn't look at it as a handout to not work hard. I got into HLS with an LSAT and GPA that if I was white woulda kept me outta any school in the top 14. Yet now I'm on track to join an elite law firm after I graduate. The purpose of affirmative action is to help minorities into positions of power so that in the future we can be the decision makers and help elevate more from our community from poverty and crime.
Whether or not affirmative action has a stigmatizing effect is beyond the point. The reality of the situation is that the achievement gap is real. If there is no affirmative action, then top schools like Harvard would have just a handful of black students rather than the student body being around 10-12% black like we see in the general population.
I don't see the achievement gap as a result of black people not trying hard and looking for handouts. The achievement gap exists because of socioeconomic inequalities that can't be fixed by going to a race blind society. Its funny how race mattered when it came to discriminating against black folks but now when it comes to making up for past wrongs its like lets just forget about this whole race thing.
Oh affirmative action benefits gay people now?
That's just another reason why it's bullshyt because most of the people who benefit from it aren't even black. Women, Latinos and apparently gays are taking all the jobs.
We need to build our own companies. But why when affirmative action can give us jobs at white companies?
It's like asking do you want $50 right now or $100 a year from now. Affirmative action is that $50 right now. It's nice to have, no doubt, but with more toil there's a greater reward at the end.
You say AA helps minorities
into positions of power which I don't deny. I understand what you're saying but I'm taking it a step higher and that's where you get lost. Lack of AA (and really integration laws in general) means instead of minorities being "helped into positions of power" they are actually
creating positions of power. And that's
true power.
So while your arithmetic is correct, you're failing to understand the calculus I'm trying to teach you. It's bigger than you getting a job, I'm talking about future generations here.
