Elmhurst Steve wrote:
Joe Orr Road Rod wrote:
Mini Ditka wrote:
Would Dr. King be in favor of the affirmative action president?
What don't you like about affirmative action?
It's not fair. It is designed to give opportunity to those less capable to make up for the fact that past generations of certain groups were denied opportunities. Just as the denial of opportunity to those individuals caused great resentment and anger, the denial of the best candidates for a job now in favor of someone else because of their ethnic background, will only cause more anger and resentment. If equality (as Dr King wanted) is the goal, only the qualifications of the candidate for a job should matter.
Life isn't fair, Steve. And actually, affirmative action is simply designed to give those who have historically been denied opportunity a more level playing field, which still isn't exactly level and never will be, as evidenced by the fact that George W. Bush got into Yale when many, many more qualified blacks could not dream of doing so.
Just like week I heard an good interview with Sonia Sotomayor. She explained about how she learned how to study and take notes when she was in fifth grade and how someone advised her to apply for "the Ivies" and that she had no idea what "the Ivies" were. Ultimately, she was accepted at Princeton where she struggled at first.
The interviewer, a sharp guy, asked a tough follow-up, and I'll paraphrase: How is it that you, as someone who benefited from affirmative action, can have such a different outlook on the concept than your fellow Justice, Clarence Thomas, who is on record as hating affirmative action and feeling as if its existence has diminished his achievements?
Sotomayor's answer was that she and Thomas just view affirmative action from totally different perspectives. She comes at it from a positive angle and looks at it as if she is a great lawyer and a more than qualified Supreme Court Justice who quite likely would have never had the chance to achieve such things without affirmative action. And Thomas sees it as a negative in that he has achieved certain things in his life and career, yet his capabilities will always be questioned as if he does not deserve to be where he is since affirmative action, as you say, "gives opportunity to those less capable." Sotomayor respects Thomas and understands his view on the matter, and in fact, has bumped up against what he is talking about herself. However, her view is that each person finds himself or herself presented with a different set of advantages and disadvantages and goes from there.
Why are so many so outraged by a poor black kid who gets a shot to go to Michigan and makes a successful life and career for himself, yet they never mention the legacy that grabs a spot at Harvard and then squanders it by blowing off second semester on the ski slopes of Jackson Hole?