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Affirmative Action Bake Sale

T

tm37

Lifer

By Walter E. Williams
Another Great Column By Dr. Williams

Not all college students support racial preferences and some UCLA students made their feelings known in a highly innovative way. In early February, Bruin Republicans organized a campus cookie sale, but not your ordinary cookie sale. They offered cookies at different prices depending on the customer's race and sex. Black, Latino and American Indian females were charged 25 cents for a cookie while their male counterparts were charged 50 cents. White females were charged a dollar. White males were charged two dollars. Asian males and females also were charged two dollars a cookie.

Students selling the cookies assigned themselves name tags. Some of the name tags read "Uncle Tom", "The White Oppressor" and "Self-Hating Hispanic Race Traitor." Chris Riha, third-year business economics student participating in the Affirmative Action Bake Sale, said that the students decided to one up their detractors by assigning the names themselves. That's what minorities who disagree with racial preferences are either called, or thought to be, an "Uncle Tom" or self-hating black or Hispanic.

Chairman of the California Democratic Party, Art Torres, voiced his disapproval saying, "I am deeply saddened and disheartened at the activities of the Bruin Republicans." He accused them of having been emboldened by Senator Trent Lott's remarks that led to his ouster as the Senate majority leader. Art Torres' condemnation was joined by many of UCLA's racial preferences supporters.

Here's my question for those who condemned the event. Why be offended by a money version of racial preferences? After all it's identical in principle to admission practices sanctioned by university communities across America. In fact, that's what the University of Michigan case before the U.S. Supreme Court is all about - treating people differently by race.

Some might ask, "Why are Asians charged two dollars? They're a minority." You'd be right. According to the 2000 Census, residents who reported as Asian, or in combination with one or more other races, totaled 11.9 million or four percent of our population. In my book that makes Asians a minority and eligible for the cookie affirmative action discount. Instead of being charged two dollars for a cookie, Asian females and Asian males are rightful claimants to the racially discounted price of 25 cents and 50 cents respectively.

If you see things that way, think Asian-Americans are eligible for preferential treatment, it simply means that you haven't kept abreast with modern racial enlightenment. A minority group is not a minority if as a group they are successful. Asian median family is $55,525, the highest of any other racial group in America. More than 44 percent of Asians age 25 and over have bachelor degrees; the rate for all other Americans was 26 percent. Other indicators of group success would include low crime rate and high family stability. Case closed; Asians are not a minority.

Being a UCLA alumnus (doctorate 1972), I can sympathize with critics of the Affirmative Action Bake Sale. Were I still a student, I'd walk up to these people and tell them that selling cookies on campus is okay but it's a despicable, mean practice to treat people differently just because they're members of one race or sex or another. I'd take a principled stand; that's where I differ from other critics of the Affirmative Action Bake Sale. They take a situational stand on racial preferences. For them whether racial preferences are wrong or right depends upon whom it's practiced against. I'd like to ask my fellow critics just one question: if racial preferences, highlighted by the cookie, are wrong and offensive, why wouldn't it also be wrong and offensive in the University's admissions practices? After all the Affirmative Action Bake Sale was promoting diversity in cookie ownership.

Walter E. Williams
c10-03
March 9, 2003
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And how is that different than giving someone 20 points for being black. They are just showing the stupidity of affirmative action. I had an Indian friend (not native american) who got rejected from a tech school and a less qualified white student got in. Thats why Indians aren't considered a minority either--they are self sufficient--and they are punished for their accomplishments :|.
Just think the outcry in the nation if black students were subtacted 20 points for being black; of course, that would be racism because your treating one group different from the other--wait aren't they doing that by giving 20 points :Q.
I believe that affirmative action will bread more racism and cause more harm in the end; that will be the greatest tradegy of affirmative action.
 
If they want to sell me cookies for less money, then I'll buy them. Since white women have benefitted more from affirmative action than any other group though, their cookies should have been 15 cents, not a dollar. They should at least get the prices right.
 
Soon white males will be a minority.

As a white male I simply cannot wait. Free stuff for me! wooohooo! special priveleges, special monies, special programs all designed to help me! Can't fire me, have to hire me.

woohoo!
 
Originally posted by: spidey07
Soon white males will be a minority.

As a white male I simply cannot wait. Free stuff for me! wooohooo! special priveleges, special monies, special programs all designed to help me! Can't fire me, have to hire me.

woohoo!
Click to expand...

Well, if we become a minority we won't be getting anything extra because we will still be "the man."
 
Originally posted by: spidey07
Soon white males will be a minority.

As a white male I simply cannot wait. Free stuff for me! wooohooo! special priveleges, special monies, special programs all designed to help me! Can't fire me, have to hire me.

woohoo!
Click to expand...
No you will still be in the Majority because idiots will always ou tnumber those who aren't
 
This is old news, they did this a while ago...some people at the U of Mich tried doing the same thing, but not with the same number of different prices. I thought it was cool, original...regardless of what they were doing it for. I'm for AA, btw.
 
Originally posted by: notfred
What's the point of doing this in California where there is no affirmative action?
Click to expand...

There is no "affirmative Action" but there is "racial Preferance." I am not sure of the difference however.
 
What's the point of doing this in California where there is no affirmative action?
Click to expand...

there would be no point, aside from the fact that there is... the uc admission process awards points for particular aspects of a candidate, and you get a point if you're a minority... and this is the truth. and yes, it is in fact reverse discrimination.

the funniest part about affirmative action is that everyone being harmed by it can fully justify their position of opposition, yet everyone that it aides can only justify their support with some emotional answer, such as: we deserve it or some other creativity.
 
If you know black students have lower requirements to get into medical school, would you really want to ever see a black doctor?
"Affirmative Action" makes you question the credentials of your medical professional if they are black.
How does that help anyone of any color?
 
They should find a way to make admissions race/gender blind, like they "allegedly" put a wall of separation between admissions and financial aid.
 
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