At a college in Rhode Island the student Republicans created a white scholarship in protest of affirmative action. The scholarship isn't for very much money- but they are trying to make a point. Students must write an essay about their "whiteness" as a part of the requirements for the scholarship.
Read more about it at http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/20 ... ews-07.asp
(sorry- I would make it a link if I knew how!)

What do you all think about this?

Are you for, or against affirmative action? Why?

I am against affirmative action. At some point in time I believe that affirmative action was the right thing to do. Now I believe that people are given a fair opportunity and that every individual should be considered ----I believe whoever is better for the job, should be the person for the job -- regardless of their race. There was an episode on Boston Public regarding this issue. The students and teachers were able to watch a debate between four candidates chosen from each side to represent each side. One surprising factor was a black teacher believed against affirmative action. She brought up very good points, and earned respect from a lot of the individuals in the school system. Most of the black teachers were surprised about her beliefs.

I don't know if affirmative action is needed everywhere. In the North, it is probably needed much less than in the South. I believe that whites are given more opportunities to succeed in many places. In towns in the South where there are many white people and black people, you will find the white people the ones with more money, the ones doing better in school, and the ones who fit in society better in general. This inequality makes me think that blacks should have an easier time breaking into the job market and into schools because right now they are just not there in numbers that would be proportional to their population. Even in places where the majority of people are black, you will not find them in huge numbers in high positions. At the same time, I understand the position that people against affirmative action are coming from. Until things are equal though, I think that it is necessary to go through the awkward stages of affirmative action.

I don't know where i stand on affirmative action, but i think that scholarship is stupid. well... i guess i'm aganist affirmative action. i think you should be able to get into school based on your grades, not you skin color.

Yes- I am replying to my own thread. But I think that is ok, isn't it?
Apparently, when you type in a website address it automatically links to that website. So, disregard my comment, and please visit that website.

My opinion-
Affirmative action and proposed reparation payments to African Americans completely takes away the power, the agency that African Americans had throughout history. If you accept affirmative action and the idea of reparations then you automatically accept the theory that ALL African Americans were complete, and total victims. In reality, African Americans did SO much to resist oppression. I think its a great injustice to take away the power that a group of people have had over their own lives- in this case,African Americans.

I think that we need to change our society to make it so that affirmative action would never be needed. But I know that this is impossible for the exact reason that it was created in the first place. The dominant culture is very scared of change and of losing their power. While affirmative action does allow for a diverse group of people working in certain fields, it also keeps qualified people in these fields to a minim. So I have to say that I’m on the fence on this issue.

I am also against Affirmative Action. I think that if someone has good enough grades and qualities to get into a good school or career, then why should we care about their skin color?

I would say that I am against affirmative action for much the same reason that I would be against a scholarship like the one you mentioned for "whiteness." That is crazy. Who cares about your "whiteness" level? The only reason affirmative action was ever in place was to get through a state when racism was perpetual and ingrained in the minds of people almost everywhere. I don't think its really doing much now except perpetuating racism through resentment, as is shown with the case of reverse discrimination shown by aforementioned scholarship. That's not to say that racism isn't still a problem. It always has been and always will be. But there is a point when you have to wonder whether certain policies are fighting the problem, or becoming part of the problem.