Berkeley : Inherently raciest (bake sale)

[Phanuthier]

Thought this was pretty funny

http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/27/us/cal...ale/index.html

During the sale, scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. local time, baked goods will be sold to white men for $2, Asian men for $1.50, Latino men for $1, black men for 75 cents and Native American men for 25 cents. All women will get 25 cents off those prices.
"We agree that the event is inherently racist, but that is the point," Lewis wrote in response to upheaval over the bake sale. "It is no more racist than giving an individual an advantage in college admissions based solely on their race (or) gender."

[valo403]

It's a pretty brilliant approach to drawing attention to their position, and honestly it really isn't all that different than the policy they are against (although it obviously simplifies the issue).

I'm not sure where I fall on the issue to be honest. While I see the need to create diverse environments in order to bring in different view points and cultivate the whole 'academic environment' thing I'm not sure that you do that by creating a situation where race becomes a pretty big factor in admissions. It's a tough situation, people who may have earned a spot with their grades are denied while those who may not have the grades get in. I think it's important that people aren't let in simply because of their skin, but because they bring value. The issue is that it's hard to quantify that and the admissions process, particularly at the undergrad level, doesn't usually lend itself to a more personal approach.

I've often wondered what schools would have done had I just checked off Latino on my applications, are they going to ask for a family tree? Oddly enough I actually could have benefited from the desire of schools to boost their diversity numbers as being Canadian counted but chose to go to a school that I would have easily gotten into regardless. Still think I should have applied to Yale as a Canadian-Latino.

[Bill Bumface]

If you give kids equal opportunity in Primary/Secondary school (which they don't have) there is no need for this debate.

They are trying to solve the wrong problem with affirmative action.

Give an inner city black kid the same learning environment as a suburban estate neighbourhood white kid and they'll all qualify for enrollment just fine.

[valo403]

Originally Posted by hulkrogan

If you give kids equal opportunity in Primary/Secondary school (which they don't have) there is no need for this debate.

They are trying to solve the wrong problem with affirmative action.

Give an inner city black kid the same learning environment as a suburban estate neighbourhood white kid and they'll all qualify for enrollment just fine.

A little bit easier said than done, you're basically asking for economic disparity in America to be eliminated. Just sending kids to magnet schools isn't going to solve the problem when some go home to a tutor and stable environment and others go home to head off for work so they can support their family.

[evman150]

Anyone else get very let down by the contents of this thread?

[troutman]

Originally Posted by evman150

Anyone else get very let down by the contents of this thread?

I thought we were going to see anatomical cakes.

[ken0042]

Not only was I let down by the contents of the thread, now I'm let down that Toutman didn't use the obvious SNL reference:

http://snltranscripts.jt.org/93/93lsexycakes.phtml

[blankall]

Affirmative action that targets race is inherently flawed. Although minorities in America may make up a greater proportion of the poor, they do not make up the entirety of it.

Affirmative action based on race merely helps already rich minorities get even further ahead, as they have the best access to these programs. It also serves to keep poor white people down. White people may make up a greater percentage of the rich in America, but there are plenty of poor white children who grow up with alcoholic/unemployed/abusive/drug addicted/etc... parents. These are the most likely people to get hurt by affirmative action, as there daddies can't make a phone call to a friend from the country club. Not to mention affirmative action programs reinforce harmful stereotypes.

If you want to have affirmative action it should be based on economic standing. If minorities make up a greater percentage of the poor, then they will benefit more from programs directed at helping the poor.

As far as affirmative action towards women is concerned, it would be much more productive for society to fund programs directed at getting women into the workforce after childbirth, such as guaranteed and affordable daycare, especially for single mothers.

[octothorp]

Originally Posted by evman150

Anyone else get very let down by the contents of this thread?

What's wrong with being racy?

[Locke]

How much for BLUE people??

[Phanuthier]

Originally Posted by blankall

Affirmative action that targets race is inherently flawed. Although minorities in America may make up a greater proportion of the poor, they do not make up the entirety of it.

Affirmative action based on race merely helps already rich minorities get even further ahead, as they have the best access to these programs. It also serves to keep poor white people down. White people may make up a greater percentage of the rich in America, but there are plenty of poor white children who grow up with alcoholic/unemployed/abusive/drug addicted/etc... parents. These are the most likely people to get hurt by affirmative action, as there daddies can't make a phone call to a friend from the country club. Not to mention affirmative action programs reinforce harmful stereotypes.

If you want to have affirmative action it should be based on economic standing. If minorities make up a greater percentage of the poor, then they will benefit more from programs directed at helping the poor.

As far as affirmative action towards women is concerned, it would be much more productive for society to fund programs directed at getting women into the workforce after childbirth, such as guaranteed and affordable daycare, especially for single mothers.

Great post blankall. I posted this more cause I thought it was funny, but given some good posts on this topic, I thought I'd weigh in... I think as far as the institution goes (and a public school promoting equality) Cal is much better off improving the (piss poor) public education system rather than accepting mediocre students at the university level. I know a lot of below average students that get into Cal for the wrong reasons end up struggling, they get lost in the system and eventually just bomb out - so it doesn't really help them either. And those that do... well, lets just say I know a lot of students that graduated at UofA and UofC are just as capable, and maybe more, than a large percentage of students from Cal.

[SeeBass]

So society rules that I can't judge a person by their race unless it is to their advantage and at the expense of judging another person by their race.

[SebC]

The other problem with affirmative action (other than it being blatantly discriminatory - try creating an affirmative action program for males, who are under-represented at most universities, and see what happens) is that it in setting a lower standard for the "beneficiaries" it signals to them that they are not expected to do as well as a non-benficiary, which is in itself somewhat racist.

[SeeBass]

Originally Posted by SebC

The other problem with affirmative action (other than it being blatantly discriminatory - try creating an affirmative action program for males, who are under-represented at most universities, and see what happens) is that it in setting a lower standard for the "beneficiaries" it signals to them that they are not expected to do as well as a non-benficiary, which is in itself somewhat racist.

I could just imagine that.

Sorry miss you can't get in we need to give this to a man.

They would be screaming from the rafters.