Don't get me wrong: I agree that Uni should be trying to get as many differing intellects and perspectives as it can, because I agree that it is important to a good education. What I disagree with is that race is viewed as synonymous with culture and ethnicity. Like I posted yesterday, I'm not sure that different kinds of intelligence implies different demographics, races, ethnicities, and backgrounds, and I'm also not sure that different races and ethnicities implies different kinds of intelligence. For example: If you took a colored person my age and had him live like my twin since he was born, I can pretty much guarantee he'll see life the way I do, yet he will be more desirable to Uni simply because he's black. I suggest to everyone that this is the same as racism, because all else being the same, his race is given preferential treatment. From this, we should see that Uni should not be looking for different races, exactly, but that Uni should be looking for different cultures.
I took a look at the 2008-09 Application for Admission, and it has a box in the middle of the page with these words:
"The following information is for Affirmative Action use only (Optional).
Race/Ethnic Designation:______________________"
The request for Race/Ethnicity is, as you'll notice, only for use for Affirmative Action. I'm going to be using this definition of affirmative action:
"The term affirmative action describes policies aimed at a historically socio-politically non-dominant group (typically, minority men or women of all races) intended to promote access to education or employment."
While I am glad to see that Wikipedia says that affirmative action can help minority men or women of all races, I think that when we're talking about expanding the number of minorities at Uni we are not talking about all races. We are talking about men and women of all races except the group we call Whites (and perhaps certain sub-groups of Asians to a lesser extent). This means that when we are using Race or Ethnicity for affirmative action, we're being racist, because we're profiling AGAINST Whites and Asians. How can we do that while were doing what we can to end racism?
On a related note, I am also glad to see that it's optional to fill out, but it'll take some convincing to persuade me that a blank answer is given the same treatment as if someone had put Native American.
We should be profiling against White and Asian culture, and I repeat, this is not synonomous with White or Asian race. Remove the small box about Race/Ethnic Designation and replace it with a full page in which questions are asked that can provide insights into the culture of the applicant. I know reading one or two words is easier, but hey, we want the best education possible, don't we? Isn't that the whole idea? And if we're truly to be a "a catalyst for educational innovation," perhaps we should go ahead and innovate a unique Admissions Form rather than taking a college admission form and dumbing it down to Middle School level. This might allow us to get the cultural balance we want. Colleges and Universities are obviously having a similar problem to ours, so does it really make sense to continue to do things they way they do? We might even "...influence positively the larger educational community." (The quotes above are taken directly from the Mission Statement posted on the Uni High Website.)
How can it be said that paying attention to race in any way is not racist? The only reason I can think of that anyone ever pays attention to someone's race these days is so that they can either a) take something from them that they would otherwise be able to have, or b) give them a chance to get something that they wouldn't otherwise be able to get. I'd be surprised if anyone challenged the racist status of reason 'a,' but since we can all see that that's Bad with a capital B, the real question becomes whether or not favoring a race for any reason is racism.
I suggest that favoring, indeed, even recognizing a race as different from any other is a terrible mistake that has unfortunately gone on for too long. For our education, differing cultures are what we desire, and that's definitely an important aspect. Lumping cultures into races, however, now I suggest that that's racial stereotyping. Isn't that recognized as a form of racism? I thought that was Bad, as opposed to being acceptable practice.
I thought racism was Bad.
Don't get me wrong: I agree that Uni should be trying to get as many differing intellects and perspectives as it can, because I agree that it is important to a good education. What I disagree with is that race is viewed as synonymous with culture and ethnicity. Like I posted yesterday, I'm not sure that different kinds of intelligence implies different demographics, races, ethnicities, and backgrounds, and I'm also not sure that different races and ethnicities implies different kinds of intelligence. For example: If you took a colored person my age and had him live like my twin since he was born, I can pretty much guarantee he'll see life the way I do, yet he will be more desirable to Uni simply because he's black. I suggest to everyone that this is the same as racism, because all else being the same, his race is given preferential treatment. From this, we should see that Uni should not be looking for different races, exactly, but that Uni should be looking for different cultures.
I took a look at the 2008-09 Application for Admission, and it has a box in the middle of the page with these words:
"The following information is for Affirmative Action use only (Optional).
Race/Ethnic Designation:______________________"
The request for Race/Ethnicity is, as you'll notice, only for use for Affirmative Action. I'm going to be using this definition of affirmative action:
"The term affirmative action describes policies aimed at a historically socio-politically non-dominant group (typically, minority men or women of all races) intended to promote access to education or employment."
While I am glad to see that Wikipedia says that affirmative action can help minority men or women of all races, I think that when we're talking about expanding the number of minorities at Uni we are not talking about all races. We are talking about men and women of all races except the group we call Whites (and perhaps certain sub-groups of Asians to a lesser extent). This means that when we are using Race or Ethnicity for affirmative action, we're being racist, because we're profiling AGAINST Whites and Asians. How can we do that while were doing what we can to end racism?
On a related note, I am also glad to see that it's optional to fill out, but it'll take some convincing to persuade me that a blank answer is given the same treatment as if someone had put Native American.
We should be profiling against White and Asian culture, and I repeat, this is not synonomous with White or Asian race. Remove the small box about Race/Ethnic Designation and replace it with a full page in which questions are asked that can provide insights into the culture of the applicant. I know reading one or two words is easier, but hey, we want the best education possible, don't we? Isn't that the whole idea? And if we're truly to be a "a catalyst for educational innovation," perhaps we should go ahead and innovate a unique Admissions Form rather than taking a college admission form and dumbing it down to Middle School level. This might allow us to get the cultural balance we want. Colleges and Universities are obviously having a similar problem to ours, so does it really make sense to continue to do things they way they do? We might even "...influence positively the larger educational community." (The quotes above are taken directly from the Mission Statement posted on the Uni High Website.)
How can it be said that paying attention to race in any way is not racist? The only reason I can think of that anyone ever pays attention to someone's race these days is so that they can either a) take something from them that they would otherwise be able to have, or b) give them a chance to get something that they wouldn't otherwise be able to get. I'd be surprised if anyone challenged the racist status of reason 'a,' but since we can all see that that's Bad with a capital B, the real question becomes whether or not favoring a race for any reason is racism.
I suggest that favoring, indeed, even recognizing a race as different from any other is a terrible mistake that has unfortunately gone on for too long. For our education, differing cultures are what we desire, and that's definitely an important aspect. Lumping cultures into races, however, now I suggest that that's racial stereotyping. Isn't that recognized as a form of racism? I thought that was Bad, as opposed to being acceptable practice.