Ce n'est past un nom

WHAT UNIVERSITY DO YOU GO TO LEO?

No comment. Answer the question

Well, nobody I know wants to go to university in the US. They'd rather go to Europe for that, and in fact some of them are.

I go to college. Hell, I'm already technically a graduate (I have an Associate's Degree) and am 2-3 semesters away from a Bachelor's.

That said, I don't think Race should be a factor. It should really be judged on either academic ability or else at least money reserves, in terms of who goes. Having "a minimum quota" of people is not really the idea here, nor a way to "fix" things. Sure, it brings in disadvantaged members of society, but the problem is, that is still not necessarily a society that will accept them, even if they do manage to get that degree. There's also the fact that right now, our education system is in shambles - "No Child Left Behind" really did a number on education in this country, and as someone who briefly considered being a teacher, I saw enough writing on the wall to know that radical change is needed, but I won't even get into that unless asked.

The problem is not just that the whole education system is fucked though, it's also because our whole society is screwed up too. There's still plenty of people alive who were alive during segregation, and would like to keep it that way. The younger generations (i.e; those born in the 1970s and later - including virtually every poster here) are less about a man's (or woman's!) race, sex, sexual orientation, et cetera and more about their ability. As the older, more racial generations die off and our generations assume their roles, things will get better for them.

That said, "real change" is probably still at least 10-15 years out, and the effects of it won't be felt for about that time again. Things should be much better for a racial minority trying to get into college come 2030 or so, but right now, it's still simply too soon.

This is probably simply the "step back" part in that old saying: "Two steps forward, one step back." It'll come. Just like a lot of other things are slowly coming along. (Gay marriage, I'm looking at you.)

"There has been no greater benefactor of affirmative action than the white male."

I don't remember where that's from, but I felt it appropriate for the situation. Let's face it: Hispanics and African Americans are often disadvantaged in comparison to white families. It's not surprising, given that American culture has always favored the white male. The African and Hispanic peoples have conforming to cultural expectations not their own for hundreds of years. Coming from a poor, Latino neighborhood, I do see a need for things like affirmative action because it does provide disadvantaged youths with opportunities they may not otherwise have. And, quite frankly, it can provide kids with an out from gangs.

The point of affirmative action is, I thought, to allow disadvantaged minorities to gain the even footing they need to even have a chance at college.

These kids don't lack in intelligence/potential, merely opportunity.

True, Theo, but you have to make sure that it doesn't go too far as to become positive discrimination.