But I want it to be unfair in my favor
May. 14th, 2011 12:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pktechgirlbackupThere's a great scene in "That 70s Show", in which Kelso has just learned his girlfriend might be pregnant. "It's not fair." he whines " Girls can can have all the sex they want without ever worrying about getting someone pregnant." I feel about the same way on this as I do when men complain about women automatically assuming protective stances in response to them: yeah, it must be a terrible burden being in the class that can be assumed to win any physical confrontation.
I think this also applies to white people who complain about Affirmative Action putting them at a disadvantage. Even if you want to claim that there is absolutely no prejudice against black people in America now, that each and every job applicant is evaluated strictly on their merits, you have to admit that that's a fairly recent development.* If losing a position you deserved based on merit is so unbelievably painful, then you have to admit it was painful to all those non-WASP-men who suffered it before you. This may just be another way of rephrasing my friend's description, which is "People who think anti-racism efforts are huge problems while ignoring racism."
I'm not sure where I'm going with this, because I'm against affirmative action. Part of my reasoning is the exact argument Coates shoots down in the link I posted above, and I haven't worked through my response yet.
*Or it would be if it were true, which it is not.
I think this also applies to white people who complain about Affirmative Action putting them at a disadvantage. Even if you want to claim that there is absolutely no prejudice against black people in America now, that each and every job applicant is evaluated strictly on their merits, you have to admit that that's a fairly recent development.* If losing a position you deserved based on merit is so unbelievably painful, then you have to admit it was painful to all those non-WASP-men who suffered it before you. This may just be another way of rephrasing my friend's description, which is "People who think anti-racism efforts are huge problems while ignoring racism."
I'm not sure where I'm going with this, because I'm against affirmative action. Part of my reasoning is the exact argument Coates shoots down in the link I posted above, and I haven't worked through my response yet.
*Or it would be if it were true, which it is not.
