Affirmative Action is racist. Period. Let’s explain why affirmative action is the most racist thing in America today.
Contents
What is affirmative action?
Affirmative action is a racist initiative to discriminate based on factors such as gender and ethnicity. This is quite literally discrimination, because the program seeks to discriminate. Discrimination based on race is the definition of racism.
Proponents of affirmative action claim that it’s to correct historical wrongs. This is a bad idea. Could Greeks now demand preferential treatment from Romans because they were attacked by Romans years ago? Could China now demand payment and restorative justice because Britain supplied opium to China years ago? It doesn’t make sense, and is just an excuse to create more racist policies.
What’s the legal standing on discrimination? The Supreme Court has ruled that it’s allowed as long as there are no laws against it. For example, California passed a law banning discrimination based on race for public education. So we can take steps and push our politicians to fight against racist affirmative action.
What is racism?
Racism at its core is different treatment due to race. The ideal goal of anti-racism, is to not judge by race. Yet affirmative action is a program designed deliberately to discriminate based on race. Affirmative action benefits certain ethnicities at the expense of others, in the name of “social justice”. How is it social justice to create programs that discriminate based on race?
Ta-Nehisi Coates says, “If I have to jump six feet to get the same thing that you have to jump two feet for ― that’s how racism works.”
Yet due to affirmative action, Chinese have to jump higher than other people to get the same thing.
Impact of Affirmative Action in Education
SAT Scores by Ethnicity (2015)
Group | Reading | Math | Writing | Total | Change |
American Indian | 481 | 482 | 460 | 1,423 | (27) |
Asian | 525 | 598 | 531 | 1,654 | 54 |
Black | 431 | 428 | 418 | 1,277 | (14) |
Mexican | 448 | 457 | 438 | 1,343 | (28) |
Puerto Rican | 456 | 449 | 442 | 1,347 | (16) |
Other Hispanic | 449 | 457 | 439 | 1,345 | (26) |
White | 529 | 534 | 513 | 1,576 | (6) |
*The Change column refers to the change in SAT scores over the period 2006-2015.
Two things here. Firstly, Asians tend to score very well on SAT, which is an objective test to measure academic aptitude. Yet they are not the majority at desirable schools such as Harvard. Harvard’s class of 2021 is 14.6 percent African-American, 22.2 percent Asian-American, 11.6 percent Hispanic and 2.5 percent Native-American/Pacific Islander.
Secondly, Asians are improving on their scores over time. The New York Times wrote that the percentage of Asians at Harvard stayed roughly the same at 20% year after year. If admissions were objective and thus based on SAT, then the percentage of Asians at Harvard should be increasing as well. This implies that something is holding back Asians. And what is that? Racist policies such as affirmative action. Harvard’s treatment of Asian-Americans can be compared with its well-documented campaign to reduce the growing number of Jews being admitted to Harvard in the 1920s.
Note: We’re using Harvard as an example due to its reputation as a desirable school and because lawsuits against its racist policies have resulted in data being available on its practices. On summary sheets, Asian-American applicants were much more likely than other races to be described as “standard strong,” meaning lacking special qualities that would warrant admission, even though they were more academically qualified, the plaintiffs Students for Fair Admissions said.
Penalty for being Asian by SAT Score
Group | SAT Benefit/Penalty |
Race | |
–White | Baseline |
–Black | 310 |
–Hispanic | 130 |
–Asian | -140 |
Class | |
–Lower | 130 |
–Working | 70 |
–Middle | Baseline |
–Upper-Middle | 50 |
–Upper | -30 |
The penalty for being Asian is bigger than the penalty for being upper class.
The advantage of being Black is bigger than the advantage of being lower class.
California Proposition 209
Proposition 209 (also known as the California Civil Rights Initiative or CCRI) is a California ballot proposition which, upon approval in November 1996, amended the state constitution to prohibit state governmental institutions from considering race, sex, or ethnicity, specifically in the areas of public employment, public contracting, and public education.
This shows that when Chinese, Asians, and supporters unite, we can create change and fight racism.
Pattern of Discrimination Against Chinese
In New York, a clash over ethnic representation in elite schools has been playing out in the past few months. At good schools with large Asian populations, New York City politicians such as Mayor Bill de Blasio is saying there are not enough Black and Hispanic students. This comes with the unspoken implication that there are too many Asians. At other good schools with large Black and Hispanic student populations, such as Success Academy Harlem which has ZERO Chinese students, politicians remain silent.
Unless Chinese are willing to speak out for our rights, politicians will trample all over us. But what’s preventing Chinese from speaking out for ourselves?
Take Steps to End Affirmative Action
There are concrete steps you can take to stop affirmative action.
1) Educate others. Start by sharing this article so they realize how racist affirmative action is.
2) Campaign for a law to abolish affirmative action. California has done this for public institutions with California Proposition 209 (private institutions are still allowed to discriminate but at least it’s progress). This naturally requires more people to be aware, so hence the importance of #1.
3) Write to your local elected officials and ask where they stand on affirmative action. Make it known that you will volunteer for campaigns AGAINST them if they are for affirmative action.