Hot Button Issues: The politics of 'Affirmative Action'

[wallie_x]

“One of the greatest conspiracies that has been committed against the ‘white’ youth of America is the idea that they are white. A lot of southern European groups mix with other races. The idea that you come to America and become white is ludicrous. White kids are not given any clue to their ethnic variety. The idea that kids get bleached in America, that these kids are forced to sit through diversity week as if they have no culture and are just part of this undifferentiated white mass...”

“And more and more kids are refusing to identify themselves racially. Politicians have started crashing this and making political hay. If the democrats weren’t so wedded to the idea of race, if they could understand that affirmative action needs to include the white core, we’d make progress. But they don’t speak that way. They have a ‘people of color’ agenda, and they continue to ostracize white males, which is where I see a white-hot core of anger, not just the upper-class white male, but right down to working class and poor. They’re angry that they’ve been made the boogeyman for the last century.” Richard Rodriguez a gay journalist from San Francisco

This is a different perspective, to say the least, as coming from someone who addresses what the democrats seem incapable of admitting: they trash white males to entice minority voter turn out. I believe the premises he states are true and the left is going to suffer greatly if it continues to use divisive and racially charged innuendos to entice allegiance from minorities. Howard Dean vaguely acknowledged this problem with his ‘Confederate Flag’ snafu. The left has alienated white males, and particularly southern white males.

And another political tide which spells more bad news for leftism: the youth of America are no longer biting for the rope-a-dope of buzz words and innuendo, like they used to. More are shifting politically to the neutral center. Claiming to be neither left nor right. I see this as good. We all need to stand back and join in commonality instead of ‘diversity’ the politics of division.

I will attach the full article (in scanned form) later

[John Prophet]

Hey cool, I came up with a name.....like they calls

white angle saxon protestants "w.a.s.p."s

they can call Souther White Males "swami"s..lol. (o, it ALMOST works)

But I see the point...I sit here now and I am called "white"..but somewhere a couple centuries back at the most I was either Italian, or Indian, or German, Or English, or Irish or any number of other "things", lol..but now I am just "white"..so Im not a minority.

JP

[nomaxim]

Sieg Hiel!

Many will flock to you!

Disclaimer:I'm a member of the 'Republican National Party.' and I do not accept this person's view's.

[wallie_x]

I don't see a hint of Nazi-socialism in either Richard's or my statements. And why didn't you qualify your remarks instead of just flinging innuendo?

[wallie_x]

The article:
Sorry for the splitting of the scanned format, but the size limitations of downloadable files would have degraded the image considerably if I hadn't.

[wallie_x]

Second Half:

[Omardeth]

untill you can be a person of color , you can NEVER understand what it is like . and since you can't change the color of your skin , you have no idea what being non white is like .

until this country can look past the color of someones skin then Affirmative Action is needed . since we can't go back in time and change the things that did happen something has to be done now to level the playing field .

people talk about some white kid that can't get into school because a person of color got the slot because of AA needs to stop and bitch about the idiot alums son or daughter that is going to the school and failing classes but is only there because daddy was there ... or the dummy soccor player .. or the football or basketball player that can't read ..

bite the bullet and take it for a bit . change the way you* look at people . change the way you* treat people . then maybe it won't be needed .

*You meaning white america as a whole

[wallie_x]

I do agree with a lot of the basics of what you are saying. The class distinctions, both racially and monetarily, must cease, especially where black America is concerned.
Ghettos, which choke the human spirit, and cheat it out of positive growth and development, need to be abolished. However, I also believe there needs to be a consensus reached by all peoples that we are all responsible for one another just surely as if those in need were our next door neighbors.

But the above only really outlines the ramifications of the way the politics are being handled by the left, who is AA's champion. That's what both Richards and my statements say. I agree with the basic premises of the cause; but what I disagree with is the divisive way it is enacted.

Richard states:
"If the democrats weren’t so wedded to the idea of race, if they could understand that affirmative action needs to include the white core, we’d make progress.
That is true. I will not lend myself to a cause that paints me as a white boogeyman responsible for the actions of white people in the past. I say lets bury the past, with its hurts and frustrations. We must learn from it of course, but not carry its wounds with us into the future.

[Omardeth]

well sir , i think the first thing you need to do is take the dem , rep part out of it and stop blaming one political party over the other . as much as he democratic party has , as you say "wedded to the idea of race '' , the republicain party has done the same . haven't you heard of the "southern stratagy" . so lets stop the the left and right name calling and get down to the real deal ...

have you ever walked down the street and had a woman clutch her bag as you walked by? or have them look at you and cross the street so not to walk by you .... I have .. that hurts

have you ever been told someone was not hiring , yet someone else you know walked in a day later and got an application . i have ...

when i bought my house , i got the original "neighborhood association rules" . the house was built in the 50's . and guess what it said . "You may not sell your house to a Black , Asian or Hispanic person "

what does there political party have to do with that ?? not a damn thing ...

i have read alot of what you have said here since you have showed up on the scene wallie , and i don't agree with alot of what you have to say . but you have a right to say it as long as you don't cross the lines . you know the line " everybody has the right to there own narrowminded opinion " but when it comes to AA you first need to take the left and right crap outta it . and look at it for what it is . Someone needs to pay the bill ... I pay the bill everyday for the wrong things that have been said about people of color , but you you don't want to pay the bill .. so who is to pay that bill ?

Caucasian's have threw out time have always though they were better than people that of color . and it still happens today , everyday , in this country , your state , my state ,both our towns . Till that kind of thinking is ended , there will be a need for AA..

[J-Excel]

The only problem I have with affirmative action is it only requires people to compete within their race. It would be like saying professional basketball players should represent a cross-section of America, so 75% of all players in the NBA should be white. Not only would you not end up with the best players, the white players wouldn't have to compete as hard for a spot on a team. Up front this would look like it would be good for white players, but in the end it's bad for them and the sport. The same could be said relative to minorities getting jobs or college placements. Up front in looks like a good idea, but in the end it's bad.