Should URM classification be continued?

Originally Posted by whatbout2morrow

Apples to oranges indeed. I am South Asian and I agree with what you say. However, though maybe not as significant as URMs, Asians also have their battles. If not for certain aspects of Asian culture, values, ambition, etc, the battles that Asians have in life may have been much similar to those faced by URMs. How else would you explain the fact that many Asians who came to this country with little education, lack of proficiency in English, and with not much more than the clothes on their back ended up surviving and prospering in the US?

Yeah, many people of my race are doctors and nurses. There was a need in this country, and they were brought in to fill it. But thanks to them, the rest of us who are not so well off still get included in the overrepresented minority category.

To suggest that Asians/Indians are exempt from the effects of racism/discrimination is absurd. As a child I was showered with plenty of slurs day after day. My effort to fight back got me my brush with the juvenile justice system. Even today, I continue to receive my share of hate because the color of my skin is brown. Resumes with black sounding names being tossed? You think my Indian name leaves me much better off? If there weren't legal ramifications involved, do you think my resume wouldn't be tossed in favor of a less qualified white applicant?

I'm not against AA. But I will be the first to say that it is not enough. Those who have prospered because of AA need to give back need to become the role models many URM kids are looking for. They need to lead a fight against the destructive culture that keeps others of their race from prospering. Pay it forward. Only then will there be the slightest chance that someday, a black/hispanic kid won't need something like AA to make something of him/herself.

I agree with everything you're saying. I was basically arguing with people who are against AA.