We don't talk about legacy because no one try to sugarcoat it. I strongly agree with you that it's the whole package. However, systematic automatic boost to URM is a plain racism. Now, if society wants, or you wants racism to end racism, nothing left to be argued.
@LMBLBM : I don't want racism to end racism. My first post detailed that in order for everything to be on a level playing field, we have to have a better public educational system. Period. Because to be honest, I could not look at any kid in the eye, whether he/she/ze was black, white, Latino/Hispanic, Asian, Native American, and any other ethnicity/race and/or gender/sexuality and tell them that the US educational system will not discriminate against them, will not judge them, will not put them down due to the factors that should not affect their education. That would be an outright lie. It is the same as it was in the past, and it is now. All I'm saying is that the system can screw a person over if you don't have everything in the right place in your life. Life isn't meant to be a straight road, but the educational system should be one of the few places in our country that no one should worry about being a certain economic status, being a certain race and ethnicity, fitting into a social status. All that should matter is the work ethic you bring in, the desire to learn, and that your faculty and administration are behind you 100% to succeed. I want our educational system not only be race-blind, but be blind to whatever gender/sexuality you are, the economic status you're in, the cultural/religious background you have (as long as those said beliefs will not lead you to harm another person and/or yourself). But that's simply not the case at all, because society doesn't want to take that time to do it.
And I said previously that not only ORMs don't like Affirmative Action and boosts, but also URMs because they are then put on the spot to defend themselves, to defend why they are at the school they're at. It's unfair to have people doubt that you made it because you're a certain race/ethnicity; for maybe you didn't even want that boost to begin with, and yet it's there, whether you like it or not. A bunch of Harvard black students did a project on this, after having an article come out about AA at Harvard that did not really make them feel too welcomed.
We are the generation that can make a difference, but please look around at where we're at. Yes, we have a black president, but look at all the hate he still gets. Yes women are allowed in the military, but look at how much rape/sexual assault they are to experience based on studies and reports; heck, just even look at how women in power are treated. Even men who've experienced assault/rape, it's difficult for our society to think that is possible, particularly if the man is no longer a young boy/teenager, but a grown-up man. Look at how Asians are still treated as gunners, taking our top spots and jobs; even white people who are seen to be from the "backroads" of the South, Appalachia, Midwest, that they're crazy, stuck in the past, no point in educating them. Those with mental illnesses, disorders, and other ailments of the brain, seen as violent and weird. And what about LGBQTIA issues as well, where they've been cases of people killing those who've identified as trans, bisexual. We are at the time where that can change, but there is
so much work to be done. Are you willing to be the forefront of that along with others? I am, but it's mad tough, because you then realize there are people out there, the ones that need to care that simply
don't care. The ones that need to see the solution, that need to see the work that needs to be done, they don't care, or rather just ignore it, or too afraid to make the change. And that scares me, because then how are we as a society going to move forward if there is no concerted effort to make the change?
I want to hug it out like
@sb247 said. Because it's not on the URM, or the ORM for that matter. It's the institution, the government, whomever has the power to stop the policy. You can ask the URMs to protest against it and have it shut down, and/or have ORMs do it too, like they've done in a couple of states for state education. But then what? I want the next step. Other people want the next step beyond that. What can we do to make sure that when admissions for med school, or any type of school for that matter, are choosing the class, that they have the 100% confidence that every single one of those students had a fair chance in education, that they had mostly all equal opportunities offered to them if they were to pursue public school education? That not one of those kids had to shoulder any extra burdens to make it there that aren't outlined in personal statements, in the interviews, or other avenues that can be openly expressed?
These conversations make me wonder if Affirmative Action, or any type of boosts, is just hurting the cause many people sacrificed their lives for during the Civil Rights Movement, during those times of enduring slavery, indentured servitude, poor job conditions, of wanting there to be no longer any detriment to getting education, a job, care, support. Not only the movement from blacks and other minorities, but from the Irish, Catholics, Asians, Jews, all those who've been discriminated in one way or form in this country's and/or other countries' histories. All of those groups simply just wanted a fair shot just like the majority. Just wanted to make it, regardless if they were of a certain race, ethnicity, background, gender/sexuality.
