The following comment was just submitted to a post so old that no one would see it. I don’t know Joseph Weston, the writer, and in fact have no way of confirming that he really is who he says he is, but on the chance he is I think everyone should read his submission, which follows:
I am a american soldier fighting in the forces which gaurd my country and our way of life. I am prepared to give my life in their defense.
This is one of many things that I live by as an American soldier in present day germany (I am stationed there.) I think about how Americans act and the what the media puts out on Americans’ view on our presence in Iraq. I sit here reading all of these posts word for word and many thoughts flood my mind. By the way I don’t have a college degree yet but have my associates. I attended college before joining the Army and recieved a scholarship for art based on my ability. Hard to do college and be a soldier.
I grew up as a military brat and then settled in Indiana with my mother and step father. I went to a high school where it was 52% white, 49% black, and then there was the rest. 1200 students alone were in my freshman class. Very blended atmosphere. I did not and do understand racism and continue to be baffled by the why’s about racism and the need to create statistics concerning blacks, whites, asians, and etc.
Scholarships for minorities are out there…my opinion is that they defeat the purpose of everyone starting to live in a world where color does not matter. I fight along people who are
Indian, black, mexican, hispanic, spanish, german, and many other races. Please be proud of your race but don’t throw it in my face because I am white. Do not recieve benifits from your color because you think you have a right. Shrug off your differences and realize we all can get farther by working together as I do in the Army and many other soldiers do in war. Do not let the color of your skin be a identifier fo seperation. Scholarships should be presented to the best applicant and not by their color of their skin. A job should be awarded to the best canidate, not the minority. Who gives a fuck about minority and why care about it. It is a word that classifies a group…the only word that should classify you or me is American and free. Earlier it was mentioned that white people get things for free and get thigns without earnign them. I am from a family that has given me nothing but broken bones, bruises, etc. I am from the bottom and have raised myself to the top and am stronger because of it. I am stronger because I have friends and I do not discriminate because of color. I discriminate by the quality of the actions that come from that person. And even then I believe people can change. I apologize for my tangent, however I just cannot concieve of fighting for people who want equality from the color of their skin. That is a cop out…work for what you get. now there are always exceptions in this world, because some people might find that there are poeple who stop them from what they want becasue of their color and race. I cannot offer advice for that, because what I do is not exceptable to a lot of people. I whip their ass and set them straight. I would do the best you can and remember to be proud of your race but don’t parade it around like a badge. Attitude is important and again scholarships based on color is wrong. It is not what this country should stand for or allow. We allow freedom, but for some reason we allow freedom at the cost of pride, honor, and justice.
This comment nicely comments the following one, submitted by one “kuzie” to a post from several weeks ago that, again, no one would see.
it is just pathetic to listen to white people lamenting on and on about how much they are suffering given how much suffering they have caused balck people on their own native land! its about time people started facing up to the reality and dealing with consequences i.e taking it in as hard as you give it!
The US has never treated Women & People of Color = to White European-American Males – the US’ most powerful social group – Sexism against Women is real – Racism against People of Color is real – that is why we should have Affirmative Action because the US is a sexist nation against Women & a racist nation against People of Color
All things being equal, why not have all white scholarships. Sure someone somewhere will make a fuss and call it this and that, but who cares. Since this country is all about the free market can’t anyone create a scholarship meant for whomever they wish.
Does anyone care to guess which of Joseph and kuzie would be more likely to be admitted if these comments were submitted as UC admissions essays/ personal statements? :)
Joseph Weston” writes:
>>>”I went to a high school where it was 52% white, 49% black, and then there was the rest.”
I’m waiting for the SAT Police on this blog, who constantly waylay African-Americans over math scores to address this statement.
Joseph Weston writes:
>>>” I did not and do understand racism and continue to be baffled by the why’s about racism and the need to create statistics concerning blacks, whites, asians, and etc.”
I suppose Weston wants to reserve the right to create statistics on race for himself, as he does three sentences earlier.
Joseph Weston writes:
>>>”Indian, black, mexican, hispanic, spanish, german, and many other races. Please be proud of your race but don’t throw it in my face because I am white.”
I think someone needs to explain to Weston the difference between race and ethnicity.
Joseph Weston writes:
>>>”I apologize for my tangent, however I just cannot concieve of fighting for people who want equality from the color of their skin. That is a cop out…work for what you get. now there are always exceptions in this world, because some people might find that there are poeple who stop them from what they want becasue of their color and race. I cannot offer advice for that, because what I do is not exceptable to a lot of people. I whip their ass and set them straight.”
And some posters have the temerity to accuse ME of “threatening violence” over racial issues by misconstruing my benign predictions based upon historical precedent?
For the above comment posted on this very SAME blog?
crickets chirping….
b writes,
>>>”All things being equal, why not have all white scholarships. Sure someone somewhere will make a fuss and call it this and that, but who cares. Since this country is all about the free market can’t anyone create a scholarship meant for whomever they wish.”
b, you probably weren’t yet a reader of Discriminations when I posted on this thread:
A White Scholarship in Boston
http://www.discriminations.us/2006/11/a_white_scholarship_in_boston.html
It makes for a fascinating read. Especially the part where I note that 93% of ALL SCHOLARSHIP MONEY IN AMERICA goes to….take a wild guess WHICH group?
–Cobra
Having never won a scholarship, I don’t care about scholarships, but if we have them at all, it seems they should be need based. If that means that most of the money goes to minorities, that seems only fair to me, and I doubt there will be many complaints about it.
But this “93% of all money” figure surprises me. I assume it is taken form this:
http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/VA-Pilot/issues/1994/vp941107/11070058.htm
But that article states that 4% of all money comes from minority-only scholarships. There is no implication that the other 96% comes from white-only scholarships, and it never mentions how much of the 96% goes to the different races. And, but I am not certain of this, I believe the reference is to money offered within Virginia only. Figures on a national scale may support or contradict your point, but this article doesn’t provide much support at all.
The article takes seriously this shocker, which is used to justify a race-based award system over and above a needs-based system: “A lot of times white students have more connections than black students. If they can’t get money for college, their father can make a phone call.” I wish my father knew that.
Finally, the same article tells about a Hispanic student who was denied money because he was not black — hardly a good argument in favor of race-based scholarships.
It makes for a fascinating read. Especially the part where I note that 93% of ALL SCHOLARSHIP MONEY IN AMERICA goes to….take a wild guess WHICH group?
None. Scholarship money goes to individuals, not groups. Some of it is limited to members of one group or another, but obviously not 93%.
David writes:
>>>”None. Scholarship money goes to individuals, not groups. Some of it is limited to members of one group or another, but obviously not 93%.”
Apparently, when the money goes to CERTAIN groups (re: black kids), anti-affirmative action types seem to have more of a problem with it.
I didn’t hear howls of outrage when I posted examples of Italian-American scholarships, and Jewish-American Scholarships.
Funny. Why do you think that is?
–Cobra
“Apparently, when the money goes to CERTAIN groups (re: black kids), anti-affirmative action types seem to have more of a problem with it.”
David Nieporent make the same point, but he makes it better. This money is LIMITED to Black groups, the other 93% (96%?) is not limited, or most of it isn’t.
I would stress the other point: Very little is limited at all, and it is not worth fussing over.
Your math is not good, Cobra.
50% of black men do not finish high school.
How do you give scholarships to people who are not eligible to go do to college? Individuals from other racial groups are bound to receive a higher percentage of financial aid. They graduate from high school in much greater numbers.
The problem with race quotas is not that they are given to a particular group. The problem is that quotas promote the unqualified over the qualified.
You keep insisting that the issue the race. It is not. The issue is merit. When black kids start taking education more seriously, graduage from high school and qualify for college, I guarantee you that all these issues that you hold so dear will disapppear.
Nobody is against black kids going to school and getting financial aid. Black kids have to take going to school seriously and qualify.
You would do better to spend your time advocating responsible fathering, dedication to education and a determination to complete high school in the black community. The problem is not white success. The problem is black failure.
Cease the scapegoating, look in the mirror… start solving the real problem. You are wasting your time trying to ensure financial aid for kids who are failing high school. That is a fool’s mission.
Cobra – if your point is that more attention ought to be paid to people of color in terms of parsing out scholarship money, I think it worth listening to. We just don’t benefit as a society when certain groups of people don’t participate in the development of human capital – a crucial element in a fast evolving technology and knowledge based economy. It brings to mind a quip from Felix Rohatyn, a financial giant (and lifelong liberal Democrat) who traipsed through four countries as a kid to get to the US and escape the Nazis and centuries of persecution in Europe – paraphrased – When you have nothing, and it is all taken from you, you learn pretty quick that what counts most is in your head. Query how often that ethic abounds today.
This having been said, given the dismal high school and related academic performance of so many black and Hipanic kids – with drop-out rates and achievement rates really troubling, talk of college scholarships, SAT’s, affirmative action – is really irrelevant. As a friend in education says, there is a great deal of lip service paid to affirmative action in college – and just how crucial it is to maintaining diversity – but really, whether State U or Brown or Dartmouth has affirmative action is completely irrelevant to the vast number of black and hispanic drop outs in a number of cities, including Cleveland (drop out rate higher than 70%), Chicago, New York, Los Angeles – you name it. This of course can lead one to the conclusion that the crisis is in K-12 education, which of course leads one to some pretty touchy cultural factors, including the incredibly high out of wedlock birth rates in the affected communities – which is some think a moral issue but which bluntly is an economic issue – kids from most single mother homes statistically have a much more difficult time with life, and have a difficult time getting an education. So it goes that the real cause and effect of the issue is frankly much more significant than any affirmative action program. Put another way, it might be fair to state that whites and Asians overstate the impact of affirmative action – but at the same time, those who support it in so doing look past the fundamental cultural drivers of the problem at hand. Kay Hymowitz of the Manhattan Institute writes about these cultural factors – and I have yet to see her really challenged – because frankly her perspective is not about race – it is about the degraded practices of marriage and childrearing and family that apply to all races – it is just that it is lost on no one that these degraded practices are occurring at a greater rate in minority communities (much greater), with all sorts of grief appurtenant. Food for thought – and not easy to swallow.