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There you go again.
I'm not trying to deflect at all.
I'm trying to give an example of situation that doesn't exist so that you can have another perspective. Americans often think the world should operate in a certain way. But it doesn't and probably couldn't.
The grass is always greener when it was never green to begin with.
And no I am not trying to pretend or deflect or not answer.
I hope to see you out there protesting when you see your fellow Americans being discriminated against. Not just your own kind. Your own kind and others as well.
There you go again.
I'm not trying to deflect at all.
I'm trying to give an example of situation that doesn't exist so that you can have another perspective. Americans often think the world should operate in a certain way. But it doesn't and probably couldn't.
The grass is always greener when it was never green to begin with.
And no I am not trying to pretend or deflect or not answer.
did anyone suggest we should have a meritocracy? i doubt it. you brought it up to deflect.
people bothered by us are just saying we dont like racial discrimination in either direction. you are making it like its either that or a meritocracy. well, those arent the only choices. we can drop racial discrimination without converting to a meritocracy.
Yes I clearly get that it is an unrealistic scenario.
That is why I brought it up.
If I wanted to deflect, I clearly would not have bothered spending all this time on here with you.
To me, it really does sound like reverse discrimination aimed at "righting the wrongs" that have happened over the course of many many years. However, at what point in time does everything get to the point of "even?" Is there some magical date on the calendar? I think scholarships should be based on merit and, I suppose, need. However, I do understand why private scholarships are designated for groups in which the donator(s) selects. It can be frustrating for those, in this case, white males, who work hard and deserve financial help.
To me, it really does sound like reverse discrimination aimed at "righting the wrongs" that have happened over the course of many many years. However, at what point in time does everything get to the point of "even?" Is there some magical date on the calendar?
Again this was not taxpayer money.
If it was this would be a different argument.
It could have been taken to another level in that case.
Four of the five mil was designated for minorities and women. It did not say anything about white males anywhere.
You can be angry about big government, reparations, AA, and lots of other things we talked about- but that was not even what this donation was about.
I personally never received any kind of aid and I worked very hard but it doesn't cloud my perspective. Do I want my tax money to go to programs that don't give me squat? That is a totally different argument.
I went through this in college around 15 years ago. Divorced parents, didn't qualify for student loans or financial aid due to the value of my parents' house (they started with the crappiest 4-room house in a nice area), and they even withdrew our NY Regents scholarship after ever politician in the world competed to congratulate us as new voters.
My parents helped me with some starter money for school, but far from enough to cover costs. I worked multiple jobs and still struggled to stay on top of it. I eventually took 6 months off to work exclusively and then go back to school.
When I would go to my department's scholarship boards, the ones being offered (of 30-40) were 100% minority and female. Not 90%...literally 100%. I was dumbfounded.
Now....I get it. I never resented the mission or purpose of the scholarships. There are certainly numerous minorities and women who start the game further back on the board. But it was frustrating to feel like the scholarships weren't based on a combination of each individual's financial challenges, social values, and merit. And people have argued, "sure, you could have found something, somewhere." But that was what was being offered at the time through my department.
I do think overall in my career I've benefited from being male and white. I've had the "All American" look, I'm fit and always scored towards the top of the class. People have often projected the "leader" expectation on me, even when I didn't necessarily feel it was warranted or that I even wanted it. There's no doubt that fitting a certain profile leads people to project higher expectations (and therefore, rewards) on you. Ironically, I think women and minorities participate in that.
Let's face it....sociology has shown that people are always predjudiced in some way towards anyone that fits stereotypes. Women wearing glasses? Perceived as more intelligent. Blacks getting loans? Charged more money.
The problem is that as long as we address problems with cleavers instead of scalpels, there are going to be a lot of frustrated individuals who fall into the cracks.
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