First, I want to congratulate the College Republicans for theircourage in opposing Affirmative Action in a setting that is hostileto those who disapprove.
�A letter to the editor in Wednesday's Daily Helmsman(April 9) said the bake sale the group held did not provide anadequate argument. I agree, and this is my response to thatletter.
Affirmative Action is wrong because it is racist.
The argument for Affirmative Action is that it redresses thedisparities in opportunity caused by racial discrimination. And howare those redresses made? By adopting and practicing racialdiscrimination.
Racism is not, as commonly held, the oppression of one race byanother. Before you can hate and discriminate against an individualbecause of race, you must first make up your mind that their raceis the most significant thing about them. This is what racismis.
The evaluation of an individual according to race is preciselywhat Affirmative Action proponents want. They want collegeadmission departments to evaluate you, not according to yourpersonal accomplishments, but by how your racial type will promotediversity. They want you to be seen and appreciated as part of acollective, not as an individual.
Martin Luther King had a dream. He had a dream that every personwould be judged, not by the color of their skin, but by the contentof their character.
The repeal of Affirmative Action (and the philosophy of puttingrace above the individual), would bring us one step closer tofulfilling that dream.
Luc Travers
Senior
Art History
