My grandfather came to the United State in 1908 to work in the Pennsylvania coal mines under the 'Bounty Sytem'. This was a system of indentured servitude where those working in the mines received a 'bounty' to send for their relatives in the 'Old Country', who unbeknownst to them, then had to work for years to pay back the bounty and passage to the New World. The system remained well into the 1900's. It was legalized slavery, so that when my grandfather tried to run away, he was arrested and forced back into the coal mines. He and the other miners were paid bare subsistence wages, and often paid in coupons which could only be redeemed at the mine's Company Store, where prices were artificially high, making savings or thoughts of leaving the mine next to impossible.
My grandfather came to this country at age 16 with the clothes on his back, never having set foot in a school, unable to read or write his native Polish, and unable to read, write, or speak English. He worked in unsafe conditions (many friends and family members were killed in mine cave-ins; my grandmother's only notice of her brother's death was when his body was unceremoniously dumped onto the front yard one evening) until black-lung disease made him unable to work anymore. He scraped and saved and managed to buy a small farm to keep the family fed during the Depression, while still working in the mines.
No one greeted him with programs to help learn English or another trade. He worked all his life to provide his children with the opportunity to go to school. And they had no benefit beyond a bare opportunity, either. Everyone worked. There were no scholarships. Even the high school guidance counselor said not to worry about applying for college, "Because the only jobs for you 'hunyoks' (Polish equivalent of the n-word) is in the coal mines anyway".
Now, you might be thinking that I am about to start in about how there is no such thing as 'white privilege', and how "my family climbed the ladder without any help and you should just get over yourself and do the same thing, too". But the truth is, even though my family started in this country as low on the social scale as any minority living here today, things are really different for me. My grandparents' and parents'
generations of hard work purchased for me opportunity that I recognize and that I am grateful for, but that I know I didn't earn.
You see, unlike some other minorities, you wouldn't know that I was 'different' unless I chose to tell you. You might be a racist lout who wouldn't hire me, lend me money to buy a house, let me in your college, or let me date your son if you knew that my mother was Polish/Jewish, or that I was one of those 'hunyoks'. But if you are a racist lout, you can't help but notice the color of the skin on the guy standing next to me. Looking at the example of skin color: since whites are in the majority (especially at the top of the financial ladder), simple statistics indicate there are probably more white racists than black racists in positions of power where they could withold jobs, loans, scholarships, and other opportunities based on their personal prejudices. This puts a blocked door in the path of many minorities, no matter how much they work, save, strive, etc. Those of us who are white, whether we consider ourselves 'privileged' or not, have our collective heads stuck in the sand if we ignore this fact and assume that somehow racism just doesn't exist or doesn't affect people today. We don't have any guilt because of the past, nor do we have a responsibility to 'pay for the sins' of past generations. We do, however, have a responsibility to do what we can to right a serious wrong, the same responsibility we have to respond to any need.
OK, so now you might be thinking that I'm about to go on about how Affirmative Action is a 'must' and you've got to be a serious racist to question it at all. Actually, however, I think 'Affirmative Action' as currently practiced in the US is an extremely lame attempt to find a 'quick fix' to a serious problem, is itself racist, and quite frankly, if the intent is to end generational racism, flat-out doesn't work. In fact, 'Affirmative Action' not only alienates the majorities (as mentioned before on this thread), but it seriously denigrates the minorities and perpetuates negative stereotypes. In cases where 'Affirmative Action' involves accepting lower test scores or performance factors to accomodate gender, race, or ethnicity, it says in effect, "We recognize your accomplishments, and while they are not that great, they are pretty good,
considering you are a .... (fill in the blank with a specific race/gender/ethnic group). How humiliating! How condescending! How presumptively arrogant! I would rather eat bugs than accept any position or any scholarship or any 'favor' based on that line of thinking, simply for being a woman, and I think many members of other 'target groups' feel the same way - this type of 'Affirmative Action' is an assault on my basic dignity and worth as a human being.
(Note to CuohngNuka - please check the history of the term 'White Man's Burden' - it was actually an acknowledgement by the very privileged wealthy at the time - the JP Morgan's, and the Carnegie's, and the Ford's, who all started trusts and endowments and foundations to help others - that they had been the recipients of such undeserved opportunity and wealth that they had the responsibility to help those less fortunate than themselves. It was actually far less racist and much more in keeping with actually
doing something to end generational poverty and racism than current efforts called 'affirmative action'.)
OK, so I have rambled long enough to basically say that I disagree with everybody
I believe there is a serious problem regarding race in this country. I believe it is far more difficult for my friend's son to succeed than for my son to succeed today, simply because of their respective skin colors. I also believe that quota-based 'affirmative action' (or any plan that lowers performance requirements) is a failed racist sham of an attempt to fix the problem superficially.
So, what do we do to address the problem? I have some ideas, but I have gone on too long already in one single post. What would you recommend to provide true 'equal opportunity' for all?