<p>
A page of history is worth a volume of logic.</p>
<p>^A catchy answer but incorrect. Every nation’s “page of history” reflects racial prejudices – virtually every society considers theirs to be superior and other races to be inferior. Yet they aren’t absorbed with such discussions. Go to China or Japan and see how often race is discussed. Americans are notorious for thinking that this nation is the only one that matters. For this reason they believe that racism is a problem unique to this land. I’ve lived in four continents and I can tell you from first-hand experience that racism is not limited to America. Far from it. Nor is racism a white v. people of color phenomenon. People of color are just as racist as any white person I’ve met. </p>
<p>I believe race dominates in this country for a number of reasons. First, this nation is diverse. Very few countries have the racial blending seen in America. Second, this nation is wealthy and secure. Most nations don’t have the luxury of worrying about petty issues such as race. They are more concerned with eating and survival. Third, this nation long ago decided to empower victims. Hence, there is an attraction to victimhood in America that is very uncommon outside of this nation. </p>
<p>There are other factors, of course, but these are the ones that are unique to America, at least from my perspective.</p>
<p>
Not every nation has an original sin to which that prejudice was critical.</p>
<p>
How long ago?</p>
<p>^If by original sin you refer to slavery, I suggest your research the topic in more detail. Slavery existed long before Europeans set foot in North America. In my African nation, tribes have long enslaved defeated rivals. Many were sold as commodities. Since the skin color of the defeated was identical to that of the victorious, this slave trade was not based on race, but it was nonetheless based on hate and the presumption of inferiority. Though America is far from perfect, I have been treated much better here than in all other countries I have lived, including my native country in Africa – a place our family was forced to flee to survive due to the hate others had for us. How many blacks in America can make that claim?</p>
<p>Also study the histories of Asian nations. They also routinely enslaved each other. Slavery played a dominate role in the history of the Polynesian tribes, and also in the Middle East. Indeed, slavery was a very common practice throughout history.</p>
<p>I cannot point to the moment when victimhood became a currency, but you and both know that this statement is true.</p>
<p>I suggest you research US history in more detail. In those other places, slavery was no contradiction. In the US, it was contrary to the ideals in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution (except for 2 clauses).</p>
<p>After all, colleges are places for people to study. Those who study the best should be admitted. </p>
<p>Your culture doesn’t praise rigorous hardwork, so you have found a legitimate excuse for your lower GPA and SAT? Ridiculous.</p>
<p>"Finally, if you were the president or provost of Berkeley, would you take kindly to slurs such as “University of China at Berkeley” due to your massive amounts of asian students, especially when colleges love to market diversity? "</p>
<p>If one day UC Berkeley became 100% Asian because Asian has really become academically so strong, I think it is totally legitimate.</p>
<p>“Now, what colleges see when they look at an asian student is one who was pushed all his life by helicopter parents who are obsessed with prestige, i am not saying i agree with this stereotype, but when asian students have nothing to offer beside soul-less overachieving, it makes them less desirable to colleges.”</p>
<p>Well, not being able to memorize and to utilize elementary mathematics like sin(A+B)=sinAcosB+cosAsinB is a “soul-ful” and noble cause? If you really think so, fight for it! See you in HYP.</p>
<p>In 1800, there were politicians who thought French immigrants in the US were a threat to democracy.</p>
<p>There was a time when there was widespread discrimination against the Irish in the US. It was mainly overcome by organizing and gaining political power in the cities.</p>
<p>There was a time when there was a widespread discrimination against Asians in the US. Many Chinese were only able to gain US citizenship by claiming that their papers were destroyed in the San Francisco earthquake in 1906.</p>
<p>There was a time when there was widespread discrimination against the Italians. Where my Mom grew up, Italians could not live in many neighborhoods and were never hired to be supervisors in factories.</p>
<p>There was a time in the US when there was widespread discrimination against Jewish people. Many were kept out of clubs and certain occupations. I just watched an interesting movie about anti-Jewish discrimination in the 1950s called “Gentleman’s Agreement” staring Gregory Peck. He pretends to be Jewish to understand the discrimination for a magazine expose.</p>
<p>I wish I could say that discrimination was over in the US against under-represented minorities, but it is not. They typically live in the worst school systems and cannot afford the option of private schools.</p>
<p>In Philadelphia’s public schools for example, the newest teachers are assigned to the worst schools. That is because after a teacher gains a couple years of experience, they either quit, or are allowed to transfer to another school. As a teacher gains seniority, they transfer to the schools in the better neighborhoods.</p>
<p>mokusatsu, slavery had deep roots in the nation long before the Constitution was adopted. It was this very document that led to the end of slavery. Also, the concept of equality was not unique to the US. That concept was borrowed from Europe, and all of the dominant European countries engaged in the slavery trade. </p>
<p>It has been my experience that those most critical of the issue of race in the US are those who have never lived in any other country. There’s a reason why so many people of color from other lands want to live in the US. I just wish those who were born and raised here could spend time in other lands. THe dialogue would be much more productive.</p>
<p>
It was an amendment to the Constitution that ended slavery.</p>
<p>
The concept came from European philosophers. The monarchies in which they lived were not dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.</p>
<p>Hey guys, I’m Asian. I hate Affirmative Action! :D</p>
<p>^im with him :P</p>
<p>With or without affirmative action, there really won’t be much of a difference. There will ALWAYS be an ENORMOUS percentage of whites and Asians applying to top tier schools, while blacks, Hispanics and other minorities will apply in far fewer numbers. So regardless, the competition will still be extremely tough to beat. In Ivy Leagues, non-minorities will gain probably 1-2 hundred seats, which is a lot (if we consider that no minorities get accepted at all). So taking into account minority acceptances, the rest of the pool might gain perhaps 100 more seats for a freshman class. Huuuuuuuuge deal.</p>
<p>why should a black student who gets 2000 with the same stats as me if not worse get into cornell because of their race? I mean if theyre doing the same thing as me, I’d let them pass for sure. but if they get 3.0’s and i’m a 4.0 student why should they get in because of race tell me please?</p>
<p>I wanted to ask whether all groups of Asians are classified together? Would Pakistani be considered in the same bracket as Eastern Asians or are they considered a separate group of Asian? B/c if I’m competing with them for spots, I’m pretty sure I’d lose 
lol.</p>
<p>azndarkvader </p>
<p>Think of the college admission process like it was a cross country race. The first 10 runners to cross the finish line get admitted. In a perfect world the 10 fastest would get admitted but the world isn’t perfect. College presidents have decided that some of the runners have built-in advantages. Some of the runners have better genetics and were blessed with great running bodies. Other runners were rich and could afford to hire coaches to help them develop great technique and to buy the best equipment. Still other runners were raised in enviroments was running was common so they grew up running. These presidents also see that some of the runners disadvantages. Some of the runners were raised in places was running was rare so running wasn’t part of their upbringing. Some of the runners are poor and are running in old shoes with holes in them. Still other runners have bad genes and have short, fat legs so running is harder for them. Lastly, there are some runners who aren’t fast but who are related to people who will build a new track if they make the team. </p>
<p>The college presidents still want mostly fast runners but they still want some of the less fast kids to make it as well. So they decided to give some of the disadvantaged runners a head start. These runners still have to finish in the top 10 to get accepted so they have to work hard. They don’t have to one of the fastest runners out there to get accepted but they do have to be one of the fastest disadvantaged runners to make it.</p>
<p>Of course there will be two or three fast runners not make it because of the head starts given the other runners, and it sucks to be those guys, but that’s the breaks. They can always run another race at another school.</p>
<p>I wanted to ask whether all groups of Asians are classified together? Would Pakistani be considered in the same bracket as Eastern Asians or are they considered a separate group of Asian? B/c if I’m competing with them for spots, I’m pretty sure I’d lose lol.</p>
<p>no you’re not “asian” (asian=korean,chinese,taiwanese)</p>
<p>lol you’re running analogy was bad because it doesnt matter about genetics or that stuff to win a race XD. I’m just being a sour *****y asian. i still dont think its fair. if i was black, i wouldnt want to go to a college just because of my race. i’d feel cheated or even embarassed</p>
<p>
So, affirmative action should be applied in sports? Interesting proposal. Asians seem to be vastly underrepresented in almost every sport, most likely attributed to a culture that doesn’t value sports as much and an environment where competition in sports isn’t as commonplace.</p>
<p>In other words, terrible analogy. One that actually argues against AA too.</p>