Special treatment doesn’t level the playing field

Special treatment doesn’t level the playing field

By Daniel Su

America has never been an even playing field, for one group or
another, and affirmative action makes it even worse. That is not to
discredit affirmative action entirely, however, for at its early
stages many qualified African Americans and others were able to
attain a college education because of affirmative action,
particularly in the South.

Nevertheless, race-based admissions instead of a personal merit
based admission system polarizes society and hinders the effort to
improve racial relations and level the playing field. It does so in
subtle ways.

Affirmative action cheats both those students from disadvantaged
groups who were admitted, and those academically qualified students
from non-disadvantaged groups who were not admitted.

It cheats those students from disadvantaged groups. Those who
would get admission regardless of their disadvantaged status would,
because of affirmative action, have to carry the "I am
disadvantaged" sign pinned on their backs solely because of their
race.

For those of disadvantaged status who are not so qualified as
those who were rejected because of their non-disadvantaged status,
affirmative action still cheats them because it denies them the
chance to "get there" on their own, not because of their race.

It denies them the chance to experience the triumphal feeling of
personal accomplishment, for no matter how hard they try, the
thought and the reality that they might have gotten here because of
their racial status will remain so long as affirmative action
exists.

It cheats the academically qualified students from
non-disadvantaged groups by denying them their education to which
they are entitled as qualified students and residents of
California.

If the recognition of historical disadvantages was one of the
most positive aspects of affirmative action policies, then the
abolition of such policies ­ together with the formation of
policies that are based not on race but on personal merit ­
would be the ultimate recognition and affirmation of our individual
self-worth and sense of fairness.

Su is a first-year pre-psychology student.