Letters

NCAA T-shirts at … Footlocker?!

Editor:

I couldn’t help but notice your ad for the national championship
T-shirts for $14.95 that are available "only at the Daily Bruin,
225 Kerckhoff." I thought I would have to drive into Westwood from
Thousand Oaks to buy one, but to my amazement they were on sale at
World Foot Locker in the Oaks Mall in Thousand Oaks for $16.99!
What’s the deal with this?

Bob Escudero

UCLA alumnus

Pepperdine University employee

Throwing down the gauntlet

Editor:

There are an infinite number of original topics I could write
about in a letter to Viewpoint. But I am writing about affirmative
action. Boring, boring, boring! I guess I can’t help myself from
pouring fuel into a fire, any fire. So here I am, issuing this
challenge to affirmative action supporters: What is its
rationale?

Larry, you say, how can you ask such a stupid question? "The
purpose of affirmative action is to provide opportunity to
underrepresented groups." And why are they underrepresented? The
pat answer is: "They are underrepresented because of historical
oppression."

How reasonable. How courageous. How compassionate. How
absolutely ridiculous! Historical oppression has little bearing on
affirmative action programs. Not all historically oppressed groups
are underrepresented, nor are all underrepresented groups
historically oppressed.

Internment during World War II is reason enough to classify
Japanese Americans as historically oppressed. But I have yet to see
anyone suggest that they ought to be redressed by affirmative
action. Yet while the people of the Philippines were our allies
during that war, affirmative action tells us they are more
oppressed.

As for underrepresentation at UCLA, the last time I checked,
whites were underrepresented at UCLA! Again, there has been no call
to arms.

Here is a perfect opportunity for the pro-affirmative action
forces. Simply draw a logical connection between historical
oppression and the underrepresented masses, and gain a convert.
Dispel my notion that affirmative action is a group entitlement,
not for the historically oppressed, but for the politically
shrill.

Lawrence Kam

Senior

Microbiology/molecular genetics