Prop. 209 protesters should be colorblind

Tuesday, May 19, 1998

Prop. 209 protesters should be colorblind

RACISM: Affirmative Action Coalition ironically perpetuates
segregation and discrimination

By Marlon A. Cicero

America is the land of opportunity. Every single United States
citizen has the chance to succeed in our great capitalistic society
if they work hard enough. It does not matter if you are rich or
poor, white or African American, man or woman – if you put in
enough effort, you will become successful. Anti-discrimination laws
protect us from discrimination in the private sector, and
Proposition 209 protects us from discrimination by our
government.

However, the UCLA Affirmative Action Coalition has been
spreading horrendous lies about Proposition 209. They have been
calling the supporters of Proposition 209 racist Nazis who
discriminate and segregate. I would like to take a moment to define
the terms racism, discriminate and segregate from the American
Heritage College Dictionary Third Edition, and quote some text from
Proposition 209.

Racism: The belief that race accounts for differences in human
character or ability and that a particular race is superior to
others; discrimination or prejudice based on race.

Discriminate: To distinguish by class or category without regard
to individual merit; show preference or prejudice.

Segregate: To impose the separation of (a race or class) from
society.

Proposition 209 text: California Constitution, Article 1, Sec.
31. (a) The state shall not discriminate against, or grant
preferential treatment to, any individual or group on the basis of
race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in the operation of
public employment, public education or public contracting.

Clearly, one can see that Proposition 209 ends discrimination
and preferential treatment. And those of us who support it are
colorblind. We look beyond a person’s skin color and view a person
by what matters the most – their personality and intelligence.
Unfortunately, the members of the UCLA Affirmative Action Coalition
cannot see past a person’s skin color. It is they who are racist
and discriminate.

My fellow Bruin Republicans, Young Americans for Freedom and I
were there, observing the Days of Defiance rally Thursday. The
Affirmative Action Coalition’s hatred and racist attitudes were
quickly made quite obvious with their roll call, "Are the African
Americans ‘in the house’? Are the Chicanas/os ‘in the house’? Are
the racist whites ‘in the house’?"

We then stood outside Royce Hall proudly displaying Old Glory in
support of our new chancellor, Albert Carnesale. Much to our
dismay, we were spat upon, threatened and insulted. Several times,
some members of the protest rally tried to stifle our First
Amendment right to free speech by attempting to steal the flag.
However, we simply stood there calmly and attempted to engage
Affirmative Action Coalition members in intelligent debate.

My friend, who was holding the flag with me, has a pale
complexion. Members of the protest rally, without even talking to
us, immediately called him a racist Nazi and spat upon him. I, on
the other hand, have a dark complexion and was immediately called a
"sellout" and the "token brown boy for the Republicans." I was
asked numerous times, "Who are my people?" to which I responded, "I
am an American citizen." They kept insisting that I am "one of
them" because I have dark skin. The way the Affirmative Action
Coalition treated my friend and I was racist and
discriminatory.

I am just as offended as a woman would be when a guy just stares
at her breasts instead of listening to her. These protesters just
stared at the color of my skin and kept calling me a "sellout."

They also point out the admission rates of African Americans,
Native Americans and Latinos in the incoming freshman class and are
demanding that a higher percentage of them should be accepted. They
want to separate the way the admission office handles them and
handles the rest of the applicants. That is discrimination!

It is ironic to see that these people who are supposedly calling
for the end of racism and discrimination are actually the ones
staring at the color of people’s skin. It is ironic that when they
are asked to explain why they think Proposition 209 is wrong, they
resort to such childish behavior as name-calling and spitting. This
illustrates that they have no rational argument in favor of their
misguided and unjust calls for a return to state-sponsored
discrimination through preferences and quotas.

It is clear that those in the UCLA Affirmative Action Coalition
are race-obsessed, and it is they who are the real racists and
discriminators. I challenge everyone reading this, regardless of
race or gender, to answer one question: Do you want the government
to be able to discriminate on the base of race or gender? If your
answer is yes, then I ask you what’s to keep that government from
discriminating against your race or gender?Cicero is a fifth-year
math student and a proud member of the Bruin Republicans and Young
Americans for Freedom.