Local view: It’s time to end affirmative action
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By Dimitrij Krynsky
Around Lincoln — and I assume in other Nebraska cities — a petition is being circulated for ending preferential treatment based on race or gender, which threatens the practice of affirmative action.
The Lincoln Journal Star published several articles from authors who believe affirmative action is a useful tool for promoting fairness in our society. The newspaper also printed an editorial reflecting this position, and on Sunday the Local View “Affirmative action ban would take away opportunities.”
Co-authors are presidents of the University of Nebraska and Creighton University. Because they “ask Nebraskans to become educated on this issue,” let’s look at what they say.
According to their article, ending preferential treatment, “which may at first blush sound appealing,” will limit opportunities for the citizens of this state.
The natural question is: Whose opportunity would be limited? For sure not mine and not theirs. I don’t believe such educated and successful people as presidents of the University of Nebraska and Creighton University need preferential treatment. According to them, minority high school dropouts need such treatment.
In Nebraska, the biggest groups of minority students are Asian, black and Latino students. It is widely known that Asian students excel without preferential treatment. Therefore Latino and black students are left. To suggest that those racial groups need preferential treatment in order to compete is an arrogant position of white supremacists. How come presidents of two distinguished Nebraska universities can’t see it?
If every dropout without consideration of race needs special treatment, I could buy it. The question is, what treatment. Affirmative action is not designed for this task.
According to the article, the playing field is not level; pockets of poverty and inequality still exist.
It is an unfortunate truth, but this should be addressed by different social forces and on different educational levels than universities and colleges. For colleges and universities to try to fix the high school dropout rate with affirmative action is logical nonsense.
To say that preferential treatment is fair treatment is almost an oxymoron. To pretend that nobody is harmed by this is disingenuous. The American way to succeed is hard work, not a handout.
The authors of the article say the petition drive originated in California and does not represent the values of Nebraska.
It did originate in California, but it does represent the values of Nebraska.
The overwhelming majority of our citizens believe in fair, not preferential treatment. You don’t think so? Allow it on the ballot, and we will see!
The authors said a constitutional amendment to outlaw preferences would take away control from Nebraskans. I am lost in this logic. I believe that if I had a chance to vote on something, it is an opportunity to exercise my control over it.
Finally, the article calls for changing “the patterns of educational attainment and college going.” According to the column, unless we change those patterns, the consequences of the dropout rate of minority students will be devastating.
While I wish the highest possible education for everybody, I don’t believe the mentioned dropout rate would be devastating. I also don’t believe ending affirmative action will have negative consequences for Nebraska or for the United States.
The United States became a world superpower without affirmative action. Actually, now we are in decline. This process approximately corresponds with the duration of affirmative action. Is this a coincidence?
In every nation, there are people with very low education. It is unfortunate, but it is unavoidable. Society should not give them affirmative action but instead give them opportunities to work meaningful jobs on the level of their ability. The low education of the people who can’t compete for more is not devastating — and it shouldn’t be.
Nonetheless, if James B. Milliken and John P. Schlegel would like to pursue college education for high school dropouts, they should start with their own advice: “To change the patterns of educational attainment …” So far, it has been a pattern of affirmative action. It’s time to quit it.
Dimitrij Krynsky lives in Lincoln.
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Alan wrote on July 2, 2008 2:51 pm:
dewboy wrote on July 2, 2008 2:55 pm:
nathan wrote on July 2, 2008 4:25 pm:
Rxwoman wrote on July 2, 2008 6:04 pm:
Unfortunately the ERA did not pass. So, women and minoritys had to find other ways to help level the playing field, acquire access to more opportunitys and education. One of these ways is through affirmative action.
But hold on, suddenly those who 30 plus years ago opposed an ERA, now seem to think it's a wonderfull idea! Well sorry Bubba, but you had your chance. Affirmative action has allowed qualified minoritys and women to access opportunities that were previously denied to them simply because of their race or gender. Affirmative action works, and until there is a true level playing field, and white males do not dominate possitions of authority, and hiring, it will be needed. "
Barry Freed wrote on July 2, 2008 6:11 pm:
Meanwhile, the so-called "Nebraska" and so-called "Civil Rights" Initiative has received nearly a half-million dollars, 97% from out of state. What little has come to them from in-state is a meager donation from their own treasurer and a few thousand from one of the most preferentially treated rich white men in Nebraska, Pete Ricketts. "
Laurie wrote on July 2, 2008 7:23 pm:
WM wrote on July 3, 2008 8:29 am:
John Fritts wrote on July 3, 2008 8:43 am:
Show me the Money wrote on July 3, 2008 9:52 am:
What is not mentioned is that Sen. Nantkes has received $22,000 in "consulting fees" or expenses in the few months their group has been formed. "
Macy wrote on July 3, 2008 12:54 pm:
Taxpayer wrote on July 3, 2008 3:48 pm:
Dome wrote on July 3, 2008 5:43 pm:
Through my life in the United State, I know the discrimination is still out there. For Asian, that is that glass-ceiling. This is also true for some White Female. Even though the Affirmative Action may not be the solution, it provided a shield. For higher education, the important thing is to come up with an objective oriented admission system which can send a clear signal - as long as you work hard, it is yours. I am not disagree that test scores aren't everything, but it is objective. Beside, tests can be improved. There can be all kinds of objective measurements. We just need to make sure students' identities were not revealed when grading them.
On the K12 side, we need to make study material readily available to needed students through libraries and other means.
Again, the message is important! The discrimination is hard to change, but if enough minorities are shone, it will change.
As to the point that the Affirmative Action are related to the decline of United State, I have to laugh at it. With Dimitrij's good sense of logic, I just have to say that this one do not have enough evidence to support it. "
dewboy wrote on July 3, 2008 10:13 pm:
Barry Freed wrote on July 4, 2008 12:46 am:
You are perhaps thinking of the Detroit-based group By Any Means Necessary, which has been active in Arizona but, aside from a couple showing up at Connerly's speeches, have been nonexistent in Nebraska. Do some research yourself, padre. "
CC wrote on July 4, 2008 2:32 am:
A Nebraska Minority Student wrote on July 4, 2008 2:52 pm: