response 108 of 232:

Jan 22 07:44 UTC 2003

Re #96" c'mon Steve, I never said that affirmative action applies "only to
minors". I was developing the thesis that it applies more naturally to
minors, because of the established law that makes minors, in a sense,
wards of their parents and the State.

Having spent most of my career in academia, I disagree strongly with
jep that it's positive effects are not very evident. They are VERY
evident when one looks at who it assisted in more detail. There is an
increased corp of well educated minorities in all disciplines who got
some boost from affirmative action. What you see as reduced discrimination
and more access of minorities to all walks of life is due to BOTH
laws (the stick) and affirmative action (the carrot).

What those that oppose affirmative action should do is work to further
eliminate discrimination againsty minorities. As that progresses, the
need for affirmative action will fade, and eventually they will attain
their objective of the elimination of affirmative action, because it will
no longer be needed.

As matters stand now, I always get the strong sense that those that
argue against affirmative action are actually trying to slow or cut
back the progress that has been made by minorities in our society. There
is a certain sense of rationality in the "inequality" argument against
affirmative action, which those that would prefer to discriminate find
useful as an argument.