Affirmative Action

Talie Chen

ASA 002 A03 10/4/2015 Blog 3 The policy report How Higher Education Diversity Benefits our Communities strives to dismiss misconceptions that have risen around the efforts to diversify higher education. Proposition 209 was approved in 1996 and amended the California constitution to prohibit the considerations of race, gender, and ethnicity in public university admissions. The report states that contrary to popular belief, Proposition 209 was not as beneficial to AAPI admissions as the media made it appear, and it also highlights some of the benefits of diversity in higher education.  I understand that diversity challenges us to scrutinize our own values and beliefs and broadens our horizons, however it seems inadequate to dismiss the moral requirement to treat each person with equal respect. I find that affirmative action overlooks merit and supports the problematic view that Asian Americans are a “privileged minority”. It promotes the myth that all Asian people are inherently smart and severely downplays and belittles the achievements made by APIAs. If people of all ethnicities are equally capable, race and ethnicity should not become an advantage nor a setback. College admissions should be based on merit and qualifications. If you were in a operating room, would your main concern be about whether or not the group of surgeons operating you reflect racial or gender balance? Or would you care that they are highly qualified?