Affirmative Action

I still cannot decide where I stand on this situation. Before class on Monday, I was pretty sure I was alright with the idea of trying to add more diversity to a school, until a classmate made a great point. Jeremy, who does not agree, said that why should a student be accepted over me just because the color of their skin. If he is more qualified than a black student, why should the black student be accepted over him? It is totally unfair for Jeremy if that is the case. In America we often talk about how someone’s skin color shouldn't affect the way someone is looked at, so why should college admission be any different? I hate to ask all these questions, but I don’t know the answers to them. It almost seems like it would be insulting to a person who is any other race than white. The American Civil Rights Institute agrees with Jeremy in saying, they don't believe that anyone should be more or less qualified because of their race or sex. So as of now, that is what I do believe, that everyone should have the same chance to be accepted as everyone else does. That seems the fairest, and quite frankly is the fairest. Of course there are people who are very blessed much like many families in Deerfield and others who aren’t. I understand they have a much tougher time, but they still have a chance for an education too. Everyone has right to an education in America.

I think it's different from an economic standpoint, or where the person is from. If there was a student from Africa who had been educated to the fullest, though did not do as well on the ACT/SAT as an average white student from America did, I would be alright with the student from Africa getting in to the school over the white student. Why should a student be penalized for the color of their skin? And why should someone be rewarded for their skin color? Like I said before, America is all about equality, and everyone having the same opportunity to succeed. Whether it’s true or not, that’s what people want to believe, it’s what they want to hear. The Civil Rights movement gave blacks equality years and years ago, so why are we treating them almost like they aren’t as smart as whites? It should not be any easier or harder for any one race to be accepted into a college.

If I Were a Poor Black Kid

I think it's obvious that the author’s ideas are right. Anyone could agree with the idea that succeeding in school will usually bring success in the workplace. The author talked a lot about how these kids should use technology to their advantage. Kids at Deerfield High School don’t use technology to their advantage. There are so many things that we could use that would make our school work so much easier, but often times we don’t want to take the time to do so. I believe it’s fair to say that we have pretty motivated students here at Deerfield, yet we take a lot for granted. I feel like I could have written this article because I think the concepts are very simple. The author talks about what exactly underprivileged students need to do to try and get ahead in school. Though, I feel like the author makes it seem like it is easy for these underprivileged students to succeed. These kids grow up in a rough situation, and often times they have bad influences dragging them down. Not all of these kids have these resources this author talks about either. I'm not saying it is impossible for these kids to succeed, but they are not dealt a hand like many other kids are.

I read the Denial chapter of Tim Wise's book, White Like Me. Wise talks a lot about how the history of racial oppression. He talks about the "bubbles" we have in our society, and saying that not all people have the same opportunities in life. I have to agree. I don't believe that everyone has the same opportunity at all. It is true that us students at Deerfield have more opportunities than many students who go to Chicago Public Schools. It just happens to be most kids from Deerfield are white. I'm not at all saying that those students have no opportunities, but it's true many people from Deerfield have some money, and with that money students like me can explore what we want to do for an occupation more than other students can. Though, living in America does give many people great opportunities, whether you come from money or not. Everyone has the opportunity to get an education, and whether or not they take that opportunity seriously, they will still have other things to peruse. That's the beautiful thing about America, there is always a chance for the little guy to succeed. Wise also stated that Americans are improving when it comes to race. I think America has steadily improved when it comes to race relations since the civil rights movement ended. I haven't heard of any huge stories having to do with a hate crime in a real long time. Of course racism will always be around, but just a half century ago, this country was still segregated. There has been immense improvement in race relations.

Hidden Bias

According to Project Implicit’s results, I have a 27% preference to white people. I am not so sure about the test’s outcome. I do not believe that I prefer one race over another. As far as I know, that is the case for most people who don’t carry any prejudices against others. Two people next me got the same results as I did so I feel like it may be common occurrence. I wish I had more black friends, but in the town we live in, it's not a secret that we don't have that many black families here. I have a good friend who is black, and I don't prefer to be around him any more or less than my white friends. As far as I know, a person is a person regardless of their skin color. If you think about it, it really doesn't make sense why people believe whites are superior to everyone else. That's true because their skin is lighter? Why is it that having lighter skin makes you more of a man than someone with darker skin? It really make no sense what so ever. I got wondering when I saw the section of community matters. I still believe that the results were wrong, but our community does not have much diversity. That could very well play a part in my results.