this post was submitted on 19 Dec 2024
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What's to stop them from doing it anyway barring there being a racist on the admissions committee? Even then, a majority vote would rule right? Couldn't the majority say, "We had exceptionally good black students applicants this year. This is an internal matter"?
Yeah, I feel that this proves 1 of 2 things: either that Harvard's Admissions Board is in fact racist, or that affirmative action was actually causing an uneven playing field.
P.S. whether or not creating an uneven playing field is right or wrong is an entirely separate issue.
Creating a false dichotomy does nothing but eliminate nuance. The simple fact is that there are more students applying to Harvard than Harvard can let in. Because not this, it means Harvard gets to choose from people they think will benefit the University, an "even playing field" has nothing to do with it.
The university doesn't benefit the most from getting the smartest or hardest working graduates, they benefit from students who will one day increase their endowment.
The idea of an even playing field is laughable, as we don't have an equal path to higher education. Someone getting 4.0 from a private highschool who has access to private tutors, isn't the same as someone getting a 4.0 from a public school and holding down a part time job.
So if the school doesn't have to acknowledge this, what do you think is going to happen? If the idea of merit is only tracked by how well you can beef up your student portfolio......who do you think is going to win out, the family that spent tens of thousands on private education, or the family who is struggling to pay rent?
Of course affirmative action was causing an uneven playing field. That was the whole point. Our society has screwed over certain marginalized groups, so this is a way to help give them a leg up.
The Wikipedia page literally says affirmative action is sometimes known as "positive discrimination/action"