Spring Break
Sagar: Embrace the rainbow
Gina Sagar
Issue date: 2/25/08 Section: Opinion
Believe it or not, your parents were wrong. Looks do matter - just not in the way you may (or may not) want them to. Because even though universities and employers might very well look right past those striking blue eyes or tall, trim legs, it's the color of your skin that may just make all the difference.
But, before you get out your pitchfork and flamethrower, realize that it's not the discrimination Malcolm X and Martin Luther King fought to abolish, but rather, a way to compensate for what historical stupidity has caused. And even though we're all well aware of the bigotry that existed in our own country, we must also acknowledge similar bigotry seen in foreign lands, bigotry that has forced refugees to migrate to America. If our past molds our future, then the effects of prejudice are endless. Unless, of course, we reverse the causes.
Affirmative action: two words you love, or two words you hate. Nevertheless, for the sake of liberalism (or for the sake of this column), let's pretend, for a few minutes, that you're actually indifferent.
After school, it's first off to Little League, then over to Jimmy's house, back home for dinner, and finally some cartoons; the boy's anticipation swells and his insides implode with excitement. After his last agonizing hour at school, the bell finally rings and his day is over.
The boy sitting next to him, however, sighs at the thought of leaving this sanctuary; his day has only begun. The latter is a minority: a first-generation Afghan-American. Fortunately for him, he has yet to recognize any discrepancies between himself and his friends. Don't all kids wistfully exist as he does? Even though his father graduated first in his class at the relatively prestigious Kabul University, was it atypical that the alumnus worked at a gas station?
Although the boy's obligations are as foreign to the other kids as he is, he accepts them as routine. Taking care of his sister, taking care of the house, and least of all taking care of himself, the soon to be 8-year-old boy emulates an adult. As his parents work day in and day out, he wonders, "How exactly do other parents manage to spend so much time with their kids?"
After years of taking on more responsibility and straying further away from childhood, the boy accepts his B-average GPA as a great accomplishment. So he makes the honor roll, gets his bumper sticker and stands on the stage among his fellow honors students. Of course, as the other students step down thinking of the homework they robotically completed after hours of video games and television, the thoughts that stream through this boy's mind carry only floating responsibilities.
The boy, now a senior in high school, finally applies to the college of his choice, and neatly shades the box marked Asian-American. Logically, the university is committed to its attempt at equal opportunity. It recognizes the considerable weight the shaded box holds; this boy has a concealed superiority nurtured by his past. Within months, the boy's mailbox holds the large envelope. Are the school's assumptions of the boy's capabilities unjustified? Is the boy undeserving?
As the Soviet Union invaded the then-prosperous Afghanistan, many natives escaped to America. In efforts to spread communism, numerous Afghans were killed, and, needless to say, the country has never been the same. OK, so bomb what you will for the sake of peace (ironic, yes), but what happens to those who were forced to abandon their stable lives and start over? Even worse is the fact that natives of other third-world countries join Afghan-Americans in their turmoil, through no fault of their own, and are forced to compete with those in our country that have, fortunately, never been affected by such hatred.
In retrospect, affirmative action is almost an obligation. Obviously though, like any idealistic initiative, there are problems with its execution. Affirmative action doesn't always prove fair; it would be hypocritical of me to say that it does. But rather than crushing the effort altogether, fix the mistakes! Sheer laziness shouldn't be the reason for killing diversity.
Gina Sagar is a freshman fire protection engineering major. She can be reached at gsagar@umd.edu.
But, before you get out your pitchfork and flamethrower, realize that it's not the discrimination Malcolm X and Martin Luther King fought to abolish, but rather, a way to compensate for what historical stupidity has caused. And even though we're all well aware of the bigotry that existed in our own country, we must also acknowledge similar bigotry seen in foreign lands, bigotry that has forced refugees to migrate to America. If our past molds our future, then the effects of prejudice are endless. Unless, of course, we reverse the causes.
Affirmative action: two words you love, or two words you hate. Nevertheless, for the sake of liberalism (or for the sake of this column), let's pretend, for a few minutes, that you're actually indifferent.
After school, it's first off to Little League, then over to Jimmy's house, back home for dinner, and finally some cartoons; the boy's anticipation swells and his insides implode with excitement. After his last agonizing hour at school, the bell finally rings and his day is over.
The boy sitting next to him, however, sighs at the thought of leaving this sanctuary; his day has only begun. The latter is a minority: a first-generation Afghan-American. Fortunately for him, he has yet to recognize any discrepancies between himself and his friends. Don't all kids wistfully exist as he does? Even though his father graduated first in his class at the relatively prestigious Kabul University, was it atypical that the alumnus worked at a gas station?
Although the boy's obligations are as foreign to the other kids as he is, he accepts them as routine. Taking care of his sister, taking care of the house, and least of all taking care of himself, the soon to be 8-year-old boy emulates an adult. As his parents work day in and day out, he wonders, "How exactly do other parents manage to spend so much time with their kids?"
After years of taking on more responsibility and straying further away from childhood, the boy accepts his B-average GPA as a great accomplishment. So he makes the honor roll, gets his bumper sticker and stands on the stage among his fellow honors students. Of course, as the other students step down thinking of the homework they robotically completed after hours of video games and television, the thoughts that stream through this boy's mind carry only floating responsibilities.
The boy, now a senior in high school, finally applies to the college of his choice, and neatly shades the box marked Asian-American. Logically, the university is committed to its attempt at equal opportunity. It recognizes the considerable weight the shaded box holds; this boy has a concealed superiority nurtured by his past. Within months, the boy's mailbox holds the large envelope. Are the school's assumptions of the boy's capabilities unjustified? Is the boy undeserving?
As the Soviet Union invaded the then-prosperous Afghanistan, many natives escaped to America. In efforts to spread communism, numerous Afghans were killed, and, needless to say, the country has never been the same. OK, so bomb what you will for the sake of peace (ironic, yes), but what happens to those who were forced to abandon their stable lives and start over? Even worse is the fact that natives of other third-world countries join Afghan-Americans in their turmoil, through no fault of their own, and are forced to compete with those in our country that have, fortunately, never been affected by such hatred.
In retrospect, affirmative action is almost an obligation. Obviously though, like any idealistic initiative, there are problems with its execution. Affirmative action doesn't always prove fair; it would be hypocritical of me to say that it does. But rather than crushing the effort altogether, fix the mistakes! Sheer laziness shouldn't be the reason for killing diversity.
Gina Sagar is a freshman fire protection engineering major. She can be reached at gsagar@umd.edu.
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Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Josh
posted 2/25/08 @ 12:06 PM EST
If you rewrite your narrative, and remove every reference to race, it still makes sense. For instance, if we ignore race, and the poor kid is white, while the rich video game playing kid is a minority, it still makes sense to give the edge to the poor kid. (Continued…)
daniel bianco
posted 2/25/08 @ 3:14 PM EST
So, given your account of what happened to Afghanistan in the 1980s... shouldn't Russia be funding underprivileged Afghani migrants instead of the US government?
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