Every month I get the opportunity of choosing a topic on which I write my editorial. For the most part I try to stay away from the more controversial areas, such as rights, race, and sex; however, I find this topic very intriguing and worth bringing up.

If two people apply to the same college with the same GPA, course load, standardized test scores, extra-curriculars, volunteer hours, etc., one may have more of a chance of getting in because of one specific factor…. race. Affirmative Action is a form of positive discrimination where employers and admissions officers at colleges add a certain “weight” to the application of a person of race other than white/Caucasian. The purpose of this was originally meant as a form of compensation for prior discrimination and the increase in diversity within an institution. Proponents of this enactment claim that this is necessary to rid or lessen the worlds discrimination. I am of the opinion that affirmative action merely perpetuates racism.

Giving unequal representation to people based upon race is pretty much the definition of racism… this can easily turn into reverse discrimination. I am all for diversity, but an over representation of a minority will not solve any discrimination problems. Some advocates point out that there is a statistical significance of minorities who come from poverty and this should be accounted for. If two people have the exact same qualifications but one grew up in Beverly Hills and the other overcame extreme poverty, I would completely support the latter being admitted over the other because I believe that often times our success is either hindered or fostered by the amount of opportunities that are given to us. By growing up in an environment that is less conducive to a college education, a strength of character is developed. So lets have college admissions officers look at the opportunities provided to us and the environment in which we grew up in… There are white people living in the ghetto, and there are minorities in Beverly Hills, and we should either give them equal representation or socio-economic representation. To say otherwise would inherently be racist.

“BalancedPolitics.org.” – Affirmative Action (Pros & Cons, Arguments For and Against, Advantages & Disadvantages). N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Dec. 2013.