05.09.08
Asian-Americans and affirmative action
Here’s an interesting editorial on affirmative action. From the editorial:
- The primary reason why Asian Americans are not considered active players in the affirmative action arena is because most Americans have accepted the idea of the “model minority myth.” The model minority myth has created a stereotype of Asian Americans as one monolithic ethnic group that has achieved success though education and hard work without the assistance of governmental benefits.
My take on affirmative action: we need a whole lot more of it. Why? Think about one aspect of the private sector for a minute– 1.) who’s in charge of the management structures of the VAST majority of Fortune 500 companies? (i.e., what color is their skin?) Ok, now that we’ve go that out of the way, 2.) who makes the hiring decisions? (I’m pretty sure you can figure this one out by reviewing the answer to question 1). And the kicker: 3.) What is the skin color of the people they’re most likely to hire?
I’ve heard some really silly people saying things like “if Asian Americans were good at leading people, they would have been in those spots,” and “Asian Americans just don’t have those skills.” My response is as follows: I would be saying the exact same thing about white people if the majority of the people in charge were Asian American. It would be the perfect self-proving truth that would allow me to stay in power. Am I wrong?