I was very shocked at the boldness of the protest, and it certainly stirred a number of questions in my head. One of which is whether or not the manner of the protest is mocking to the bill, and mocking to those who have been admitted to the college with the help of programs such as Affirmative Action.. Is equating the struggles of those who have been subject to prejudice to a measly bake sale price disrespectful? While giving consideration to race at all when reviewing admissions could be viewed as unfair, and showing preference, it is giving our higher education system a chance to diversify, which could lead to diversity throughout all of the country--so why the bake sale? Students insist it is not to taunt the students who could be admitted to Berkeley, but simply to get people thinking about the issue. Monday, September 26, 2011
A Fair Protest or Sarcastic Slap?
Recently, a certain news report has caught my attention, and infuriated many other Americans. A controversial bake sale. A group of Republican students from the University of California at Berkeley decided to protest the bill that is being considered at the moment regarding the consideration of race, gender, and ethnicity in the admissions process at the college by Governor Jerry Brown. The students plan on holding the bake sale at the same time of a phone bank of support for the bill in order to show their disagreement. According to the conservative student group, any regard to an applicants race in the admissions is racist and unjust, while supporters of the bill insist its purpose is to sustain a diverse environment on campus.
I was very shocked at the boldness of the protest, and it certainly stirred a number of questions in my head. One of which is whether or not the manner of the protest is mocking to the bill, and mocking to those who have been admitted to the college with the help of programs such as Affirmative Action.. Is equating the struggles of those who have been subject to prejudice to a measly bake sale price disrespectful? While giving consideration to race at all when reviewing admissions could be viewed as unfair, and showing preference, it is giving our higher education system a chance to diversify, which could lead to diversity throughout all of the country--so why the bake sale? Students insist it is not to taunt the students who could be admitted to Berkeley, but simply to get people thinking about the issue.
I was very shocked at the boldness of the protest, and it certainly stirred a number of questions in my head. One of which is whether or not the manner of the protest is mocking to the bill, and mocking to those who have been admitted to the college with the help of programs such as Affirmative Action.. Is equating the struggles of those who have been subject to prejudice to a measly bake sale price disrespectful? While giving consideration to race at all when reviewing admissions could be viewed as unfair, and showing preference, it is giving our higher education system a chance to diversify, which could lead to diversity throughout all of the country--so why the bake sale? Students insist it is not to taunt the students who could be admitted to Berkeley, but simply to get people thinking about the issue. 
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I thought this blog post was very interesting and really triggered a lot of thoughts for me. I disagree with the actions of the bake sale and fully support Affirmative Action (A.A.). The bake sale itself was what I would consider racist and sexist since they only took into account the appearance of their customers opposed to A.A., who looks at race, sex, AND economic status of their students. It's impossible to deny that there have been struggles for these minority races and women in America's past. A.A. is, in a sense, creating a "more equal" opportunity for those with a disadvantage. This is opposed to the bake sale, who I believe was mocking the stereotypes of races and their overall success in America. Not all Whites are rich and not all Native Americans are poor. This is a generalization and why economic status is so important to take into account (the main focus of Affirmative Action). My question: when using Affirmative Action, is it "racist" to take into account struggles specific races have had in America's past, or is it a considerate thing to do?
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