geb@cadre.UUCP (02/14/85)
Several "liberal" writers seem to take for a given that affirmative action is going to improve relations between the races. There is certainly reason to doubt that. Especially among the working classes, it increases race bitterness. I doubt if any of these writers have ever had to compete with minorities in the job market. Even so, THEY may be able to get another job when they are discriminated against, but many laborers can't. It isn't just what intellectuals think that makes for good race relations, the common man has to be considered too. It also denigrates the efforts of meritorious members of minority groups. In medical school, the assumption seems to be that if you are black, you only got accepted because of AA, and if you pass, they are just carrying you. This doesn't do a lot for one's self-image, especially if you are trying to overcome a lifetime of being called names because of your race. Sure, the ones that REALLY couldn't get in without AA are "benefitted" but the real standouts never get the respect they are entitled to. In the long run, I think AA will be seen as a pernicious aberration that delayed true equality by patronizing minorities. The hidden message of AA is: if you were really equal, you wouldn't need special help.