Menuka Dissanayake, Period 7, 10/5/23

Menuka Dissanayake 

Period 7 

10/5/2023 

Modern Mythology 2024 

Socio-political Consciousness 

    In its earlier stages, affirmative action was a mechanism that allowed underprivileged persons to gain an equal chance at being admitted into colleges and jobs without being discriminated against because of their race. Established in the 1960s by President John F. Kennedy, affirmative action assisted people of color to receive equal consideration in the workforce and education. However, as is often the case in life, it was abused and misused for political and personal gain. 

    My first time hearing about affirmative action was in a negative connotation. Examples of affirmative action include selecting students based on race and excluding Asian students from college admissions. Even though I now understand it was overly exaggerated, There may have been some truth behind it. 

    While volunteering at the hospital, one of the patient experience folks asked about my college decision. She questioned whether I was considering any Ivy Leagues.

    "No, I am considering a CUNY school," I said. 

    "CUNY's are good schools, and you don't even have to pay much for the college if you are a NY resident," she replied, "I had an Asian friend who applied to Harvard, she was one of the best students in her class, but she didn't get in." 

    I understood what she meant but did not pay much attention to it. 

    Over the summer, when researching college admissions, I discovered that most negative connotations about affirmative action were unfounded. In the past, college admissions only considered the academic history of students. Nowadays, the whole student is taken into account when making admissions decisions. Acceptance to a summer program at Columbia also helped me forgo my preconceptions about college admissions. Affirmative action has had an overall good impact on college admissions. However, as I recently learned in economics class, every decision has a price. Giving spots to students based on race and socio-economic background effectively takes away that spot from a more qualified student. 

    While my opinion of affirmative action remains neutral, that is not the common consensus. I have seen several comic skits about Asian students not getting accepted into the Ivy League because they are not underprivileged on social media. The abundance of videos highlights the potential misuse of affirmative action for personal or political gain.

     Recently, the Supreme Court ruled against race-based college admissions. This decision may have positive implications for affirmative action in the long run because it might shed light on the benefits and harm of affirmative action. There is no debate that a holistic approach rather than focusing solely on academic history, is a necessary addition for college admissions. Ultimately, however, race-based college admission is inherently discriminatory under the supreme law of the land, the Constitution.