Poll: Are scholarships designated for African-Americans racist?

[kitsunefather]

The definition of racism is the exclusion of a person based on their skin color or ethnic origin.

My rule of thumb is, "would it be called racist if it excluded black people instead of non-blacks?"

If you answer yes, then its racist.

 

[Ilikemilkshake]

It is racist, and i think it should be changed to be based on merit, as opposed to race.

 

[Lord Beautiful]

I do think it's racist, much like affirmative action. It seems to imply that a race is inferior to another, thus requiring more assistance to prosper than others.

 

[Jamboxdotcom]

How many of you guys are actually a minority? Or female? Or gay? Or...you get the picture. Most of the time when I hear people talking about reverse-racism, they are white, middle-class, males. Not all the time, but most of time. And guys, you already control a bulk of the world. You have the easiest time getting a job. You have the easiest time getting into schools. You have the easiest time being accepted by the world at large.

Scholarships for minorities are intended to highlight the achievements of those who are otherwise lost in the crowd. This still happens. There is still a stigma attached to certain races, genders, orientations, etc. Go take a Psych course and study intelligence testing, or an anthropology class and study school subcultures. Expectation effects still exist, and plenty of people--teachers included--still feel certain groups of students won't do as well as others. This is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Scholarships that highlight the achievements of your group are designed to show struggling and borderline students that they are not doomed to a certain life. More is out there, if they work for it.

The bottom line is: there's plenty of scholarship money out there if you need it. There are scholarships for people of specific faiths, descendants of original colonists, horse show competitors, writers, singers, athletes of all stripes, etc. Chances are, you can find a scholarship that seems tailor-made for you.

at the risk of getting slapped with a "low content" warning, i have to say, this man hit the nail on the head. and like i said above, even if it is wrong, it's still by far the lesser evil.

also, maybe this should be in Religion and Politics, rather than Off-Topic? (on the other hand, if it had been in R&P i probably wouldn't have seen it, since i try not to venture into that room).

 

[Krythe]

Of course it's racist but in this instance, the racism actually works for them.

This can be used to illustrate how few people are genuinely against racism, instead using it as a conveniant label to justify typical greed.

 

[JaredXE]

Get out of such absolutist thinking and you'll understand why. Try thinking about it for a few minutes. Think about the relative likely social capital inherent in each class. Think about what could happen in the long term without affirmative action.

I'm thinking that there are more poor white people in America than there are poor any other race. Exactly WHAT social capital is there when a white person and a black person are both living below the poverty line? Why should a poor black student get more help than the white student based off of skin color? You say that it's not just skin, that they have to be worthy. Well when the white student applies for a scholarship, he competes against other worthies of any race, since there are no 'white only' grants. When a black student applies, it's only against other black students.....significantly reducing the competition.

Affirmative action is BS nowadays. You are the best for the job, you get the job, melonin content unimportant. Worrying about quotas and how many asian crippled midgets you have on staff is just racist and is holding us all back.

 

[Gigano]

When viewed on principle and solely in the context of today, yes they are discriminatory against those who are not black.

When viewed in a historical context they are however attempting to alleviate some long standing social imbalances in the west that has because of centuries of "traditional" racism affected non-Caucasians the most. Though a less-than-ideal method, having such visible social imbalances - and the problems they bring - lined up largely along the very visible racial lines is a catalyst for far more dangerous and harmful forms of racism, and should thus be countered in countries that have such historical imbalances.

So sort of, but for now it should not be changed.

 

[Cazza]

Scholarships like that for say African-American or whoever they are for. People who make these scholarships say that African-Americans are at a disadvange already so they need that little extra help.

It's a stereotype. It's never good to stereotype but it happens. True some of the people of that race might be at a disadvange. Do you see Scholarships for financial disadvanged people. Yes. So white people do get scholarships directed at them. True these scholarships are for any race with a financial disadvange. Most likely it will be a white person who gets it. It just happens.


Still the scholarship is a good thing. Even though it's only directed to certain people. I can't say what race win more scholarships whatever it be African-American or financial disadvanged. It's just good to have as many out there as possible. Hopefully they balance out evenly.

Not the best worded but you see my point. I'm much better at speaking then writting.

 

[sailor_960]

Scholarships for African Americans are not necessarily racist. When a college overlooks successful and deserving individuals in favor of meeting their diversity quota, yeah, that is racist.

 

[Rooker]

This is going to sound amazingly retarded of me (I really can't stop myself..) I challenge a Caucasian-oriented organization to apply to offer a white scholarship. Not in retaliation, but in example. I really hope there are slightly less detested groups like the Ku Klux Klan, but if they're the only ones with a formal organization, so be it. We can only hope the more intelligent members who are only "White Pride" rather than "White Superiority" get involved and maybe give the Klan some respectable credit.

Isn't that what the Klan is? Yeah, most the members you HEAR about are a bunch of xenophobic, homophobic, racist pricks, but isn't the group's core really just "I'm white and I am proud?" >.> Maybe I'm misguided on that respect, but I'm sure if the current over-the-top members all disappeared and we discovered there were actually respectable and influential people in the KKK that believe in pride over power, maybe people would stop looking at it the way we do now.

 

[Ham_authority95]

I think it's racist to a degree, there isn't anything really "hateful" about it.

 

[Korias]

As a college student, I found that the application process to get INTO college was far more harrowing than it should be, and Scholarships can form a big part of what gives you the funding for college to begin with.

However, there are scholarships that limit on other factors besides race: Is a scholarship that's available to people of age 16 or above "Ageist"? Or is a scholarship that is solely available to women "Sexist"? What if the Scholarship is only available to teenage mothers? Is a scholarship designed for Christians "Intolerant"?

Or, in the worst case scenario, what if your scholarship is limited strictly to black Christian teenage mothers?

The point is this: Scholarships are often going to have restrictions because the people who are handing the money out made a decision about where they wanted that money to go. It is, after all, their money - they have a right to decide the criteria that they give it out on. However, many organizations usually have a reason to do so. If the money was, say, bequeathed by a deceased founder, alright. If it's an organization dedicated to helping out a specific group of individuals, then of course the money should be put into that group otherwise it defeats the purpose of the organization. If it's being raised from a community, then that funding should go back into the community.

However, what I DO have an issue with is the way certain bits and pieces are selected. For example, I know a number of people that are getting "Free Rides" through college due to scholarships or the school handing money out, when their accomplishments don't merit it and their financial situation doesn't warrant it: They're getting it because they're of a minority group and therefore "important" to a diverse campus.

When people start handing money out based upon skin color when it shouldn't be a factor, then yes, I get upset.

For example: A scholarship fund created from an Asian community, and states that their scholarship is for Asian students, is ok. A scholarship created by U-Haul, a moving company, stating that their scholarship is solely for African Americans, is not ok.

tl;dr

Some are fine. Some are not. Depends on the organization that's backing the fund.

 

[Lilani]

Get out of such absolutist thinking and you'll understand why. Try thinking about it for a few minutes. Think about the relative likely social capital inherent in each class. Think about what could happen in the long term without affirmative action.

So, basically you're saying that these scholarships are beneficial because, statistically, there are more poor or financially burdened black students and families.

If that's the case, then have the scholarship be dedicated to any students in bad financial situations and who show academic valor. To give any student, or human being in general, an advantage or a resource that another doesn't have access to due to the color of their skin is racism. There are poor black people, and there are also poor white people, Hispanics, Indians, Inuits, and Asians. Helping out hard-working students who need the help is a great thing to do, but if you start allowing such help to be color-coded then our mindset is no better than it was 60 years ago.

Besides, it's not like you often get people just swanning in because they're black. They also have to be worthy.

That's not the part of the scholarships I have a problem with. The part I have a problem with is the fact that the scholarships were designated for African-American students, meaning that no others would have been considered. Isn't that why the casting director for The Hobbit was fired, for not even considering actors who weren't of the "preferred" skin color?

 

[archvile93]

They're racist and only serve to encourage racism by suggesting that black people are in fact different fundamentally from others.

 

[JaredXE]

How many of you guys are actually a minority? Or female? Or gay? Or...you get the picture. Most of the time when I hear people talking about reverse-racism, they are white, middle-class, males. Not all the time, but most of time. And guys, you already control a bulk of the world. You have the easiest time getting a job. You have the easiest time getting into schools. You have the easiest time being accepted by the world at large.

Actually I am the ultimate majority: the Young, Poor, White Male. We don't run the world(and never will unless we are from rich families), we are just as poor as any other poor minority, and we are held to higher standards than we can be expected to achieve. Oh yeah, and everybody hates us. Asians think we are stupid and lazy, women think us oafish and abusive, blacks think we are racist and unfairly advantaged and gays think we are latently-homophobic and can't dance. Fuck you, WE are an oppressed minority.

Scholarships for minorities are intended to highlight the achievements of those who are otherwise lost in the crowd. This still happens. There is still a stigma attached to certain races, genders, orientations, etc. Go take a Psych course and study intelligence testing, or an anthropology class and study school subcultures. Expectation effects still exist, and plenty of people--teachers included--still feel certain groups of students won't do as well as others. This is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Scholarships that highlight the achievements of your group are designed to show struggling and borderline students that they are not doomed to a certain life. More is out there, if they work for it.

Ok, but it's not expectations of skin or sexual orientation, but of income level. Not everyone who is white is middle class. The middle class are exactly that, in the middle. The overwhelming majority are poor, THEN you have a much lower number of people in the middle, before you have the tiny fraction of elites. It's classism more than racism, but these color-coded scholarships just play into the belief that because someone is white, they automatically are going to be alright and have mortgages and loans and jobs laid at their feet and so they don't NEED any help. "It'll be alright as long as you're white" seems to be their belief.

The bottom line is: there's plenty of scholarship money out there if you need it. There are scholarships for people of specific faiths, descendants of original colonists, horse show competitors, writers, singers, athletes of all stripes, etc. Chances are, you can find a scholarship that seems tailor-made for you.

In this, you are right. But all of these are dependant on choice of activities, not skin color, which is what the point is about. Gender or race-based scholarships don't need to exist anymore because there are other scholarships based off what religion you choose, or the extra-curricular activities you do.

 

[magnuslion]

I think some of you are missing the point. because you say "yes it is racist, but it is ok because blah blah blah.." It's not ok. either racism is ok, or it is not. Not one white person living in America today has anything to do with black slavery or oppression from the 1700-1800's. If people pay for the sins of their forefathers, should not I as a Jew receive some sort of compensation for the fact that they destroyed every branch of my family save one less than a hundred years ago? The answer is no. most of the people involved in the Nazi party are dead, and the few that escaped a reckoning have to live with their ghosts and demons. Earn what you have, do not have it handed to you because of race.

 

[Glademaster_v1legacy]

How many of you guys are actually a minority? Or female? Or gay? Or...you get the picture. Most of the time when I hear people talking about reverse-racism, they are white, middle-class, males. Not all the time, but most of time. And guys, you already control a bulk of the world. You have the easiest time getting a job. You have the easiest time getting into schools. You have the easiest time being accepted by the world at large.

Scholarships for minorities are intended to highlight the achievements of those who are otherwise lost in the crowd. This still happens. There is still a stigma attached to certain races, genders, orientations, etc. Go take a Psych course and study intelligence testing, or an anthropology class and study school subcultures. Expectation effects still exist, and plenty of people--teachers included--still feel certain groups of students won't do as well as others. This is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Scholarships that highlight the achievements of your group are designed to show struggling and borderline students that they are not doomed to a certain life. More is out there, if they work for it.

The bottom line is: there's plenty of scholarship money out there if you need it. There are scholarships for people of specific faiths, descendants of original colonists, horse show competitors, writers, singers, athletes of all stripes, etc. Chances are, you can find a scholarship that seems tailor-made for you.

Yes that may be so but who is more likely to get punished for apparent racism? Middle Class, White, Straight, Males. Yes some people are still racist but yet there are people who do use things like the race card and what not and there are companies who don't fire people even though they should based on their race. While these grants may have had a function when they first started all things like this that are given to a certain race should be phased out as racism dies out.

 

[magnuslion]

How many of you guys are actually a minority? Or female? Or gay? Or...you get the picture. Most of the time when I hear people talking about reverse-racism, they are white, middle-class, males. Not all the time, but most of time. And guys, you already control a bulk of the world. You have the easiest time getting a job. You have the easiest time getting into schools. You have the easiest time being accepted by the world at large.

Scholarships for minorities are intended to highlight the achievements of those who are otherwise lost in the crowd. This still happens. There is still a stigma attached to certain races, genders, orientations, etc. Go take a Psych course and study intelligence testing, or an anthropology class and study school subcultures. Expectation effects still exist, and plenty of people--teachers included--still feel certain groups of students won't do as well as others. This is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Scholarships that highlight the achievements of your group are designed to show struggling and borderline students that they are not doomed to a certain life. More is out there, if they work for it.

The bottom line is: there's plenty of scholarship money out there if you need it. There are scholarships for people of specific faiths, descendants of original colonists, horse show competitors, writers, singers, athletes of all stripes, etc. Chances are, you can find a scholarship that seems tailor-made for you.

ahem. I am Jewish. I am 6'4, blond haired and blue eyed, and my mother was a Jew. so as far as hatred from supremacists, believe me I have had my share. In point of fact they tend to hate me more than any of my black or Hispanic friends, because I confuse and disorient them with my appearance.

The whole "lost in the crowd" theory is invalid. there are many successful people of all ethnic origins in this country. People use crutches like claiming racism as an excuse not to work hard and learn.

 

[ShadowKatt]

Yeah, I think they're racist. Absolutely and completely.

I was a piss poor student in school, and then I went to college on the pell grant and didn't do so hot there. However, a friend of mine....whoa...just...Okay, not only did she EXCEL in school, honor roll every year, 4.0, 4.0, 4.0, it was like watching the olympics every year. I remember her parents telling me about one year she DIDN'T ace a class, they hid her report cards for fear she might harm herself. All told, on top of all that, she ran mulptiple extra-curricular clubs and activities, RAN them as in made them and administrated, and still managed to graduate an entire year ahead of her class.

And now she's some $12,000 in debt because none of the scholorships her school offered she was eligible for. There was a grant for african americans, there was a grant for mexican americans, there was a grant for women only but she said the people that were offering the grant scared the hell out of her, and her family made too much money to be eligible for any low income grants. You want to know what's heartbreaking is seeing this girl that worked so hard for everything just sit back defeated when she reaslised that she's the wrong color to get anywhere in this world.

So yeah, I think it's racist. I think it's all racist. Everything that comes out of the government is racist because of this fear of minorities being trampled on; instead they elevate them on this pedestal of bulletproof invulnerability. And it's not helping anyone, black, white, yellow, purple, green, striped(If Zebras can pass the entrace exams). Get rid of the entitlements, make people work again. The ones that really want it will get in one way or another.

 

[Sevre]

I don't think many people in this thread can empathize with ethnic minorities. A little more than 30 years ago in America, Latinos had very little recognition, Native Americans didn't own their reservations, and Black people? Although they had the CRM, 30% of them were underneath the poverty line. Yeah things have gotten better, but are they even? God no.

I think it's only fair, it's racist if you look at it that way, don't get nitpicky about the little things.