My distaste for A-A is rooted in a grade school experience.
Our school held a yearly carnival which was used as a fundraiser.
When I was in first grade I participated in the Cake Walk.
The Cake Walk was a raffle of sorts in which tickets were purchased and music was played and everyone walked around on a circle of numbers. When the music stopped whomever was standing on the number drawn won a whole cake.
I happened to stop on the winning number.
'That's not fair, they have red lunch tickets (When we paid for our lunch every week the tickets were dated in either red or black ink depending on the level of the price paid. Red tickets were full cost tickets that could be carried over to a later date.), one kid cried out.
The administrator had everyone take one step forward.
'That's okay, my sister won then and I'll still get some when I get home.', I said angrily.
'But that's not fair their parents have jobs', another kid complained.
We were forced to take another step forward until an acceptable poor kid won.
The teachers tried to talk to me about sharing but I was so mad that I walked the two blocks to my house at night.
Sure, I got whooped for walking home but I didn't care - I was right and I knew it.
The next Monday at school the principal tried to explain how I should let those with less have more opportunities.
The game was not weighted to favor one person over the other so as a first grader anything that was said was beyond my comprehension.
We had all taken the same chance on winning and I had to give my prize to someone who had lost just because my parents did what they were expected to do and I benefited from it - fuck that.
I've never been down with all this 'woke' shit - usually just talking about doing things takes the place of actually doing things. I grew up in a neighborhood that was run by the Panthers and they actually initiated real-world programs to get things done.
I have Hotep friends who claim that we are slaves in America.
Nigga please - I have never heard of an African slave who applied for the job.
I have never heard of a slave who, if given the opportunity, never attempted to make his life better.
I've have friends who think that ' the Black man is being hunted in Amerikkka'.
Give me a break. Every white person can just walk out and shoot any Black person on sight?
Do they run from everyone white because they they see? Shit, even deer have sense to hide from hunters.
What we are could better be described as Metics in ancient Greece.
Residents but without the full rights as citizens.
But the Alt.Right is not fighting for the same thing.
Some within BLM wanted equal footing while some of the Kekistani seem to wish to continue in a society that places them above others (even when unearned).
IMOHO - Each group is the opposite side of the same coin.
Each group wants unearned benefits for work they themselves have never done.
Each group sees themselves as victims in a changing world which is moving towards a more meritocratic society.
If rules, laws and opportunities were meted out equally, many of these crybabies would be doing what they are currently doing - just protesting.
I think your experience has less to do with affirmative action than it does poorly implemented and executed plans- that often fall into what many believe affirmative action to be.
ReplyDeleteAffirmative action is appropriate in scenarios where whomever is in charge will simply not let kids with reduced lunch even participate unless their arms are twisted.
Your story appears more about some teachers who did a poor job planning and executing a giveaway and followed it up with poor excuses.