COLUMN: Affirmative action provokes more tension by its injustice

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by Willy Hwang

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Although institutions should not accept candidates on the basis of race, neither should they reject a qualified candidate because of race, gender, etc. The affirmative action in practice today has betrayed the intention of its founders.

Affirmative action began as a program to give opportunities to otherwise qualified minorities who were denied education, jobs, etc. solely because of their race or gender. Society cannot overlook the continued government-sanctioned discrimination that has destroyed our once-vaunted level playing field.

Contrary to the claims of most affirmative action proponents, however, the dismantlement of affirmative action does not in any way compromise the efficacy of anti-discrimination laws. The objective of having these anti-discrimination laws is to provide an equal opportunity for all, not preferential treatment for some. These anti-discrimination laws must apply equally to everyone.

As a society we must not leave out the disadvantaged among us merely because they belong to the "wrong" racial group. Some affirmative action proponents claim that underrepresentation of certain groups will have disastrous results.

On the contrary, Anglo-Americans (whites), Asian-Americans (Orientals, Indians, Pacific Islanders, etc.) and Hispanic-Americans (Mexican-Americans, Puerto Ricans and Latin Americans) remain underrepresented in such organizations as the National Basketball Association, yet society has not suffered tumultuous consequences as a result.

The reason no one complains about this is it doesn't make a difference. Basketball fans watch basketball for the purpose of entertainment, but if the quality of entertainment were to degrade because of the players' lack of skill, the market for basketball would contract immediately. Furthermore, the Associated Press has yet to report any instances of sick people refusing medical treatment from a doctor outside their racial or gender group. Although some may find that fact difficult to believe, merit has proven itself time and time again. People seeking medical treatment will find the best provider of that treatment based on reputation without regard to race.

Affirmative action instills the appropriateness of preferential treatment into the national psyche. The intrinsic racial and sexual discriminatory practices of affirmative action cause resentment in the same manner as the unjustified racism and sexism of the past.

The government instituted affirmative action programs to rectify past discriminatory actions, but the nation must advance beyond the mistakes of the past to a more propitious future. Meant as a method for qualified minorities to obtain access to previously hostile institutions, affirmative action has evolved -- with the abetment of the liberal establishment -- into a policy which causes institutions to sacrifice standards in the pursuit of diversity.

Any program that treats groups in society differently will generate animosity from other groups, and the affirmative action programs of today exacerbate racial tensions for those reasons. In this enlightened era of equality, we must not permit politically correct racism to stymie our society's advancement toward equal opportunity and treatment by the law.

If society rewards diligence, education and skills, people will realize that those factors open the door to success. People have no more control over their race and gender than the TV weatherman has over the weather. A truly level playing field accounts only for factors that people can exercise control and responsibility over: their record and their performance.

Willy Hwang is a Will Rice College freshman.

This item appeared in the Opinion section of the October 4, 1996 issue.

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