On June 29, 2023, the Supreme Court dismantled affirmative action in college admissions.  (Affirmative action in college admissions means that admissions officers are encouraged to give extra consideration to students of underrepresented groups.)  It deemed Harvard's and the University of North Carolina's affirmative action programs as unconstitutional in 6-2 and 6-3 votes.  The ruling exempts military academies for "distinct interests" they might have, according to Chief Justice Roberts.  

At first, the whole point of affirmative action was not to discriminate against people based on their race.  In 1961, President John F. Kennedy signed an executive order that made federal contractors treat job applicants without regard to race, religion, sex, color, or nationality.  In the Regents of the University of California v. Bakke case of 1978, the Supreme Court ruled that racial quotas are unconstitutional but that colleges could still use race as an admissions factor.  In 2003, the Supreme Court allowed colleges to consider race in a "holistic review," which is when colleges look at an applicant personally, through grades, standardized test scores, extracurriculars, etc.  But now, as of 2023, colleges can no longer include race as a factor.

Proponents of affirmative action believe that it is central to promoting diverse student bodies and giving opportunities to groups of people who've faced past oppression.  They believe that it promotes equality when it really just promotes equity, and those are not the same thing.  Equality is the opposite of affirmative action; it gives equal opportunity and consideration to everybody.  Equity is when everyone is at the same place, but only a small minority actually deserved their spot.  Who cares about diversity if half of the students aren't good enough to be there?  And so what if a group of people faced past discrimination?  The Irish faced discrimination when they first came to America, and I don't really think Conan O'Brien got into Harvard because of affirmative action.

Affirmative action gave greedy people an opportunity.  William "Rick" Singer, the man at the center of the college admissions bribery scandal, advised some parents to change their white child's race into a minority such as Black or Hispanic.  How convenient: When you consistently choose people based on how they look, people start changing how they look.

Because of affirmative action, Black and Hispanic students can get lower test scores and still get in, while White and Asian have to work harder than their "underprivileged" counterparts.  Harvard has a 30 percent Asian-American population.  If not for affirmative action program, it would been 50 percent.  How is this fair, regardless of race?  How is this different from when a rich white kid with mediocre grades gets into Harvard because his parents have a lot of money?  It is not impressive at all when you are accepted into college for something you didn't do.

Affirmative action is a slap in the face to every minority because not only are you not treated the same as everyone else, but you're also limiting everyone else from reaching his true potential.  Race is determined by the amount of pigment in your skin and doesn't say anything about who you are as a person other than how protected you are against the sun.  This was one of the main arguments that exemplify how stupid racism is, yet the left is actually giving it weight.  The Democrat party claims to have done away with its racist origins, but it's obviously not fallen far from its roots. 

As for my opinion, I like diversity when it's a byproduct, not the main goal.  Kamala Harris being the first black, South Asian, female vice president would be amazing if her greatest accomplishment weren't being the first black, South Asian, female vice president.  I mean, what else did she really contribute to the country other than her love of Venn diagrams and school buses?  The only diversity I care about is the diversity of skills, because that's actually useful.  Having an Olympic athlete, a Math Olympiad winner, and a published author is much more interesting than a group of people who look different yet can't do anything.

Diversity quotas are the main reason why a lot of Hollywood movies flop and why nobody wants to watch the award shows.  California law requires movie-makers to make their actors and crew reflect the racial makeup of California so that they can get a 4-percent tax credit.  Netflix's Cleopatra got the entire country of Egypt angry at the company because it casted a black actress as Cleopatra when she's literally Greek.  In Hollywood, an all-black hockey team would be considered diverse.  The Oscars lost half of their audience in eight years.  In order for a picture to be considered at the Oscars, lead actors need to be a racial or ethnic minority, and at least 30 percent of the cast must be at least two "victim" identities, which are women, minorities, LGBT, and disabled.  The story also needs to have some virtue-signaling.

The word "victim" irks me, because I don't recall victims winning the most prestigious awards in any industry.  The only victims here are the people who don't get recognized because of the color of their skin.

Now that affirmative action is banned, people are worried that black and Hispanic enrollment rates will drop.  That is true.  Once Proposition 209, which banned affirmative action, was approved in 1996, black and Latino students' enrollment rate dropped by 40 percent at U.C. Berkeley and UCLA.  The problem isn't that the colleges will no longer be as diverse; it's "why are black and Latino students not getting in?"

As of 2021, blacks have the highest single motherhood rate, with 64 percent, and Hispanics the second highest at 42 percent.  This has translated to a multitude of problems.  Blacks and Hispanics have the lowest median income.  Black people make up 13 percent of the population yet make up 36 percent of criminals arrested for all non-fatal violent crimes, while Hispanics make up 18 percent of the population while also making up 21 percent arrests for serious non fatal violent crime.  Meanwhile, Asians have the lowest drug use and highest median income and are more likely to born to two married parents.

A culture that promotes the importance of family values and stability is setting up an entire generation for success.  If colleges really want to diversify their student body, it doesn't start there; it starts at the home.

Image via Pickpik.