BU College Republicans offer whites-only scholarship

[Jed Dilligan]

http://media.www.dailyfreepress.com/media/storage/paper87/news/2006/11/21/News/Bu.Group.Offers.White.Scholarship-2505837.shtml?sourcedomain=www.dailyfreepress.com&MIIHost=media.collegepublisher.com

snip

Looking to draw attention to what they call the "worst form of bigotry confronting America today," Boston University's College Republicans are circulating an application for a "Caucasian Achievement and Recognition Scholarship" that requires applicants be at least 25 percent Caucasian.

endquote

The worst form of bigotry? Funny, I thought being gay-bashed or shot because people think Sikhs are Muslims would be worse than being turned down for a scholarship.

[BOSSHOG]

1. I'm offering head of the line privileges to young republicans

at the Army Recruiting Station. they strive to be so cute calling attention to how poorly they are treated in society today; while failing to mask their cowardice and spinelessness and lack of patriotism. I got your scholarship hanging right here boys.

[bryant69]

2. They should name it the "Please pay attention to us" scholarship

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[Richard Steele]

35. That sums up my feelings as well. Just another attention-grabbing STUNT.

Not that there's necessarily anything wrong with
"attention-grabbing stunts"; if nothing else, they're
a great way to grab attention.

But stunts need to be a means to an END, not a "hey, we
got some attention; it's Miller time!" end unto themselves.

[alcibiades_mystery]

3. Oh, it's "not about race"

Ask anybody...:eyes:

[hsher]

4. Who's the provost, Michael Richards? LOL

[Minnesota_Lib]

20. LOL!!!

[TechBear_Seattle]

5. There are lots and lots of racist scholarships

Quite a few require that the recipient must be at least x% Native American, or Black, or from a particular tribe or ethnic group. Are those scholarships racist? Many more require that the recipient be a follower of this religion or that, or that one of his parents belongs to a specific union or society or profession. Are those scholarships bigoted?

Why or why not?

[Jed Dilligan]

7. That's the point the College Republicans are trying to make

so I guess you agree with them?

[TechBear_Seattle]

16. I don't see it as bigotry, not in any legally addressable sense

While a school might let students know of such scholarships, and while they will certainly accept the money provided by such scholarship, the scholarships themselves are granted by private organizations. It makes perfect sense for a scholarship offered by, say, the NAACP to go only to black students, or grants made by the Navajo Nation go only to Navajos. Scholarships actually provided by the public sector are, properly, forbidden to discriminate on the basis of race, gender, religion, etc.

I expect this prank will come back quickly and bite them hard, however. The Republicans are having a tough enough time without perpetrating the image that they are a racially exclusive organization.

[newsdude]

19. I don't like affirmative action

I don't trust the Republican anti-affirmative action crowd, but I agree that it is a form of racism.
It just plain is.
Racism to cure racism.
And it doesn't work.

I grew up in a neighborhood of poor white people.
What advantages do they get? Who's looking out for them?

The greatest barrier to college isn't skin color. It's a)money and b) lack of parental guidance.

Deal with those issues.

Affirmative action only creates MORE racial tension.

[bryant69]

8. Context

Those scholarships are created to benefit ethnicities and races that have been historically denied or given only limited access to our educational system. Whites, for all our bitching, have never been denied access to higher education. And the whole purpose of a whites only scholarship is to feed the myth that we have been.

Bryant

[The Deacon]

11. I Would Only Add

Some whites have never been denied access because they were white. There is a large minority of whites in this country who know better than apply to colleges or universities - a permanent underclass who have nonetheless (to a large extent) been co-opted to hate the very ethnic groups with whom they share economic & social status.

[Momgonepostal]

21. But those whites who choose not to go...

it's not because they know that AS WHITE PEOPLE, they don't have a shot at college. They maybe don't go because of class issues, that no one in the family ever went to college, or that they think they don't have the money, or they'd rather go work in the mines or whatever. If we are throwing income level into the mix, they is certainly financial aid available to poor people, white and otherwise. Now some people STILL might not be able to make it easier work finanially, but it's not a race issue.

[The Deacon]

26. That Was My Point

Race was (is) the only roadblock not thrown in their way - yet the Right Wing has managed to con these very same people into denying opportunities to others based on race. Sick & twisted to my mind. Kind of like the English using dispossessed Scots & Welsh to oppress their fellow Celts (the Irish.)

[TechBear_Seattle]

22. A local Norwegian cultural center offers scholarships...

Which are available only to those people who can prove Norwegian heritage. Do Norwegians count as a group "historically denied or given only limited access to our educational system?" The Episcopal Church I attended for many years offers two scholarships to parishers. Do Episcopalians count as a group "historically denied or given only limited access to our educational system?"

These kinds of private scholarships has nothing at all to do with minority status. Rather, it has to do with an individual or group of individuals helping to provide for their own. That is not necessarily racist.

Now, if the Boston University College Republicans want to portray themselves as a white-only group that is helping to provide for their own, then so be it. Such a plan will only come back quickly and bite them very hard. (Would it be too much to ask for a fatal bite?)

[Jed Dilligan]

25. We got rid of racial preferences in CA,

and the result has been predictable: a whiter and richer student body.

[KittyWampus]

38. whiter and richer? Haven't many Asians also fared well in CA universities?

[Jed Dilligan]

41. Yes, and they continue to be heavily represented in the student body.

[klook]

12. A scholarship that benefits an oppressed minority is not bigoted

except maybe to those folks who rejoiced over the Bakke decision.

Now, if we had true equality in our society, that would be a different story.

[unpossibles]

17. I would be fine with those if it were a caucasian group who had

their land, families, and/or lives historically removed by force. So... If there are scholarships for Irish or Scottish, I'd be fine with the comparison. There are some available for Appalachian families, which I am also fine with.

To act like blacks or American Indians have gotten the same chances that whites have in this country is ridiculous, imo.

[jody]

18. One way to eliminate any discrimination is to give scholarships to applicants who pass a test

starting at the highest score and work down until the money runs out.

With all the arguments over tests that discriminate on some ethnic trait and given the number of people with Ed.D.s and their papers on this topic, surely there must be at least one test that is unbiased.

Science and mathematics are the two most important majors so we might also consider giving full scholarships only to qualified students who must major in science or math. If money is still available, we might give scholarships to other majors.

:popcorn:

[Momgonepostal]

23. there are lots of different kinds of scholarships...

and certainly ones like what you've mentioned. But in this case, it's an organization who is giving the money, not the school, so they, IMO, should be able to give $ to whoever they like, using whatever criteria they like.

[jody]

39. I agree. Have a nice day! n/t

[bloom]

24. The problem around here seems to be people using the word racist differently.

This fits my understanding of the word:

The term racism is usually applied to the dominant group in a society, because it is that group that has the means to oppress others.


The thing is that white men have the history of power in this country and of making the argument that their race is superior. See what the Supreme Court Chief Justice wrote - if you forgot:

http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/llst:@field (DOCID+@lit(llst022div3))

(you may have to paste in the end of the link)


This was the law of the land. Things have been getting better since then - but at NO TIme have people of color oppressed white men in this country. If people of color have been angry at white men in this country - then I don't blame them - and I don't call it racism.

(And it's the same thing with sexism. Women have only had the vote since 1920 and people who want to pretend that everything is all equal since then are out to lunch IMO.)

The reason it is NOT racist or bigoted to provide scholarships to people who are not white men - is because our society is not equal - by virtue of the fact of past oppression and discrimination. It's not enough to just say - OK - starting now all scholarships will be given out equally - because our society is not equal yet.

When we have women and people of color in at equal standing in all sectors of society - when we've had presidents who have been people of color and women - then it won't matter anymore. Then there won't be any need for special scholarships.

If someone wants to have a scholarship open to everyone - I think that's fine. There should be some. But it strikes me as obnoxious for someone to say that some percentage of whiteness is required. And it says that person/group such a scholarship is in denial about the history of this country.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

27. Are you suggesting the United Negro College Fund...

is a hate group?

[TechBear_Seattle]

28. Quite the contrary

Look at the other posts I've made to this thread. I am arguing that scholarships restricted by race or other classification, when offered by a private sector organization, are not racist.

[Jed Dilligan]

29. I agree, though I am in favor

of affirmative action. I don't think a scholarship meant to give a leg up to underprivileged minorities is racist. I do think a scholarship for whites in protest of such scholarships is racist.

[TechBear_Seattle]

32. See my post about the Norwegian cultural center

Most of these scholarships are not meant to "give a leg up to underprivileged minorities." They are meant as a way for members of a group to provide assistance to other members of the same group. That is not racist.

[Jed Dilligan]

40. No argument there

But I think the BUCR scholarship IS racist.

[TechBear_Seattle]

43. Because they see the other scholarships as racist, yes

The irony is that the BUCR is presenting themselves as a white-only organization to make their point, which confirms the opinion of many minorities with regards to the GOP.

But then, no one has ever accused College Republicans of being the brightest candles in the chandelier. :eyes:

[Jed Dilligan]

44. Except maybe the "Rove is a genius" crowd

around these parts.

[Jed Dilligan]

45. Except maybe the "Rove is a genius" crowd

around these parts.

[Nikki Stone1]

6. 25% Caucasian? How did they come up with 25%?

Not that the whole thing isn't absurd, but the percentage thing is really weird.

[BringEmOn]

10. 25%? Would Tiger Woods or Barack Obama be welcome?

[Kelly Rupert]

36. Well, probably because they came across some black-only scholarship

that required you to be 25% African-American.

[Momgonepostal]

9. So how do you prove what percent caucasian you are?

And would say, Barack Obama's kids have a shot at this, since they are at least 25% white?

This probably isn't that much different than other heritage scholarships that give money to students for being Irish or Italian or Puerto Rican or whatever. Still, as a white person, I cringe when I hear other white people talk about how victimized we are and how tough white people have it. Please. We've had every advantage from day one.

And I totally agree that if they think ethnic based scholarships are "the worst kind of bigotry confronting America today," they've got some messed up priorities.

[silverweb]

13. LOL

How stupid!

"...at least 25 percent Caucasian" ???

So a person can be up to 75% African-American, Hispanic, Asian, American Indian, or some other race and still qualify?

:rofl:

[klook]

15. I'm sure these people love quadroons and octoroons. (n/t)

[ananda]

14. Geez. So..

How do you decide if a person is 25% Caucasian and not,
say 24% or 26%?

This is SO ridiculous and very very sad.

[warrens]

30. Let's offer them a

"College Republicans-Only Howard-Beach-Style Beating."

[jmowreader]

31. Hey, I like it...

It's not QUITE as explicit as hanging a sign over the door of the College Republican clubhouse that says "clueless, xenophobic halfwits hang out here," but it works for me.

Weren't these the same assholes who had the bake sale where a black guy was charged half of what a white guy would have been? And not one black guy volunteered to step up, buy them out then turn around and sell the shit to white people for halfway between the Black Man Rate and the White Man Rate. Pity. College Republicans just leave themselves WIDE open to being fucked with royally.

[hadrons]

33. Michael Richards Achievement and Recognition Scholarship

[LWolf]

34. Hmmmm...

I can't help but see connections and patterns here.

<snip>

"Did we do this to give a scholarship to white kids? Of course not," the scholarship reads. "Did we do it to trigger a discussion on what we believe to be the morally wrong practice of basing decisions in our schools and our jobs on racial preferences rather than merit? Absolutely."

and some of the following <snips> from DU itself:

"It's an anti-war tactic. Why is that so hard for people to understand? It puts the pro-war idiots on the spot and makes people think."

"He does not want a draft - he wants a *debate* - and he is getting it."

"Rangel doesn't want a military draft. He wants to end the insanity of war."

From Rangel

<snip>

"I don't expect my bill to pass; my purpose in introducing this legislation is for it to serve as a constant reminder that we have lost 2,200 of the best, brightest and bravest Americans, have had thousands more maimed, and countless Iraqi citizens killed. ....

The Republican Leadership responded to my first bill by procedurally preventing debate on the issues it raised; let us see how they try to avoid facing the question of shared sacrifice this time.

Most of those snips come from here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=364&topic_id=2764253

So...this Republican group doesn't REALLY want to offer racist scholarships. They are just doing EXACTLY THAT to make the opposite point.

Rangel and his supporters don't REALLY want to force all Americans, when they are of age, into military service. He's just introducing A LAW REQUIRING JUST THAT into the real U.S. Congress to make the opposite point.

Why is this considered a valid political tactic by ANY side?

:wtf:

[Jed Dilligan]

42. Very good point

"I was racist to show how stupid racism is."

"I proposed a draft because I am against the draft."

They use child psychology on us, then wonder why we have no respect for them?

[Catherine Vincent]

37. Well according to this group Barak Obama would qualify.

n/t