Asian-Americans Ponder Affirmative Action

AP ^ | March 15, 2003 | DEBORAH KONG

[sarcasm]

IRVINE, Calif. -- The divide among Asian-Americans over affirmative action runs right through the apartment that Michael Nailat and Jonathan Hsieh share.

The young men are both Asian-Americans, both children of immigrants, both students at the University of California, Irvine, across the street. Yet their family stories are quite different.

Nailat's father, a Filipino immigrant and civil engineer in the U.S. Navy, worked extra jobs to support his family, sometimes saving the change he found as a janitor.

Hsieh is the son of an accountant and a homemaker, Chinese immigrants who settled in affluent San Marino, about 70 miles from Nailat's home in working-class Oxnard. As early as middle school, Hsieh says, some of his fellow students hired tutors and most assumed they'd go to a four-year college.

Hsieh believes university admissions should be based on merit alone. Nailat supports affirmative action and says the differences between his upbringing and his roommate's show why such policies are necessary.

"Not all high schools are the same, not all communities are the same, and not all Asian-Americans are the same," Nailat said. "I know how it is to be stuck on the bottom of the ladder and not be given a boost."

Hsieh said he understands wanting to level the playing field. But "that's not how the world works," he said. "People should be judged on their ability."

Asian-Americans occupy a unique place in the debate over affirmative action programs designed to help minorities gain access to American universities.

At about 4 percent of the U.S. population, there are far fewer Asians than blacks or Hispanics in the United States. But at some schools - including the University of Michigan, at the center of U.S. Supreme Court arguments April 1 - Asians are not considered "underrepresented minorities" as blacks and Hispanics are.

Linda Trinh Vo, an assistant professor of Asian American studies at UC Irvine, said opponents of affirmative action often point to Asians as proof that other groups don't need such programs.

"They say that Asian-Americans have worked really hard, and look how successful they are. If Asian-Americans can make it, can be like whites, then other Latinos and Native Americans and African-Americans, all they need to do is just work hard," she said. "It pits minority groups against one another."

Polls show that while a majority of Asians favor affirmative action, the support is not as strong as it is among blacks or Hispanics. In the University of Michigan case, Asian groups have filed court briefs on both sides of the debate.

The National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium and 27 other Asian groups say everyone benefits from a diverse student body and that affirmative action is still necessary.

"We believe Asian-Americans understand that race does matter," said Karen Narasaki, the consortium's executive director. "We still feel racism in employment, the glass ceiling. We still feel excluded from business opportunities."

But the Asian American Legal Foundation filed a Supreme Court brief opposing race-based admission policies, saying they are "almost always used to exclude Asian Americans from educational institutions."

"There is no difference between a policy of admitting some people because there are 'not enough' of their race and a policy of excluding others because there are 'too many' of theirs," the group said.

California voters outlawed race-based affirmative action in 1996. The University of California system now uses 14 factors for admission that take into account academic and life experiences such as overcoming a disability, a disrupted home life and poverty.

The numbers of white, Asian and Hispanic undergraduates have increased since affirmative action was banned, but the number of black students has dropped.

At UC Irvine, Asians make up about 52 percent of undergraduates and their numbers have been steadily growing for years, leading some to question whether the campus is truly diverse.

Many say they've heard the names deriding the school's large Asian population - the University of Chinese Immigrants, for instance.

But they say such criticisms ignore the ethnic diversity among Asians. In libraries, for example, students can search electronic card catalogs in Chinese, Japanese or Korean characters, along with English.

With blacks making up just 2 percent of undergraduates, some say the school has suffered without affirmative action.

"Especially for a public institution that our tax dollars pay for, I think it's imperative that the school represents the community at large that it serves," Nailat said.

Others, like sociology major Casey Kim, believe it's better off without such policies.

"I'd be upset if I didn't get into UC because someone who didn't really work hard for it got in. If you base a reward system on race, it's still racism," said Kim, who is Korean-American. "It creates more racial segregation and more racial tension."

[xm177e2]

At UC Irvine, Asians make up about 52 percent of undergraduates and their numbers have been steadily growing for years, leading some to question whether the campus is truly diverse.

The lefties are right, we need to re-instate the Asiatic Exclusion Act in order to foster diversity </sarcasm>

[BillyJack]

"At UC Irvine, Asians make up about 52 percent of undergraduates and their numbers have been steadily growing for years, leading some to question whether the campus is truly diverse."

Interesting. I'm reading a Clive Cussler novel entitled, "Flood Tide", and it sounds like Dirk Pitt's enemy, Qin Shang, is right on the money when he comments on Chinese immigration.

Background:

Protagonist, Dirk Pitt, speaking with his nemesis, Qin Shang at a dinner party thrown in Washington, D.C.

Qin Shang is a billionaire shipping magnate who also makes hundreds of millions of dollars smuggling thousands of Chinese into the U.S. at thirty thousand dollars a pop. Qin Shang's smuggling operation is supported by the People's Republic Of China.

Julia is Dirk Pitt's date. Julia also works for the INS.


Dirk Pitt starts the conversation with Qin Shang.

"You'll have a tough fight on your hands if you think China can surpass he United States."

"Ah, but the deed is done," Quin Shang said matter-of-factly. "Your country has died a slow death as a world power while my country is in its ascendancy. Already we have pass the United States to become the largest
economy in history. Already we have passed your trade deficit with Japan. Your government is impotent despite its nuclear arsenal. Soon it will be unthinkable for your leaders to intervene when we assume control of Taiwan and the rest of the Asian nations."

"So what does it really matter?" asked Pitt. "You'll still be playing catch-up to your standard of living for the next hundred years."

"Time is on our side. Not only will we erode America from the outside, but with help of your own countrymen we will eventually cause it to crumble from within. If nothing else, future division and internal race wars will seal your fate as a great nation."

Pitt began to see Qin Shang's direction. "Aided and abetted by your doctrine of illegal immigration, is that it?"

Qin Shang looked at Julia. "Your Immigration and Naturalization Service estimates that nearly a million Chinese enter America and Canada legally and illegally each year. Actually, the figure is closer to two million. While you concentrated on keeping out your neighbors to the south, we have been flooding masses of my countrymen across the sea and across your shoreline. One day, sooner that you think, your costal states and the Canadian provinces will be an extension of China."

To Pitt the concept of inconceivable. "I grade you and A for wishful thinking and an F for practicality."

"Not as ridiculous as you may think," Qin Shang said patiently. "Consider how the boundaries of Europe have changed in the past hundred years. Migration through the centuries shattered old empires and built new, only to have them fall again from new waves of migrants."

"An interesting theory, " said Pitt. But a theory nonetheless. The only way for your scenario to become reality is for the American people to lie down and play dead."

"Your countrymen have slept through the nineteen nineties," Qin Shang replied, a visceral, even menacing quality in his voice. "When they finally wake up, it will be a decade too late."

[tallhappy]

You're an idiot.

[tallhappy]

The lefties are right, we need to re-instate the Asiatic Exclusion Act in order to foster diversity

Yes. I've thought the exact same thing.

Affirmative Action or whatever term one uses actually discrimates by far against Orientals.

Liberal newspapers lie about it as well. They will still say schools like Irvine where 50% of the student body are Asian has too few minorities.

Writers will also pull the big lie that this writer pulled -- that all Orientals are rich. He chooses the example of a well off family and the other perhaps not mega wealthy.

They never will present stats that there are plenty of Orientals who are excluded due to affirmative action who are children of boat people or Korean blue collar immigants who are discriminated against despite not coming from wealthy families.

[graycamel]

Affirmative action for Asian-Americans? Goody! Maybe European-Americans like me will be next!

[dennisw]

Actually no immigrants should be getting affirmative action. Only American Blacks and American Indians to make up for past discrimination. This was the original intent but like all liberal ideas it got completely perverted to include every pet constituency.

[Godel]

"They say that Asian-Americans have worked really hard, and look how successful they are. If Asian-Americans can make it, can be like whites, then other Latinos and Native Americans and African-Americans, all they need to do is just work hard," she said. "It pits minority groups against one another."

Think how sick this statement is. It pits minority groups against one another. The implied but unsaid thought, is that they should instead unite against their proper foe, the white male and destroy him.

How long must we tolerate liberal racism and their double standards?

[Godel]

But they say such criticisms ignore the ethnic diversity among Asians. In libraries, for example, students can search electronic card catalogs in Chinese, Japanese or Korean characters, along with English.

So even if a school is majority asian, it is wonderfully gloriously diverse. But if a school is majority white it is boringly dull and uniform. After all, italians, irish, germans, english, danes, dutch, swedes, etc, they're all the same.

[sarcasm]

Expect the situation to get worse as we become more diverse.

[Truthsearcher]

The success of the Asian American's is a dirty little secret that the race-hustlers want to sweep under the rug.

Because it refutes their entire argument that the white majority conspires to keep the minorities down.

That Michael Nailat guy is a moron. If there were affirmative action he's have even less of a chance than he does now because he's Asian.

[fporretto]

Nailat cites the different degrees of educational opportunity offered to children via the government-controlled public schools -- and then goes on to rationalize that, through "affirmative action" (by which he really means preferential treatment of minorities), others should be disadvantaged to compensate the affected for the differences. Why doesn't he demand instead that something be done to raise all of American education to a uniformly acceptable level? Is that too simple? Or does it not interest him because it wouldn't benefit him personally?

Freedom, Wealth, and Peace,
Francis W. Porretto
Visit the Palace Of Reason:
http://palaceofreason.com

[Simmy]

UCI. UCI has so many Asians in it that some people I know started calling it "University of Chinese Immigrants". Guess it isn't "diverse" enough for some people. |-)

If Affirmative Action was in place when I applied for college, I would have an even LESS of a chance of getting in due to the fact that I'm Asian. My family isn't rich, we are part of a minority, heck, I can even say that I'm a son of an immigrant yet somehow, my parents were able to send 5 kids to college (me still in it) with no help from the government.

Affirmative Action, keeping Whites (and Asians) down. Of coarse the dirty little secrets is, not only is it keeping Whites and Asians down, its also keeping Blacks and Hispanics by getting them into schools they are NOT prepared for, causing them to waste time and money on a school that they might, in the end drop out since their schools didn't prepare them enough. Trickle down education.

[mhking]

Black conservative ping

If you want on (or off) of my black conservative ping list, please let me know via FREEPmail. (And no, you don't have to be black to be on the list!)

Extra warning: this is a high-volume ping list.

[rdb3]

Maybe European-Americans like me will be next!

Were you born and raised in Europe and came here? If not, why would you refer to yourself as a "European-American?"

[BenLurkin]

Liberals are racists BUMP

[junta]

Contrary to the fairy tale telling ideologues the notion that a nation like America can be a "proposition nation" is fading as fast as pollsters and political hacks can fashion vote gathering appeals to this or that ethnic or racial group.

[junta]

The question should be, "Do 'minorities' celebrate diversity?"

[FITZ]

I only call myself an American. It really makes no difference to me where my ancestors came from or what language they spoke. It wouldn't change my life if it had been Polish instead or Italian or anything else. I don't even care what race I am.

[rdb3]

You've summed up my sentiments.

When those who are supposedly on the Right begin using hyphens for identification purposes, how can we tell them apart from the Left?

Or is there something else beneath the surface?