Affirmative Action ≠ Reverse Oppression

I want to discuss the widely-held belief that the antiquated government programs of the last 25 or so years, dubbed "Affirmative Action", constitutes an example of "Reverse Racism".

This is an accusation that relies on a few assuptions:

1. That nonwhite people enjoy privilege over whites in American society.

2. That nonwhite people are responsible for their lack of privilege compared to whites in American society.

As you can see, the two statements are contradictory: If I have privilege over white people, how could I be responsible for a disadvantage that doesn't exist? Conversely, if I am to blame for my disadvantage in American society, how, then, could I have an advantage? I would agree that class privilege can be bought, but not to any institutionalized extent; individual rich blacks serve only to exist as "examples of how racism is no longer an issue", when the issue is still very real, as a trip to prison will tell you.

This is only the first in a series of logical errors that mainstream people, white and black, have come to accept.

Back to assumption 2: Nonwhite people are to blame for their disadvantage.

This statement relies on another assumption:

3. That nonwhite people were given, from the start, an equal opportunity to gain the same privilege that white people enjoy.

Unless you count slavery and degradation as "equal opportunity", clearly this assumption is not based in any way on fact.

So, what's the end result? Legions of people, white and black, who truly believe that they should not even acknowledge, much less take responsibility for, their race/class privilege.

Yes, there are scores of black liberals/conservatives that believe that their success is solely a product of their hard work and dedication; not realizing that the price they and their ancestors had to pay to even be considered human by a white power structure, was an unnecessary one.

Why take the scraps from their plates, and then call it your birthright?

Let's be realistic here.