Wednesday, September 5, 2001

When the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the lower court's decision regarding the University of Georgia's racist admissions policy, a step toward mediocrity was delayed. Though the trend seems to be with wide acceptance of racist policies, it's nice to see that some people realize the damaging effects.

Accepting a student on the basis of race seems to most people to be an act of blatant discrimination, unless that student is white. While everybody is wrapped up in a frenzy of creating diversity, we are at the same time punishing success. Nobody thinks about how diversity may harm us.

The deserving students that were denied admission were cast aside while UGA hurriedly welcomed its new "diversified" students in front of the camera. Both groups of students were harmed by the policy.

First, the accepted students are used as tokens so that the University can tout its diverse status. Second, the denied students miss an opportunity that was theirs to begin with.

Of course, when anyone speaks out against such an injustice as this, he or she is accused of bigotry and hatred; however, when Jessie Jackson does it, he is acclaimed as a hero and an architect of equality.

This all boils down to one thing: amalgamation. To reduce the students of Georgia to the lowest common denominator seems to be a great goal to defenders of affirmative action. They believe that by denying the smarter in favor of different, we will achieve harmony and happiness.

But what about achievement? What happens when the will to achieve is replaced by the sole desire to be the same?

We all know that minorities can achieve the same heights as everyone else. It seems very backward to push one down in favor of the other. In this time of extreme racial sensitivity where people cannot address their whiteness without shame or lowered voices in order not to offend others, we need to realize that we too have rights.

We must drop the assumption that we are all the same. The fact that we are different is the reason this country is so grand. Don't let our children grow up ashamed to be white. Let them represent a new generation of white people in Georgia, white people who are not bigots and proud to be white Americans. It's OK.

Joshua Shelton

yourcriticism@hotmail.com

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