Affirmative Action is Evil Says Pat Buchanan
Written by: Kim Sawyer
On Wednesday, July 16, 2009, Pat Buchanan appeared on the Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC to discuss whether or not Sonya Sotomayor is qualified to be a Supreme Court Judge. Of course, being a staunch Republican, Buchanan is against Sotomayor because he feels she is an affirmative action appointment and well, affirmative action is evil!
When asked to define affirmative action, Buchanan states, “Affirmative action is to increase diversity by discriminating against White males….” He also said, “this has been a country built, basically, by White folks …..”
Now, if you ask most Black people, they will tell you that this is a bunch of crap! Why? Because, slaves were the laborers who built this country, not White people! In regards to affirmative action, if Pat Buchanan sees it as being evil, Black, Hispanic and Asian people (most, not all) see it as a necessary evil. Why? Because it is the only method in place to help level the playing field when it comes to getting certain jobs (e.g. a Supreme Court Judge) or getting into certain schools (e.g. Yale, Harvard).
Now, I’m sure those who are against affirmative action agree with Pat Buchanan and that’s fine. But, if affirmative action is not used, how else would people, of other races, be given an opportunity to hold certain positions or attend certain schools, that White people, like Pat Buchanan, feel Whites are entitled to?
I will say, I agree with Pat when he says people should be judged on their own merit and get a job on their own credentials. I mean, if everyone in the Unite States of America thought this way AND acted this way, there would be no need for programs like affirmative action. BUT, we know (or those of us who are willing to admit it) that the U.S. does not, consistently, work that way. Hence, the need for a method of providing equal opportunity — the evil affirmative action.
In case you haven’t seen the video that I referenced in this post, here it is:
Tags: affirmative action discriminates against white males, affirmative action is evil, pat buchanan says white folks built america, rachel maddow show, sonya sotomayor is not qualified to be a supreme court judge
July 18th, 2009 at 10:48 am
Thanks to Uncle Pat! Now that all the GOP’s cards have been played, those of us who laid down our bets years ago that 20th Century Dixiecrats would morph into 21st Century Republicants can collect our winnings and leave the table!
July 18th, 2009 at 11:42 am
@Vigilante – Hi Vigilante. Welcome to 7DayBuzz. I know….Pat Buchanan continues to let the cat out of the bag for those ‘it’s not racial’ Republicans!
July 18th, 2009 at 1:48 pm
Yeah. Any time you want to know the unvarnished truth from a Republicant, the only one you can go to is Uncle Pat.
July 18th, 2009 at 8:27 pm
Well, given the fact that we have a black president – doesn’t this prove that affirmative action is not required? I don’t agree with him that this country was built by whites – alone. The south may have been built on the backs of black slaves – but – the country as a whole was built on the backs of immigrants, the chinese, the Irish, and many others with different countries of origin and ethnicities. However, affirmative action is reverse discrimination – or – just plain discrimination as it has pushed out people who were more qualified for jobs, schools, etc – over a racial quota. How can that be fair? Affirmative action needs to be thrown out and only merit matters. With the way our EEOC laws are written today – discrimination in the workforce and education choices would be handled in the proper court of jurisdiction.
July 18th, 2009 at 9:17 pm
How do you feel about “legacy” programs for alumni children at our colleges and universities?
July 19th, 2009 at 7:04 am
@The BoBo – Hi Bobo. I agree with us electing a Black president, the argument for affirmative action is, well “strained” at best. I never thought about using the EEOC laws to help ‘ease’ discrimination in the work place and/or education sector. Interesting……
July 19th, 2009 at 7:06 am
@Vigilante – Hi Vigilante. I’m not that familiar with those programs. How do they work? If your parent went to the school, you (the child) is guaranteed entrance?
July 19th, 2009 at 7:11 am
When people call affirmative action discrimination I can see where they are coming from. But it is a necessary evil in our country. Can we think where we would be today without affirmative action? There are many people, of all races, who have been programmed to believe they are superior to others. The truth is ignorance, beauty, evil, etc. doesn’t discriminate and can be found in all races.
July 19th, 2009 at 7:20 am
As you might expect I agree with BoBo on this matter. There was certainly a time and need for Affirmative action but it has gone and passed.
Here’s a question for those of you who think affirmative action is still a neccessary evil. When will it no longer be neccessary? Or will it always be neccessary?
July 19th, 2009 at 7:34 am
@Vigilante – So, I did a little research on the legacy programs. They were implemented in the 1920s to prevent Jewish and Roman Catholic students from gaining entrance into ivy league schools. Now, supporters of legacy programs say these programs help to build tradition and they help to bring the students and the alumni closer to the school, thus leading to nice sized donations, which are needed for the school to survive and thrive. Opponents of legacy programs say that legacy programs impede the school from increasing diversity and they benefit those students who need help the least — students who come from wealthy families.
Legacy programs can be used in different ways, but most schools use a point system. Meaning, those students whose parents went to the school is given a certain amount of points, which automatically gives them an advantage over someone whose parents did not attend the school. I can see why people argue that affirmative action makes the system even. It’s basically balancing the system.
So, I say, if they (universities) are going to keep legacy programs in place, then keep affirmative action programs in place to even the playing field. If they do away with legacy programs, affirmative action programs can be done away with too. It’s really simple.
July 19th, 2009 at 8:08 am
@Ryan Kazinec – Do you think equal opportunity for women and the handicap isn’t necessary either? See, they all fall under affirmative action, but people immediately jump to race – the black race! If you believe in equal opportunity for women, but not for blacks….
I can tell you when affirmative action will not be needed. When the majority of the white population doesn’t view minorities as less then equals. When two people of different races are on even ground 100% of the time, it will not be needed. I also think many people say it isn’t necessary and direct this towards black people. Hey, it isn’t our fault.
Try to imagine your wife’s life being in danger 24/7 simply because she has blond hair. Think of how you would feel knowing someone could come up to your wife and kill her because of her hair color. Think about how you would feel if your wife was denied opportunities, even if her life wasn’t in danger, simply because of her hair. Continue on and think how you would feel if people told you that time had passed even though you know people still had the same feelings. If you can go there in your mind, you have about a .0000000001% understanding of what it is like.
Would I like for affirmative action to not be necessary? YES. But minorities still need it and they are not to blame for its existence in the first place.
July 19th, 2009 at 8:44 am
@Kim Sawyer – Yes, Kim. That’s how George Bush got into yale: because he was the son of an alumni, POTUS #41.
July 19th, 2009 at 9:14 am
I’m aligning myself with Tom:
A.A. as long as it’s necessary. The idea of reparations for slavery is impossibly ludicrous. A little more patience with affirmative action is workable. But, I can see how people of good will and intellectual honesty can differ on what’s appropriate.
July 19th, 2009 at 6:47 pm
@Tom Sawyer –
“Do you think equal opportunity for women and the handicap isn’t necessary either?”
This is precisely where we disagree. I absolutely agree women, minorities, the handicapped, and whites deserve equal opportunity. Our problem is the definition of equal opportunity. Handicaps are in a different category because they can’t do some things depending on their circumstances but in all other situations equal opportunities should be given to all. The problem is we disagree on what defines an equal opportunity. I feel an equal opportunity is being judged on merit, experience, and the overall qualifications for the job. Those who support Affirmative Action think it should be about statistics regarding race and sex. (I exclude the handicapped because they’re are some things they just can’t do whether they’re a man, women, black, white, Asian, or Hispanic.)
We also disagree on the perception the majority of whites have of black people. I for one and personally I believe the masses don’t believe one race is inferior; we are equals. Sure the media covers the stories of whites discriminating on blacks but do they cover the stories of mutual respect? No, because it’s not newsworthy.
I do understand your point about lives being in danger but this is a danger we all face. In fact our lives are all at risk every time we merge onto an on-ramp. I fear for my wife’s safety which is why a gun is loaded next to our bed at all times.Now I ask you to do the same. Put yourself in the shoes of a white man. A man who didn’t grow up in the times of discrimination and hate and was taught to view everyone as equals. How would you feel if you were this man, a man who worked and paid for college without grants and scholarships(because he didn’t qualify even though his parents weren’t rich), worked with an amazing work ethic since he started as a paperboy several years before he was supposed to at the age of nine (guessing on the age, can’t remember the exact age), and yet with all of his experience and hard work was passed over for promotion after promotion because his company was focused on statistics instead of merit?
July 20th, 2009 at 1:30 am
I’m sure this has been brought up many times before but I was thinking of a perfect example where Affirmative Action is not exercised and I think we’d all agree that it’s much better that way. So I ask why should the same not apply in other forms of employment?
Would you really want the NBA making sure there was a set amount of white guys or the NHL making sure there was a set amount of black guys? I know I’m isolating just two races and ignoring the sex and handicap issue but you get my point. The NBA, NHL, and many other sports hire the athletes based on their experience, skill, and in some cases marketability, not because of statistics.
In the real world skills, experience, and knowledge can be attained through education. If you’re not qualified for the job, go and get the education required to meet the qualification.
On a side note, this is the first I’d ever heard of the “Legacy Programs” and I’d like to look into them a bit more before I express an opinion on them but are we simply referring to admittance into colleges? Are we talking about Ivy league schools or is this nationwide at a majority of Colleges? I guess I’ll have to take some time and look into it.
July 20th, 2009 at 2:41 am
@Ryan Kazinec – I understand what you are saying and we really don’t disagree. The only thing I’m looking at, and I think you aren’t look at, is the fact that if we remove the requirement worthy minorities will not even be considered. Remember, this whole thing came about long before you and I were born, but it was necessary. Please, do not think it isn’t necessary in 2009 and the world is a changed place. Along with technology and improve intelligence, racists are more advanced in their hatred for people they find inferior.
I’m a basketball junkie so you made some comments that are right up my alley. Steve Nash, of the Phoenix Suns, is a white guy who recently won back-to-back MVP awards. I do not recall any black people making comments about what he would do in terms of making the award “white.” On the other hand, when Tiger Woods won the Masters there were comments about him serving fried chicken at the champion’s dinner or something like that. If someone can play basketball, thank God for Pau Gasol, I don’t care what color they are. Can the same thing be said about other things?
I think you should quit comparing everything to your values and look at what is going on in the world around you. This may sound harsh, but I believe men are rotten at their core and I will approach with caution before I trust. I have been the victim of racism in the past and it isn’t over yet!
Kim and I went to a restaurant in Mobile Alabama to eat some seafood. There were three black people in the restaurant, the two of us and someone in the kitchen. We were being looked at like we didn’t belong there and/or couldn’t afford it. All of this for some $36 seafood platter! Thirty Six dollars and we don’t belong? This isn’t something that happened in the 70′s, this happened within the last two years!
June 12th, 2010 at 2:49 am
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May 31st, 2011 at 9:05 pm
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