Are we racist/prejudice?

[GAsux]

I have to disagree a bit here, and I'll focus my disagreement with one example with the intention of not taking too much away from the original post.

Here is my beef with programs like affirmative action and the justification that it somehow rights social ills. It is my opinion that the effects of such programs are marginal at best. One could argue that something is better than nothing. People like to label those who oppose affirmative action as "racist" or insensitive and I don't agree with that label.

I don't like programs like affirmative action because I am a negro hating, ignorant white man. I don't buy into the "it's better than nothing" philosophy. It is my opinion that affirmative action is akin to putting a spare tire on your care to fix a flat. It may work for a while, but it's not intended to be a cure all. It's a temporary fix. Each day, year, etc longer you rely on it, the more marginalized it's positive effects become.

My point is that affirmative action and similar programs will never end the effects of racism in society. While it is well intentioned, I personally don't see it being the vehicle that enacts significant social change. It's merely a crutch that serves a more symbollic purpose at this point.

I would be willing to agree that we likely all have a bit or racism/sexism/ageism inside us. I don't suppose that will ever go away. If we intend to attempt to enact societal changes to limit it's effects, we ought to evaluate how effective those changes are to reaching those goals.