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Affirmative Action and Gay Marriage:
Not Revolutionary Enough
"i can't stand when some people get an un-fair advantage"
      -a white college student, interviewed on the news, speaking on the Supreme Court decision to uphold Affirmative Action in University Admissions.
In my opinion, Affirmative Action is like putting a bandaid on a gaping wound. The intention is good, but it's just not effective. and to top it off, white people use affirmative action as an example of "reverse discrimination," and use its existence to prove that not only does racism no longer exist, it's now going in the opposite direction. bullshit. Take one look at the percentage of blacks in the prison system and living below the poverty line, compared to whites, and you'll see institutionalized racism exists in a huge way.

I feel like Affirmative Action tries to fix one effect of racism, but doesn't address the system itself that causes such vast inequalities. Basically, it's not radical enough; it doesn't go to the root of the problem.

Communities of color have less access to quality K-12 education, so letting a few more minorities into college doesn't fix this institutional racism. And, once they get into college, then what?
I went to a public highschool in a white, upper-middle class neighborhood. It was also the "best" school district in my state. Coincidence? of course not. The education i recieved was vastly different than the education someone who went to say, Jefferson highschool, a primarily African American highschool in North Portland. Someone from Lake Oswego Highschool is going to be better prepared for college than someone who went to Jefferson Highschool. Letting more minorities into college doesn't fix this problem. We need to re-structure our entire education system, so everyone can have equal access to resources from the beginning.

I see the same thing happening with regards to Affirmative Action and employment. The solution jumps in too far down the line, after everything is already unreconcilably uneven. You can't oppress people their entire lives, then throw a couple of them a couple jobs and call it even.

Also, people tend to confuse class issues with race issues, and Affirmative Action is no exception. I have having a discussion with an upper-middle class african american friend, who was saying that Affirmative Action actually hurts working class whites the most. It doesn't take away from those with the most power: upper class white men.

The issue of education and equal opportunities are so complex because classism is built into capitalism. So, if we're going to stick with our current system, i don't see how we can truely claim to offer programs that promote "equality." Because the truth of the matter is, the system is a pyramid, and those at the top are being supported by the poverty of those at the bottom. Therefore, of course the people at the top aren't going to offer a viable solution to equality. They'll just offer up bandaids.

Gay marriage and Affirmative action for me arouse similar feelings and discussion. I'm not against either, 'cause, well, at least it's something, right? But, i just feel there are so many battles that are more worthwhile to fight, so many methods to achieve equality, and these are tokenizing and minimal.

A little more on why i'm not gung-ho pro Gay Marriage:

First, the institution of marriage itself:
it is inherantly sexist and about a man's possesion of a woman. Of course not all marriages function this way, but the simple history is one of oppression to women. Just the symbolic "giving away" of the bride. She belongs to the father, then to the husband. Awesome, how 'bout she belongs to herself? And, notice the divorce rates lately. It's a flailing institution at that. Do we really WANT to be "just like straight people" ?

Secondly, why does the government feel they have a right to condone certain relationships? Why should a man and a woman in a sexual relationship get financial benefits? What about two straight women friends who choose to live together? What about polyamorous individuals? It's a system that imposes its own ideas of "morality" and "family values" using economic insentives, and i think that's fucked up. (see Anne Peligrini's book that will be coming out this year) I think part of the STRENTH of the queer community is the diversity and acceptance of a larger variety of relationships, and it would lose a lot if it bought into the mainstream idea of one relationship being more moral than others.

Thirdly, although legistlation again, "can't hurt" i don't think you can legislate people's feelings. Also, i believe homophobia is a tool of sexism and is, at it's core, designed to enforce strict gender roles. Therefore, until we uproot the system of patriarchy, homophobia will always exist. (see Pharr's Homophobia: a weapon of sexism)

Basically, it comes down to revolution vs reform. Gay marriage and Affirmative Action are reforms. They are, like a microwave i believe was your metaphore, changing from the inside in. And, there is a need for that, for tangible goals, laws that will effect people here and now. my problem is when that's ALL we do. We need to see the problems with these "temporary" solutions, so that our reformed world isn't just as crappy and oppressive as the current one (just in different forms)
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