David Marcus of the Federalist explains why the mistreatment of Asian-American students could lead to a major change in the debate over affirmative action.
What has been known for some time but is now getting the attention it deserves is that affirmative action programs disproportionately harm Asians. In fact, they harm them far more than they harm whites.
Historically the basis and justification of race-based admissions was that white students benefited from centuries of racial injustice in myriad ways. As a result, affirmative action was meant to redress historical imbalances and level the playing field for minority students. But now that we see race-based admissions are disadvantaging Asians more than they are whites, this basis simply falls apart.
It is farcical to imagine that somehow centuries of systemic white supremacy are benefiting Asian students, many of who are first-generation Americans or even immigrants themselves. Moreover, there is no plausible way to suggest that these recent arrivals had any hand in creating the systems that disadvantage other minority groups.
None of this, however, stopped the Congressional Black Caucus from essentially calling the president a racist for his new policy. Its leader, Cedric Richmond, had this to say: “While I am not surprised, I continue to be disappointed that the president of this great country cares so little for its non-white residents and their interests.”
Unless we have suddenly decided that Asians are in fact white, this statement is absurd on its face. By far, the greatest beneficiaries of ending affirmative action would be non-white Asian students.
