Affirmative Action Debate: Tim Wise 3/14- Intelligence Squared U.S.

Now to make an opening statement against
the motion it's time to end

affirmative action: Tim Wise.

Thank you.

You know it always amazes me

to hear critics of affirmative action
speak about this subject.

As if racial preference were something
that were invented in the 60's

to benefit people of color

because in fact whether we wish to
acknowledge it or not

and of course we don't.

The entire history of this country is
the history of affirmative action for

white folks like myself and unless we
begin by discussing that affirmative

action and the impact that it has
had we engage in a discussion that

is both ethically and practically
irresponsible.

Contrary to what Joseph tells you this
debate is about the extent to which

racism still exist because it is indeed
the existence of that racism which

necessitated affirmative action in the
beginning and continues to necessitate it

today.

Whether we wish to acknowledge it or not
enslavement in the genocide segregation

did not only oppress people of color
they elevated white folks and

provided us with opportunists that we
did not in fact earn.

The homestead act allowed whites to
claim over 270 million acres of land

for virtually nothing down.

At a time when folks of color could not.
Today there are 40 million white folks

descended directly from those who
recieved that land give away.

Millions of them still living on the
property.

They owe their lives to affirmative action
Then there was the FHA home loan

program which for the first thirty years
of it's existence operated in a whites

only fashion.

Lending over 120 billion dollars worth of
government backed housing equity to

whites thereby creating the white middle
class and in large measure because of

those preferences the typical black
college couple college degreed couple

starts out with less than one fifth of
the net worth of a typical young white

couple because the later of those has
likely recieved the benefits of their

families prior head start while the former
are likely to accumulated far less

having had less chance to do so.

So against that backdrop ending
affirmative action would only further

cement the systemic advantages that
have been placed for hundreds of years.

It would be tantamount to favoring those
three laps ahead in a five lap race

even though those who are ahead gained
their head start as the result of an

unfair process but even worse to end
affirmative action would ignore the

on going reality not past but on going
reality of white racial preference and

not only in education but also in
employment and let me clarify

we were not told that our remarks tonight
had to focus only on higher education.

That resolution doesn't mention higher
education.

I will not speak of it only with regard to
schools because it is not only there that

it matters.

According to the office of federal
contract compliance three out of four

companies covered by affirmative action
regulations violate them regularly and

not just that but are also in violation of
basic civil rights law.

The problem is the OFCC only had enough
monitors to check up on the complanies

under their purview once every forty-six
years.

So there's no deterrent.

But those who would end affirmative action
never call for beefing up civil rights

enforcement indeed though he's team
mates might not know it. Mr. Pails

organization advocates abolishing anit-
discrimination law all together as it

regards the private sector so Joseph can
sing the praises of the 1964 civil rights

act but the man sitting next to him would
get rid of it as it regards private

organization so to endorse the resolution
would only intensify the problem of

discrimination. Those who would end
affirmative action ignore the study

recent study which found that job
applicants with white sounding names have

50% greater chance of getting a call back
for an interview than those with black

sounding names even when qualifications
are indistinguishable.

They ignore not only that but the research
which has found that eight in ten jobs

are never advertised instead they're
filled by net working process that mostly

excludes people of color and women of all
colors and elevates whites and men

not because we are better for certain jobs
but because we know the right people

and if affirmative action were abolished
none of that would change for the better.

If anything it would get worse.

The same is true for schooling.

Our opponents will rail against so called
preferences for students of color while

they ignore the preferences built in for
whites.

So the condem the University of Michigan
for giving twenty points on a one hundred

fifty point scale to a student of color
but they ignored the points that were in

practice essentially for whites only.

Like the sixteen points you got if you
were from the upper peninsula of Michigan.

The snow is not the only thing white
there.

The ten points just because you went to a
top high school which means your parents

live in the right zip code the eight
points for taking advanced placement

classes which are three time more
available in school serving white kids

than schools that serve mostly students
of color or the four points you got if

daddy went to Michigan.

They rallied behind Jennifer Gratz as the
supposed victim of reverse discrimination

because the year she was rejected there
were about eighty five students of color

who got into Michigan despite having
lower scores and grades but they say

nothing about the fourteen hundred let me
repeat fourteen hundred white students

with lower grades and lower scores than
Jennie Gratz who got in.

You see less qualified white people are no
problem but less qualified people of color

my goodness we can't have that. They say
nothing about the study from six weeks

ago which found that for every one student
of color who receives any benefit from

affirmative action in college there are at
least two whites for every one person

of color. Two whites who also didn't
meet the requirements but got in because

daddy wrote a check or mama made a
phone call or somebody pulled strings

and got them in but affirmative action for
rich white people is never a problem

for the folks like our opponents.

While they insist affirmative action is
racist because it holds people of color to

lower standards the fact is it is whites
who have been held to lower standards.

It is whites and only whites I would
suggest who can get C's all the way

through school brag about their mediocrity
publicly, mangle the English language and

go on to become presidents of the United
States.

So, when they lament the supposed damage
done to student of color by affirmative

action because it's supposedly forces them
to question their abilities ask yourself

why no concern for the mental health and
self image of white Americans who have

been being preferred for four hundred
years and if their argument is correct

must be the most self hating people
on the face of planet earth.

And no affirmative action doesn't place
people of color in positions for which

their unqualified indeed. Once we control
for economics status comparing only

whites and folks of color from families
with both the same income and wealth

profile there is no difference in college
graduation rates and only and

insignificant difference in college grades
and black students at the most selective

schools actually do better in relation
to their white counter parts that those

in less selective schools furthermore
according to two hundred different

studies on the subject not just one that
I'm pulling out of my ass but two hundred

different studies employees who have
benefited from affirmative action perform

equal to or better than their white male
counter parts once given a chance to

prove themselves. So in closing unless
our opponents can show you that they have

some alternative mechanism for addressing
that legacy of white racial preference

and the on going advantages extended to
whites in this country.

Unless they can demonstrate some
alternative means by which true equal

opportunity can flourish to vote for them
and to vote for ending affirmative action

is to engage in an act of irresponsible
racial aggression.

It is to ignore the wisdom of Dr. King who
said quite clearly in 1963 quote

Whenever this issue of compensatory or
preferential treatment is raised some of

our friends recoiled in horror. The
Negros should be granted equality they

insist but should ask for nothing more
while at first that seems reasonable in

fact it is unrealistic for it is obvious
that if you take a man and put him at

the starting line of a race three hundred
years after another man the first man

would have to perform some increadiable
feat in order to catch up end of quote

and to end affirmative action even does
violence to the logic displayed by Ronald

Reagan who's mention along side the word
logic is rare coming from me but who said

as governor of California when signing
into law- thank you Tim Wise for that

opening statement.

I didn't get my one minute warning but
if I could finish the quote from Reagan

No I think everyone else in the room heard
it Tim why don't you take a seat sorry.

You'll have time later. Thank you Tim
Wise.