Whites-Only Scholarship Stirs R.I. College
It figures that this controversy would be started by a group of College Republicans. In this case, though, I have to think that they're asking some questions sorely in needed of answers.
BRISTOL, R.I. -- On the sleepy coastal campus of Roger Williams University, a small liberal arts school unaccustomed to student activism, the College Republicans are reveling in the debate they've kicked up by offering a scholarship for whites only.
The $250 award -- which required an essay on "why you are proud of your white heritage" and a recent picture to "confirm whiteness" -- has invited the wrath of everyone from minority groups and school officials to the chairman of the Republican National Committee himself.
Jason Mattera, a junior who started the conservative campus group in his freshman year, said kindling debate over free speech and affirmative action was just what he wanted -- and he promises more.
"We did our job," said Mattera, 20, of Brooklyn, N.Y. "This is what college is all about, challenging the status quo."
Indeed, let's think about this rationally for a second, shall we? Why is it that there are scholarships for Asian-Americans, for African-Americans, and yet when Caucasian-Americans (for that is what we are, no?) want the same thing, we are treated as if we have been goose-stepping to Nazi military bands? And no, I'm not buying the argument that "Whites are the majority" or that "Whites have been the oppressing class for too long now". That may well be true (and I'm not sure I'm buying that argument, either), but does it mean that we are any less deserving of the benefits that accrue to other ethnic groups simply because of the color of their skin or their heritage?
For some reason, it is horribly unfashionable to speak of "white issues". To speak of "white heritage" is to run the risk of being treated as a pariah and branded as a white supremacist. In my case, nothing could be farther from the truth. I simply want to know why it is possible- and acceptable- for an African-American to be eligible for all sorts of special benefits- scholarships, etc.- simply because of the color of his or her skin. If we're going to decry and demand an end to prejudice, let's do it across the board. Reverse racism is still racism, and yet the very people who engage in this seem to think there is nothing inherently wrong with their behavior.
African-Americans feel justified in demanding reparations for the suffering of their forebears. They also seem to think themselves entitled to special treatment because of their history. I am certainly not one to belittle the historical suffering of anyone, but my Irish forefathers suffered terribly at the hands of the majority power structure when they came over from Bonnie Eire in the mid-19th century. Somehow, those of us of Irish descent have managed to survive without wallowing in a sense of entitlement stemming from the suffering of our ancestors. If African-Americans are deserving of reparations, then I also want (and deserve) my slice of the pie.
I realize that this is not a politically correct position, especially for a confirmed Liberal such as myself. Nonetheless, I am sick to death of the attitude that everyone EXCEPT whites are worthy of special treatment. Equality should- and does- mean equal treatment under the law- or is that also not PC?
ONE NATION, UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL- unless of course, you're white, in which case we're going to lean on your collective guilt to make certain that there is more of the pie for "minorities". Excuse me, but this is NOT the America we deserve. If any of us are oppressed, then ALL of us are oppressed. I've always believed that the Civil Rights movement of the 60s was about the struggle to make certain that all Americans have an equal opportunity, regardless of the color of their skin. The reality seems to be that minorities want to have their cake and eat it too.
Excuse me, but I'm going to go wallow in my self-paralyzing white guilt. It's not easy being a member of the "oppressing class"....
