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Oh, human rights can spark a whole debate. Tell me...what exactly are human rights?
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Sure you want to bring this on yourself?  ;)

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What the hell? I put a post on the organized religion thread that's sure to spark a holy war when read by the right person...why not here too?

Seriously...I never actually heard a definition, only that some say that human rights have made wrong things OK
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Aight, let's have at it then...what shall we talk about?

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Yah we could...change the title to civil rights or abortion rights...
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We could talk about those.  But I don't have a uterus, so I think that disqualifies me.

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;D

If only MORE people adopted that philosophy, what a wonderful world this would be
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For example: I don't talk about abortion rights because I don't have a uterus, and I think that's a woman's issue...

I don't talk about affirmative action because it doesn't work for me anyways (I'm Asian, and not the right kind of Asian)

I don't talk about religion because I'm not religious

And I don't talk about those gay rights issues because I have gay friends and I think it's their issue...plus I think they're normal people, just they like different kinds of lovers

I just don't understand why some people butt their heads into other people's business

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Because they believe sometimes that different = wrong. Sometimes they feel they're backed up by religion, some feel they're backed up by tradition, and some are just @$$holes. You could go on and on...

But, such is life in a free country. THe fleas come with the dog.
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I guess I can understand that.  I try to ignore @$$holes.

Quoting:I don't talk about affirmative action because it doesn't work for me anyways (I'm Asian, and not the right kind of Asian)End Quote

But even if you're an average everyday white guy, this particular issue affects you.  How would you like to be up for a job, have all the qualifications, meet every demand required, have the knowledge and expertise to do the job exactly right, and lose it to someone else less qualified because the company didn't have any of that minority already employed with them?  That's just wrong.  The job should go to the most qualified, not to someone less qualified but a minority.  I swear, sometimes I feel like White Americans are being penalized BECAUSE they're white.  Take jokes for example...

A black (or insert you chosen minority here) man can make a joke about black people, using whatever language the choose (the dreaded "N" word for example, which I hate myself) and it's OK.  If a white guy does the same joke with the same words, it's racist.  AND a black guy (again, insert your chosen minority here) can also make all the white guy jokes they choose, and again it's not considered racist.  How can reasonable people allow this crap?  How is it OK for one group, but not the other?

It's OK for minorities to have their own scholarship funds, exclusively for use by those minorites, but if white people do that, they're racist and discriminatory.

IMO, it's all about oppression of the past, and I think people need to stop living in the past.  I'm not one of my ancestors.  I didn't oppress anyone, I didn't drive anyone from their land, I didn't enslave anyone.  Stop making me pay for the mistakes of our ancestors.

Racism?  There's only one race, the human race.  People should get that through their heads.  Color, features, they are just different aspects of the human race in general, and IMO no one should get special or preferential treatment because of their differences.

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A black (or insert you chosen minority here) man can make a joke about black people, using whatever language the choose (the dreaded "N" word for example, which I hate myself) and it's OK.  If a white guy does the same joke with the same words, it's racist.  AND a black guy (again, insert your chosen minority here) can also make all the white guy jokes they choose, and again it's not considered racist.  How can reasonable people allow this crap?  How is it OK for one group, but not the other?
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It's called a double-standard.  I stay away from it because I know some people more liberal than I will throw a hissy-fit because I say affirmative action is wrong, outright.  And I make fun of white people too.  ;)

I had a 1450 SAT, a 4.5 GPA, was involved in numerous groups in high school and volunteered extensively during the weekends and summers.  I still didn't get into Stanfurd.  Why?  Probably because I'm Asian.  But I no longer care.  I've come to accept it because there's not a damned thing I can do about it for now.  But hopefully the Supreme Court can take care of that, as they are beginning deliberations about the use of race-based admissions in public (and maybe to a lesser extent private) universities.

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I understand if this was a public school... but don't private organizations reserve the right to accept who gets into their club? Kind of like that golf club not allowing women thing.
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Yeah, that's why I got into Cal...but consider that there were a couple people in my high school graduating class who weren't Asian, who didn't get the grades and do the deeds, and yet got into Stanfurd.  HMMMM...

They were smart kids though.  I'll give them that.

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That's a hard fact of life, Rice. Everywhere you go in the real world, you will encounter all sorts of people that get preferential treatment. You know what's disturbing? Cokehead/recovering drunkard-turned-president-of-the-free-world, George W. Bush, getting into Ha!vard with a C average and getting an MBA - later on proving to be the only "businessman" to drill for oil in Texas and NOT get any :P Daddy's friends had to bail him out of that one.
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I thought he went to Yale.  Well, most Ivy League schools accept rich kids anyway.  Stanfurd probably is no different...the kids I spoke of came from far wealthier families than mine.

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It's a dog-eat-dog world out there. Anything that will improve my chances of survival, I will take; anything that will decrease my chances, I will be against. I know affirmative action sucks for people who do not benefit from it, but, in Naturalist terms, I'm only looking out for number one first. Then, I can worry about saving the world. You can be against it. I wouldn't call you "racist." There's better ways to spend my time and energy: like finding beneficial ways to be subversive.
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I'm slightly different in that I think everyone should have an equal opportunity to survive, as you put it.  It's whether or not they take advantage of those opportunities.  

I understand a need-based action, taking into account socioeconomic standards.  But when using race, it's like you're telling Hispanic kids or black kids or Philipino kids that because they are who they are, they will get into a college, and not because they are smart or they worked hard.  I don't understand how they can call it "affirmative" action anymore when it promotes "negative" energies from the people who benefit from it.  :-/

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... like I said, I'll take any advantage provided that will increase my chances of success no matter where it comes from. Equality goes out the window if it doesn't benefit me. I think the rich would say the same...
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Yeah, but the rich don't have to watch the IRS make a dent in their savings come income tax time :-/

Quoting:
^ is right. THere is one point that you must realize as well. It's no longer black and white, but GREEN that is the color in question. Consider- the only reason slavery existed was to create a means of mass production for the plantation owners, thus improving their profits. Nowadays, it is the same thing, only in broader terms. IMO, Affirmative action was orignally created to give minorities an equal chance at oppurtunities they might not otherwise have access to, but in so doing, took those oppurtunities away from other deserving individuals, regardless of color. And why are people upset over it now? $$$. 'I shoulda got that job, but affirmative action gave it to (fill in the blank with the minority of your choice.)

Minority...funny term, that is...truly, there is no majority. Each race- Rice, back me up- has been genetically inter-mingled with so many others, there is no such thing as white or black. Even those terms are archaic...white people aren't white...they're sorta pink. And black people aren't black, but rather different shades of brown. Here's another funny one- African American. I am not African American. I ain't come here from Africa. My ancestors may have, but I didn't. If I were to go over there right now and say, "Welcome me into your tribes, my brethren," they'd say "Go home you silly American."

Sorry...I just pulled a Dennis Miller... :P
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As far as I know I'm 100% Chinese, but with all the hotties of different ethnicities around me I'm sure my progeny will be "diluted" ;)

So what to do about "reverse" discrimination?  

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Ha! I'll tell you that right after I figure out why women buy so many shoes ::)
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Maybe it has something to do with their egos?  ???