Religion Ayn Rand

I'm not really sure what has happened to me in the past year but I feel I've gotten a bit more callous.  And I absolutely love it.   And part of it has to do with reading Ayn Rand.   

I was speaking to someone the other day about affirmative action.  And boy oh boy I know I'm opening up a can of "bring it on" right now but here goes nothing....

For me affirmative action is one of the most repulsive and disgusting ideas in existence.  I'm very aware that the United States has more blood and gaffes on its resume than we should.  Ok.  Move on.  Other countries do and have to to survive.  And let me tell you that if we don't make some drastic changes to our society and economy we won't be having beer pub debates about what is wrong and right with affirmative action or why or why not poverty should exist...we'll be wondering what happened and why we're not the super powerhouse we once were economically.   And why we don't have any money for the kids, vacation or a healthcare.

On an individual level for me the secret to happiness is knowing yourself, knowing your strengths and identifying the negative and positive energy clouds in your life.  For a country its sort of the same.  What is our perennial strength?  Innovation, creativity and hard work.  We have to optimize those strengths to stay on top.  Affirmative action impedes the flow of ideas and ingenuity by making room for mediocrity over excellence.  Those people that can't fit in the room or office or classroom because less qualified people are allowed in their spot are being given the biggest first class A grade slap in the face this world can offer. 

Your life, this country, the world and humanity is about advancement.  Let's see how advanced and humane we can get.  The only way to do that is by creating a system that allows for those who will make the changes and theories and doctrines and cures to speed on potential's autobahn to optimize their human advancement path. 

Comments

[servando]

Eric, you touch on a lot issues in your entry but you seem to focus on affirmative action as something that will lead this countries demise. I personally don't agree.

First, when discussing affirmative action, the race factor should be put aside (you did not bringing it up but it’s the first thing people think of when they hear affirmative action) because talking about race makes it easy to lead the discussion into an “us and them” discussion. Affirmative action in my opinion is not about race at all, it’s about economic and social inequalities. It is an attempt to fix a broken system where many are born with a losing hand. It is also my opinion that affirmative action is also a band-aid to a much bigger problem. I guess I would ask those who are against affirmative action not to criticize it, but to offer up ideas on how to solve economic and social inequalities so we can get rid of affirmative action.

I’m with you in the opinion that I want the best minds and best qualified individuals in all aspects of society, as you put it: Excellence over mediocrity. In order to achieve excellence we need a system that will not let great minds slip through the cracks of society. Some may argue that it’s not their concern but I disagree. I disagree because great minds are what makes us great and are a national resource. We should tap into that resource as mush as possible.

[Eric Jones]

Well my point is that I'm not proposing WE do anything to solve the inequalities of all. People make their own paths, it's really up to them.

You're right race has nothing to do with it.

[johnnyheintz]

SERVANDO YOU IMPLY THAT ONLY PEOPLE WITH THE "UPPER HAND" AND LOTS OF RESOURCES HAVE GOOD MINDS AND THAT THEY ARE THE ONLY ONES THAT ARE ABLE TO USE THEM TO THEIR FULL POTENTIAL. NOT TRUE. YOU HAVE BEEN TAUGHT TO THINK THAT YOU HAVE TO HAVE ALL THE 'BEST EQUIPMENT' TO PLAY/ACCEL AT THE GAME. NOT TRUE. UNDER THAT PREMISE ALL PEOPLE WHO ATTEND IVY LEAGUE COLLEGES OR BORN RICH WOULD BE THE RICHEST/MOST SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE IN THE WORLD. NOT TRUE.

[chad]

Hi guys,
interesting conversation. I agree with herps in that affirmative action is a flawed system. It was a flawed system when it was put in place, but it was the best idea of the time. In general, studies show that the group that has benefited the most from it has been White Women.
However you really have to be careful about the "People make their own paths" / "pull yourselves up by your own bootstraps" philosophy. None of us made it to where we are by ourselves. Now i'm not saying that i didn't work hella fing hard to get where i am, but had i not had people giving back to the community and helping lift me up and keep my mind right, then i could've easily fallen through the cracks.
From an America perspective it's very very difficult to seperate race from socio-economic disadvantage. The fact is that the playing field is not level because of the history of race and discrimination that still pervades the American conciousness. Look for example at the situation surrounding the Jena 6.
I don't think herps was saying that only the people with silver spoons in their mouths have the potential of having great minds. He's saying that these people have their potential dramatically increased because they have the resources and exposure that few others have. He's saying that there are people who are born into severly disadvantaged conditions that, given the same resources, could have an even greater potential, and if we're looking for the best of the best, we have to explore the possibility that the best of the best are just as likely to come from Harvard as they are to come from Solano Community College.
In the corporate world where it's been shown time and time again that "it's not what you know, but who you know" you cant honestly believe that George W. Bush, who had a presidential father and even an influential grandfather has a insane advantage over someone born into a single parent household in a rough part of town with shitty schools.

[servando]

John, your assessment of what I was trying to convey is incorrect. In fact its quite opposite of what believe to be true. I think chad better captured what my first posting intended to say.

I must say that in my case (and I'm not saying I'm the norm either) but it took some extraordinary events and hard work for get me to where I am today. I didn't do anything on my own and had some help from friends, family and community to put me at a more playinf field as others who came from wealthier backgrounds.

[Susan]

Not about race? Are you guys blind? You must be, it's definitely about race. When a black person walks into an office to apply for a job, the manager doesn't see their social or economic status, he sees the color their skin. When that sames black person applies to college he has already suffered 18 years of discrimination and pre-judgement. The least we can do to makeup for the years or injustice he has faced is to give him a little extra help getting in. I know this sounds totally extreme and I"m full of white person guilt but please...saying it's not about race is crazy.