I’m not sure if this opinion writer for the UCLA Daily Bruin is trying to be funny, but if he is, he’s not succeeding. Jed Levine’s premise is that the problem with UCLA is that there are too many Asian American students and their numbers should be limited so more space can be given to the real underrepresented groups.
There’s no denying that Asian Americans are overrepresented at UC campuses, and there are valid questions as to whether that’s good, bad or an issue at all when it comes to balancing diversity with California’s no affirmative action policy.
But when you write lines like:
“If you’re going to blame anyone, I say we blame the Asians.”
“I agree that it’s hard to find other white people I can identify with on a campus that feels more like Taipei than L.A.”
“I hear some liberal arts colleges accept head shots from applicants, and I think a similar program at UCLA would be monumentally successful at helping us weed out the young Maos and Kim Jongs from potential Mandelas, Lincolns and Estefans.”
“These overflow Asians could then be funneled into a new UC campus where they can be free to explore their identities. Indeed the UC system has a brand new campus that fits the bill perfectly. Say hello to the UC Merced Pandas.”
There’s a great potential to be misinterpreted if this is an attempt at humor or sarcasm. Any chance of having or promoting worthy discussion is lost, and at worst, you can be accused of being a racist idiot.
This post is also on Hyphen magazine’s blog.