# Affirmative Action Bake Sale: Offensive or Funny? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 30, 2011, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/affirmative-action-bake-sale-offensive-or-funny/598090 "2011-09-30T00:29:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![puddleglum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puddleglum/32/137_2.png) [@puddleglum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puddleglum)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2011, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/affirmative-action-bake-sale-offensive-or-funny/598090/41 "2011-09-30T19:19:11Z")
I am sure it was a learning experience for many on campus. College students are generally smarter than high school students so they can understand more nuanced arguments. In high school I am sure those students were taught about the civil rights struggles and how discrimination on the basis of skin color is wrong. Now that they are in college they can learn the nuances. Discrimination against blacks and hispanics is wrong while discrimination against whites and asians is to be celebrated. Morality is not about what is being done but about who is doing what to whom. ---
**Author:** ![Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hypnagogic_jerk/32/4252_2.png) [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypnagogic_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2011, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/affirmative-action-bake-sale-offensive-or-funny/598090/42 "2011-09-30T19:19:15Z")
> [@Wincerind](#): > > I claim mitigating circumstances not being American… Neither am I. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2011, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/affirmative-action-bake-sale-offensive-or-funny/598090/43 "2011-09-30T19:27:57Z")
It’s been done too many times by now to be offensive, funny, or anything else other than boring. Also, it should totally be [men](http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1727693,00.html) who get 25 cents off if they’re protesting college admissons preferences, but I guess that wouldn’t fit with the poor put-upon white boy narrative. ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2011, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/affirmative-action-bake-sale-offensive-or-funny/598090/44 "2011-09-30T19:28:04Z")
> [@puddleglum](#): > > Now that they are in college they can learn the nuances. Discrimination against blacks and hispanics is wrong while discrimination against whites and asians is to be celebrated. Morality is not about what is being done but about who is doing what to whom. It’s true. When you get right down to it, in a just society those poor white kids wouldn’t even have to sell cupcakes, they could just eat all the cupcakes themselves! Oh, wait… ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2011, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/affirmative-action-bake-sale-offensive-or-funny/598090/45 "2011-09-30T20:12:59Z")
> [@puddleglum](#): > > I am sure it was a learning experience for many on campus. College students are generally smarter than high school students so they can understand more nuanced arguments. In high school I am sure those students were taught about the civil rights struggles and how discrimination on the basis of skin color is wrong. Now that they are in college they can learn the nuances. Discrimination against blacks and hispanics is wrong while discrimination against whites and asians is to be celebrated. Morality is not about what is being done but about who is doing what to whom. One hardly needs college for that. Those sorts of “nuances” are vomited 24x7 from the blaring maw of Fox News, online think-tanks like the Free Republic, and everywhere else that privileged whiners meet to commiserate over their White Man’s Burden. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2011, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/affirmative-action-bake-sale-offensive-or-funny/598090/46 "2011-09-30T20:17:40Z")
I’m on the fence about affirmative action, but this is just dumb. I heard about this on NPR… something like, ‘‘Still ahead, a campus bake sale stirs up racial controversy.’’ I _knew_ it was going to be campus Republicans. Anyway, I would call it lame and ineffective. I don’t really see getting offended about it, though. The only thing offensive is the notion that this has anything to do with affirmative action. Although, I admit that the interview on NPR helped me understand the conservative position on this a little better. They really do think the bake sale was an apt analogy. _mind blown_ ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2011, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/affirmative-action-bake-sale-offensive-or-funny/598090/47 "2011-09-30T20:23:05Z")
Yes, college students can handle nuance, which is precisely why a crude, un-nuanced stunt like this is so stupid. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2011, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/affirmative-action-bake-sale-offensive-or-funny/598090/48 "2011-09-30T20:54:29Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Yes, college students can handle nuance Have you ever met college students ?! 😛 > [@Algher](#): > > You have a cite for the general SES of white Republicans at college vs. other groups? Your description does not match my experience from the 80s. They’re white. They’re male. They’re young. They’re in college at Berkeley. They live in modern day USA, in Califuckingfornia to boot. Doesn’t really get much more privileged than that. Which is amusing, really, because from an outside point of view, this whole protest boils down to “I’m not saying I’m not privileged - I’m saying I’m not privileged _enough_”. > [@monstro](#): > > ``` > It's about as clichéd as women experimenting with lesbianism during their freshmen year. > > ``` Just goes to show, not all clichés are to be avoided. ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2011, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/affirmative-action-bake-sale-offensive-or-funny/598090/49 "2011-09-30T20:58:41Z")
Personally, I’m all for this concept. “While I admit I \*look \*like I’m a white male, I’m \*actually \*a black female. Give me some free cupcakes, or prove me wrong, you racist, sexist pig.” ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2011, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/affirmative-action-bake-sale-offensive-or-funny/598090/50 "2011-09-30T22:22:50Z")
> [@Algher](#): > > You have a cite for the general SES of white Republicans at college vs. other groups? Your description does not match my experience from the 80s. Pretty much what Kobal posted. This is the United States - the richest country in the history of humanity. Even if you’re a poor black girl living in some ghetto, you’re still better off than hundreds of millions of people in other countries. And if you’re a white male who is going to UC Berkeley? You obviously had a winning ticket in the birth lottery. ---
**Author:** ![Wincerind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@Wincerind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wincerind)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2011, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/affirmative-action-bake-sale-offensive-or-funny/598090/51 "2011-09-30T22:23:13Z")
> [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](#): > > Neither am I. 😉 oh bugger 😃 By the way, is my math right? Should it always be a power of 2? ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2011, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/affirmative-action-bake-sale-offensive-or-funny/598090/52 "2011-09-30T22:32:39Z")
> [@puddleglum](#): > > It should be trite at this point, but unfortunately it is topical. The California state government is considering ignoring its constitution and reinstating AA. What exactly will reinstating AA entail in California? ---
**Author:** ![Algher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Algher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algher)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2011, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/affirmative-action-bake-sale-offensive-or-funny/598090/53 "2011-09-30T22:38:36Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Pretty much what Kobal posted. This is the United States - the richest country in the history of humanity. Even if you’re a poor black girl living in some ghetto, you’re still better off than hundreds of millions of people in other countries. And if you’re a white male who is going to UC Berkeley? You obviously had a winning ticket in the birth lottery. Sure - but is he better off than the Asians (who are disproportionally represented if we go by Census data)? My only issue is the ASSumption that white college republican is more privileged than any other Cal undergrad by definition. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2011, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/affirmative-action-bake-sale-offensive-or-funny/598090/54 "2011-09-30T22:39:48Z")
Looked it up–it looks pretty vague, if I understand correctly. It will mean California colleges are allowed to “consider” race etc… specifically for admissions. To know whether AA is a good thing or not, I’d need to know what we know about what happens to AA-admitees after their admission, and after leaving or finishing their education. ---
**Author:** ![Algher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Algher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algher)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2011, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/affirmative-action-bake-sale-offensive-or-funny/598090/55 "2011-09-30T22:39:57Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > What exactly will reinstating AA entail in California? A lot of lawsuits, since Prop 209 enshrined it in the state Constitution that you are not supposed to do this. The legislature can’t just decided to ignore the state Constitution (OK, they can, but there will be a lot of court fights). ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2011, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/affirmative-action-bake-sale-offensive-or-funny/598090/56 "2011-10-01T00:56:19Z")
> [@Algher](#): > > Sure - but is he better off than the Asians (who are disproportionally represented if we go by Census data)? > > My only issue is the ASSumption that white college republican is more privileged than any other Cal undergrad by definition. Are you claiming that black people are better off than white people in modern America? And did you intentionally spell assumption that way? If the answer to either of these questions is yes, then I’m not going to discuss this with you any further. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2011, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/affirmative-action-bake-sale-offensive-or-funny/598090/57 "2011-10-01T01:08:22Z")
> [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > I’m one eleventh Cherokee. I can buy things at the discounted prices right? I’m of Scandinavian \*and \*Jewish descent (among other things). Do I, uh, pay more? ---
**Author:** ![Hyperelastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Hyperelastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hyperelastic)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2011, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/affirmative-action-bake-sale-offensive-or-funny/598090/58 "2011-10-01T02:33:18Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > Whitey. These days all the hep cats call them “Ofey”. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2011, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/affirmative-action-bake-sale-offensive-or-funny/598090/59 "2011-10-01T02:35:55Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > I’m of Scandinavian \*and \*Jewish descent (among other things). Do I, uh, pay more? Yes, but whoever buys a cupcake you’ll ultimately get a percentage of it, though you’ll have to eat it off a presswood table with a funny name that you had to put together. I agree with the “We’ve seen it befucking for”. Those things were old when I was in college 20 years ago. The O’Keefe ACORN pimp guy had one before he started doing video crap. It’s an Ann Coulterish stunt that mainly makes me wonder why the hell so few Republicans have an ounce of creativity. Though I will admit curiosity as to why Asians are so overrepresented at Berkeley. UCLA also for that matter. Are they as disproportionately represented in the admissions? ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2011, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/affirmative-action-bake-sale-offensive-or-funny/598090/60 "2011-10-01T03:05:42Z")
> [@Zeriel](#): > > It’s just stupid. There are more effective ways to make a statement about affirmative action–one could start by making the prices proportional to the actual preferences granted in typical affirmative action scenarios, instead of ridiculously variant. > > Also, non-slapstick humor generally requires originality. This lacks that, although it might be the first time **Qin Shi Huangdi** has heard of it, so that’s why he’s so amused. I heard of it a long time ago but haven’t heard of it since then so its still mildly amusing. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/affirmative-action-bake-sale-offensive-or-funny/598090.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/affirmative-action-bake-sale-offensive-or-funny/598090.md?page=4)