John Rosenberg has more good thoughts regarding yesterday’s Los Angeles Times article on the claim that UCLA needs “Middle Eastern” boxes on its application forms.
Speaking of students of Middle Eastern background: It is irksome that schools and journalists frequently talk about affirmative action for “minorities,” how ending affirmation action will cause a decrease in “minority enrollment,” etc. — irksome because there are plenty of racial and ethnic minority groups that are on the wrong end of this discrimination, particularly if they are doing well enough academically that they are “overrepresented” rather than “underrepresented.” Asians are the obvious example, but Middle Eastern students fall into this category, too (as the L.A. Times article acknowledges).
And so do some Hispanics, by the way. For example, the evidence in the Grutter case showed that the University of Michigan law school treated Mexican Americans like African Americans (that is, preferentially), but treated all other Hispanics — from Central and South America and the Caribbean — like whites (that is, they were discriminated against). Except Puerto Rico: If you were actually born in Puerto Rico, you were discriminated against, while if you were of Puerto Rican background but born on the mainland, you were given a preference. No wonder we need more boxes!