UCLA Bake Sale Stirs Up Controversy

UCLA Daily Bruin ^ | 5/22/03 | Adam Foxman

[rffan34]

Several Bruin Republicans parodied affirmative action by selling Oreos, Twinkies and crackers for race-based prices on Bruin Walk on Wednesday, but they never meant it to end in chaos.

The "Affirmative Action Bake Sale, Reloaded," was a follow-up to a February sale put on by the same students, this time with emphasis on offensive stereotypes applied to minorities who oppose affirmative action.

Although the sale was obscured by a cement mixer for much of the morning, by early afternoon the table was surrounded by students – some of them approving, many of them angry.

The debate grew heated as Bruin Walk filled at lunchtime, and ended abruptly as an angry student grabbed boxes of Oreos and crackers, spilled them on the ground, and tore down the banner cursing what he called "white privilege."

"The debate turned into a debacle," said David Witzling, a third-year political science student who was at the sale.

The event was meant to be a parody that would incite discussion, but it was not meant to be offensive, said Jonathan Cayton, one of the Bruin Republicans who organized the sale.

But many people were offended.

Nashaua Neao, a third-year political science and African American studies student, found the affirmative action bake sale "blatantly offensive and ignorant" and said the comparison of people to Oreos and Twinkies perpetuates racism.

"I just think it's sad to know that they think of us as people who got in here just for our race," said Ana Fernandez, a third-year political science student.

"We got the same grades and the same SAT scores, and they think that because I'm Latina I got an easier break," Fernandez said.

However, some students appreciated the Bruin Republicans' attempt to catalyze debate.

"Regardless of whether you agree or disagree, these individuals should be applauded for debating these issues," said Paul Marian, a first-year history and political science student.

And some found it amusing.

"Frankly, I think it's cute," said Chris Bailey, a fourth-year political science student.

"The minute you can laugh at all these labels, it's all good," Bailey said.

Until most of the sale's organizers withdrew after the angry student's outburst, they thought it was going well.

"We had people who supported affirmative action and people who opposed it come up and engage us, but it was ruined by a person's choice to resort to vandalism to prove his point," Cayton said.

Cayton also said the Twinkies and Oreos were sold to expose the social stigmas that are often attached to minorities who oppose affirmative action. He said some minorities might not bring up the issue for fear of being labeled as a Twinkie, or an Oreo, both derogatory names for a non-white person who acts in a manner traditionally associated with whites.

The sale's organizers were furious at its violent interruption.

"It's unacceptable and ridiculous that people would almost get into a physical confrontation rather than an intellectual debate," said Jon English, a first-year political science student.

Many students also found the outburst inappropriate. Organizers were angry with the crowd for not condemning the man's violent behavior, but many saw it as the inevitable outcome of what they saw as the sale's inflammatory nature.

Neao saw the disruption of the sale as the natural effect of taking an offensive approach to a social issue.

"It just proves that you shouldn't have heated debates with offensive signs. ... The minute you start doing ignorant things, something like this happens," he said.

Many other students felt that the debate was important, but that the affirmative action bake sale was an inappropriate way to approach it.

"We want to (debate) this in a formal setting where we can be diplomatic about it," said Kristie Hernandez, a third-year comparative literature student.

[CatoRenasci]

My class at UCLA Law School was about 10% black and 10% hispanic. At one point, an assistant to the Dean of Admissions told me that of that group, only one of the blacks and two of the hispanics would have been admitted on the same standards as the other 80% of the class (non-hispanic whites and asians). From my experiences in class and on law review, the difference in the ability of the minority students to do the work was marked, in all but three or four cases. Bar passage rates told a similar story.

[Overtaxed]

Wonder if there are any snacks that have red filling and yellow and black outsides?

Do they still make raspberry Zingers?

[aomagrat]

Nashaua Neao, a third-year political science and African American studies student

What kind of degree is "African American Studies"?

[Teetop]

"We want to (debate) this in a formal setting where we can be diplomatic about it," said Kristie Hernandez, a third-year comparative literature student.

AKA; .....in a formal setting where we (liberals) can control it.

[AnAmericanMother]

I taught at our local law school for awhile as an adjunct in the legal writing course for 1st years.

I'm afraid that the majority of the "affirmative action" students just were not up to standard. I taught one exception who was a smart, hard-working, motivated black guy. But in the five years that I taught there, he was the only one. I had probably 6-8 black students in my small class over that time -- their writing and analytical skills were just not up to par, and the gap was noticeable. There was one student who was actually sub-literate - couldn't spell, couldn't write a simple declarative English sentence, couldn't organize a paper. And she had a massive chip on her shoulder - I was failing her because she was black and I was white, yada yada yada. But there was no way even an affirmative-action administration could excuse her absolute inability to function in a law school. She disappeared after one semester.

Why the h@ll anybody admitted her is the mystery of the ages. There was no way she could take a degree, and all the experience was likely to do was reinforce her beliefs in the evil of the Man. And make life hard for the other black students by convincing people that affirmative action admits the totally incompetent (rather than just the somewhat below par, which was my general experience.)

[kaboom]

Wasn't Twinkie some skinny English model back in the sixties?

And "Ho Ho" was a top earner on 14th street.

[CatoRenasci]

I'm glad I was a TA back in grad school before the University of California had so many affirmative action admits. At least I saw almost no minority students in my history 'honors' sections. As a grad student, I did see a fair number of the "old style" black faculty and senior graduate students -- the ones admitted to college before about 1967. Those men and women, who had to be as good or better than the other students, were uniformly talented and hardworking. I remember being very friendly with several of them, because we had mutual interests and exhanged ideas -- we related as fellow scholars rather than considering race.

I used to have great hopes for the race relations and a variant of affirmative action I supported (i.e. identifying talented minorities and giving them any necessary remedial or background work in the community colleges until they could come up to the university meeting normal standards -- perhaps more expensive an approach because it would have meant subsidizing people for an extra year or two, but ensuring the integrity of the university's standards).

Then, I started seeing the affirmative action admits in collge, in law school, and affirmative action hires in the legal world. I have become very disillusioned, and don't believe any sort of real racial reconciliation is possible until special treatment issues (affirmative action, reparations, etc) are dead and buried many years hence.

[CatoRenasci]

I'm glad I was a TA back in grad school before the University of California had so many affirmative action admits. At least I saw almost no minority students in my history 'honors' sections. As a grad student, I did see a fair number of the "old style" black faculty and senior graduate students -- the ones admitted to college before about 1967. Those men and women, who had to be as good or better than the other students, were uniformly talented and hardworking. I remember being very friendly with several of them, because we had mutual interests and exhanged ideas -- we related as fellow scholars rather than considering race.

I used to have great hopes for the race relations and a variant of affirmative action I supported (i.e. identifying talented minorities and giving them any necessary remedial or background work in the community colleges until they could come up to the university meeting normal standards -- perhaps more expensive an approach because it would have meant subsidizing people for an extra year or two, but ensuring the integrity of the university's standards).

Then, I started seeing the affirmative action admits in collge, in law school, and affirmative action hires in the legal world. I have become very disillusioned, and don't believe any sort of real racial reconciliation is possible until special treatment issues (affirmative action, reparations, etc) are dead and buried many years hence.

[knuthom]

Nashaua Neao, a third-year political science and African American studies student, found the affirmative action bake sale "blatantly offensive and ignorant" and said the comparison of people to Oreos and Twinkies perpetuates racism.

Wait a minute. The people running the bake sale did not originate that use of these words. They are ridiculing the use by blacks and asians to refer to others of their own race. If she (or he, I can't tell from the name) doesn't like it, let's see her defend Clarence Thomas or Ward Connerly next time they are called Oreos.

[AnAmericanMother]

I absolutely agree with your approach of bringing talented minorities up to standard. That gives students who may have been disadvantaged in primary and secondary school a fair chance, without trashing the uniform standard for all students at the college.

I think part of what we're seeing, though, has nothing to do with race and everything to do with the Baby Boom causing colleges to be overbuilt. With the reduced demand now that the rabbit has gone through the python (the Baby Boomlet of the offspring of the Boomers just didn't produce the same kind of numbers) colleges below the first rank are out touting for customers.

My daughter is a freshman in high school who scored very well on her PSAT and the Duke Talent Search/SAT. Every week the mail brings a new glossy color brochure from some college or other, inviting her to summer school, pre-college courses for credit, etc. The colleges are on a serious campaign to rope student prospects in early. (It won't work with my girl. She prefers to spend summers rock climbing, kayaking, and hiking the AT. She just got hired as an instructor for her high school's "Discovery" program - sort of Outward Bound for Everybody culminating in a five day backpack trip.)

[SpinyNorman]

"It's unacceptable and ridiculous that people would almost get into a physical confrontation rather than an intellectual debate," said Jon English, a first-year political science student.

Sadly, as Jon will soon find out, this is the normal tactic (SNAFU?) of the liberals: run out of facts and ideas in about 5 minutes, resort to ad hominem attacks to put your opponent on the defensive, then, when all else fails, resort to the very violence they claim to despise and which they invariably accuse conservatives. But for him to realize this as a first year polisci student is commendable, and indicates good upbringing.

God, I wish I could have one of these bake sales at UMASS Amherst or Smith College. Of course, the potential for violence is much higher here, as seen at a recent anti abortion demonstration put on by the UMASS Republican Club (a very small group indeed). Naturally, a proabortion protester was arrested. I didn't ask, but maybe the attackee was dressed as a baby, and the protester was overcome with violence towards them because of it, given their antipathy towards infants.

[TheBigB]

Twiggy.

[bboop]

Neao saw the disruption of the sale as the natural effect of taking an offensive approach to a social issue. "It just proves that you shouldn't have heated debates with offensive signs. ... The minute you start doing ignorant things, something like this happens," he said.

The Libs see the disruption of the sale as the natural effect of bringing up a point? ie "You just GET TO get violent if you are offended?" Is that in the Bill of Rights, then? The RIGHT Not To Be Offended????? The RIGHT to GET VIOLENT if you are offended? What kind of horse poop is that????

[TheBigB]

What kind of degree is "African American Studies"?

It's a very versatile degree that allows one to become a...um...Professor of African-American Studies.

[LiteKeeper]

read later

[Sloth]

"I just think it's sad to know that they think of us as people who got in here just for our race," said Ana Fernandez, a third-year political science student. "We got the same grades and the same SAT scores, and they think that because I'm Latina I got an easier break," Fernandez said.

One wonders how she would know the credentials of the students she's talking about.

[netmilsmom]

Most college Republicans hold all the brains and looks on the campus. Along with the ROTC.
When I went to the Rally for America, one could pick these young people out in a heartbeat.
Makes me long for the college days!