I find it more than a little condescending that you've chosen to cast me as paranoid. I suppose it allows you to not answer any questions I've raised (how the clubs will erase racial/gender barriers rather than apparently heightening them and wether or not it's inherently racist to form exclusive groups based on any such conceit, not just based on whiteness), but it's still crass. I'm not the slightest bit threatened by minority clubs, nor am I concerned that the assorted other races are "out to get me." Before they could be out to get me, I'd have to first believe that every other white person and I share some kind of bond by virtue of our skin color, and I don't. Hell, I can't stand members of my own family.
Additionally, the last 7 years have taught me a valuable lesson at college- no matter what, as long as you work hard and do well, nothing can hold you back. A while ago, the student government wanted to require that everyone take a diversity class, so I wrote to the paper. It is all true:
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While I can't speak for the other colleges, the engineering college is already plenty diverse. My graduate advisor, Dr. Shi, is Chinese. The professor I worked for one-and-a-half years as an undergraduate research assistant, Dr. Ezekoye, is black. The professor that was able to teach my hardest subject so far in graduate school with such mastery that even I could understand it, Dr. Ellzey, is a woman.
Despite the fact that none of these people fit the "good ol' boy" criteria of being male and white, they have my highest respect and admiration. How did they do it? You see, over here, respect and acceptance has nothing to do with where you're from, what your skin color is, or which bathroom you go to - any cultural line is crossed by technical expertise, interest in the material and love of teaching. Perhaps everyone should be required to take a course in engineering, which could actually be of some use to them, rather than some empty diversity course.
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I can honestly say that in my circle of friends, the school I'm in, and the general scene I hang out at, white people are almost always the minority present. Does that make me feel self conscious? If it does, does that mean I can only really be comfortable when surrounded by white people? Should I want there to be more white people around me so I can feel comfortable? Do you realize how stupid that sounds? Do you hear how it is exactly as stupid to say I want more women in engineering because I'm a woman and I want there to be more of my kind around? How did the idea arise that there needed to be some percentage of women in engineering to begin with? Shouldn't women just do what they want to? I have a hard time believing that, especially now when women out number men in college, there are women who REALLY want to be in Engineering, but are taking philosophy instead because of that damed patriarchy.
As to just having a group to "promote your culture": again, how is that not raising a barrier? For the anthropologically minded out there, we call these "boundary defining mechanisms." And if you raise those barriers based on your skin color or plumbing, congratulations. You've just boldly declared that, yes, you consider your race to a group that you belong to, meaning that you do not belong to the other races. As a logical extension, it means that, for you, there exists an "us" defined by a common skin tone, and a "them", defined by a different skin tone. Is that not the very definition of racist? I think you would answer yes without thinking if someone defined "us" as white and "them" as not, so how not when any other color/gender is used in place of "white"?