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> We're far from privileged. Indian-American father here as well. You came to the US from India. You are probably upper caste. You almost certainly got a good

> We're far from privileged. Indian-American father here as well. You came to the US from India. You are probably upper caste. You almost certainly got a good quality education in India for cheap. Your parents probably had servants. You are privileged. End of story.

deleted 4y ago
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strikelaserclaw 4y ago
not to mention he must have come here 20+ years ago for an education, back then it was even rarer for an indian to come to us to study.
rayiner 4y ago
Bangladeshi-American father here. “Privileged” compared to who? It would be one thing if Ivy League universities accepted Appalachians and rural Georgians stuck in generational poverty. Ironically, people like Clarence Thomas—minorities who grew up in real poverty—are not the main target of AA. The whole reason this is a problem here is that these policies aren’t actually based on privilege. It’s racial gerrymandering—seeking privileged people from overall disadvantaged groups.
- chengiz 4y ago
  Privileged compared to most around him? I'm not comparing OP to the Kennedys but just because he came to the US with a few hundred bucks and worked hard does not mean he is not privileged. The generational poverty thing is a disingenous distraction. Hypercompetitive environments like the bay area is rife with OP-like cases, the parents go after the boxes to check to get into the top schools, the kids check them. OP's son worked hard and will almost certainly go to a good school, but... Sharma's son went to MIT! All that has happened is that the gaming Indian parents do doesnt work as well as it once did because others wised up to it. I see nothing wrong with promoting someone who has "unforced" talent, and in some cases race may be a poor way in some cases to base that upon, but in general it is not so bad. The real tragedy is that the most unfair thing these colleges do, which the article mentions, legacy admissions, gets a pass in all the AA talk.
  - rayiner 4y ago
    > All that has happened is that the gaming Indian parents do doesnt work as well as it once did because others wised up to it. I see nothing wrong with promoting someone who has "unforced" talent, and in some cases race may be a poor way in some cases to base that upon, but in general it is not so bad. So what you’re saying is that it’s “not so bad” for colleges to pick the upper middle class Hispanic kid over the upper middle class Indian kid, because you think Indian parents are “gaming” the system. I’m going to say no, that’s racism, and it should be illegal. If you want to give kids a leg up because they’re from a poor family, fine. But it shouldn’t matter what race they are.
    - chengiz 4y ago
      1. Yes. 2. Affirmative action is not racism.
      - rayiner 4y ago
        Justifying affirmative action based on stereotypes of Indian parents "gaming" the system is absolutely racism.
      - speakfreely 4y ago
        > Affirmative action is not racism Can you share the definition of racism that you're using?
  - RigelKentaurus 4y ago
    If gaming the system means cultivating good study habits, taking rigorous classes over 4 years, generally pushing yourself to realize your potential, maintaining balance through sports and exercise, we're guilty. These are good habits that will serve him well no matter where he goes. I think you may be projecting your own thoughts and insecurities here.
    - chengiz 4y ago
      In that case you should not be too hung up about him getting admission into a "lesser" (according to you) school. But here you are. Oh absolutely I am projecting my thoughts. I was lucky but I know many Indians who have been pushed by their parents and are miserable. I also dont think a university environment dominated by such kids will be good either for the school or for them down the line. I am pretty positive your son will have a great experience in whatever school he goes to vs whatever ideal school you had in mind for him. Diversity to me is ipso facto a good thing.
RigelKentaurus 4y ago
I have a huge problem with people looking at the world through the lens of "privilege". Seems like "privilege" is what they're looking for all the time. Also, you watered down the term "privilege" to such an extent that it has lost any practical meaning. I came to the US as it is the land of opportunity, and still believe that is the case. In my view, anyone born here, including black and brown people, has sort of won the lottery already. But they're so concerned with "fairness" that they miss taking advantage of the opportunities right in front of them.
- speakfreely 4y ago
  It's really clear that most Americans have very little idea about what life is like anywhere else in the world. Getting US citizenship is a golden ticket for people in most developing countries and the immense government support in housing, state welfare/support programs, small business support, etc. is incomprehensible to those of us that weren't with born with it. I understand a big part of the problem is that many US citizens don't understand what's available, but some almost everyone has smartphones and Google these days, even infrequent attempts to casually browse the internet for self-improvement will yield very large returns for most US citizens in poverty.

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

strikelaserclaw 4y ago

not to mention he must have come here 20+ years ago for an education, back then it was even rarer for an indian to come to us to study.

rayiner 4y ago

Bangladeshi-American father here. “Privileged” compared to who? It would be one thing if Ivy League universities accepted Appalachians and rural Georgians stuck in generational poverty. Ironically, people like Clarence Thomas—minorities who grew up in real poverty—are not the main target of AA. The whole reason this is a problem here is that these policies aren’t actually based on privilege. It’s racial gerrymandering—seeking privileged people from overall disadvantaged groups.

chengiz 4y ago
Privileged compared to most around him? I'm not comparing OP to the Kennedys but just because he came to the US with a few hundred bucks and worked hard does not mean he is not privileged. The generational poverty thing is a disingenous distraction. Hypercompetitive environments like the bay area is rife with OP-like cases, the parents go after the boxes to check to get into the top schools, the kids check them. OP's son worked hard and will almost certainly go to a good school, but... Sharma's son went to MIT! All that has happened is that the gaming Indian parents do doesnt work as well as it once did because others wised up to it. I see nothing wrong with promoting someone who has "unforced" talent, and in some cases race may be a poor way in some cases to base that upon, but in general it is not so bad. The real tragedy is that the most unfair thing these colleges do, which the article mentions, legacy admissions, gets a pass in all the AA talk.
- rayiner 4y ago
  > All that has happened is that the gaming Indian parents do doesnt work as well as it once did because others wised up to it. I see nothing wrong with promoting someone who has "unforced" talent, and in some cases race may be a poor way in some cases to base that upon, but in general it is not so bad. So what you’re saying is that it’s “not so bad” for colleges to pick the upper middle class Hispanic kid over the upper middle class Indian kid, because you think Indian parents are “gaming” the system. I’m going to say no, that’s racism, and it should be illegal. If you want to give kids a leg up because they’re from a poor family, fine. But it shouldn’t matter what race they are.
  - chengiz 4y ago
    1. Yes. 2. Affirmative action is not racism.
    - rayiner 4y ago
      Justifying affirmative action based on stereotypes of Indian parents "gaming" the system is absolutely racism.
    - speakfreely 4y ago
      > Affirmative action is not racism Can you share the definition of racism that you're using?
- RigelKentaurus 4y ago
  If gaming the system means cultivating good study habits, taking rigorous classes over 4 years, generally pushing yourself to realize your potential, maintaining balance through sports and exercise, we're guilty. These are good habits that will serve him well no matter where he goes. I think you may be projecting your own thoughts and insecurities here.
  - chengiz 4y ago
    In that case you should not be too hung up about him getting admission into a "lesser" (according to you) school. But here you are. Oh absolutely I am projecting my thoughts. I was lucky but I know many Indians who have been pushed by their parents and are miserable. I also dont think a university environment dominated by such kids will be good either for the school or for them down the line. I am pretty positive your son will have a great experience in whatever school he goes to vs whatever ideal school you had in mind for him. Diversity to me is ipso facto a good thing.

RigelKentaurus 4y ago

I have a huge problem with people looking at the world through the lens of "privilege". Seems like "privilege" is what they're looking for all the time. Also, you watered down the term "privilege" to such an extent that it has lost any practical meaning. I came to the US as it is the land of opportunity, and still believe that is the case. In my view, anyone born here, including black and brown people, has sort of won the lottery already. But they're so concerned with "fairness" that they miss taking advantage of the opportunities right in front of them.

speakfreely 4y ago
It's really clear that most Americans have very little idea about what life is like anywhere else in the world. Getting US citizenship is a golden ticket for people in most developing countries and the immense government support in housing, state welfare/support programs, small business support, etc. is incomprehensible to those of us that weren't with born with it. I understand a big part of the problem is that many US citizens don't understand what's available, but some almost everyone has smartphones and Google these days, even infrequent attempts to casually browse the internet for self-improvement will yield very large returns for most US citizens in poverty.