I am responding to an article in The Cavalier Daily arguing against affirmative action by Annette Robertson (“Reverse discrimination,” Oct. 3). I thought it was well done, and I applaud the author for it. However, I was surprised that she did not mention another more intuitive reason why affirmative action is illogical: It would be unfair to alter an applicant’s chances of admission based on a physical characteristic over which he or she has no control. Consider this: Would it be fair to help or hinder an applicant because he was born ugly or beautiful? Or because he was born with a certain eye color? Somehow, I doubt it. Nobody chooses to be born with those types of arbitrary (relative to admission) physical characteristics that have no relation to merit. Likewise, I submit that it would be inconsistent and irrational to enhance or detract from someone’s chances of admission because he was born into a certain race.
Byron Cheon
CLAS II
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