Reading Response Week 6 (Visual)

The issue of affirmative action was hotly debated in the Supreme Court in 2003. In the months leading up to the trial many opinion articles and political cartoons explored the issue of affirmative action from several points of view with varying arguments being made. In Mike Lester's "It's GOT to be the Shoes" we see college fictitiously portrayed as a carnival ride. A cut off of a clown informs student that you must be "this tall to enter", one two students of equal height are shown standing next to the clown, one student wearing oversized shoes with the words racial preference written on them giving the impression that, all other things being equal the student with the racial advantage will get into college. This comic makes a statement about equality and tries to make that point that especially when all things are equal, race gives an unequal advantage for whites.

In the second comic by Dennis Draughon the supreme court is shown in caricature with the text "The supreme court considers whether race should be taken into account to promote diversity" along with a thought bubble coming from the only black supreme court justice. This is fitting because of the comic's title, "Supreme Irony". It conveys the message that even as the Supreme Court attempts to instill diversity across America, they themselves do only a marginal job of promoting it themselves.

All of these comics promote the idea that even though on the surface the idea of affirmative action does seem to favor minorities, it's the absence of minorities in many aspects of our society that make their inclusion into higher education settings not only deserved but important. It also conveys the feeling that the only reason that minorities do not attend college is due to many socio-economic barriers such as wealth, culture, and other outside influences that the "general" population doesn't have to deal with. I'm still split on this issue myself, as a minority by the U.S census bureau (Asian or Pacific Islander) I cannot apply for NIH (National Institute of Health) or NSF (National Science Foundation) minority scholarships, grants or fellowships. This is frustrating that these double standards seem to apply, and one only realizes these frustrations when mere definitional debates prevent you from graining certain rights.