We, at Social Ironies, are not too keen on affirmative action. We feel that while it helps short term, it does long term damage by creating artificial environments, situations and opportunities. This, in our opinion, hinders on the ability of an individual to later on function properly or successfully once the artificial factors are removed. We also believe, that stating this is not enough and stating this does not clear us from our social resposibility to help minority groups to achieve their potentials as sub-groups and of each member as individuals. Finally, we at social ironies are a multicolored/multi-cultured group of people who have been rightfully or wrongfully assimilated by a variety of means (birth and upbringing mostly) to the American society. That is to say that while the text below could be misconstrued as being written from a majority perspective, the description of the authors as part of the majority is actually incorrect.
Social Ironies advocates social awareness and social action. Here are some requirements that will help us help all people better.
1. Research
The best way to help a sub-culture achieve full potential is very similar to the best way to getting your children to brush their teeth. See, your children think differently, they place value on different things and so explaining to them all about teeth falling out will not work. Now, we are not talking about dumbing down matters, see your children do not buy the "falling out" explanation not because they are less capable, but because they are smarter and know that the teeth you want them to brush will fall out anyway by the time they are 7. On the other hand, if you pay close attention to your children and truly understand how they think and how they decide how to place value on the different activities of their life you would quickly come up with better solutions: you can only eat candy if you brush afterward, your teeth look whiter when you remove the kool-aid from them by brushing etc.
It is very similar with sub-cultures. A sub-culture that places emphasis in the family (such as the Indian sub-culture) is better reached through family and family values. A sub-culture that places emphasis in making enough money to help themselves and those they left behind (such as some subsets of immigrants) as is best reached through education in better ways to invest or make money. And so on.
2. Connecting
It is very easy for politicians (white and blue and neon green collared alike) to say they are going to change the world for this group or that group. Some even truly mean to make a change. However, a person must connect with the group they want to help if they truly want to trigger change if they want to lead by example. Otherwise, all is missed as people admire them as an unreachable objective rather than listen to what they have to say.
One example of this can be seen with Hispanic immigrants. Here, at Social Ironies, we truly believe that to truly live the American Dream which is nothing but truly achieving the point in life where one is able to choose the direction life takes requires that one achieve dominion over the English language. But much in the same way, if people in the government are truly concerned about the fate of this fast growing (the largest even) minority in the US, the government needs to connect to this minority in their language. Now, language is not limitted to English vs. Spanish vs. French. Language also means cultural language and it does not stop there.
When we connect with someone, it is more than communicating with that person, it is also about understanding that person, understanding their goals, realizing how we can help and most importantly having the desire to do so. We, as a nation, have taken some seemingly good steps toward this in the U.S. by having bi-lingual signs, interpreters at hospitals, etc. However, if one truly connected to this group, one would quickly realize that helping them understand us and our culture is the best way to help them achieve their American Dream. This is much harder and has no surefire formula we can follow, this requires community and services and willingness from the masses but can truly be started from those in power.
3. Leading and Empowering
Once understanding of the minority groups/sub-cultures is achieved, once those in charge and those who have realized the need for action have learned to connect with these groups by speaking their cultural language, realizing their needs and acquiring a desire for change, then we all have both the responsibility and the duty to lead them and empower them so they too can achieve their goals and so they too can later lead others.
By leading, one is able to show another how to walk, where to walk and which paths are best. By empowering others, they are given the tools (physical and mental) to walk on their own and eventually become leaders of others within or outside their own sub-culture. It is only when we all are able to lead and empower others (red, yellow, black or white) and only when we are selfless enough to find the time and the means to do so that we have truly changed their lives, that we have truly blurred color lines and when we can start looking like one nation under God, indivisible.
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