Sure. Firstly though I would say of course we had African American doctors, etc, etc in 1958. But I think we 100% agree the scale was massively harder to achieve the feats at that time and many more likely talented men and women weren't given the same playing field in comparison to today.
I feel it reinforces inferiority because it creates a psychological norm, where say "John" would be accepted into a position he likely was less qualified for than "Jim", and accepts it with open arms because it benefits him. This is what "Jim" would have done years ago if it was in reverse. This in turn makes John mentally acknowledge that while he may be less qualified, he was equally deserving of a position because he can handle the position too. That is going down the wrong path because now when John is less qualified for a promotion than "Joe" 2 years later, John thinks he is deserving due to his experience of how he benefited from AA in the past. This is why I despise AA. The mass acceptance of AA imo is an acknowledgement that African Americans can't achieve as much greatness as they are capable of. It's a crutch, and an unneeded one.
In reverse, I would prefer a much more direct confident approach. Because we are in 2018 where equal opportunity has improved massively, anyone can achieve anything. If the community achieves less as a whole, refuse the handouts, and boldly say they are unneeded and prove the case. When African Americans apply themselves in many areas, they have proven they are equally talented than anyone given the circumstances, and superior in others. AA isn't needed to show that. Stand up and unite as a group and make statements such as "we're tired of being looked down on. Let's study 3x as hard, use online resources to build knowledge, network, build the image, build the personal brand", etc, and then break down perceived barriers. Look up to the African Americans who have achieved greatness through unrivaled work ethic and overcoming adversity as role models first and foremost. The main problem I see stemming from the community is the negative impacts of the current culture and mindset, which squanders more potential than any other community. Improving this, would have double the effect that AA ever could have.
OK, so you're saying that if someone was accepted to a school or was hired for a job under affirmative action, which means they were not the "most qualified", they should feel inferior, because it means they got something they KNOW they didn't deserve, right?... I understand that point...my counterpoint is that simply because you were not as qualified as someone else when you were hired for that job or accepted to that school does not determine that you are "inferior"...what makes you inferior is when you are given the opportunity and you FAIL...that is, when you demonstrate you are unable to perform at the level required of you by the school or by the job...but if you succeed, it proves that you were NEVER inferior...the problem all along was really just racism, and affirmative action was the cure...so, i guess my understanding of "inferior" is different from yours.
Now, i read somewhere a few years back that there was very little correlation between the grades used by harvard or other top schools to qualify students for admissions on one hand, and the actual classroom PERFORMANCE of the students, once they were admitted to harvard, on the other...that is to say, there were many students who were admitted with lower scores who ended up doing well and graduating with a degree, and many students who were admitted with higher schools and ended up failing. to me, that says the problem is not with the school's admission criteria. in fact, it shows that there are many, many bright and talented students who were failed by terrible high schools and who would be denied an opportunity at harvard if the only admissions criteria had to do with grades they got in high school...on the other hand there are many students who may have benefitted from a privileged background and when they were put in a position when they had to compete on their own without the support structure they had in high school, they lacked the strength of character to make it.
as for your other point about what the black community should do, i can tell you don't know much about black history...however, to make a long story short, it is a fact that ever since blacks arrived in america, and i'm talking even as slaves, we have been trying to achieve self-determination. of course every attempt at gaining freedom was brutally suppressed. after slavery, there was a period of black prosperity called reconstruction which saw many gains being made...that success was scuttled by the much larger and more powerful white majority because of jealousy about black progress. blacks then decided to separate from the white race and create our own communities...those were destroyed by white people rioting against black independence and progress or other acts of political aggression by whites...blacks seized opportunities to serve in the military and in support of the war effort, but every attempt to benefit from those efforts was met with murder, mayhem and destruction by whites.
when black men came from down south to look for work in the north, they were no different from the mexicans who cross the border to work for peanuts...blacks took lower pay for jobs from whites and sent money back to their families and tried to achieve some stability...white guys got mad they were losing their jobs, but they didn't do as you advise and tell themselves "hey, we're losing jobs to blacks...let's work 3x as hard, use resources to build knowledge, network, build the image, build the personal brand, etc"....what the did was, they rioted in the streets, killed black men, burned black neighborhoods and threatened businesses who wanted to hire blacks...then those business stopped hiring blacks and implemented quotas of zero for blacks.
...so blacks had to resort to menial jobs, unemployment or criminal activities to support their families. Then, those same blacks were told the reason for their situation was because we were lazy and lacked initiative...
so, my point is, there is no lack of drive and initiative in the black community. never has been...hell, we created the civil rights movement that gave rights to ALL disadvantaged people... we created american culture. that shows TREMENDOUS initiative, ingenuity, creativity and courage.
however, what there is, is a historical tendency for whites to suppress, destroy and denigrate any attempt of blacks to achieve success.
knowing this, the leaders of the most prestigious institutions in the land agreed with us that something had to be done to address the history of injustice...that's not us looking for a handout...it's not saying that we're not good enough to make it on our own...in fact, it's saying the opposite...it's saying, given a LEVEL PLAYING FIELD...that is, OPPORTUNITY, blacks can rise up equal to any other race...BUT THE WHITE RACE HAS TO STOP SABOTAGING OUR PROGRESS AT EVERY TURN...
the whole anti-affirmative action thing is whites saying "we know we dug a hole 30 feet deep and threw you guys in...well that's too bad, but sorry, we're not gonna help you get out of that hole. You need to do it without our help. but here's a 5 foot ladder..." then when we start pulling ourselves out using the 5 foot ladder y'all say "sorry, gotta take that ladder now, you have to pull yourself out of this hole yourself...you should have done it without the ladder, but you people, you just don't have the confidence in yourselves...if you would only get your act together, you would figure this thing out...learn to improve your culture and take responsibility and work 3x harder, you'll figure it out, OK?... have a nice day"...to me and every black person in the world, that's really a clear message from white people that boils down to you guys saying "hey, life is hard enough... we don't need to make it harder with competition from black people"
