Discrimination and Race (Ann Speaking)
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The situations are not the same. We all agree that blacks were discriminated against in many harmful ways. Today there are some cases of strong affirmative action in which a black person is given a job instead of a white person in order to erase the effects of our long history of discrimination.

In these cases the black person isn't being given something BECAUSE he or she is black. He is being compensated because of an injustice that harmed him directly or indirectly. The white person isn't being discriminated against BECAUSE he or she is white. He is being required to pay a part of the compensation because he is a beneficiary of an unjust system. Color is not the determining factor. It only looks that way.

Lets take an example. More than 100,000 Japanese Americans were put in detention camps during World War II. Now, assume for simplicity that all Japanese Americans were put in the camps. Also assume that Congress later decides to compensate those who were detained. All Japanese Americans are eligible. Yet someone objects that this is wrong because it discriminates on the basis of race or national origin. He, not being a Japanese American, is being discriminated against. Isn't this a mistake? The Japanese Americans are not being favored because they are Japanese. They are being compensated for injustice.

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