Yesterday was an…interesting day at University of Texas-Austin for members and spectators of the Young Conservatives of Texas (YCT) at the school. In an attempt to protest the role of affirmative action at UTexas as well as the policy in general, a bake sale was held that sold cookies at varying rates based on the race of the person purchasing them.
I’m screaming pic.twitter.com/l6HJbShcTx
— yak (@tweexicana) October 26, 2016
YCT apparently thought their mission was noble, and wanted to educate people about the dangers of affirmative action. “Our bake sale with have a tiered pricing method intended to illustrate this disastrous policy that demeans minorities on our campus by placing labels of race and gender on their accomplishments,” the event description for the bake sale reads.
Okay, let’s jump right in here. This protest by the YCT wants to make people think that affirmative action is “demeaning” because people get certain opportunities because of their race or ethnicity. But it totally ignores the fact that non-white people are subject to systematic and social treatment that makes it statistically more difficult and less likely for them to receive or even have the chance to receive higher education. Affirmative action seeks to remedy that, and it doesn’t mean that the people who get in because of it are any less qualified.
They also didn’t seem to realize how demeaning it is to tie racial groups to certain monetary prices, especially given the racist history of the U.S.
The UT “Young Conservatives of Texas” group is having a bake sale right outside where early voting is happening right now & I’m disgusted. pic.twitter.com/3GQZL1Bc3B
— nick (@jadejesleighpez) October 26, 2016
Thankfully, there are plenty of students at UTexas who understand this and were not about to let this protest go on without making their voices heard. Approximately 100 other students showed up to the bake sale to protest, and the infuriation with the event was expressed all over social media.
Racist bake sale going on by the tower
— ginger spice (@chillarybankz) October 26, 2016