In a story elucidating the failings of Affirmative Action, an Indian man who was unable to get accepted into medical school with a 3.1 GPA found success after transforming himself into a black man.
Vijay Chokal-Ingam, brother of now estranged actress/comedian Mindy Kaling, wanted nothing more than to be a doctor back in 1998 but had been rejected by 11 prestigious medical schools until he became ‘Jojo’ the African-American candidate. ‘JoJo’ continued his schooling for 2 years but quit after seeing his Indian friends getting rejected that had higher GPAs.
Vijay is set to publish a book soon on his experience.
He explains on his blog how he prepared:
“So, I shaved my head, trimmed my long Indian eyelashes, and applied to medical school as a black man. My change in appearance was so startling that my own fraternity brothers didn’t recognize me at first.
I even joined the Organization of Black Students and started using my embarrassing middle name that I had hidden from all of my friends since I was a 9 years old.”
It worked. He was accepted into St. Louis University School of Medicine:
Chokal-Ignam, who ultimately did not become a doctor, made his feelings about affirmative action clear in a recent tweet:
In an interview with The College Fix, author and University of Michigan professor Carl Cohen agrees and says affirmative action is “damaging for blacks and other minorities”:
“The philosophical justification of democracy rests upon the conviction that all members of some community are equal. In a democracy any preference for a racial group is intolerable.”
Cohen continues:
“Affirmative action has many forms. It can be honorable and right. When it takes the form of outright preference, it is morally wrong and deeply unwise. If preference is what is meant by affirmative action, it should be scrapped entirely, for sure.”
His solution:
“To bolster admission rates we need to provide the education – especially early childhood education!
That will enable minority applicants to succeed on their own merits.”
People Magazine reports that the actress and her brother are estranged. Mindy Kaling has not commented on Chokal-Ingam’s affirmative action application plan.
If you think one student in one instance “shows racism” then you’ve actually proved that white people are so full of themselves that they will equate anything to “reverse racism”. There has 1/44 black presidents in this country. If you feel “oppressed” then you need to look at your fellow white people and wonder why.
But to answer your question, I wouldn’t say it’s a “privilege” no. I’d take being able to run away from a police officer without being shot in the back 5 times, having a taser planted next to my body, and a juror saying they will “never” vote to convict the officer no matter what over getting into any school any day. Every black person in the US would happily have whatever quotas abolished if it meant that the disparity in the criminal justice system was abolished with it and we weren’t killed in site, with impunity, on a consistent basis.
Keith R Beard Jr. One has nothing to do with the other. Please do not get so general you walk away from the point. Cops have nothing to do with this scenario at all.
It absolutely does. Look at that woman who I responded to just under your post to me. Talking about this “proves” there’s racism in the country, and NOW things are going to change. I’m rapidly getting past the point where I’m willing to listen and reasonable on the issue. White people ignore every injustice visited upon minorities here…and I’m not even talking about black people here. They have an entire nation built specifically by and for them. They listen to the people who run this country, and they actually believe that the reason they’re not all rich and successful is because of everyone else here. That white people are the oppressed minority and that they’re this poor, mistreated group of people that need a champion. Ever since Trump was elected all I’ve heard from his supporters are “things are about to change now”. I guess the previous 43 presidents were all minorities too, and their policies kept white people down, huh? You’d think Trump was the first white male president ever. And any time that a minority dare says that they don’t like the disparate treatment they get hear we get jumped all over and hushed and told to stop complaining and whining, meanwhile the in the stuff that’s really important, the privilege to be ALIVE, that’s not comparable. So if I have to talk to and deal with people who don’t say a word about cops killing people and getting away with over and over and over again, but they want to speak out and say a black student got into college over a student of another race and THAT is actually a sign of privilege and racism in this country then no, I’m doing being reasonable and listening to those people. Being black in America means to have to fight every single day of your life here…against other groups of people…against each other and their ignorance…it’s a fucking curse to be black in America, and if I had any say in the matter I would not have been born black. You get sick of this$#%&!@*day in and day out.
Figures.
Fucking hilarious man…
Amazing if true. Not surprised.
It worked for Elizabeth warren and that crazy white chick who said she was black. Not saying it’s right but the system is quite open to “getting over”.
How do u become black…
THAT IS PATHETIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! RACISM IN EVERY AREA OF THIS COUNTRY!