I’m sure you’ve heard this story by now. The Berkeley College Republicans at UC Berkeley came up with the brilliant idea to have a “Race Based Bake Sale”. No, it isn’t some sort of awesome marathon/food challenge like the incredible “Krispy Kreme Challenge” like they do down in Raleigh for the NC Children’s hospital. (That’s a 4 mile race with a stop in the middle to eat a dozen delicious Krispy Kreme doughnuts. Hilarity ensues.) Instead, the Berkeley College Republicans held a bake sale and wanted to get attention make a statement by setting the prices based on race. They were trying to prove that affirmative action efforts are not fair. That it isn’t equitable to sell they same thing when people have to pay different prices for them. Here’s how they did it.
That would be:
Native Americans $0.25
Black/African Americans $0.75
Latino/Hispanic $1.00
Asian/Asian American $1.50
White/Caucasian $2.00
$0.25 off for all Women
I guess I appreciate the sensitivity on the titles. They didn’t want to piss people off up front. Does it look racist? That was the point. The president of the college Republicans wanted to have something that was “inherently racist” because he wants to talk about how inherently racist affirmative action is. He believes “it is no more racist than giving an individual an advantage in college admissions based solely on their race (or) gender”. I get it. He thinks affirmative action is unfair. He wants to focus on the process and not the cause or the effect. He comes up with a stunt to get attention but he gets the analogy all wrong.
(side question…where did they find that brother to sit at the back sale table? Come on Bruh!)
If they wanted to get it right, here is what the pricing structure per cupcake should be:
Asian/Asian American $100
Latino/Hispanic $500
Black/African Americans $You aren’t allowed to buy cupcakes
Native Americans $If you have some cupcakes we would like you to give them too us.
White/Caucasian $Free CUPCAKES! All you can eat.
Hot Women: Free Cupcakes for you too!
Not hot women: Do you really need a cupcake? Really?
See, the pricing structure above shows a lot about the mindset of the Berkeley College Republicans. They see affirmative action as something that costs them. They they have to work harder to get the same cupcake. That they have to pay a higher price to get the exact same cupcake. It makes it look like the road to a cupcake just gets easier and easier if you belong to certain racial groups. In reality, affirmative action is about giving someone who has never had a cupcake a chance to taste a cupcake. Finding a person who would become a master baker if they were just exposed to cupcakes. It is the hope that by letting someone get access to a cupcake, they would expand their world so that they might be able to get access to cupcakes for their children and their grandchildren.
You know what, let’s drop the metaphor, we’re talking about education. It isn’t easy for anyone. The opportunities are different and the effects are different in a way that hurts everyone. People can do great things when they get opportunities to learn.
In addition, how about the fact that I think it is racist to give other races access to sugar-loaded, carb-laden cupcakes at a lesser price? Here is the scene after the bake sale.
Sure, that looks like a “lay in” protest showing that a lot of people in the UC Berkeley were protesting against the Bake sale, but in reality it is just all the people going into diabetic shock because of all the cupcakes.
I know, I know it is a serious protest. I know the people running the table were there to educate and prove a very discreet point. Not mock the issue of race or trivialize the challenges that people face.
Wait a minute.
Two white girls just show up in hot pink indian headdress and they are good to go, huh? Let’s do the math. American Indian $0.25 with the female $0.25 discount. Free cupakes!
Sounds a lot more like the UvT pricing structure than the College Republican pricing structure doesn’t it?
Look. This isn’t the first time there have been racist baked goods. For instance:
Why do the brown cakes gotta be called “Ho Ho’s”? Huh? Where’s the protest for that?
I just want everyone to get along. Like I said above, I’ll take the marble cake.
No marble cake? Damn. Then I’m with Delonte West. You betta have my doughnuts.
-Brock
“Not hot women: Do you really need a cupcake? Really?”
well done
@Brock as usual your analysis stuck the landing.
I love cupcakes with all my food loving heart (I see you buttercup bakery) and I don’t appreciate it being dragged into this foolishness. Cupcakes are made of butter/sugar/goodness should above the fray!
p.s. white women take note you got thrown under the bus too…sexism/patriarchy means you will continue to face double standards and questions regarding your merit.
Bravo Brock! I can’t believe at a school where white/caucasians and asians make up 31% and 42%, respectively, of the student body population in 2011, are really having a protest against affirmative action. I think they deserve a Man Up Monday and a CBA for this one.
And as I frequently had to remind my classmates at Georgetown, even if you believe affirmative action got us here, it most certainly didn’t keep us there for 4 years, complete all of our work, and earn a degree.
Go play in traffic UC Berkeley Repubs. U clearly have too much free time and money on ur hands.
Great post Brock.
Dat cup cake price chart is interesting. Are they merely showing Us the different prices each race has to pay for a cupcake or are they truly showing how much they think each race is worth in this country ? I think without them realizing it, the latter is true and if they came to understand themselves enough to see this truth, they would realize dat dat is the reason affirmative action is necessary.
Lastly, dat pensive looking, old ass nucca needs his social security took for sitting at dat bake sale table.
“In reality, affirmative action is about giving someone who has never had a cupcake a chance to taste a cupcake. Finding a person who would become a master baker if they were just exposed to cupcakes. It is the hope that by letting someone get access to a cupcake, they would expand their world so that they might be able to get access to cupcakes for their children and their grandchildren.”
well said Brock!!
And as I frequently had to remind my classmates at Georgetown, even if you believe affirmative action got us here, it most certainly didn’t keep us there for 4 years, complete all of our work, and earn a degree.
^^
Thats the one
If I get hit with a double post, and the first one is only half a post, my bad……
Anyway, what I was saying was:
“They see affirmative action as something that costs them. They they have to work harder to get the same cupcake. That they have to pay a higher price to get the exact same cupcake. It makes it look like the road to a cupcake just gets easier and easier if you belong to certain racial groups. In reality, affirmative action is about giving someone who has never had a cupcake a chance to taste a cupcake. Finding a person who would become a master baker if they were just exposed to cupcakes. It is the hope that by letting someone get access to a cupcake, they would expand their world so that they might be able to get access to cupcakes for their children and their grandchildren”
Part 2 of that statement is true, yet I think a lot of people believe part 1 is the AA that takes place these days. Lil story, when I was serving Unk Sam and grinding for promotions it was brought to my attention that Native Americans were getting the same promotions in 1/4 of the time. I spoke with some people in the know and was told if I could prove I was part injun I could probably cut promotion time down by at least 1/2. Simply put, if someone in your family runs a casino you can skate through the military to a retirement with little to no effort. I realize why the action was made and I am sure it has helped many a “minority” to get that degree, but having sat in meetings to decide promotions, hirings, firings, race comes into factor. It’s a shame but it’s also a truth. Old white America is terrified of people crying race.
Also, “Why do the brown cakes gotta be called “Ho Ho’s”? ”
NICE!
haha
These responses are why I love Team Us. There aren’t many places you can talk about Affirmative action without someone completely breaking out the racist bombs.
@Jezus
Coming up, I knew a nucca dat said he knew a nilla dat could forge fake papers to make anyone have injun in their family. You just had to meet certain conditions. Homie was charging a grip, but I heard shit was official. You couldn’t get a Casino, but you could get some things. See Jezus, if only you knew da right people.
You know what, I don’t think I ever met a full blood Native American before. I wonder what tribes got da broadz wit da phattest ass ? Somebody from Team Us wit da 411, let me know. And put up some links if you have ‘em.
I empathize with the desire to give an opportunity to a deserving person who otherwise would not receive it. But there are better ways to execute that agenda than by allowing race to be a factor. I also understand that there are certain socioeconomic correlations with race, but there is no reason that employers, schools, etc. can’t look at those parameters outside the context of race to make the same decisions.
When you allow race to inform those decisions, it’s racism (any decisions actually). Reverse racism, backwards, upside down racism, altruistic racism, whatever you want to call it. It’s racism. Minorities can’t have it both ways, either race should matter or it shouldn’t (it shouldn’t). Obviously real life is messier than dealing with things in the abstract, so our solutions to problems are usually less than ideal, but there are better ways to execute Brock’s stated intention.
The only way AA makes sense is as a preemptive countermeasure to anticipated racism by schools and employers, which is pretty much what it is. I don’t have a problem with that for a couple reasons. The first of which is simply that there are racists in schools and workplaces. The second is that even though making it easier for one person to get some of the limited cupcakes available makes it inherently more difficult someone else, that’s fucking life (every solution can’t be perfectly fair). There are enough lazy people in the world that AA isn’t going to keep a go getter from his cupcakes.
I love how Ian’s comments all eventually boil down to “life isn’t fair, but it’s all we’ve got…so sack up and deal with it”.
$you aren’t allowed to buy cupcakes. Ha!
If these people think cupcake prices make a reasonable analogy they need to get dropped from the Berkeley roster.
Good work, Brock.
College republicans are always up to some dumb ass shit. Go back to your business/finance classes and stfu.
@ Ian I love how u always keep it 100!
@ everyone, we are so normally ignant on here but I love how easily everyone clicks over to intellectual for th epost.
I don’t think AA is a case of minorities trying to “have it both ways.” AA just acknowledges that even though race shouldn’t matter, it is probably going to. Its not a perfectly fair system and I do think there are better ways of evening the playing field (how rich your parents are is a more important factor to consider than your race for one), but what I really don’t understand is how no one thought that cupcake sale through enough to realize what a stupid idea it was.
so i actually have nothing to say cuz its all been said great post brock
@ Itz
Nah….I ain’t never wanted to be a damn injun….100% nilla. I got all the cupcakes I want round dis bitch.
Always funny how these clowns never seem to get mad at other groups that get preferential treatment. Is letting in a star athlete, military vet, legacy kid that would never qualify academically any less egregious than a minority?
@Brock
I’d like to think I’m a little more nuanced than that, but I guess you’re right . . . it either comes down to what you said or something along the lines of “you guys are fucking crazy, I’d hit that”.
I’m alright with that.
@ Duke
Sure it’s different.
Why you ask? Because there are way less Star Athletes, military vets, legacy kids applying than there are minorities……I don’t have numbers to prove this, but based on how I have seen the minority population grow the last…let’s say 15 years, I feel comfortable in this assumption.
Also, dat Star Athlete brings recognition, dat military vet fought to preserve the few freedoms we have in this lil piece of the world, the legacy kid…well his pops will probably donate some $$ to help out.
Int’esting piece, Brock. Lossa nucca/nilla/nippa pipin’ up ta drop naahledge up in dis piece.
@Rosy
OBB don’t got da IQ pointz to get wut u tryin ta say on dat p.s…n kinda lakkin interest ta try to figger it out. Sorry, dog, u loss sum o’ us wen u got all smart wit dat patriarky shiz…dat jus got me thinkin riht quik bout my boi Tom Brady an “who da patriots playin nex weeken?”
I goss ta say da AA ain’ much betta dan dat othuh AA shiz (alcohol anon…OBB don’t want nonna dat shit…how my gonna get my 40 o’ OE goin down smoov wit my boi MF’n Ron O’Neal?)…c’mon man, if u goss da last name Chung or Chong, u running straiht uphill tryin ta get in ta da Ivy League er wherever else…dey tryin ta keep u out cuz you got dem perfekt SAT scorez AND play tennis and cello like YoYo Ma…goss ta feel wit my nippa hermanoz…dat shiz not fair at all…
I mean, it ain’t like da NBA like “Hey A-dog, u 5’6″ an 125 but we want u getta chance to taste dis dam cupcake up in dis NBA piez b/c da ratios all messed up in here…”. Nah, mang, u goss ta b 7 + haff feet tall ta get dat look like my boi Yao Wow. Das sum tuff maff workin for u, mangs.