The hypocrisy has reached new levels

[kandrathe]

I do believe that the "minority lounge" management handled your friends poorly and that by your description they were discriminated against. So, it is a bit contrary of me to argue for the minority in this case, but for the sake of discussion, I'll give it a try. I've never been a minority, and so I have no idea what it is like for them. I can only imagine, and probably not that well.

My proposition is that while your friends are quiet and respectful, they have probably dealt with many who were not. There may even be many minority students who have white friends that might want to study together, but also must find an alternative place. This minority group has gotten permission from the "powers that be at the University" to have a specially designated minority lounge. This may be a place where "the minorities" can congregate and be together to help them build a "community". A non-threatening environment as it were. I would guess that your friends have the opportunity to go to any number of quiet places to study, and that having this one as well is not all that neccesary. So, if they did not enforce the "minority" part of that it would just be another lounge. Your University might be a public institution funded with tax payer dollars, but that doesn't mean that you can go anywhere you like and do anything you want.

Maybe it is alright to have some discrimination. Like, we take for granted the segregation of mens and womens locker rooms (separate but equal). Women may not be comfortable changing clothes with a bunch of men hanging around. Minority specific fraternal and sorority organizations are able to discriminate based on race. When I was at the University, there were any number of campus groups that discriminated who could become members (e.g. Campus Lesbians, Muslim Prayer Group, and a plethora of ethnic groups). Take my example of the Muslim Prayer Group. They had a very nice place, and it was a very spiritual place, but it was set aside for followers of Islam. So, imagine now that 200 Christians were allowed to also use the space displacing the 2 dozen Muslims. It would become a Christian place, and cease being a place where the Muslims would feel comfortable. These special islands are very important for minorities to have an identity as minorities, amongst the ocean of homogenization that happens within the University.

(again, remember this is me playing the devil's advocate)

Discrimination is discrimination is discrimination. One cannot interpose flowery words and empty ideas in an attempt to cover up the ugliness that discrimination is. One cannot look me in the eye and tell me that giving advantages to others based solely upon the color of their skin is discrimination. Discrimination is ugly in any form.

I am challenging this notion. We are not all the same, and we should not be forced to be the same. How does one differentiate themselves in society if one is not allowed to have express their differences in gender, race, religion, ethnicity, or sexual preferences. The tyranny of the majority should not dictate the norm for the individual. If that happens, where is freedom? "Discrimination" is ugly when it excludes an entire class of people from the services to which the majority have free access. It is not ugly when the minority protects itself from being assimilated by the majority. I may not agree with the teachings and philosophies of David Koresh, but I support his right to have a place to follow his beliefs (however waco they might seem to me) as long as they don't violate any laws (which was his problem).

So my observation of how the courts work is that the crux of "what is discrimination?" is that as long as the white students are served with similiar areas where they can study peacefully, then discrimination is not occuring against the "class" of whites but only to those that want to study in every area.