On Affirmative Action (yipes)

We are just reading some affirmative action cases in Constitutional Law; amazing how much racial discrimination can pass the court's strict scrutiny if the institution in question avoids outright quotas (and does it really matter how the discrimination is done?) and claims to have a benign purpose for said discrimination. As a Jew from the former Soviet Union, with vivid memories of Soviet institutions using affirmative action for the not-so-benign purpose of keeping Jews out of the top universities, I really wonder how benign those "benign" purposes really are. I presume that no top law school will actually admit that it's conducting an affirmative action program for the purpose of keeping Jews out. Or keeping Asians out.

I also rather wonder how they define "white". Again, I'm a Russian Jew. Genetically, I have as much in common with a Swede as I do with a Zulu. Ashkenazi Jews are a distinct and highly homogeneous ethnic group. For that matter, so are Swedes. So are Italians. So are Irish people. So are Icelanders (who are also a distinct and widely studied ethnic group; they are also very homogeneous). Many of the above ethnic groups have been discriminated against in the US; anyone remember the "No Irish Need Apply" signs? Anyone remember when Jews couldn't go to Yale? (not too long ago, in fact) And yet, all of these distinct and diverse ethnic groups are lumped into the same catch-all category of "white" - why?

Ah well. This is all old stuff; it just happens to be the homework for tomorrow, hence the above.