[Bardan the Slayer]

I wish we could do away with the terrible euphemism "Affirmitive action" and replace it with the far more apt term "legalised racism" - yes, racism against white people.

If a person is applying for a job, a university post, a place at Uni, whatever - the person best qualified to go should be the one who gets the place. Adding 20 points to the 150-point scale just for being black makes as much sense as adding 15 points to my score because I wear white socks.

The colour of a person's skin in no way affects their academic ability, so it should in no way be something that is adjusted for in determining college placements.

Racial diversity is a good thing if it is taken in the proper spirit - that a person fitted for a position gets that position irrespective of the colour of their skin. Giving people bonus points for their racial background will only serve to exacerbate racial tensions by making white people feel like they are being discriminated against. Yes, racism against black people was (and is) terrible and indefensible, but two wrongs don't make a right.

I also find it terribly patronising to the black people that they are, in effect, being told "It's ok - we understand what a terrible handicap being black is, and we know that this makes you inherently inferior to white people, so we'll artificially inflate your score." That kind of thinking is just as racist as the KKK.

Yes, I can totally understand why a college wants racial diversity, but that diversity should not be artificial. If there are 100 places available and the 100 best candidates are white, then the white people should get the places. If the 100 best candidates are black, then they should get the places.

I fought like hell to get my place at my university, despite the many obstacles in my path, and if I lost out on my place simply because I was the wrong colour, that certainly wouldn't make me more tolerant to racial differences. Indeed, it would do exactly the opposite.