Pros and Cons of Hunger Strike

* We are in heartfelt support of the UCI hunger strikers and their objectives. What they have been doing is beautiful and courageous.

They have sent a clear message condemning every person in power who flip-flops on commitments to justice and equal opportunity.

We are deeply concerned about the danger to their health in the sacrifice they have been making. Yet we respect their willingness to make that sacrifice.

AMIN DAVID

Chair

Los Amigos of Orange County

* Fundamentally, these so-called students are misguided and insulting to intelligent Hispanic students. The whole idea of separating how we deal with each other in terms of oppressed, racial and ethnic victim categories was patently ridiculous and unworkable in the first place. So I hope we soon get to the point where nobody is a minority, and instead we are all just Americans. Of course there has been racial and ethnic discrimination and prejudice; and of course some racial and ethnic groups have been held back by prejudiced persons in our society as in all societies. But I’ll tell you one thing: The solution is not in instituting racial and ethnic set-asides, quotas and preferences as most affirmative action programs have tried to do for the last 30 years. The solution is for one to recognize reality, and figure out ways to overcome it.

I am Mexican American, I guess third-generation, whatever; I can honestly tell you I have never asked for nor received anything because of affirmative action. When I was a graduate student at Cal State Long Beach in the early 1970s, some guy came up to me and said, “Hey your last name is Hernandez, you should try to get into the program for Mexican Americans.” I replied, “Why? What will that do for me?” He said, “Well, you can graduate with only a 2.4 [grade-point average]!” To which I replied: “That’s stupid! My GPA right now is 3.6; so what do I need that program for?” This is America.

ERNIE HERNANDEZ

El Toro

* Re: “UCI, Protesters Ignore Deadline” (Oct. 29). A number of things strike me as I read this story. The first is that the students are really enjoying this. They get to play Cesar Chavez, Pancho Villa and Mario Savio (1964 Berkeley student revolt) rolled into one.

They are loving the attention, the high drama. They’ve got themselves convinced that they are noble martyrs to some lofty cause. In any case, it’s a good excuse not to go to class. Second, these people are not opposed to racial discrimination in principle. When you hold some people back (whites and Asians in this case) and nudge others forward (Hispanics in this case), that’s racial discrimination! The euphemism “affirmative action” doesn’t hide it very well. Third, my mother came to this country from Central America in the late 1940s. She received no special favors from anyone. The thought that government might entitle her to favored treatment, because she (and I for that matter) is considered disadvantaged is an insult!

BOB BENDER

Mission Viejo