In a moment of guilt, the American people decided to fix the problem of minorities, first African Americans and later women, both categories being last in line for jobs and education behind white men. The problem is, once the pendulum is put in motion, it never stops at neutral, it always continues to the opposite extreme, where affirmative action now directly harms those not expressly designated as recipients of government largesse. And when that happens, eventually the part of the population actually harmed by affirmative action takes steps to reverse the pendulum, in the expectation that the pendulum will eventually stop at neutral. But it never does. Asian Americans are now bringing lawsuits against universities that deny them entrance, even though their scores are considerably higher than the scores of African American applicants. The Asian Americans will eventually find legal relief, and the pendulum will start to swing the other way. But where will it end?

 

The pendulum at top of arc

Will briefly pause ‘fore it descends

To leave once favored in the dark

To favor whom? Well, it depends

On where the pendulum in flight

Is at at any given time

To pendulums no wrong or right

Pertains, nor reason and or rhyme

For pendulums think not at all

About the nature of those arcs

Or for the reason for their fall

From favored whites to Rosa Parks

Who for the briefest moment shone

Reflected light upon her kin

Who by the pendulum alone

Were favored with a transient win

The pendulum now upward swings

And those now favored must adjourn

And leave the arc and gifts it brings

To those believing it’s their turn