Weird use of 'diversity' as a euphemism

[Valmy]

Now this is new: 'Diversity' new euphemism for less Asians? http://www.dailytexanonline.com/news/2012/01/27/diversity-remains-issue-despite-efforts

These are the demographics for the class of Freshmen from Texas High Schools that hit campus at the University of Texas at Austin last fall: 46% White 6% Black 23% Latino 19% Asian 6% Other (Other usually means Pacific Islander/Native American/Mixed Race person of some flavor)

These are the demographics of Texas according to the last census: 45.3% White 11.8% Black 37.6% Latino 3.8% Asian 1.5% Other

I mean the obvious over-representation here is the enormous numbers of Asians of various flavors.  But still just because Asians are way over-represented in top educational institutions that is hardly a diversity issue, I mean the Asians themselves are a ridiculously diverse group being the loosest definition of an ethnic group in world history.

Yet this article says this:

The senator said tuition increases keep minority students from attending public universities.

Asians: not minorities?  They make up 4% of the population.

"I think the University should make the efforts to reach out to students of color so they know there's a way to get to a higher education program," Durman said.

Asians are aparently not people of color.  Who knew?  Also it seems having nearly 30% of the students being Black and Latino seems sufficient for them to know there is a way to get into UT Austin.

It is just sort of amusing that this article seems to be calling for less Asians and more Latinos and Blacks but for some reason cannot come out and say it.  'This University suffers from yellow peril!'

[Admiral Yi]

Asians don't enjoy protected minority status.  Is that news to you?

Why do you think I vote Republican?

[Valmy]

Asians don't enjoy protected minority status.  Is that news to you?

Why do you think I vote Republican?

I have just never seen it stated so brazenly before.  That a group that consists of everybody from Turks to the Japanese and everybody in between is not diverse.

[Admiral Yi]

The thing I don't get is how Latinos made the cut but Asians didn't.

[The Brain]

Did they find themselves in '82?

[Valmy]

The thing I don't get is how Latinos made the cut but Asians didn't.

It could just be because they are still such a small group here that nobody feels the need to pander to them...but I guess it is the same in California where they are not so small.

[dps]

Asians don't enjoy protected minority status.  Is that news to you?

Why do you think I vote Republican?

Technically, that's not what the laws on racial discrimination say.

In practice, it probably often works out that way.

That a group that consists of everybody from Turks to the Japanese and everybody in between is not diverse.

Wouldn't most Turks and Arabs in the US identify themselves as white? 

[Valmy]

Wouldn't most Turks and Arabs in the US identify themselves as white?

Why would they?  No idea.  In that case the article failed again by showing an obviously Middle Eastern woman as an example of an 'Asian'.

[PDH]

Well they are obviously not a minority, there are billions of those little guys running around.

[The Brain]

North African Arabs get all the perks of being officially Black, right?

[PDH]

North African Arabs get all the perks of being officially Black, right?

In Texas they are all classes as "terrorists"

[Valmy]

In Texas they are all classes as "terrorists"

Truth!  That and 'Camel Jockeys'.

[The Brain]

Anyway, this was the first thing that came into my head when I saw this thread:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qid_WGBrQjA

[dps]

Wouldn't most Turks and Arabs in the US identify themselves as white?

Why would they?  No idea.  In that case the article failed again by showing an obviously Middle Eastern woman as an example of an 'Asian'.

Most Arab-Americans I know are pretty light skinned.  I'm not sure that I actually know any Turkish Americans, but I'd assume that they're the same, as a rule.

[Lettow77]

 My experience in Tennessee has been that Syrians, Turks, and such can claim to be white and be treated as such with great rate of success, while north africa/arabian peninsula arabs are a strange "other" element that isn't accepted into social circles.