Agreed! Well, I think that part of the discomfort felt by people who dislike equity programmes is rooted in the idea that “things are getting better” in (if you’ll excuse the repetition of the word) a linear fashion. If we take black American history as an example, the reconstruction period actually saw a lot of successes for the black population, which was partially what inspired Jim Crow. It was a very deliberate attempt to undermine a more equal society. If you exclude that from consideration, it makes more (at least instinctive) sense to be discomforted by affirmative action.

If we are allowed to imagine equality as a natural progression, as opposed to something that is still being (often violently) opposed by many individuals and institutions, messing with it seems wrong. I suppose what I’m saying is that imagining a linear progression undermines the very real urgency of these programmes because it allows people to imagine that things will end well on their own. There’s the justice piece but then there’s also the practicality of what’s required to get there in a world that often doesn’t actually want it.