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It's reverse racism to vote for Sanjaya just because he's of Indian origin.

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Now that's just silly. What in the world is that supposed to mean? With the recent brouhaha involving Don Imus and the Rutgers University Women's Basketball Team and with the final good bye to Sanjaya from American Idol, I have been hearing the term "Reverse Racism" bandied about.

Let's be frank. When I was in high school one of my best friends was a bright guy by the name of Kungu Njuguna. When we graduated from high school we both ended up at the same university for a semester. While we were there we attended a sensitivity something or other that a mutual friend of ours was putting on for one of his classes. There was a discussion period afterward in which Kungu said something poignant that I never forgot:

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There is no such thing as reverse discrimination. There is only discrimination. Whether it happens to be white people directing it towards black people or black people directing it towards white people it is the same. Discrimination is discrimination.

”

-Kungu Njuguna

Going back to Sanjaya, why would it be reverse racism to vote for him because of his origin? Going by that logic it would be wrong to vote for an American Idol contestant because of their kinship or friendship for that person. American Idol does strive to have talent be most important. But we all know that American Idol is as much a popularity contest as it is a talent show. And that's not a bad thing. American Idol is a for profit organization. Whether the person with the best talent or the most popularity wins, American Idol still get their money.

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