I&#x27;ve never personally experienced something like affirmative action holding me back, and I&#x27;m not advocating people blame that system. I am all for taking personal responsibility for _everything_ you have to deal with in life (not just race or finances, every potential setback that prevents you from living the happy life you want).<p>I will say, though, that it doesn&#x27;t seem completely crazy to be angry at a system that is purposely favoring people with a race other than yours. I&#x27;m not asian, but I have heard that asians get the most points &quot;docked&quot; from them automatically when applying to colleges because asians study harder&#x2F;do better on tests in general. It&#x27;s not just that certain racists think that, it&#x27;s that it&#x27;s literally built into the system. If you study really hard despite a poor upbringing and get an A- on a test, and then know that it really only counts for a &quot;B&quot; for other races (even those that grew up in rich families with personal tutors), that wouldn&#x27;t bother you even a little?<p>And the sentiment you mention in your last sentence goes both ways. Lots of non-white people complain about not getting a job or otherwise not getting opportunities because of their race. And that&#x27;s when there isn&#x27;t an actual documented system in place that enforces it! I am sure some of them are absolutely right, but it&#x27;s unlikely all of them are.