A kinder, gentler form of bigotry.

• Position: YOUR LIFE - 'Joey Gonzalez, Great American' - Book review

"There is a kinder, gentler form of bigotry. It is called affirmative action. Those who practice this legal bigotry look at themselves in a mirror and no doubt see a kindhearted, sensitive liberal--but look again. Behind the friendly facade of affirmative action is a rotten framework that smells like Jim Crow." So says Tony Robles, author of the bilingual children's book, Joey Gonzalez, Great American. Robles has a message for minority kids, one he hopes they can take to heart.

"Some consider affirmative action to be one of the greatest victories of the civil rights struggle. How can it be a victory when it creates a government-enforced caste system with blacks and Hispanics at the bottom?"

Joey Gonzalez is Robles' answer to a system that reinforces the belief in minority children that they do not stack up. 'q-his is how affirmative action works," Robles asserts. "The U.S. Department of Justice sues the New York City Fire Department, alleging that the FDNY entrance exams discriminate against blacks and Hispanics because the exams mea sure reading ability. In other words, it's unfair to expect blacks and Hispanics to learn to read competently. Even if the lawsuit results in more black and Hispanic firefighters, how can anyone characterize this insult to their intelligence as a victory?"

Of course, as Robles notes, it all starts in the schools. "Principals actually encourage teachers to lower their standards, so that they have lower expectations when it comes to their students. Here is a quote from a high school principal in Harlem, N.Y.: 'Most of our students come from the lowest third percentile in academic achievement, have difficult home...