--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I looked up affirmative action once in…" description: "\"I looked up affirmative action once in Wikipedia, and it said, 'A measure by which white men are discriminated against,' and I got so mad.\" — Gloria St..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/822/gloria-steinem-277_action_i-looked-up-affirmative-action-once-in-w_1799829.jpg" --- # I looked up affirmative action once in Wikipedia, and it… ![“I looked up affirmative action once in Wikipedia, and it said, 'A measure by which white men are discriminated against,' and I got so mad.” quote by Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/822/gloria-steinem-277_action_i-looked-up-affirmative-action-once-in-w_1799829.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/822/gloria-steinem-277_action_i-looked-up-affirmative-action-once-in-w_1799829.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/822/gloria-steinem-277_action_i-looked-up-affirmative-action-once-in-w_1799829.jpg) > “I looked up affirmative action once in Wikipedia, and it said, 'A measure by which white men are discriminated against,' and I got so mad.” [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker expresses anger at a definition of affirmative action that frames it as reverse discrimination against white men, highlighting perceived injustice. **In simple terms:** Anger at seeing affirmative action described as discrimination against white men. Key Takeaway Recognize bias in language and definitions. Themes social justice race relations policy critique Mood critical frustrated thoughtful Type analysis controversial When to use this quote - academic research - policy debates - media analysis - activist meetings Key Concepts sociology critical theory public discourse Questions to Reflect On - How does language shape our perception of policy? - What alternative definitions could reduce misunderstanding? A Different Perspective The view may overlook affirmative action's intent to address historic inequities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Action](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/action/) [Affirmative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affirmative/) [Affirmative action](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affirmative-action/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) ## Related quotes > [Women's liberation is just a lot of foolishness. It's men who are discriminated against. They can't bear children. And no one is likely to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/golda-meir/women-s-liberation-is-just-a-lot-of-foolishness-it-s-men-who-are/) [Golda Meir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/golda-meir/) > [White men in Europe and the US are the beneficiaries of the single greatest affirmative action program in the history of the world; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kimmel/white-men-in-europe-and-the-us-are-the-beneficiaries-of-the-single/) [Michael Kimmel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kimmel/) > [White men in North America are the beneficiaries of the single biggest affirmative action program in world history. It's called world history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kimmel/white-men-in-north-america-are-the-beneficiaries-of-the-single/) [Michael Kimmel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kimmel/) > [Perhaps McCain has opposed affirmative action for so long that he doesn't know it's about inviting more people to meet standards, not lowering them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/perhaps-mccain-has-opposed-affirmative-action-for-so-long-that-he/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [There's been the same kind of demonizing of the word 'feminism' as words like 'liberal,' 'affirmative action,' and so on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/there-s-been-the-same-kind-of-demonizing-of-the-word-feminism-as/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [“It speaks volumes when people who are discriminated against go on to discriminate against others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashanne-stokes/it-speaks-volumes-when-people-who-are-discriminated-against-go-on-to/) [DaShanne Stokes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashanne-stokes/) > [I always identified myself as non-Swedish. I was never discriminated against, because I looked Swedish and speak without an accent. But I had an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-always-identified-myself-as-non-swedish-i-was-never-discriminated/) [Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/) > [“Not only did I not win the sweepstakes, but I didn’t even bother to enter. I feel discriminated against.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/not-only-did-i-not-win-the-sweepstakes-but-i-didn-t-even-bother-to/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [I have to be honest: I don't get many, if any - I don't know that I've ever received a phone call in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-cramer/i-have-to-be-honest-i-don-t-get-many-if-any-i-don-t-know-that-i-ve/) [Kevin Cramer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-cramer/) > [For African American children, in particular, the odds are extremely high that they will have a parent or loved one, a relative, who has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/for-african-american-children-in-particular-the-odds-are-extremely/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [As a woman in this organization, I can say that I don't ever feel that I was discriminated against or prevented from opportunities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-walden/as-a-woman-in-this-organization-i-can-say-that-i-don-t-ever-feel-that/) [Dana Walden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-walden/) > [But we are not going to stand by and go back to allowing people with preexisting conditions to be discriminated against, go back to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-axelrod/but-we-are-not-going-to-stand-by-and-go-back-to-allowing-people-with/) [David Axelrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-axelrod/) > [There's a general understanding amongst, I think, most people in this country that whether or not you have a preexisting condition, it's not your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-scalise/there-s-a-general-understanding-amongst-i-think-most-people-in-this/) [Steve Scalise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-scalise/) > [Men who cannot exploit the co-operative benefits derived from institutions in modern knowledge economies are discriminated against by girls and so have fewer children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-wills/men-who-cannot-exploit-the-co-operative-benefits-derived-from/) Christopher Wills > [If you ignore somebody's record and only focus on something that happened 25 years ago when all they were doing even then was trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-ellison/if-you-ignore-somebody-s-record-and-only-focus-on-something-that/) [Keith Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-ellison/) ## More by Gloria Steinem > [People waste more time waiting for someone to take charge of their lives than they do in any other pursuit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/people-waste-more-time-waiting-for-someone-to-take-charge-of-their/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Nothing will happen automatically. Change depends on what you and I do every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/nothing-will-happen-automatically-change-depends-on-what-you-and-i-do/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Women are never again going to be mindless coffee-makers or mindless policy-makers in politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/women-are-never-again-going-to-be-mindless-coffee-makers-or-mindless/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [The state of female artists is very good. But the very definition of art has been biased in that 'art' was what men did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/the-state-of-female-artists-is-very-good-but-the-very-definition-of/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [We will live to see the day that St. Patrick's Cathedral is a child-care center and the pope is no longer a disgrace to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/we-will-live-to-see-the-day-that-st-patrick-s-cathedral-is-a-child/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Just when you thought multi-nationals and crazed consumerism were too big to fight, along comes Naomi Klein with facts, spirit, and news of successful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/just-when-you-thought-multi-nationals-and-crazed-consumerism-were-too/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [I don't know Beyoncé, but I have the impression that she's sincere, that she really is a feminist and wanted to put the word…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-don-t-know-beyonc-but-i-have-the-impression-that-she-s-sincere-that/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [I started out life as a writer, and writers write in part because they don't want to talk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-started-out-life-as-a-writer-and-writers-write-in-part-because-they/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Proust's tea cake has nothing on one hour in a college dorm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/proust-s-tea-cake-has-nothing-on-one-hour-in-a-college-dorm/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Sadomasochiasm - which we know very well doesn't exist in societies that don't have child abuse - is regarded some sort of natural sexual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/sadomasochiasm-which-we-know-very-well-doesn-t-exist-in-societies/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Behave like everything you do matters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/behave-like-everything-you-do-matters/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [“Part of traveling over years means coming back to the same place and knowing it for the first time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/part-of-traveling-over-years-means-coming-back-to-the-same-place-and/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [If you say, I'm for equal pay, that's a reform. But if you say. I'm a feminist, that's a transformation of society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/if-you-say-i-m-for-equal-pay-that-s-a-reform-but-if-you-say-i-m-a/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [I think that part of everybody's success is due to their looks, but it just works in different ways. If you're whatever society calls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-think-that-part-of-everybody-s-success-is-due-to-their-looks-but-it/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Of course, we can change. We're very adaptable. But it takes a while.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/of-course-we-can-change-we-re-very-adaptable-but-it-takes-a-while/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) [Explore all 766 Gloria Steinem quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) ## More Action quotes > [I always say there are two things to be successful. The first is decide exactly what you want - set your goals - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/i-always-say-there-are-two-things-to-be-successful-the-first-is/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [You'd be surprised how hard it can often be to translate an action into an idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/you-d-be-surprised-how-hard-it-can-often-be-to-translate-an-action/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [Nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature... what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his action. If you know these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/nothing-is-so-powerful-as-an-insight-into-human-nature-what/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [Every thought I have imprisioned in expression I must free by my deeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kahlil-gibran/every-thought-i-have-imprisioned-in-expression-i-must-free-by-my-deeds/) [Kahlil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kahlil-gibran/) > [It took me 20 years to buy an electric typewriter, because I was afraid it would be too sensitive. I like to bang the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/it-took-me-20-years-to-buy-an-electric-typewriter-because-i-was/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [Every action that helps us manifest our divine nature more and more is good; every action that retards it is evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/every-action-that-helps-us-manifest-our-divine-nature-more-and-more/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [As you begin changing your thinking, start immediately to change your behaviour. Begin to act the part of the person you would like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-you-begin-changing-your-thinking-start-immediately-to-change-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/) [Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/) > [For comedy action, I must know the language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammo-hung/for-comedy-action-i-must-know-the-language/) [Sammo Hung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammo-hung/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [“Action is a powerful thing. When you smile through your sadness, it can completely change your outlook. Try it! Smile :) Now hold onto…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leticia-rae/action-is-a-powerful-thing-when-you-smile-through-your-sadness-it-can/) [Leticia Rae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leticia-rae/) > [I reject criticism because the last thing I wanted was to sit there and look at people talking. I think people are conditioned to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-tyrnauer/i-reject-criticism-because-the-last-thing-i-wanted-was-to-sit-there/) [Matt Tyrnauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-tyrnauer/) > [“I take my actions because of my passion not because of compulsion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/i-take-my-actions-because-of-my-passion-not-because-of-compulsion/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [When the first Superman movie came out I was frequently asked "What is a hero?" ...My answer was that a hero is someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/when-the-first-superman-movie-came-out-i-was-frequently-asked-what-is/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) [Browse all 14,940 Action quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/action/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I looked up affirmative action once in Wikipedia, and it said, 'A measure by which white men are discriminated against,' and I got so mad.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gloria Steinem" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-looked-up-affirmative-action-once-in-wikipedia-and-it-said-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Action" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-looked-up-affirmative-action-once-in-wikipedia-and-it-said-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/822/gloria-steinem-277_action_i-looked-up-affirmative-action-once-in-w_1799829.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/822/gloria-steinem-277_action_i-looked-up-affirmative-action-once-in-w_1799829.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/822/gloria-steinem-277_action_i-looked-up-affirmative-action-once-in-w_1799829.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I looked up affirmative action once in Wikipedia, and it said, 'A measure by which white men are…” — Gloria Steinem", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Gloria Steinem", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I looked up affirmative action once...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-looked-up-affirmative-action-once-in-wikipedia-and-it-said-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-looked-up-affirmative-action-once-in-wikipedia-and-it-said-a/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```