A female interviewer with pink skin and red hair—meaning, of course, that everything except her vagina stinks to high heaven of white privilege—asks a group of mentally retarded activists about affirmative action.
This is great.I’m opposed to affirmative action but some of the other things people get into college for aren’t merit based either. Don’t they do legacy things where if your Dad went there it helps you?
In case your readers are uninformed, let’s be clear: affirmative action programs are meant to remedy inequality by assuring that disadvantaged applicants to college receive equal consideration and access to educational programs. Disadvantaged applicants traditionally come from communities and school systems without adequate funding to offer sufficient college preparatory courses to foster a level playing field for their students. Universities typically provide not just admission to disadvantaged students, but a host of academic and social supports (tutoring, additional coursework, peer counselors, etc). The result is that individuals without access to AP classes, private SAT prep classes, etc., are offered access on the basis of their success within the parameters of what they had available in their low-income home or community or school district. They then receive supplemental academic training to allow them to achieve parity with students from more affluent backgrounds.
Affirmative action programs remedy inequality by assuring that disadvantaged applicants to college receive equal consideration and access to educational programs. Those coming from communities and school systems without adequate funding to offer sufficient college preparatory courses are provided not just admission, but a host of academic and social supports (tutoring, additional coursework, peer counselors, etc). The result is that individuals without access to AP classes, private SAT prep classes, etc. achieve parity with students from more affluent backgrounds.
Thoughtful post lee, except the only reason affirmative action is necessary is because 1) a lot of black folks are dumb as hell and 2) most mexicans ain’t far behind. As for women (and from your writing I take it you’re either a woman or a cat owning, skinny jean wearing, barista of a man) well let’s just say the same folks who instituted affirmative action because they took numbers 1 and 2 (see above) for granted also understood women need some help too.
Affirmative Action is another perfect example of the American left’s policy ideas. The only vetting is “Does it feel like a nice thing to do?” No one actually asked what happens when students who aren’t qualified get accepted into schools to fill quotas. So everyone feels warm and fuzzy about the number of black students getting into top colleges, and ignores their high dropout and failure rates.
Lee, if you’re still out there, please fill us in on how on board you are with the fact that “to keep things even,” schools are now lowering standards for boys and raising them for girls.
When the free-market-fellating “right” stops flooding our country with stupid, mostly brown and unskilled labor, I’ll start taking this shit seriously.
Lee here. I’m not in favor of changing academic standards, I am in favor of recognizing that systemic inequities in the US are a reality and legacy of our nation’s history, and so require formal remediation through progressive admissions policies, supplemental academic and social support, and ongoing effort to ensure parity of access to decent schooling and jobs.
Dickbreath — what if the “very fact” is that there are genetic group differences in intelligence? What difference would “giving a shit” make in that case? Be creative in your answer, please.
Anonymous – it’s a fact that there exist disparities between ethnic groups in intelligence tests. It’s very reasonable to assume that, counter to the pat leftist answer, this is due to more than just bias on tests or poverty. That the differences are specifically genetic however is a huge leap of faith that does not accord with a lot of research that is actually being done on the genetic basis of intelligence. It’s very easy to jump to “it’s genetic” as a solution when it fits a political point you’re trying to make, but it’s not based on solid science. The problem with taking this approach when discussing issues like this is that when you use sciencey sounding answers that aren’t grounded rigorously it makes you very vulnerable to criticism even if the underlying point is still valid. The problems the black community faces in the united states need to be handled by the black community, specifically because when “helpful” white liberals decide they can solve those problems they inevitably make them worse off. It may be that they have a defective culture where it’s considered acceptable for fathers to abandon their children. It could be that decades of welfare handouts have helped make this happen. A number of black conservatives have pointed out that the indicators of general health of the black communities in the USA were improving up until the Johnson administration introduced all these “helpful” measures like welfare and forced integration, at which point things stagnated. At any rate it’s a complicated issue and nothing I am saying is at all a defence of affirmative action.
This is not to say there couldn’t be a genetic basis for the intelligence gap, it’s entirely possible, but we get into dangerous territory when we start evaluating poorly understood areas from the domain of science in terms that suit our political intuitions.
This is great.I’m opposed to affirmative action but some of the other things people get into college for aren’t merit based either. Don’t they do legacy things where if your Dad went there it helps you?
In case your readers are uninformed, let’s be clear: affirmative action programs are meant to remedy inequality by assuring that disadvantaged applicants to college receive equal consideration and access to educational programs. Disadvantaged applicants traditionally come from communities and school systems without adequate funding to offer sufficient college preparatory courses to foster a level playing field for their students. Universities typically provide not just admission to disadvantaged students, but a host of academic and social supports (tutoring, additional coursework, peer counselors, etc). The result is that individuals without access to AP classes, private SAT prep classes, etc., are offered access on the basis of their success within the parameters of what they had available in their low-income home or community or school district. They then receive supplemental academic training to allow them to achieve parity with students from more affluent backgrounds.
Affirmative action programs remedy inequality by assuring that disadvantaged applicants to college receive equal consideration and access to educational programs. Those coming from communities and school systems without adequate funding to offer sufficient college preparatory courses are provided not just admission, but a host of academic and social supports (tutoring, additional coursework, peer counselors, etc). The result is that individuals without access to AP classes, private SAT prep classes, etc. achieve parity with students from more affluent backgrounds.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHT-tEaNOhI&sns=em
How did Tyrone get on Jeopardy in the first place?
All this “white privilege” shit is nonsense. I saw Rosie Perez on Jeopardy; bitch nailed it.
Thoughtful post lee, except the only reason affirmative action is necessary is because 1) a lot of black folks are dumb as hell and 2) most mexicans ain’t far behind. As for women (and from your writing I take it you’re either a woman or a cat owning, skinny jean wearing, barista of a man) well let’s just say the same folks who instituted affirmative action because they took numbers 1 and 2 (see above) for granted also understood women need some help too.
oldie but goodie
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aceuaYKC8lI
My grandfather’s last words on his death bed were, “Do not gamble against Asians, you will lose, and lose badly.” Then he peaced it.
Affirmative Action is another perfect example of the American left’s policy ideas. The only vetting is “Does it feel like a nice thing to do?” No one actually asked what happens when students who aren’t qualified get accepted into schools to fill quotas. So everyone feels warm and fuzzy about the number of black students getting into top colleges, and ignores their high dropout and failure rates.
Lee, if you’re still out there, please fill us in on how on board you are with the fact that “to keep things even,” schools are now lowering standards for boys and raising them for girls.
@Lee. decent points but see: asians.
When the free-market-fellating “right” stops flooding our country with stupid, mostly brown and unskilled labor, I’ll start taking this shit seriously.
Lee here. I’m not in favor of changing academic standards, I am in favor of recognizing that systemic inequities in the US are a reality and legacy of our nation’s history, and so require formal remediation through progressive admissions policies, supplemental academic and social support, and ongoing effort to ensure parity of access to decent schooling and jobs.
lee- Why don’t Jews or Asians require this? If black culture doesn’t value education it’s no one else’s job to remedy that.
Lester- the very fact that you’re asking the question indicates that you do not actually give a shit.
Dickbreath — what if the “very fact” is that there are genetic group differences in intelligence? What difference would “giving a shit” make in that case? Be creative in your answer, please.
Anonymous – it’s a fact that there exist disparities between ethnic groups in intelligence tests. It’s very reasonable to assume that, counter to the pat leftist answer, this is due to more than just bias on tests or poverty. That the differences are specifically genetic however is a huge leap of faith that does not accord with a lot of research that is actually being done on the genetic basis of intelligence. It’s very easy to jump to “it’s genetic” as a solution when it fits a political point you’re trying to make, but it’s not based on solid science. The problem with taking this approach when discussing issues like this is that when you use sciencey sounding answers that aren’t grounded rigorously it makes you very vulnerable to criticism even if the underlying point is still valid. The problems the black community faces in the united states need to be handled by the black community, specifically because when “helpful” white liberals decide they can solve those problems they inevitably make them worse off. It may be that they have a defective culture where it’s considered acceptable for fathers to abandon their children. It could be that decades of welfare handouts have helped make this happen. A number of black conservatives have pointed out that the indicators of general health of the black communities in the USA were improving up until the Johnson administration introduced all these “helpful” measures like welfare and forced integration, at which point things stagnated. At any rate it’s a complicated issue and nothing I am saying is at all a defence of affirmative action.
This is not to say there couldn’t be a genetic basis for the intelligence gap, it’s entirely possible, but we get into dangerous territory when we start evaluating poorly understood areas from the domain of science in terms that suit our political intuitions.
That interviewer is half white and half Honduran, so she has half of the white privilege.
ever hear of a rhetorical question, Dickbreath?