For the last 50 years Affirmative action has existed in this bizarre situation where the practice clearly violates the Civil Rights Act of 1964 in both intent and letter of the law. And yet that same Civil Right act is used as rationalization by federal bureaucrats to expand the practice.
The US Supreme Court on this issue is like an over-indulgent parent who keeps telling a disobedient child “No” repeatedly but not being willing to punish violations of the rules so the behavior continues.
Well said! The truth of the matter is that Ibram Kendi finally said out loud what progressives have believed and have been implementing for the last 30+ years. A system of "reverse" discrimination on behalf of their chosen preferred groups. It's as if they missed the whole point of the Civil War. The biggest beneficiary of affirmative action of this type has ironically been white women...and they have no intention of going back to actually having to compete on a level playing field without gender based biases in their favor. Time for lots of class action law suits across the board.
I’m retired now but for many years I was a senior executive at a big national STEM consultancy. We did lots of federal work and were routinely subjected to EEOC audits. Regardless of what the law, or the Constitution, or SCOTUS says, we have an aggressive quota system in the US for various protected racial and gender groups.
All one need do to more fully understand the mechanics of the American racial spoils system is to read and listen to past heads of the various federal departments, administrations, agencies, bureaus, boards, and commissions boast about bringing ALL businesses and organizations under the yoke of racial "equity" using laws, regulations, procedures, and intimidation (threats of audits, lawsuits, loss of grants and contracts, etc.). Departments of Education and Labor, Small Business Administration, and the EEOC are great places to begin spelunking.
There is no fairness in war with a totalitarian enemy. The goal is the transfer of all wealth, status, and power, the fuel is resentment and fear, and the objective is colonization. They will also use lawfare and psychological operations when necessary. Appeals to logic will have no effect.
While I agree with much of what you said, I disagree that most of the people in that camp cannot be swayed through honest discourse. I’m fairly confident that most people who are wrapped up in this ideology just haven’t given it much thought. I was on that side when I worked for a large tech company because they made it seem as if “equity” was synonymous with equality and “anti-racism” was just a more intentional way of being against racism. There was no mention of rebalancing the social order. Once normal, compassionate people are tricked into accepting that jargon, it’s easy for those folks to keep walking down that path because it seems like a natural and moral progression of what they already believed and the language they speak becomes a signal to others about which side of history they're on—the right one, obviously! But I was educated out of this ideology, so I have little doubt others can be too. Once enough people in positions of power to change this realize they’ve been deceived, they will undo this nonsense with a swiftness. It’s already begun with exposing the moral corruption of the Ivy League leadership. I like to think people watched those hearings and realized, “Oh, this is the problem with moral relativism.”
I could not agree more. But race is not the only basis upon which you are not supposed to discriminate. Sex is another, as is age, and age discrimination is ubiquitious.
The problem is that she's a Trump appointee. You wouldn't get the entire EEOC Commission to come out and say this, and the courts have left enough grey area for the progressive racialists to drive a trunk through. It's going to take another SCOTUS decision to have a real impact on all of this stuff.
There are no amount of Supreme Court decisons that could ever get our left clerisy to abandon their sacred mission to socially (re)engineer based on race and based on where someone lies on the Oppression-ometer, most especially in upscale academia.
If the Civil Rights Act (maybe) created a second Constitution (at least according to Chris Caldwell), it absolutely gave birth to a new religious movement where the pain of minorities became sacralized and a new post-Marxist vanguard class marched through our institutions determined to transform America based on the principles of "Social Justice".
Unless we're planning a military occupation of every admissions and employment office in America, or some radical form of de-funding or a countrywide de-Wokeification campaign, we will just have to fight every battle one at a time.
I have shared this excellent article, thank you Lee for the great work.
For the last 50 years Affirmative action has existed in this bizarre situation where the practice clearly violates the Civil Rights Act of 1964 in both intent and letter of the law. And yet that same Civil Right act is used as rationalization by federal bureaucrats to expand the practice.
The US Supreme Court on this issue is like an over-indulgent parent who keeps telling a disobedient child “No” repeatedly but not being willing to punish violations of the rules so the behavior continues.
Well said! The truth of the matter is that Ibram Kendi finally said out loud what progressives have believed and have been implementing for the last 30+ years. A system of "reverse" discrimination on behalf of their chosen preferred groups. It's as if they missed the whole point of the Civil War. The biggest beneficiary of affirmative action of this type has ironically been white women...and they have no intention of going back to actually having to compete on a level playing field without gender based biases in their favor. Time for lots of class action law suits across the board.
The only screening “devices” in an equal nation are merit and intelligence.
Steve Sailer:
"this [racial IQ gap] might be the most exhaustively documented finding in the history of the social sciences."
So. The West can accept what is necessary to create and maintain our complex civilization, OR continue this illegal fool’s errand of “equity.”
https://www.palladiummag.com/2023/06/01/complex-systems-wont-survive-the-competence-crisis/
If these laws were applied as written, all reduced standards for non-white-non-male applicants to - ANYTHING - would be illegal and enforced as such.
… just in case you remain under the misimpression that we are a nation of laws and equality.
I’m retired now but for many years I was a senior executive at a big national STEM consultancy. We did lots of federal work and were routinely subjected to EEOC audits. Regardless of what the law, or the Constitution, or SCOTUS says, we have an aggressive quota system in the US for various protected racial and gender groups.
All one need do to more fully understand the mechanics of the American racial spoils system is to read and listen to past heads of the various federal departments, administrations, agencies, bureaus, boards, and commissions boast about bringing ALL businesses and organizations under the yoke of racial "equity" using laws, regulations, procedures, and intimidation (threats of audits, lawsuits, loss of grants and contracts, etc.). Departments of Education and Labor, Small Business Administration, and the EEOC are great places to begin spelunking.
"But the irony is that, as actually instituted, diversity in academia was a screening device to facilitate its radicalization (see here and here)."
I'm assuming there were supposed to be links at the 2 "here"s but there aren't any.
Thanks. Updated and fixed!
There is no fairness in war with a totalitarian enemy. The goal is the transfer of all wealth, status, and power, the fuel is resentment and fear, and the objective is colonization. They will also use lawfare and psychological operations when necessary. Appeals to logic will have no effect.
While I agree with much of what you said, I disagree that most of the people in that camp cannot be swayed through honest discourse. I’m fairly confident that most people who are wrapped up in this ideology just haven’t given it much thought. I was on that side when I worked for a large tech company because they made it seem as if “equity” was synonymous with equality and “anti-racism” was just a more intentional way of being against racism. There was no mention of rebalancing the social order. Once normal, compassionate people are tricked into accepting that jargon, it’s easy for those folks to keep walking down that path because it seems like a natural and moral progression of what they already believed and the language they speak becomes a signal to others about which side of history they're on—the right one, obviously! But I was educated out of this ideology, so I have little doubt others can be too. Once enough people in positions of power to change this realize they’ve been deceived, they will undo this nonsense with a swiftness. It’s already begun with exposing the moral corruption of the Ivy League leadership. I like to think people watched those hearings and realized, “Oh, this is the problem with moral relativism.”
I could not agree more. But race is not the only basis upon which you are not supposed to discriminate. Sex is another, as is age, and age discrimination is ubiquitious.
The problem is that she's a Trump appointee. You wouldn't get the entire EEOC Commission to come out and say this, and the courts have left enough grey area for the progressive racialists to drive a trunk through. It's going to take another SCOTUS decision to have a real impact on all of this stuff.
There are no amount of Supreme Court decisons that could ever get our left clerisy to abandon their sacred mission to socially (re)engineer based on race and based on where someone lies on the Oppression-ometer, most especially in upscale academia.
If the Civil Rights Act (maybe) created a second Constitution (at least according to Chris Caldwell), it absolutely gave birth to a new religious movement where the pain of minorities became sacralized and a new post-Marxist vanguard class marched through our institutions determined to transform America based on the principles of "Social Justice".
Unless we're planning a military occupation of every admissions and employment office in America, or some radical form of de-funding or a countrywide de-Wokeification campaign, we will just have to fight every battle one at a time.
Largely true, but a good SCOTUS decision would be very helpful nonetheless.