Calling Scalia a Racist is Despicable
To call Justice Scalia a “racist” because of what he said during oral arguments on the affirmative action case now before the Court is a despicable slander which reveals that the name-callers are left with no real arguments…
Here’s the deal: Racial affirmative action in elite college admissions is necessitated by the fact that there exist objective racial differences in the entering qualifications of student applicants. It is natural to expect that such differences in entering qualifications will end-up being reflected in differences by race in post-admissions performance. The exact extent to which this is so is an empirical question, one answerable only by the examination of evidence. A rational person can hold that these post-admissions racial performance differences are small. Or, that whatever their magnitude, they are of little practical significance post-graduation. Or, that whatever their practical significance, the benefit of racial diversity in colleges due to affirmative action warrants accepting such performance disparity by race as the unavoidable cost of social progress. But, one cannot rationally hold at one and the same time that: (a) affirmative action is absolutely essential to avoid the exclusion of blacks from elite campuses; and (b) anyone who calls attention to the possibility of racial differences in the academic qualifications of the students who attend said colleges can be dismissed as a “racist.”
Those foisting this position on the American people at this moment are profoundly intellectually dishonest. They would have their cake (a goal of 8% blacks in the student body of a college that accepts only 1 out of 15 applicants, say), and eat it too (enforcing a ban on the discussion and exploration of the implications of achieving that goal).
I understand why second-year undergraduates would make such inconsistent demands. They have yet to be fully educated in the intricacies of logical argumentation. But, I’m befuddles as to how so many tenured professors and seasoned journalists can, in good conscience, follow suit.
I, for one, cannot.
Reprinted from Glenn Loury’s Facebook postings.
Glenn Loury’s homepage and videoblog.
Glenn C. Loury, Merton P. Stoltz Professor of the Social Sciences, Brown University
Trending Now on Affluent Christian Investor
Sorry. No data so far.
The Affluent Mix
Government Spending And Your Heart Rate March 4, 2021 | David Bahnsen

Tucker Carlson Ices Industrial Policy By Criticizing Wind Power... March 4, 2021 | Roger McKinney

What This Supply Chain ‘Mood Ring’ Tells Us About The Recovery... March 4, 2021 | Jerry Bowyer

Internet Oligarchs Attack Free Speech March 3, 2021 | Frank Vernuccio

Envy And Human Nature March 3, 2021 | Jim Huntzinger

This Data Shows How Weird This Recession Was... March 3, 2021 | Jerry Bowyer

Another Theologian Falls For Socialism February 17, 2021 | Roger McKinney

GDP Bounced Back, Sort Of February 17, 2021 | Jerry Bowyer

Apathy And Envy For All February 17, 2021 | Jim Huntzinger

The Global Stock Market Decompression February 17, 2021 | Jerry Bowyer

Why Things Are Bad And What You Should Do About It... February 17, 2021 | Terry Applegate

Gamestop Scandal: Who Is The Real Culprit?... February 11, 2021 | Roger McKinney

Who Has Economic Mobility? Everyone! February 11, 2021 | Jim Huntzinger

Biden Deletes China COVID Evidence February 11, 2021 | Frank Vernuccio

How Companies Pay Shareholders: High Earnings Quality Companies Do More Buybacks... February 11, 2021 | Jerry Bowyer

Volatility Vs. Capital Erosion February 11, 2021 | David Bahnsen

When Will The Party End? February 11, 2021 | Michael Pento

Back To Buybacks: Is It More About Dilution Than Concentration?... February 11, 2021 | Jerry Bowyer

Even Amnesty International Is Criticizing Facebook Censorship... February 5, 2021 | Frank Vernuccio

The War On Poverty’s Results February 5, 2021 | Jim Huntzinger

How Companies Pay Shareholders: Total Shareholder Payout A Better Approach?... February 5, 2021 | Jerry Bowyer

Interest Rate Threshold Keeps Dropping February 5, 2021 | Michael Pento

Join the conversation!
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, vulgarity, profanity, all caps, or discourteous behavior. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain a courteous and useful public environment where we can engage in reasonable discourse.