Trump Administration Reverses Obama On Affirmative Action
I don't know what to think about this.
I'm extremely anti-affirmative action...except in the sense that I think it may be the least-crappy option. At least in terms of consequences. I'm very much against--actually against, not just against in the other sense--the cult of diversity that's taken over my own institution (and many other places, it seems). I guess my current position is something like: I wish universities weren't possessed by this irrational, pseudoscientific quasi-religion...but I'm kind of in favor of the government forcing some rather minimal sex and race quotas on them, because I think it's good for society. Some nonsense like that. I wish universities hadn't become an arm of the left, and that they'd stand up for merit instead of trying every trick and fallacious argument in the book to promote diversomania. But the gubmint would say: sorry, but we have an important interest in keeping some rough proportionality with respect to race and sex when it comes to college degrees. (Imagine how screwed up things would be if, say, Asians or whites or whoever were getting 95% of the college degrees...) So your principles have to be modified by the national interest.
Yeah, we don't live in that world.
I'm extremely anti-affirmative action...except in the sense that I think it may be the least-crappy option. At least in terms of consequences. I'm very much against--actually against, not just against in the other sense--the cult of diversity that's taken over my own institution (and many other places, it seems). I guess my current position is something like: I wish universities weren't possessed by this irrational, pseudoscientific quasi-religion...but I'm kind of in favor of the government forcing some rather minimal sex and race quotas on them, because I think it's good for society. Some nonsense like that. I wish universities hadn't become an arm of the left, and that they'd stand up for merit instead of trying every trick and fallacious argument in the book to promote diversomania. But the gubmint would say: sorry, but we have an important interest in keeping some rough proportionality with respect to race and sex when it comes to college degrees. (Imagine how screwed up things would be if, say, Asians or whites or whoever were getting 95% of the college degrees...) So your principles have to be modified by the national interest.
Yeah, we don't live in that world.
posted by Winston Smith at
5:15 PM
2 Comments:
An affirmative action plan we can (almost) all get behind: (1) Burn down Harvard. The continued dominance of the "elite" schools is a terrible thing for the country, scholarship, and (educationally) the students who get in. (2) For whatever elitish schools remain, set minimum admissions standards ahead, and pick applicants that meet the standards out of a hat. (3) Make tuition zero at all state schools. More tax money might be needed, the social student justice life diversity initiative leadership safety excellence center and the lazy river might have to be closed as a cost savings measure.
"the social student justice life diversity initiative leadership safety excellence center and the lazy river might have to be closed as a cost savings measure."
Now that's funny.
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