https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/...t-universities
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Good man.
Did you see this, by the way? Written in 1969, it accurately predicts the consequences affirmative action would have on American universities. It argues that, rather than overcome harmful racial stereotypes about academic ability, such policies would only serve to reinforce them, thus increasing divisions.
https://heterodoxacademy.org/2016/05...1969-prophecy/
Thanks, will read later. I do know that drop-out rates among African American kids who have been parachuted into college are pretty appalling.
And then there's just common sense based on what we know about human nature. In any context, if you know you made it somewhere through merit and the person next to you is only there because of the colour of their skin, resentment is inevitable.
The key passage is this one, which basically describes the situation on most US campuses today.
Quote:
No one can be expected to accept an inferior status willingly. The black students, unable to compete on even terms in the study of law, inevitably will seek other means to achieve recognition and self-expression. This is likely to take two forms. First, agitation to change the environment from one in which they are unable to compete to one in which they can. Demands will be made for elimination of competition, reduction in standards of performance, adoption of courses of study which do not require intensive legal analysis, and recognition for academic credit of sociological activities which have only an indirect relationship to legal training. Second, it seems probable that this group will seek personal satisfaction and public recognition by aggressive conduct, which, although ostensibly directed at external injustices and problems, will in fact be primarily motivated by the psychological needs of the members of the group to overcome feelings of inferiority caused by lack of success in their studies. Since the common denominator of the group of students with lower qualifications is one of race this aggressive expression will undoubtedly take the form of racial demands–the employment of faculty on the basis of race, a marking system based on race, the establishment of a black curriculum and a black law journal, an increase in black financial aid, and a rule against expulsion of black students who fail to satisfy minimum academic standards.
I can't believe he missed out the Society of Black Lawyers.Quote:
the employment of faculty on the basis of race, a marking system based on race, the establishment of a black curriculum and a black law journal, an increase in black financial aid, and a rule against expulsion of black students who fail to satisfy minimum academic standards.
The thing about virtue signalling is that it must surely have now reached a point that there is no social reward for engaging in it. After all, if everyone's doing it, all the time, then where is the virtue? it's just what you do, right? There's nothing to be gained, as such.
Which tell me that there's something else going on...
It's funny how easy our virtue can slip, though, isn't it. For example, a couple of weeks ago, we cancelled a garden party because the weather forecast was looking terrible. When it came to the day, my partner was praying for it to rain (in order to justify our decision to cancel) even though her friend was also having a party on the same day and had decided to go ahead.
This to me gets to the heart of the bull**** of virtue rather neatly.