Race Stuff

Dean Esmay has posted some thoughts on affirmative action and a link to a piece by a refugee of India’s Caste system.

For my entire life since I was a teenager, I’ve believed passionately in treating people the same regardless of skin color. When I was a teenager, most of my friends and relatives—most of whom were unapologetic racists, as it happened—considered me a flaming liberal because of it.

Today, my position has changed not one iota, and now I’m considered a “conservative” who is shedding “crocodile tears.”

Have I mentioned that I don’t like labels?

The recent Affirmative Action discussions (well, that and a few other things) have left me utterly exhausted. So much so that I’m turning off comments on this article, just to discourage further debate for now.

I’m turning off comments as well, because I have neither the time nor the inclination for a debate at the moment. In brief, my position goes something like this: Racial discrimination is wrong. Affirmative action punishes the competent of all races, without really helping those in need. Real help needs to come way before the college age, and it shouldn’t be restricted to particular races. Other policies, like legacy admissions, are also bad. Campus diversity, if “diversity” only refers to skin color, is not a worthwhile goal.