No time for cowards — let's talk about race, America

[The Nature Boy 4,224]

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2014-04-23/news/ct-race-in-america-kass-met-0423-20140423_1_racial-preferences-race-cowards

No time for cowards — let's talk about race, America
Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action moves us closer to a merit-based society
April 23, 2014|John Kass

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When it comes to race in America, the last thing I'd want is to be considered a coward.

But then, it's so easy to be cowardly in America when it comes to race.

It's not normal for people to take positions that can leave them vulnerable and make it easy for others to brand them as racist and then shun them. Such pressure is a fact of American life. So instead of talking, they clam up.

Their lips may stop moving. But they don't stop thinking. And Attorney General Eric Holder said as much shortly after Barack Obama was elected president of the United States.

"Though this nation has proudly thought of itself as an ethnic melting pot, in things racial we have always been and continue to be, in too many ways, essentially a nation of cowards," said Holder in 2009.

It was a shocking speech, and rather silly, given that America had just proved the opposite of cowardice by electing the first African-American president. But there is also truth in it.

Our politics are consumed by race. Our governments use race to hand out public contracts, and to pick winners and losers when it comes to political/public jobs. Our universities have de-emphasized merit in admissions policy while considering skin pigmentation.

All of that is wrong, corrosive and, at bottom, positively un-American.

So when the Supreme Court this week ruled that Michigan voters had the right to ban racial preferences in university admissions, some thoughts came to mind.

One was optimism. By allowing states to ban the use of skin color as leverage, we move toward the goal of a post-racial society. Keeping racial preferences in place guarantees we remain divided.

But remove them, allow merit to dictate success, and pressure will increase on local communities to improve public education at the elementary and high school levels.

Those young people on the South and West sides of Chicago, those children who are among the ones gunned down every day, aren't helped by the current system. They're not the elites. They're not going to the University of Michigan. Too many are not even getting out of high school alive.

The ugly secret is that racial-preference politics helps the elites most of all, by helping those who have been poised to take advantage.

And what about a white kid who didn't grow up with a silver spoon in his mouth? Is he any less human than others?

And does the daughter of a black bank vice president — or the daughter of a U.S. president — need political help over the son of a white construction worker? No. But a culture that prizes merit will force changes.

America has a long and ugly history of racial discrimination, beginning with slavery and continuing through modern times, from the unions started by white immigrants to keep blacks out of work in the North, to poll taxes in the South.

Racial preferences were instituted to address those wrongs. I understand the why of it, but here's the problem: If it's wrong to use race to deny people opportunities, it is equally wrong to use race to help some at the expense of others.

Using skin color rather than merit to pick winners and losers is a policy that fosters cynicism. Such policies only serve the politicians, who hand out the spoils, using racial preference as governmental levers as they win power and treasure for themselves.

All that has to change, and it won't change unless we divorce ourselves from the skin game.

And then I thought of Holder.

He's gone back to that well — the one full of racial cowards in America — since that original 2009 speech. His comments obviously created controversy, with some thinking the word "cowardice" was a bit much.

"It's a question of being honest with ourselves and racial issues that divide us," Holder told journalists at a news conference called shortly afterward. "It's not easy to talk about it. We have to have the guts to be honest with each other, accept criticism, accept new proposals."

So let's have the guts to be honest, Mr. Attorney General. Let's get rid of racial preferences immediately.

There is a race industry in politics. And many elites — from politicians to journalists — continue to argue in favor of race-based policy. But here's the thing: Mr. Obama was elected twice. Twice.

He won't be the last minority elected to high office in this country. And I'm confident that race will become increasingly irrelevant when it comes to success or failure. If it doesn't, we'll all fail.

There's no point in being cowardly any longer.

"This case is not about how the debate (over racial preferences) should be resolved," Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote in the court's ruling announced Tuesday. But, he added, to stop Michigan voters from making their own decision on affirmative action would be "an unprecedented restriction on a fundamental right held by all in common."

Most government officials and journalists call it "affirmative action." That's the polite reference suggesting that the government is affirming our rights. But that's not what it does. It discriminates. And in matters of race, I prefer to call things what they are. Affirmative action is nothing but racial preference.

Success should be based on hard work and merit, not on skin pigmentation.

Racial preference has nothing to do with merit. But it has everything to do with politics.

jskass@tribune.com

[Not a Tailor 1,370]

I agree. Success should be based on hard work and merit. In an ideal society, that would be the case.

In order to achieve this, education would have to be equally as accessible to all races and classes of American society. Sadly, it is not.

In order to achieve this, all children would have to be born at or above the poverty line. Failing that, all races would have to be equally represented in all financial tiers of society. Sadly, they are not.

In order to achieve this, employers would interview and hire people based on qualifications and not on their racial background. Sadly, they do not.

Affirmative action was designed to level the playing field on these things, but instead a white-dominant society has chosen to hold up a small handful of non-white players who have achieved the extraordinary as proof that racism is over and giving people who have had less opportunity an extra opportunity to prove their ability to do hard work and to show merit is no longer needed. This is much like saying that because Bill Gates dropped out of college and became the richest man alive, everyone should drop out of college.

Maybe affirmative action needs an overhaul, I can definitely agree to that, but I do believe a system needs to be in place to assure that people get a chance to prove their ability to do hard work and their merit. After all, if no one will educate you and no one will hire you, when do you get to offer up proof that you're a hard worker? When do you get to offer up proof that you can be educated?

[Karee 4,191]

Affirmative action is a great way to guarantee that there will never be racial harmony in this country. In fact, I believe it will have the opposite effect. I find it odd that the same folks that want racial equality, simultaneously asked to be treated differently based on their race. It sends the message that people can catch a break based on their race, rather than their hard work.

The Supreme court got this one right.

[The Nature Boy 4,224]

I agree. Success should be based on hard work and merit. In an ideal society, that would be the case.

In order to achieve this, education would have to be equally as accessible to all races and classes of American society. Sadly, it is not.

In order to achieve this, all children would have to be born at or above the poverty line. Failing that, all races would have to be equally represented in all financial tiers of society. Sadly, they are not.

In order to achieve this, employers would interview and hire people based on qualifications and not on their racial background. Sadly, they do not.

Affirmative action was designed to level the playing field on these things, but instead a white-dominant society has chosen to hold up a small handful of non-white players who have achieved the extraordinary as proof that racism is over and giving people who have had less opportunity an extra opportunity to prove their ability to do hard work and to show merit is no longer needed. This is much like saying that because Bill Gates dropped out of college and became the richest man alive, everyone should drop out of college.

Maybe affirmative action needs an overhaul, I can definitely agree to that, but I do believe a system needs to be in place to assure that people get a chance to prove their ability to do hard work and their merit. After all, if no one will educate you and no one will hire you, when do you get to offer up proof that you're a hard worker? When do you get to offer up proof that you can be educated?

So then maybe we should have some form of Affirmative action economically disadvantaged people.

To argue we should give someone a un equal advantage based solely on the color of their skin is suggesting that, their skin color alone puts them at a a disadvantage.

Now that is racist

[eieio 1,594]

To argue we should give someone a un equal advantage based solely on the color of their skin is suggesting that, their skin color alone puts them at a a disadvantage.

Now that is racist

It seems to me that you started this thread...so you could call someones idea racist.

But that's just me. Maybe I am wrong.

So basically people are cowards or racist? You posted a thread...yet were afraid to speak your mind about the article. Would that make you a coward....or you just don't want to say what you think....because "heaven forbid" someone thinks you are a racist?

Anyways....Here is my take on affirmative action. It should stay in place. All races were not created equal nor were the sexes.

If you can't see the differences...then I can't help.

[We Keep Receipts 9,238]

So then maybe we should have some form of Affirmative action economically disadvantaged people.

To argue we should give someone a un equal advantage based solely on the color of their skin is suggesting that, their skin color alone puts them at a a disadvantage.

Now that is racist

How is it unequal? In order for that to be the case, the playing field would have to be level. If you look at unemployment, the rate of black people out of work is twice the national average. If blacks and whites were hired at an equal rate, then your line of thought would have merit.

It seems to me that you started this thread...so you could call someones idea racist.

But that's just me. Maybe I am wrong.

So basically people are cowards or racist? You posted a thread...yet were afraid to speak your mind about the article. Would that make you a coward....or you just don't want to say what you think....because "heaven forbid" someone thinks you are a racist?

Anyways....Here is my take on affirmative action. It should stay in place. All races were not created equal nor were the sexes.

If you can't see the differences...then I can't help.

What do you mean by this?

[luckytxn 2,265]

The ones that have earned the education the most should get that education. Not every single person has to have a university degree. It would be a better thing to teach kids that to succeed one must work hard and study to get a scholarship. Why is it supposed to be taught that every person except whites need the extra advantage and preferences? That is suggesting they are inferior people. They are not inferior people. No one is.

[eieio 1,594]

What do you mean by this?

It is all about the lie/myth that all people are created(born) equally. Tell that to the Down syndrome baby!

Each race (averages here) has there differences. However, it is taboo to discuss these differences as anyone who does gets immediately labeled a racist. Since that vast majority of Americans fear being called a racist......it cannot be talked about.

It is what it is.

[eieio 1,594]

Why is it supposed to be taught that every person except whites need the extra advantage and preferences? That is suggesting they are inferior people. They are not inferior people. No one is.

Differences do not make inferior/superior. They are what they are.

[belinda63 3,047]

Men and women have differences. This has been proven. That does not make one less than the other, just makes them different.

Same with race. I think our issues with race have now become more about economics and culture than race. We have people from certain areas who don't (can't) speak proper English because of where they were raised and the schooling the received. It doesn't mean they couldn't learn proper English, just that they were not taught correctly by parents/schools. On the opposite end some cultures/economic areas emphasize education and these people rate highly. Individuals there may have struggled greatly to gain what they portray as an educated or superior status but that does not mean as a race they are better.

These days it is all about where you were raised/your parents/your education opportunities/your culture rather than your skin color.

Lastly; with all the mixing of races who can tell what your background is. Why do we judge someone on their skin color rather than their merits.

[We Keep Receipts 9,238]

The ones that have earned the education the most should get that education. Not every single person has to have a university degree. It would be a better thing to teach kids that to succeed one must work hard and study to get a scholarship. Why is it supposed to be taught that every person except whites need the extra advantage and preferences? That is suggesting they are inferior people. They are not inferior people. No one is.

Because when you look at it, white people are born with an automatic advantage that POC will never have. The benefit of the doubt. Think about it. There are tons of stories where folks have to change their names because Tanisha with a PHD is less desirable than Mary without one. There's stories where black people create white personas online with the SAME quals as their IRL personalities, and for some reason, the white sounding names get them more hits. It's disturbing that a white felon has the exact same chances(if not slightly better) than a black person without a record.

It is all about the lie/myth that all people are created(born) equally. Tell that to the Down syndrome baby!

Each race (averages here) has there differences. However, it is taboo to discuss these differences as anyone who does gets immediately labeled a racist. Since that vast majority of Americans fear being called a racist......it cannot be talked about.

It is what it is.

What's being discussed is the same basic rights. A baby with DS is not inferior to one that isn't afflicted with the condition. Different, but not inferior.

[Karee 4,191]

Because when you look at it, white people are born with an automatic advantage that POC will never have. The benefit of the doubt. Think about it. There are tons of stories where folks have to change their names because Tanisha with a PHD is less desirable than Mary without one. There's stories where black people create white personas online with the SAME quals as their IRL personalities, and for some reason, the white sounding names get them more hits. It's disturbing that a white felon has the exact same chances(if not slightly better) than a black person without a record.

What's being discussed is the same basic rights. A baby with DS is not inferior to one that isn't afflicted with the condition. Different, but not inferior.

So using government intervention is the answer? How would you like to be the guy that was hired because of his race rather than his qualifications, with your co-workers knowing this? I doubt you'd get a lot of respect.

As far as a white felon having exactly the same chances as a black person with no record, I have to call bull$hit on that one. Being a white felon myself who has had 3 offer letters taken off the table in the last 2 years because of a felony conviction.

[We Keep Receipts 9,238]

So using government intervention is the answer? How would you like to be the guy that was hired because of his race rather than his qualifications, with your co-workers knowing this? I doubt you'd get a lot of respect.

As far as a white felon having exactly the same chances as a black person with no record, I have to call bull$hit on that one. Being a white felon myself who has had 3 offer letters taken off the table in the last 2 years because of a felony conviction.

You should know by now, I don't make statements I can't research. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-david-j-leonard/black-middle-class-reality_b_1774493.html

I guess qualifications and experiences mean something different when as revealed by Devah Praeger whites with felony convictions are more likely to be hired than African Americans without any criminal background.

http://rollingout.com/politics/employers-prefer-white-felons-over-blacks-with-no-criminal-record-so-how-will-blacks-feed-their-families/#_

Since you brought it up, I'v recently made that decision myself. There's a website that caters to minorities. Minority.jobs. I called up a company and asked them about it. They said they hire mostly women and POC. I didn't go with them. My skills are just as good as anyone else's if not better.

[The Nature Boy 4,224]

I agree. Success should be based on hard work and merit. In an ideal society, that would be the case.

In order to achieve this, education would have to be equally as accessible to all races and classes of American society. Sadly, it is not.

In order to achieve this, all children would have to be born at or above the poverty line. Failing that, all races would have to be equally represented in all financial tiers of society. Sadly, they are not.

In order to achieve this, employers would interview and hire people based on qualifications and not on their racial background. Sadly, they do not.

Affirmative action was designed to level the playing field on these things, but instead a white-dominant society has chosen to hold up a small handful of non-white players who have achieved the extraordinary as proof that racism is over and giving people who have had less opportunity an extra opportunity to prove their ability to do hard work and to show merit is no longer needed. This is much like saying that because Bill Gates dropped out of college and became the richest man alive, everyone should drop out of college.

Maybe affirmative action needs an overhaul, I can definitely agree to that, but I do believe a system needs to be in place to assure that people get a chance to prove their ability to do hard work and their merit. After all, if no one will educate you and no one will hire you, when do you get to offer up proof that you're a hard worker? When do you get to offer up proof that you can be educated?

How dramatic.. and utter BS

[The Nature Boy 4,224]

It seems to me that you started this thread...so you could call someones idea racist.

But that's just me. Maybe I am wrong.

So basically people are cowards or racist? You posted a thread...yet were afraid to speak your mind about the article. Would that make you a coward....or you just don't want to say what you think....because "heaven forbid" someone thinks you are a racist?

Anyways....Here is my take on affirmative action. It should stay in place. All races were not created equal nor were the sexes.

If you can't see the differences...then I can't help.

I posted this article so people could comment and we could discuss and becuse race and guns are all people will talk about here.

Me afraid to speak my mind---Yes that's it

So all races are not created equally huh ? How very Adolph Hitler of you. Speaking of Racist, that is about the worse I have ever seen here