The New Paternalism

Dennis Prager, author and talk show host, has a fascinating post on RealClearPolitics, “How Liberals Injure Blacks,” that discusses a condescending new form of paternalism toward blacks. He was shocked to discover, first through focus group reports and then through some research of his own, that “almost no whites” would publicly disagree with blacks on a panel for fear of being called racist.

Therefore, once a black listener spoke, whites stopped saying what they really thought, if what they thought differed from what a black had said.

….

I could not imagine anything more detrimental toward abolishing racism and to enhancing black progress in America than such an attitude. But apparently it is the norm in American life to so fear being called a racist that individuals as well as institutions react to blacks as they would to children — humoring them rather than taking them seriously.

This is another terrible legacy of the dominant liberal attitudes vis a vis America’s blacks. For the liberal worlds of academia and media, as for the Democratic Party, blacks are not seen as individuals, the way members of virtually other minority and majority groups are. In the liberal mind, blacks are an oppressed group — the ultimate oppressed group in America — and there is little more about black Americans that one needs to know.

Therefore, in a mind-numbing non sequitur, blacks are not be judged, talked to, talked about or hired as other human beings are. I write “non sequitur” because even if one were to agree that blacks are an, or even the, oppressed minority, why would that obviate the need to judge, talk to, talk about or hire black human beings differently than anyone else? It would seem that anyone with equal respect for blacks would judge and talk to them just as they would all other people. But high schools and universities, newspapers and television, the Democratic Party and other liberal institutions have made it very difficult to do so.

Anyone who argues that standards should be identical for blacks — in hiring and in college acceptance, for example — is likely to be labeled a racist. And if the person making that argument is himself black, he becomes a member of the group liberals most hate, black conservatives — “traitors” to fellow blacks.

Insofar as this is true, it certainly has interesting implications for “diversity.”

Say What? (6)

  1. sharon July 11, 2006 at 12:02 pm | | Reply

    That’s a great, yet sad, article. I hadn’t noticed the phenomenon with others, but I know it is true for myself (at least IRL it is, not here in the virtual world). These days, I couldn’t imagine making arguments against things like AA in public for fear of being called racist (there’s even a site I used to post on who called you a racist if you believed in immigration laws). It’s truly a sad day when the “marketplace of ideas” is so thoroughly destroyed.

  2. mj July 12, 2006 at 11:54 am | | Reply

    I’m surprised you find this even worth commenting on, unless you view the “research of his own” as a new development. It is simply a fact that anyone who publicly disagrees with the liberal mantra will be called racist / sexist / homophobic / xenophobic, whichever can be closest related to the topic at hand without regard to accuracy of fact or definition. I’ve seen you link to people who make such charges of you, to say nothing of certain commenters. Given that most of us are more interested in living our lives than in political martyrdom the probability of self censorship is somewhere near that of bears crapping in the woods.

  3. Cobra July 12, 2006 at 8:10 pm | | Reply

    Dennis Prager writes:

    >>>”Therefore, once a black listener spoke, whites stopped saying what they really thought, if what they thought differed from what a black had said.”

    Obviously, the Prager Memo hasn’t reached the readership of “Discriminations.”

    –Cobra

  4. Laura(southernxyl) July 12, 2006 at 10:23 pm | | Reply

    Cobra, they sure didn’t have me in their focus groups.

  5. David Nieporent July 13, 2006 at 6:01 am | | Reply

    Obviously, the Prager Memo hasn’t reached the readership of “Discriminations.”

    Or maybe the internet is different than face-to-face encounters.

  6. Breathless Imperfection July 17, 2006 at 7:22 pm | | Reply

    Maybe we need to back up and find out who thinks slavery WAS morally acceptable and who doesnt. The reason whites feel the need to not openly disagree with blacks on so many subjects is because whites are exposed to the same truths that blacks are about the history of blacks in America. I myself, as a black man don’t think its fair , i consider whites of today (that DO NOT agree w/the blatant abuse of blacks in american in the past including but not li mited to the most HEINOUS crims including rape and toture), as victims along w/those blacks whose realities are residue of slavery/jim crow times. I mean when you look at that from the viewpoint of a human being its very hard to feel comfortable speaking against ANY form of reperations, be it affirmative action or some other form . Having said that , the true culprit in this has and always will be the government and private components who benefited so greatly off of slavery but refuse individually or collectivly to, for once and for all, create a 20-30 year plan aimed at social reform in reference to African Americans. Stop letting the working class white American pay with their hard working dollar for the benefits that private orginizations such as Aetna and others reaped from the free labour recieved from blacks. Simple as that . But its intentional. Its a plan that causes the common white man to be upset with the common white man .words like “affirmitive action” and “nigger” are both words, believe it or not , only used for the most part by the common working class person against the other race! The hostility is not by accident. Proof? Watch and witness, how the richer people get the less of a problem w/the opposite race they have! lol ..Nelly and Tim McGraw friends? not that theres anythign wrong with that but think:if nelly not rich , tim mcgraw was not would they be freinds? G-d bless America!

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