I have just run across a blog, Antiwardconnerly, written by an angry Lansing, Michigan, police officer (see the “About Me”) devoted entirely to the evil of Ward Connerly and his nefarious plot to foist colorblind equality on an unwilling nation. (Actually, there’s a little bit of confusion there. If colorblind equality really is a racist plot, you’d think a nation where racism remains rampant would welcome it.)
Here are some typical arguments from a post today, “Vote No On Proposal 2,” that I want to address only because one hears them so often from those opposed to colorblind equality:
Forcing us to end barrier-breaking practices before all barriers have been broken will only benefit those people not affected by racial/gender issues.
Precisely what “barriers” are “broken” by racial preferences? Laws that require equal treatment, such as the 1964 Civil Rights Act, knock down the barrier of racial discrimination. What is the equivalent barrier that racial preferences knock down? (This is a test. Be specific.)
Minorities have been entering college at record numbers due to Affirmative Action guidelines. With the passage of proposal 2, we are not only facing low minority enrollment in institutions of higher learning, but we are also facing a possible decline in the number of women who choose male dominated professions. Women police officers, firefighters, engineers and corrections officers are just as capable of performing their duties as men, but will be swayed from choosing those careers if they don’t feel protected.
Since most colleges, in Michigan and elsewhere, are not selective, what is the evidence that “[m]inorities have been entering college at record numbers due to Affirmative Action guidelines”?
Why would refusing to give preferences to women have any affect at all on the number of women who “choose” male dominated professions? Why is equal treatment not sufficient for women; why does it require preferential treatment to make a woman feel “protected”? Do women but not men have a right to feel “protected” in their choice of career? Do we really want to encourage cities to hire more police officers, firefighters, corrections officers, etc., who are in need of greater “protection” than their colleagues because of their race or sex?
The demands of this angry female police officer make the calls of yesterday’s feminists for protective legislation seem tame by comparison (see here and here).
Asian people in America have faced FAR more “barriers” than black people in the past 30-40 years (many are immigrants from non-English speaking countries), yet asian people score far HIGHER than the national average on various employment/educational tests (e.g., SATs, grad school admissions test, CPA tests, pass rate on bar exam, police/civil service tests, etc), while blacks on average score far lower. Maybe that’s because Asian people – instead of starting vanity websites where they bitch and complain about the “white man” – are simply studying and working hard. Funny how that works.
Will writes:
>>>”Asian people in America have faced FAR more “barriers” than black people in the past 30-40 years (many are immigrants from non-English speaking countries), yet asian people score far HIGHER than the national average on various employment/educational tests (e.g., SATs, grad school admissions test, CPA tests, pass rate on bar exam, police/civil service tests, etc), while blacks on average score far lower.”
Please cite EVIDENCE to support your statement that “Asians faced far more barriers than black people in the past 30-40 years.”
Please tell us exactly WHICH “Asians” you’re referring to?
–Cobra
Barrier #1: A MUCH higher % of Asian-Americans are immigrants whose first language is not English. I explained that in my first post, but I guess affirmative action students like you can’t read very well.
Secondly, blacks have GOT affirmative action the past 40 years, Asians have mostly been DISADVANTAGED by affirmative action the past 40 years.
Will writes:
>>>”Barrier #1: A MUCH higher % of Asian-Americans are immigrants whose first language is not English.”
Again, cite EVIDENCE to SUPPORT your claim. A “#” and a colon is not a citation of statistical fact.
Perhaps instead of insulting my education level, which you don’t know, perhaps you should do more research before you fly of the handle.
>>>”Asian immigrants to the U.S. tend to be already highly educated and from the middle or upper class, for a number of reasons. Thus, they get a completely different start in life in the U.S. compared to other minorities. Although Asians achieve a much greater degree of success in the U.S., the “model minority” stereotype is a myth because Asian-Americans still bump into the glass ceiling, receive lower pay even with the same qualifications, and have higher poverty rates. The image of boat people escaping the ravages of war and communism to take full advantage of American opportunities is also a myth, in that Southeast Asians actually have the lowest success rate of all Asians.”
http://www.huppi.com/kangaroo/L-aamodel.htm
>>>”Unlike blacks, Asians have migrated to the U.S. voluntarily. The forced capture and transport of Africans means that the U.S. black population is more likely to be a true cross section of African society, whereas Asians, who migrate voluntarily, tend to be self-selected. What type of voluntary immigrant would take residence in the U.S.? Naturally, those who could afford to make the trip. For immigrants from neighboring nations, like Mexico, this is relatively easy, a matter of crossing a land border. Again, this would tend to make the U.S. Hispanic population a true cross section of its original society. Asians, however, must be able to afford a trans-oceanic journey. Not surprisingly, those who could afford such a trip would tend to belong to their homeland’s middle and upper classes.
In a thorough study of Houston’s Asian American population, Dr. Stephen Klineberg confirmed what sociologists have long known about the advantaged backgrounds of Asian immigrants. “The survey makes it clear that Asians have been relatively successful in Houston primarily due to the educations and middle class backgrounds they brought with them from their countries of origin,” Klineberg says. “One of the key messages from the survey is that we have to discard the ‘model minority’ stereotype that is so often applied to Asians in America. [It overlooks] the fact that a high proportion of Asian immigrants come from an occupational and educational elite.””
http://www.huppi.com/kangaroo/L-aamodel.htm
But hey Will, keep the distortions flowing. I’m sure there are many out there who appreciate your baseless attacks on African-Americans in general, and ME in particular.
–Cobra