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It seems that your frustration is that some people now have a privilege they previously didn't have. This makes sense, but the very first statement you said in

It seems that your frustration is that some people now have a privilege they previously didn't have. This makes sense, but the very first statement you said in light of it suggests that you are turning a blind eye to other privileges. To say that the way things work with some people getting privileges and others not - therefore having to work harder - is ideal, then complaining that some people have to work harder and others not (but in different categories) is somewhat hypocritical. Basically - your response to a post about how certain unprivileged groups have to work harder is ideal. Then you rand about how different unprivileged groups have to work harder, and how horrible it is. Whether or not it is your intent, it comes off as defending a status quo based on you not liking the membership conditions (or don't qualify for them) of other privilege.

btilly 14y ago
I have no problem in accepting the existence of privileges. Some are rich, some are tall, some are smart, etc. My objection is that specific accomplishments should mean specific things. The meaning of what you need to accomplish to get a specific degree should not change because you're black and threaten a lawsuit. If you don't know how to invert a 3x3 matrix, you shouldn't be getting a masters in math. The ultra-PC crowd seems to want it both ways. They want minorities to be given degrees more easily than privileged white kids. And then they want the degrees handed out to minorities to be treated as having the same meaning as degrees handed out to those privileged white kids. But there is a fundamental contradiction here. If an advanced math degree means something different about your qualifications based on who you are, then people will learn that and won't treat that degree equally. But, how would I solve the problem? Quite simply - I'd tackle it like our military does. To achieve a given credential you have to perform to the same level on the same test no matter who you are. If you are someone whose background did not prepare you, extra assistance will be made available to help you catch up. Make the credential mean the same, and people will learn that it does and will learn to treat it the same. You are then laying the foundation for people to treat minorities equally in the future - not because someone tells them to - but because it makes sense for them to do so. (I keep resisting writing a blog post about how unequal high schools make it so that the legally safe way to hire for basic literacy is to require a college degree - which actually discriminates more strongly by race than the legally unsafe approach of being willing to hire high school kids that can demonstrate basic literacy. It is really sad and silly, but true.)

btilly 14y ago

I have no problem in accepting the existence of privileges. Some are rich, some are tall, some are smart, etc. My objection is that specific accomplishments should mean specific things. The meaning of what you need to accomplish to get a specific degree should not change because you're black and threaten a lawsuit. If you don't know how to invert a 3x3 matrix, you shouldn't be getting a masters in math. The ultra-PC crowd seems to want it both ways. They want minorities to be given degrees more easily than privileged white kids. And then they want the degrees handed out to minorities to be treated as having the same meaning as degrees handed out to those privileged white kids. But there is a fundamental contradiction here. If an advanced math degree means something different about your qualifications based on who you are, then people will learn that and won't treat that degree equally. But, how would I solve the problem? Quite simply - I'd tackle it like our military does. To achieve a given credential you have to perform to the same level on the same test no matter who you are. If you are someone whose background did not prepare you, extra assistance will be made available to help you catch up. Make the credential mean the same, and people will learn that it does and will learn to treat it the same. You are then laying the foundation for people to treat minorities equally in the future - not because someone tells them to - but because it makes sense for them to do so. (I keep resisting writing a blog post about how unequal high schools make it so that the legally safe way to hire for basic literacy is to require a college degree - which actually discriminates more strongly by race than the legally unsafe approach of being willing to hire high school kids that can demonstrate basic literacy. It is really sad and silly, but true.)