Let's not forget there were also other methods to "balance" entering classes such as "geographical diversity." When I got into Harvard, the fact that my mother had moved to a sparsely-populated midwestern state helped me gain admission. Harvard started trying to increase their geographical diversity back in the days when they felt they had too many Jewish students on campus. Since most Jews were in the Northeast, giving preferences to kids from Michigan and Nebraska was another way of keeping WASP admission rates higher. There are all sorts of tricks like this.
For me the weirdest thing about this was that I actually grew up in the Northeast and had all the privileges of fine Northeast schooling, it's just recently my home address had changed recently while I was in boarding school...also in the Northeast. I checked a category for them but just on a technicality.
Similarly, their admissions committee would note with pride how many kids from "public schools" had gotten in, but the vast majority of those public schools were from the most expensive zip codes in the country.
Both legacy admissions and affirmative action are anti-merit. If you want to be fair you have to get rid of both and consider pure test-based admissions.
Asians were and are discriminated by Ivies, do you disagree with that?
So why should I be incentivized to even try to join sum dork 4SS White clique, first lorded over by an ugly holyroller from a 💩 English county I don’t care about? … (And that is the wretched truth about Harvard). … I rather get my doctoral from Howard.
Black people’s resilience in the face systemic discrimination and brutalization is what spooks the supremacists. Although it was a CRIME to teach blacks to read and write, they somehow learned to read underground. In almost every area of human refinement where blacks have been excluded, they have emerged to excel! From the top: look at the decency Obama brought to the political campaigns and his 8-year tenure! And compare Kamala Harris’s joyful, decent and respectful campaign to the obscene boorishness of you-know-who? And what would music be without MoTown, James Brown and more? And didn’t Jesse Owens give the lie to Aryan superiority and sent Hitler fleeing his Olympic stadium in 1936?
The list is mile-long, and all achieved not through AA, but resilience. Of course, this hasn’t gone unnoticed. People in black robes like John Roberts a member of the Brooks Brothers who invaded Florida in 2000 and crowned George Bush as President, has quietly, but systematically worked against Blacks through the courts. First he gutted the voting rights act claiming cynically that the election of Barack Obama made voting rights enforcement unnecessary. Of course, it’s his court that gutted Affirmative Action. His court has fought tooth and nail to prevent Joe Biden from forgiving crushing student loans because, you guessed it, blacks will benefit from the scheme. And even at the Supreme Court, Clarence Thomas, who ascended to the highest court through affirmative action, but who kicked the ladder away after his ascent, has become a target of jokes for receiving plush gifts from, you guessed it, his wealthy white donors. This, despite comparable corruption by some of his white peers. Whew! A lot to digest.
In any case, AA or no AA by the ivies, Black people will always thrive as they have for hundreds of years when they used their sheer strength to fell those mighty oaks to clear the lands, plant and harvest the cotton, and the tobacco that provided the capital for the industrial base of this country. By excluding Blacks through their shenanigans, the Ivies are those that stand to lose.
The racist emphasis placed on SATs and other bogus standardised tests is nothing but a rouse used to maintain the status quo, which is to keep the white elites and their sycophantic pawns in power. The Asian American community given by elitism and their superior test scores feel entitled to swat aside the less intelligent Black underclass as they ascend even though they would have no rights if it weren’t for the long suffrage of the Black Civil Rights Movement! Measurable differences among individuals–including IQ test scores–can explain only about 30-40 percent of the differences in economic outcomes. The remaining differences arise from unmeasurable factors–personality, looks, networking, perseverance, concern for the future, and just plain luck. It’s obvious that white hate groups have always perceived Black Americans as a threat to their dominance. It’s clear that despite all their efforts to keep us down we continue to excel. The myth of their superior intellect and righteousness is being eroded by a critical assessment of their savage terroristic assault over the past 400 years. The use of the Asian elite to displace Black Americans is nothing new. South and East Asians were always propped up as model minorities even though their contribution to America pale in comparison to African Americans’ blood sweat and tears to build this country, socially, politically, technologically, economically, spiritually and militarily. The myth of Asian superiority was propagated by Herrnstein and Murray in their racist treatise the Bell Curve. The myth of the genius Asian and the superior white can only exist in a society that still continues to systematically oppress its Black citizens to make themselves feel powerful, whole and worthwhile because deep down they really feel less than those whom they oppress.
You are EXACTLY right. Who among us would deny that “networking” recommendations are encouraged, let alone ROUTINE legacy considerations. Cynical affirmative action hires of black people—out of hasty check the box compliance, carelessness, or actual malicious intent to stigmatize the process—are not uncommon in my experience. I have seen it happen as part of search committees and been ignored because people did not want to have to explain their process. Accessories to affirmative action “failures” share in the blame for the stigma and backlash. The “merit” as the flip side of affirmative action chorus has been loud and proud and lauded for their “truth telling.” It is time for them to be exposed. Merit has always been a complex process steeped in mythology. Who among us truly believes that when a Supreme Court Justice is chosen that we have miraculously found the single most qualified candidate in the entire country? Who among us has never witnessed an inappropriate hire NOT associated with affirmative action? What is the most critical component of merit for hiring police officers—score on the criminology book, knowledge of neighborhoods, temperam
You are EXACTLY right. Who among us would deny that “networking” recommendations are encouraged, let alone ROUTINE legacy considerations. Cynical affirmative action hires of black people—out of hasty check the box compliance, carelessness, or actual malicious intent to stigmatize the process—are not uncommon in my experience. I have seen it happen as part of search committees and been ignored because people did not want to have to explain their process. Accessories to affirmative action “failures” share in the blame for the stigma and backlash. The “merit” as the flip side of affirmative action chorus has been loud and proud and lauded for their “truth telling.” It is time for them to be exposed. Merit has always been a complex process steeped in mythology. Who among us truly believes that when a Supreme Court Justice is chosen that we have miraculously found the single most qualified candidate in the entire country? Who among us has never witnessed an inappropriate hire NOT associated with affirmative action? What is the most critical component of merit for hiring police officers—score on the criminology book, knowledge of neighborhoods, temperament? You tell me.
Accurate breakdown of higher education system's ways of admission. Thank you for explaining succinctly, the actual plan -- white supremacy has been in the closet, until recently, and continues unabated.
The use of word revival makes it seems as it went away. White supremacy has always been here. The country was literally built on white supremacy.
I guess me speaking the truth will get me blocked on here as well like u did Instagram. Some people would prefer if people cosign everything vs speak the truth when there is a contradiction or correction
And I use the word revival because it's accurate. It doesn't mean I'm claiming it went away, it objectively means the progress made against white supremacy is being repealed and white supremacist policies are being openly revived once more. Enacting affirmative action was a step towards dismantling white supremacy, and we saw the immense progress it helped make. Now that policy is gone and the former white supremacist policies are being revived once more.
Stop playing victim and claiming you were blocked for "speaking the truth." But again, if you want to be blocked here, I'm happy to do so.
Victim laughable. Understand the definition before u use it. Nothing I said is victim mentality. Be clear with your words and people wouldn't correct you ! Now block that . Way more intelligent people who don't take any criticism as an attack
It is not only systemic in our higher education systems, but rather throughout the underlying systems and thinking of much of this country. This is frightening but not unexpected, if one knows the real history of this country. As you and many of us know, this country was founded on the genocide of millions of Indigenous people, the stealing of their land under the euphemistic guise of "Manifest Destiny" and the enslavement of millions more African people stolen from their homelands. The underlying immoral belief system that drove those atrocities remained embedded in the psyche of far too many in this country, passed down from generation to generation, but it was successfully hidden until current racist leaders, voted in by racist, ignorant people, gave it license to come out again from hiding. When this rise of white supremacy and racist suppression of all things that seek to liberate all humanity, is coupled with the dumbing down of education and the complacency of far too many, we are seeing the recipe for disaster.
Yep, it's throughout our entire economic system, every aspect. It's why for me the number one human rights issue is economic justice. Everything else stems from that.
The bottom line is that the MAGA hate movement has always been about taking our country back to the Jim Crow era. To my recollection, no major mainstream media outlet ever challenged Trump to explain exactly what he means when he says "make America great again." In fact, MSM didn't hold DT accountable for any of the outlandish crap that he spewed during the campaign, but they held VP Harris to the highest standards when she granted the media interviews.
Back in my youth (60s 70s in the south) I saw and heard the push back after affirmative action became law. Over the years, It changed the face of business as usual without eliminating racism. The repeal was a red flag: the return of Jim Crow. Too bad we couldn’t stop white supremes entitlement before it blossomed into our currently fractured culture. Now billionaires scapegoat anyone who doesn’t look and act like them, especially those of us who are poor, addicted, incarcerated, POC, feminist, LGBTQI, particularly trans. I could go on. You know if you are one of us. Do you know we’re not the real story. MuskyTrump and their
As you noted, Affirmative Action works. The data prove it again and again. In Canada, we're lucky that it was enshrined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, so it's nearly impossible to repeal.
I believe universities on both sides of the 49th also have something else to answer for which impedes access to families with lower incomes, which often are racialized families. Grades and tuition costs are greatly inflated. When students need 98% averages to get accepted into the most popular programs, families who can afford private tutoring, admissions coaching or extracurricular activities gain an advantage over families with limited financial means. Similarly, when attending an Ivy League program costs about $90,000 per year, who can afford that?
Born and raised in New Jersey. My family sent its two daughters to Queens University in Kingston, Ontario because we did not have enough money to pay for a University Education any where on the Easter Seaboard. Even when I was offered a full tuition scholarship to Univ.of Southern California with a guaranteed job at the Univ. to cover living expenses, we couldn't accept it because the the air fare at the time for even 1 round trip flight to California cost more than the entire cost for one years attendance at Queens. This was only possible because of the power of the US $ vs the Canadian $.
TIP to US parents, the same currency imbalance exists again but by now, Canadian Universities have wised up and charge much higher tuition rates for non-citizen students.
Based on my Alumni magazines from Queen's and U of Toronto, the quality of the education at these institutions is right up there with US and Europe's best.
Detailed and comprehensive article QR. One thing I know, numbers do not lie. Many people, who though several generations have benefited from this legacy system wish to continue the system. It lessens the competition for their children. And many then turn around and complain of others “being favored “. I just wish people would want the system to be fair for all. But, as we know, many people say one thing, but deep down inside wish for the opposite!
Let's not forget there were also other methods to "balance" entering classes such as "geographical diversity." When I got into Harvard, the fact that my mother had moved to a sparsely-populated midwestern state helped me gain admission. Harvard started trying to increase their geographical diversity back in the days when they felt they had too many Jewish students on campus. Since most Jews were in the Northeast, giving preferences to kids from Michigan and Nebraska was another way of keeping WASP admission rates higher. There are all sorts of tricks like this.
For me the weirdest thing about this was that I actually grew up in the Northeast and had all the privileges of fine Northeast schooling, it's just recently my home address had changed recently while I was in boarding school...also in the Northeast. I checked a category for them but just on a technicality.
Similarly, their admissions committee would note with pride how many kids from "public schools" had gotten in, but the vast majority of those public schools were from the most expensive zip codes in the country.
I could go on. The whole thing is a racket.
Both legacy admissions and affirmative action are anti-merit. If you want to be fair you have to get rid of both and consider pure test-based admissions.
Asians were and are discriminated by Ivies, do you disagree with that?
Racism, sexism, and xenophobia are tools of a divide-and-conquer strategy, ensuring that we remain too fractured to demand a more equitable system. Hyperindividualism convinces us that our problems are personal failings rather than systemic injustices, keeping us isolated and disempowered. Casting all social problems in these lights helps the ruling class and keeps the American People divided and distracted. https://open.substack.com/pub/ladylibertie/p/the-tyranny-of-hyperindividualism?r=4waaku&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
So why should I be incentivized to even try to join sum dork 4SS White clique, first lorded over by an ugly holyroller from a 💩 English county I don’t care about? … (And that is the wretched truth about Harvard). … I rather get my doctoral from Howard.
Black people’s resilience in the face systemic discrimination and brutalization is what spooks the supremacists. Although it was a CRIME to teach blacks to read and write, they somehow learned to read underground. In almost every area of human refinement where blacks have been excluded, they have emerged to excel! From the top: look at the decency Obama brought to the political campaigns and his 8-year tenure! And compare Kamala Harris’s joyful, decent and respectful campaign to the obscene boorishness of you-know-who? And what would music be without MoTown, James Brown and more? And didn’t Jesse Owens give the lie to Aryan superiority and sent Hitler fleeing his Olympic stadium in 1936?
The list is mile-long, and all achieved not through AA, but resilience. Of course, this hasn’t gone unnoticed. People in black robes like John Roberts a member of the Brooks Brothers who invaded Florida in 2000 and crowned George Bush as President, has quietly, but systematically worked against Blacks through the courts. First he gutted the voting rights act claiming cynically that the election of Barack Obama made voting rights enforcement unnecessary. Of course, it’s his court that gutted Affirmative Action. His court has fought tooth and nail to prevent Joe Biden from forgiving crushing student loans because, you guessed it, blacks will benefit from the scheme. And even at the Supreme Court, Clarence Thomas, who ascended to the highest court through affirmative action, but who kicked the ladder away after his ascent, has become a target of jokes for receiving plush gifts from, you guessed it, his wealthy white donors. This, despite comparable corruption by some of his white peers. Whew! A lot to digest.
In any case, AA or no AA by the ivies, Black people will always thrive as they have for hundreds of years when they used their sheer strength to fell those mighty oaks to clear the lands, plant and harvest the cotton, and the tobacco that provided the capital for the industrial base of this country. By excluding Blacks through their shenanigans, the Ivies are those that stand to lose.
"Black people’s resilience in the face systemic discrimination and brutalization is what spooks the supremacists."
Put that on repeat.
The racist emphasis placed on SATs and other bogus standardised tests is nothing but a rouse used to maintain the status quo, which is to keep the white elites and their sycophantic pawns in power. The Asian American community given by elitism and their superior test scores feel entitled to swat aside the less intelligent Black underclass as they ascend even though they would have no rights if it weren’t for the long suffrage of the Black Civil Rights Movement! Measurable differences among individuals–including IQ test scores–can explain only about 30-40 percent of the differences in economic outcomes. The remaining differences arise from unmeasurable factors–personality, looks, networking, perseverance, concern for the future, and just plain luck. It’s obvious that white hate groups have always perceived Black Americans as a threat to their dominance. It’s clear that despite all their efforts to keep us down we continue to excel. The myth of their superior intellect and righteousness is being eroded by a critical assessment of their savage terroristic assault over the past 400 years. The use of the Asian elite to displace Black Americans is nothing new. South and East Asians were always propped up as model minorities even though their contribution to America pale in comparison to African Americans’ blood sweat and tears to build this country, socially, politically, technologically, economically, spiritually and militarily. The myth of Asian superiority was propagated by Herrnstein and Murray in their racist treatise the Bell Curve. The myth of the genius Asian and the superior white can only exist in a society that still continues to systematically oppress its Black citizens to make themselves feel powerful, whole and worthwhile because deep down they really feel less than those whom they oppress.
You are EXACTLY right. Who among us would deny that “networking” recommendations are encouraged, let alone ROUTINE legacy considerations. Cynical affirmative action hires of black people—out of hasty check the box compliance, carelessness, or actual malicious intent to stigmatize the process—are not uncommon in my experience. I have seen it happen as part of search committees and been ignored because people did not want to have to explain their process. Accessories to affirmative action “failures” share in the blame for the stigma and backlash. The “merit” as the flip side of affirmative action chorus has been loud and proud and lauded for their “truth telling.” It is time for them to be exposed. Merit has always been a complex process steeped in mythology. Who among us truly believes that when a Supreme Court Justice is chosen that we have miraculously found the single most qualified candidate in the entire country? Who among us has never witnessed an inappropriate hire NOT associated with affirmative action? What is the most critical component of merit for hiring police officers—score on the criminology book, knowledge of neighborhoods, temperam
You are EXACTLY right. Who among us would deny that “networking” recommendations are encouraged, let alone ROUTINE legacy considerations. Cynical affirmative action hires of black people—out of hasty check the box compliance, carelessness, or actual malicious intent to stigmatize the process—are not uncommon in my experience. I have seen it happen as part of search committees and been ignored because people did not want to have to explain their process. Accessories to affirmative action “failures” share in the blame for the stigma and backlash. The “merit” as the flip side of affirmative action chorus has been loud and proud and lauded for their “truth telling.” It is time for them to be exposed. Merit has always been a complex process steeped in mythology. Who among us truly believes that when a Supreme Court Justice is chosen that we have miraculously found the single most qualified candidate in the entire country? Who among us has never witnessed an inappropriate hire NOT associated with affirmative action? What is the most critical component of merit for hiring police officers—score on the criminology book, knowledge of neighborhoods, temperament? You tell me.
Accurate breakdown of higher education system's ways of admission. Thank you for explaining succinctly, the actual plan -- white supremacy has been in the closet, until recently, and continues unabated.
The use of word revival makes it seems as it went away. White supremacy has always been here. The country was literally built on white supremacy.
I guess me speaking the truth will get me blocked on here as well like u did Instagram. Some people would prefer if people cosign everything vs speak the truth when there is a contradiction or correction
If you want to be blocked, I'm happy to do so.
And I use the word revival because it's accurate. It doesn't mean I'm claiming it went away, it objectively means the progress made against white supremacy is being repealed and white supremacist policies are being openly revived once more. Enacting affirmative action was a step towards dismantling white supremacy, and we saw the immense progress it helped make. Now that policy is gone and the former white supremacist policies are being revived once more.
Stop playing victim and claiming you were blocked for "speaking the truth." But again, if you want to be blocked here, I'm happy to do so.
Victim laughable. Understand the definition before u use it. Nothing I said is victim mentality. Be clear with your words and people wouldn't correct you ! Now block that . Way more intelligent people who don't take any criticism as an attack
It is not only systemic in our higher education systems, but rather throughout the underlying systems and thinking of much of this country. This is frightening but not unexpected, if one knows the real history of this country. As you and many of us know, this country was founded on the genocide of millions of Indigenous people, the stealing of their land under the euphemistic guise of "Manifest Destiny" and the enslavement of millions more African people stolen from their homelands. The underlying immoral belief system that drove those atrocities remained embedded in the psyche of far too many in this country, passed down from generation to generation, but it was successfully hidden until current racist leaders, voted in by racist, ignorant people, gave it license to come out again from hiding. When this rise of white supremacy and racist suppression of all things that seek to liberate all humanity, is coupled with the dumbing down of education and the complacency of far too many, we are seeing the recipe for disaster.
Yep, it's throughout our entire economic system, every aspect. It's why for me the number one human rights issue is economic justice. Everything else stems from that.
Great article, Sir!
The bottom line is that the MAGA hate movement has always been about taking our country back to the Jim Crow era. To my recollection, no major mainstream media outlet ever challenged Trump to explain exactly what he means when he says "make America great again." In fact, MSM didn't hold DT accountable for any of the outlandish crap that he spewed during the campaign, but they held VP Harris to the highest standards when she granted the media interviews.
Back in my youth (60s 70s in the south) I saw and heard the push back after affirmative action became law. Over the years, It changed the face of business as usual without eliminating racism. The repeal was a red flag: the return of Jim Crow. Too bad we couldn’t stop white supremes entitlement before it blossomed into our currently fractured culture. Now billionaires scapegoat anyone who doesn’t look and act like them, especially those of us who are poor, addicted, incarcerated, POC, feminist, LGBTQI, particularly trans. I could go on. You know if you are one of us. Do you know we’re not the real story. MuskyTrump and their
ALDC ...
Great article .
As you noted, Affirmative Action works. The data prove it again and again. In Canada, we're lucky that it was enshrined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, so it's nearly impossible to repeal.
I believe universities on both sides of the 49th also have something else to answer for which impedes access to families with lower incomes, which often are racialized families. Grades and tuition costs are greatly inflated. When students need 98% averages to get accepted into the most popular programs, families who can afford private tutoring, admissions coaching or extracurricular activities gain an advantage over families with limited financial means. Similarly, when attending an Ivy League program costs about $90,000 per year, who can afford that?
Born and raised in New Jersey. My family sent its two daughters to Queens University in Kingston, Ontario because we did not have enough money to pay for a University Education any where on the Easter Seaboard. Even when I was offered a full tuition scholarship to Univ.of Southern California with a guaranteed job at the Univ. to cover living expenses, we couldn't accept it because the the air fare at the time for even 1 round trip flight to California cost more than the entire cost for one years attendance at Queens. This was only possible because of the power of the US $ vs the Canadian $.
TIP to US parents, the same currency imbalance exists again but by now, Canadian Universities have wised up and charge much higher tuition rates for non-citizen students.
Based on my Alumni magazines from Queen's and U of Toronto, the quality of the education at these institutions is right up there with US and Europe's best.
Detailed and comprehensive article QR. One thing I know, numbers do not lie. Many people, who though several generations have benefited from this legacy system wish to continue the system. It lessens the competition for their children. And many then turn around and complain of others “being favored “. I just wish people would want the system to be fair for all. But, as we know, many people say one thing, but deep down inside wish for the opposite!
Thank you Michael. And yes well said.