Thursday, January 19, 2012

I Don't Know Where To Begin In My Exasperation

What do these people want?
An unpublished study by Duke University researchers that says black students are more likely to switch to less difficult majors has upset some students, who say the research is emblematic of more entrenched racial problems.

The study, which opponents of affirmative action are using in a case they want the U.S. Supreme Court to consider, concludes black students match the GPA of whites over time partially because they switch to majors that require less study time and have less stringent grading standards. Opponents of affirmative action cite the study in a case they want the U.S. Supreme Court to consider.

About three dozen students held a silent protest Sunday outside a speech by black political strategist Donna Brazile that was part of the school's annual Martin Luther King Jr. observance. And members of the Black Student Alliance have met with the provost to express their unhappiness with the study and other issues on campus.
These protesters/complainers--do they think the report's methodology or data is flawed in some way, or, what seems more likely from the story, do they just not like what the data tell them?

5 comments:

allen (in Michigan) said...

Just keep "spoiled, rich kid" in mind and it's all understandable.

Lefties want to feel they're important people courageously doing important things. They're not but that's what they want to believe and they're not going to listen to any opinions to the contrary because what they want is sacrosanct.

DADvocate said...

When any group has the familial and cultural problems that many blacks have, you can expect more problems in school at every level. Pulling themselves up by their own bootstraps would do a lot more good.

It starts with the level of parental involvement and guidance you find in most middle class and above households of any race.

Loni said...

They're opposed to it because it's a loose example of scientific racism, i.e. using science to justify a current social inequality. Let's examine what a BA or a BS really means these days in America. Either one will get you the same entry level position anywhere. Having a BS in chemistry does not guarantee you a good job anymore. Rather it guarantees you will need a Masters or a PhD if you want to do anything with your life other than clean test tubes. A student under affirmative action already lives beyond her means if she attends any one of America's expensive institutions, why should she start a career that will only push her further into debt. It was something that I considered when I was selecting a major. Medicine would have cost me over a hundred grand and I was one of the more financially fortunate of my freshman classmates. But this isn't really taken into consideration is it? Instead it's cited as proof that if you give a black student (who is interpreted automatically as having a free ride) an opportunity she will inevitably take the easiest path possible and for this reason affirmative action has failed. Never mind that a student who graduates with any kind of college degree will earn double what she would without, and isn't that the more overarching goal of AAction, to ensure social mobility?

At my Alma Mater the major with the heaviest participation of black students was African-American studies, followed by Engineering. Our Engineering program gave free grad school tuition to those that graduated the program with a 3.0 or higher, and low and behold, you see a lot more of those "affirmative action cases" working their butts off and graduating as Engineers.

Oh and Intro to African-American Studies...by far the most nut-busting courses I've ever taken.

Darren said...

"Scientific racism"? How about just reality? No one's judging here, they're reporting.

The numbers aren't racist--only your interpretation of the numbers can be racist.

Ellen K said...

Just another demonstration that liberals do not respect facts unless they support liberal agendas.