LETTER: Affirmative action operates on double standards, eye for an eye

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by David Thomson

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To the editor:

I am a frequent visitor to your campus with neither a present nor past affiliation who is somewhat flabbergasted by your editorial's unqualified criticism of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals' decision regarding affirmative action ( Thresher , March 29).

Let us not beat around the bush: This awkward debate revolves around the intellectual deficiencies of many Afro-American and Hispanic students -- and not minority students per se. Minority Orientals with their overall high grades and qualifications do not need to rely on favors to gain admission to our nation's centers of higher learning.

The latter group never perceived themselves as "victims" deserving of compassion and special breaks, while so many members of the former groups wallow in self-pity and excuse-making.

It is not racist to strongly declare that some cultures are more conducive than others in encouraging the intellectual virtues mandated for our Future Shock world.

Many whites, who comprise the majority student body of elite educational institutions like their predecessors of the more radical '60s, are inclined to indulge in flippant feel-good, low-cost virtue.

They rely on self-righteous, lazy responses to difficult issues, eschewing the arduous intellectual labor that truly needs to be done.

Some tacitly consider controversial social matters, such as affirmative action, as mere sideshows to entertain themselves while pursuing the ultimate goal of attaining an overclass income and lifestyle.

There are indeed schools like Rice University who have much to be ashamed of regarding their past injustices toward racial minorities.

And yes, they often hypocritically practiced a form of racial and class preference when sanctioning easier admission standards favoring the sons and daughters of the affluent white establishment.

Two wrongs, however, do not make a right -- and will do little in addressing today's problems. The politics of bitterness and retaliation only worsen the situation.

I will, though, strongly suggest that when everything else is equal a good argument can be made to justifying giving the nudge to someone from a disadvantaged background.

Affirmative action, rightly understood and implemented, may well play a legitimate role in our society.

What really bothers me is not the abstract philosophical claims of affirmative action remedies, but what has actually occurred in practice.

One must not avoid the unpleasant reality that a naive demand to increase minority enrollment at any cost has inevitably resulted in the lowering of academic standards.

It is one thing to offer remedial help to someone who merely needs to round out their high school education to become able to handle university work.

Unfortunately, well-meaning sentimentalists refuse to admit that many minority students require a quantum leap of further instructions before they even begin to handle serious scholarly challenges. This usually proves to be impossible.

Too much has been made of the statistical-aberration student who, through extraordinary efforts, has overcome the deficiencies of his past inferior education.

The empirical evidence, however, overwhelmingly shows that most of these students never come close to achieving intellectual competence.

Ultimately, we have no moral right to ignore the harsh reality that a credential is either earned or is not worth the paper it's printed on.

How comfortable would any of us be if a surgeon, pilot or any other alleged professional performed a life-or-death service for someone dear to us who has not mastered the skills and knowledge that should be taken for granted?

Utopia is not attainable within this frustrating universe of quiet desperation. When well-meaning human beings attempt to alleviate social problems by employing inappropriate remedies, they are likely to make matters worse. I do not employ euphemistic language.

No one should hold his breath waiting for me to shy away from a colloquial and brutal discourse.

I have no respect for the weak-kneed, anti-intellectual mindset that has for too long inhibited the discussion of controversial matters.

This sad state of affairs must not be allowed to continue. It does nobody any good -- least of all our minority brothers and sisters who must be genuinely aided in becoming full participants of the American experience.

David Thomson

Houston, TX

This item appeared in the Opinion section of the April 12, 1996 issue.

Copyright © 1996 The Rice Thresher. All Rights Reserved.
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