Here's a litmus test for Barack Obama: where does he stand on racial preferences? If he's for them, then how can he claim to be a national unifier? What country bases its rule of social justice on attempting to figure out whose ancestors did what to whom?
A generation ago, racial preferences were arguably necessary for African Americans, especially in the South, to kick in the closed door of segregation and Jim Crow. But then other groups (women, Hispanics, immigrants, gays) climbed aboard the affirmative action bandwagon, absurdly proclaiming, "We are the new blacks." To which the answer is: are you the descendants of slaves? Can you begin to show a comparable history of suffering and deprivation as African Americans?
Today preferences based on race, gender, national origin and sexual orientation have largely become a scam. In elite colleges, for instance, they are a way for Jesse Jackson's kids to get an unfair advantage over poor white kids with better grades and better test scores. On those same campuses, women with lesser qualifications especially in the sciences are routinely hired as teachers over men who are more deserving. What could be more divisive, and more infuriating, then such policies of official race and gender-based discrimination?
Obama can launch a national debate, and give substance to his pledge to be a uniter, by saying: It's time for America to become a post-racial society. This doesn't mean that racism has ended or that as a social reality "race doesn't matter." But the character and magnitude or racism have dramatically changed. Racism today does not have legal sanction, as it once did. Equally significant, racism today is episodic rather than systematic. This means that the law no longer has to take account of race in order to get beyond race. The best way to get rid of race as a factor in decision-making is quite simply to get rid of race as a factor in decision-making. If racial preferences fall, obviously gender preferences would disappear as well.
If Obama makes this argument, it would astound the country and immediately draw moderate and even Republican support. The Hillary camp would launch its usual attacks, but against Obama they would bounce off. This is one issue on which Obama would have unimpeachable credibility.
Will he do it? Does he have the guts?
Reader Comments ( Page 2 of 10)
16. Might I add, brian, tipping is OPTIONAL.
If a black man didn't tip well, that speaks for him, not black men.
What does your story represent? All black people are poor tippers? All black have a chip on their shoulder? OR there's not many black people in Tullahoma?
mac at 12:12PM on Mar 10th 2008
17. Sorry. Typo in #14, should have read, "It appears that you are trying to draw conclusions about a group of people from a single, biased sample."
I will try to proofread more carefully in the future.
alan at 12:12PM on Mar 10th 2008
18. Tipping too low is rude, but so too it is when a waiter complains to the customer about his low tip. If a waiter got pissy at me because his tip wasn't "grateful enough", I'd cut it in half.
Mokele-Mobembe at 12:13PM on Mar 10th 2008
19. I hate cheap tippers regardless of their color. Waiters and waitresses work for meager wages and make most of their income from tips.
danny at 12:23PM on Mar 10th 2008
20. brian; I would refrain from using real life examples for a while if I were you.
Ryan Anderson at 12:24PM on Mar 10th 2008
21. Most restauraunts include the gratuity into the bill in parties of 6 or more.
mac at 12:31PM on Mar 10th 2008
22. alan,
no i draw no conclusions i just said it gave one pause. i,in fact, told my son NOT to draw conclusions. i can understand how blacks could let things carry over. but really, if you take a sample of waiters and waitresses they pretty much do agree. for some reason blacks do not tip very well. its true. now what the reason is i do not know. i would like to think its not what this one black guy said in my earlier post. but i do think that alot of blacks today resent white people for perhaps various reasons,some justified some not. i myself so not draw conclusions because i try to be tolerant and open
brian at 12:33PM on Mar 10th 2008
23. brian's best friend is a non-tipping black man.
Ryan Anderson at 12:30PM on Mar 10th 2008
24. Tips for brian:
Never pet a burning dog.
Do not enter dark alleys alone.
Don't take any wooden nickels.
Don't eat the yellow snow.
Get the proper amount of vitamins, especialy for your memory( ginko biloba, b-6, bacopin).
mac at 12:32PM on Mar 10th 2008
25. Dinesh, we can always count on you to use twisted logic to turn an unimportant issue into a conservative straw man that you feel you must dash to pieces for your readers' own "enlightened" good. Where on earth did the Hoover Institute find a boob like you? You are the only Indian-American, ex-Ann Coulter dating neo-con that I know of who hates himself and his pretended faith to such a degree that you would insult others with your feigned impartiality twinged with pomposity and self-righteousness. Disgusting. At least be for real, and quit manufacturing your issues. Maybe then, non-AEI people will actually take what you say seriously.
Eddie at 12:33PM on Mar 10th 2008
26. ryan,
thanks especially with the macs of the world. but its like i told my son. you cannot group people together for an incident. i went to an all black high school for a year. my dad was the asst. principal and it was the best year of high school i ever had. i never was a waiter so i cannot speak to the issue of tipping. i can only speak to my son about not stereo-typing
brian at 12:33PM on Mar 10th 2008
27. Sorry for the double post.
Ryan, you beat me to the punch...YOU DOG
mac at 12:33PM on Mar 10th 2008
28. brian; was your "sample" of waiters and waitresses made up of a couple of your sons friends?
Ryan Anderson at 12:34PM on Mar 10th 2008
29. mmac,
thanks for the tips coming from friends its just makes sense
brian at 12:37PM on Mar 10th 2008
30. danny,
yes waiters and waitresses work very hard. its a shame resteraunts get away paying so little. my son did it for 4 years and it gave him fraternity money and spending money. he learned alot from that experiance. i always tip good because i know they work hard
brian at 12:39PM on Mar 10th 2008