Majorities of both African Americans (58%) and Hispanics (53%) favor preferential treatment to improve the position of blacks and other minorities; just 22% of whites agree.I'm interested in why whites and Hispanics diverge so much on this issue. Unlike blacks, Hispanics can't claim they deserve preferences to compensate for a history of slavery and Jim Crow segregation.
Put yourself in the place of a recent Hispanic immigrant. "America invited me here or at least doesn't care enough to kick me out (if I'm illegal). Not only did they allow me to move here and take a job, they actually hired me over a white just because I'm brown."
If it were me, my attitude would be, hey, you've done more than enough allowing me to work here; I don't see why I deserve the royal treatment. And yet Hispanics are 2.4 times more likely to favor preferences than whites.
How do we explain this? It could be pure opportunism: "If these suckers want to hand out jobs to me over a white guy, who am I to say no?" They might simply have no faith in whites, even though they have not had a history like blacks that might tempt a person to be so suspicious. Or they might look at their poverty and accept the sociological narrative that such a condition is proof that America is a deeply racist nation that keeps certain groups down. The latter seems most likely to me.
It will put a big smile on my face when the evidence becomes indisputable that all the white-hating, America-hating sociologists are charlatans.
Ron, you said,
ReplyDelete"It will put a big smile on my face when the evidence becomes indisputable that all the white-hating, America-hating sociologists are charlatans."
Yes, me too, but pray tell, in what form will such "evidence" come? And when? Since when did data showing that social scientists were wrong change anything?
For that matter, take a look at the hard sciences. PC is operating there too. Some research is downright taboo, Many scientists keep their mouths shut about certain things, right?
Assuming that when push comes to shove people are basically self-interetsed it's not hard to see why Hispanics would favor affimitive action for themselves. Can you blame them?
ReplyDeleteWhat would be more interesting is if they also tended to support AA for blacks, over and above the number of whites who do. That's implied by - "favor preferential treatment to improve the position of blacks and other minorities"...
"....they actually hired me over a white just because I'm brown."
ReplyDeleteI was wondering where all the white people in my work went. I did not need a college degree, interview, or application to get a job, no. I just popped in and said "Brown guy here! Hire me please!"
Blacks and browns never get rejection letters, EVER. We have to fend off those damn prospective employers.
These dirt poor, persecuted whites just have no solidarity.
I'm not most surprised by the Hispanic opinion. I'm more amazed that only 58% of blacks support affirmative action.
ReplyDeleteIf I had to guess, I would have estimated in the neighborhood of 95%.
How the hell can anyone explain that low number? Maybe they don't want handouts and the chip that Michelle Obama has.
I still can't believe how entrenched affirmative action is while it seems it has little support amongst the public. I imagine media bias and liberal elite colleges play into it.
You've heard of "Too big to fail.", right?
ReplyDeleteWell, basically what's going on nowadays is "Too wrong to be wrong."
"It will put a big smile on my face when the evidence becomes indisputable that all the white-hating, America-hating sociologists are charlatans."
ReplyDelete............America will be demographically too far gone by then for us to electorally do anything about it.m
Sort of related, but until we had the civil rights movement and affirmative action, most Hispanics saw themselves (and wanted to be seen) as white. They looked down on their cousins from south of the border who couldn't speak English too.
ReplyDeleteI bet we'd have a lot fewer problems if more people had those attitudes these days.
Unedited bbc4 interview with Nick Griffin found via Auster:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Hzq7OHn9iI
A far more impressive performance than could be expected of any US poltico of the last fifty years. And amazingly non-mendacious to boot.
OTOH, he's not as entertaining as Joe Biden.
"Assuming that when push comes to shove people are basically self-interetsed it's not hard to see why Hispanics would favor affimitive action for themselves."
ReplyDeleteSure, but if whites were asked if they favored pro-white preferences, the vast majority would say no.
"Sure, but if whites were asked if they favored pro-white preferences, the vast majority would say no."
ReplyDeleteAh yes, Ron, a holdover from our British progenitors, a sense of fair play, good sportsmanship, and all that.
As we beocme more like the rest of the world, you will see that disappear too. Antiquated notions like waiting your turn or not taking advantage of other people just because you can will disappear. You'll see.
Ron: Sure they'd say that because it's in their self-interest to look non-racist. Heh. I'm kidding, partially.
ReplyDelete