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Notes -
If progressive policies cause people to be more negatively inclined towards progressive favored "protected" groups, that doesn't mean that progressivism is perpetuating prejudice against such groups necessarily. AA would cause more suspicion bu ift people would be justifiably more suspicious of the quality of Affirmative Action hires, then that would be correct. Justifiable negativity is not prejudice. And unjustifiable positivity for one group would itself be unfair on other groups.
This force is in competition between progressivism cultivating irrational attitudes that are pro the groups benefiting from affirmative action. For example, if a group commits more crime but some people buy into a conspiracy theory that the cops and judges are just framing them, then progressivism benefits excessively this group actually. Distorting reality in its favor and at expense of other groups.
Additionally, if negativity is prejudice, then policies such as stop and frisk, are born of a society willing to be critical, suspicious and negative towards say blacks. Why isn't it prejudice then?
The prejudice against groups progressivism disfavors and in favor the groups it favors is the serious problem, and not progressivism inspiring bigotry against blacks. Actually, this idea of prioritizing the groups progressivism favors as victims of racism is part of the problem of progressivism and how it can be bigoted. Certainly it can inspire a backlashe, which if proportionate the backlash is actually the good thing and the bad thing is the problem that inspired it, and if disproprotionate, sure there might be something to criticize from that angle, focusing on the disproportionality. However, that shouldn't be the primary criticism of progressivism over it directly favoring certain groups too much, and being overly hostile towards other groups.
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