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Notes -
I'm very inclined to entertain the argument in that case! I think any fair affirmative action policy should include benefits for people who come from very rural areas, small religious universities, etc. and the general impression I get from conversations at conferences is that people are impressed by those backgrounds and willing to personally give others extra consideration because of them (though I don't know how much this shows up in actual admissions policies besides pushes for "geographic diversity"). There are other reasons for affirmative action that I didn't mention---the most important for science and technology specifically is that a diversity of backgrounds is necessary for the diversity of perspectives that leads to the most creative breakthroughs.
I definitely agree that left-wing racists aren't powerless. I would say that their worst impact has been limited to a few cities, college towns, and academic disciplines, though this is still pretty significant. The biggest impact from right-wing racists has been towards US skilled immigration policy---e.g. the recent debate between Ramaswamy/Musk and Bannon/Miller. As we've discussed before, I think it's very important for human flourishing to have a place where the best and brightest from all over the world can come together, mix all their unique perspectives and ideas, and make scientific and technological breakthroughs. American cities and universities were this place, and the current administration's treatment of skilled immigrants seems somehow even more damaging for this than what the extreme left was doing.
I guess we'll see in the next few years what the racists on the right can really accomplish when their coalition is in power, and nothing would make me happier than for you to win this argument and their powerlessness to be revealed.
Given the reaction here it clearly wasn't, though I'm not exactly sure why. Just because something is bad doesn't mean that the alternative is better and in this case, the alternative coalition to vote for had some very extreme poison pills.
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