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PaperclipPerfector  1yr ago (text post)   35217 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of June 26, 2023

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A silver lining amongst the clouds—judging from today’s reactions in public discourse, it appears that the center of the mainstream Overton window has moved from 2) to 3) in recent years.

Where 1) is a dated and quaint: “The impact of affirmative action is minimal; it’s just a tie-breaker between two otherwise equally qualified candidates.”

Then 2) is its evolution, Schrodinger’s affirmative action: “The impact of affirmative action is minimal and just a tie-breaker, but it’s a good thing that we as society need and paramount for diversity, equity, and inclusion.”

And 3) is “The impact of affirmative action is massive and that’s why it’s a good thing that we as society need.”

At least with 3) there is greater agreement all around as to the facts on the ground, that the impact of affirmative action is massive. Progress!

Or maybe I’m just hopped up on hopium and we’ll be forever stuck in limbo at 2).

I don't know if that's what the center of discourse reads as, but Jackson's opinion reads more like combining (2) and (3) along with the flimflam of the celebration parallax. Yes, it's vitally important that universities engage in discrimination, but don't worry, it's actually quite small, and might even benefit whites! Seriously, she actually wrote this:

Thus, to be crystal clear: Every student who chooses to disclose his or her race is eligible for such a race-linked plus, just as any student who chooses to disclose his or her unusual interests can be credited for what those interests might add to UNC. The record supports no intimation to the contrary. Eligibility is just that; a plus is never automatically awarded, never considered in numerical terms, and never automatically results in an offer of admission.84 There are no race-based quotas in UNC’s holistic review process.

Mainstream discourse that I see involves the same sort of insistence that large pro-black discrimination is necessary and good, but also not happening, but the court ruling will destroy it and is therefore bad. I don't think the intellectual reconciliation to consistency that you're looking for is happening.

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