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PaperclipPerfector  9mo ago (text post)   29231 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of February 19, 2024

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Cofnas misunderstands the progressive impulse. Cofnas’ proposal is the equivalent of telling the commissar “well, you see sir, if we allow capitalism, private property and great wealth inequality, we’ll all be richer”. This is true, but it’s not the point. The point is ‘equity’, the point is that ‘private property is inherently exploitative’, the point is that racially disparate outcomes are inherently wrong, regardless of cause.

Progressives won’t be convinced by the “HBD supports meritocracy” argument because meritocracy isn’t axiomatic for them; equity is. DEI doesn’t require a lack of HBD, DEI can easily adapt to HBD, the central shibboleth of leftism is “from each according to ability, to each according to need”. The distribution of ‘ability’ is not hugely important.

Progressives won’t be convinced by the “HBD supports meritocracy” argument because meritocracy isn’t axiomatic for them

  1. You don't necessarily have to convince hardcore progressives. All "respectable" antiwoke complaints are basically aimed at liberals who share progressive assumptions about helping people and remedying racial injustices but have relatively positive attitudes towards things like meritocracy (it's just they have no conceptual answer to "meritocracy hasn't worked, so it's clearly also racist")
  2. While we're at it, how many people have soured on meritocracy because they've just take for granted that racism is the cause of group differences that they keep seeing meritocracy recreate?

I agree, as I said it's completely possible to be a pro-DEI race-realist, it's just that it would necessitate a different narrative and a different set of supported policies and rhetorical positions. I think Cofnas believes (and I agree) that progressivism wouldn't survive the necessary shift in rhetoric and policy advocacy. I think you also underestimate how rational people are. There are some true believers but I think you underestimate the extent to which people are willing to change their mind based on facts. Look at the shift in attitudes towards the Soviet Union among western intellectuals after the Hungarian and Czech revolts and their suppression by the USSR. There are certainly some people who are beyond convincing, but the ascendency of this worldview requires the cooperation of so many people that I can't believe the zealots are more than a small fraction. I also don't see any better arguments, so if you value argument as a political tool at all I'm not sure what the alternative to talking about HBD is.

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