The failure of affirmative action

This is a sort of followup to my previous post.

Carl Cohen reviews and comments on the book Affirmative Action Around the World: An Empirical Study by Thomas Sowell. According to Mr. Cohen:

Affirmative Action Around the World is exactly what its title announces: an empirical study of what the consequences really are, and really have been, in the five major nations in which "affirmative action"—the term now commonly used to denote ethnic preferences—has been long ensconced: India, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, and the United States.

I haven't read the book but Mr. Cohen provides a good summary. Here is what I consider the most important section:

One thread runs through all four of these case histories. We are often invited to suppose, almost as an axiom, that every ethnic group is possessed of equal talent with every other and will therefore, if given equal chances, perform with equivalent competence. Disparate numbers by group (in employment or education) are taken to be a sure sign of oppression, and proportionality thus becomes the unquestioned standard of fair play. This thinking is the product of an egalitarianism ungrounded in empirical inquiry.

The reality, driven home by Sowell’s excruciating reports, is very different. In fact, for a host of reasons, some of which we know and some of which we do not know, some of which spring from malign oppression and many of which do not, ethnic and racial groups behave differently, perform differently, learn differently, and exhibit greatly different talents and temperaments. That is not crude stereotyping; it is plain fact. Justice will not be done if this fact is denied or goes unrecognized. In giving us this great lesson with the aid of overwhelming evidence and a scrupulously dispassionate mind, Thomas Sowell is our finest teacher.

I think a big problem with race relations today is the steadfast refusal to recognize that there *are* differences. I would say the differences are mostly, if not completely, cultural. In short, it doesn't matter what your genes are, but rather the culture in which you grow up. Culture and genetic race go hand in hand. It's not an exact mapping but it is true in general.

This leads to the question of whether or not one culture is inferior to another. I would say that, if you apply certain standards, the answer is yes. This is what we're dealing with in the Middle East right now. That subset of Arab/Islamic culture that produces terrorism is inferior to the cultures of the West, they know it, and they're trying to deal with it in the only way they know how: do their best to destroy us. This war is a war of cultures but it is a war nonetheless.

As for race relations in this country, specifically when it comes to Blacks (isn't there a better word than "Black" or "African-American?"), I think part of the problem is that so-called Black leaders (like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton) perpetuate the culture of victimhood and entitlement. The irony is that if they were to succeed in their mission, they would be out of a job. So, it's in their best interests to keep that culture of victimhood in place. That way they maintain their power base and their political influence.

I think that Affirmative Action in this country is an attempt to put a Band-Aid over the underlying cultural problem, rather than treating it. Or a better analogy might be that it is like treating the symptoms with addictive drugs. It may help in the short run, but in the long run it will only make things worse because they become dependent on it.

I'm only starting to form concrete opinions on this subject so I'll give you fair warning: my views may change in the future. If you disagree with the above, please please please let me know and provide an argument for your position. I don't know if anyone can be truly objective on this point as everyone is a member of some race. Me especially as I'm about as white as it gets (mostly German and Dutch).