The Other Racists

Universities are actively giving racial preference to some groups over others. Here's why that's a problem.

I recently wrote about Stanley Zhong, an 18-year-old Palo Alto-area grad who was stunned when he found himself rejected by 16 of the 18 colleges he’d applied to, including multiple state schools, even though he had a 4.42 weighted GPA (3.98 unweighted) and a 1590 SAT score (1600 is perfect).

Even more shocking than his rejection is the reason Zhong was rejected: he’s an Asian male.

For years, colleges have been quietly discriminating against Asians in the admission process, admitting white, black, and Latino students with lower SAT scores and lower GPAs in the name of inclusivity. The problem for Asians is that, as a group, they tend to score really well.

This means there’s an abundance of highly qualified Asians applying to universities each year. This would not be a problem for Asian students if not for race-conscious universities, which, in recent years, have demonstrated a preference for social equity and racial balance over merit.

As a result, untold numbers of Asians have found themselves excluded from universities simply because of their race.

This isn’t a case of disparate outcomes, mind you. It’s often the case that in job hiring some sexes or races are more represented than others. There are a lot more males who work as roofers than females, for instance. But that doesn’t mean that roofing companies are discriminating against women.

What universities are doing is different. They are actively giving racial preference to some groups over other groups. These are the other racists in society. And as my friend and former colleague Sean Malone has pointed out, it’s rooted in a similar ideology as the more familiar racism: collectivism.

Collectivism is the root of just about every terrible idea, and has provided people with reasons to close their borders, go to war, and harm their neighbors for as long as anyone can remember.

But ask yourself: Who else in our society consistently makes this mistake?

Who else consistently reduces individuals to their group identity based on race, gender, sexual orientation, or economic status? Who in our society are obsessed with identity politics?

It is not just the rednecks and Nazis.

To the contrary, some of the most egregious collectivists in our society are the people sometimes called "Social Justice Warriors" who see themselves as the opposite of right-wing collectivists. SJWs are people who claim to oppose racism and sexism, yet for them everything must be understood only through the lens of collective identity.

Who people are as individuals is irrelevant. Whether or not they have worth as a person depends largely on whether or not they’re seen as part of one group or another. Empathy and sympathy are only extended to those who are seen as more oppressed based on a superficial assessment of their skin color or gender.

It is a truly dehumanizing way of looking at other people.

This morning I discussed why this is a problem on The Bob Harden Show, and explain that the antidote to all forms of racism is simple: to see one another as individuals. Listen below.