Sick and Tired

I am sick and tired of self-serving minorities like Judge Thomas (African-American) and Dinesh D’Souza (Asian-American), who hypocritically oppose, yet decidedly benefit from programs such as affirmative action. Even though they deny and attack it, racial preference is very instrumental in their meteoric success.

Don’t get me wrong, both men are probably technically qualified for whatever positions they hold. But so are several other prospective candidates. It is their minority status that gives them the decisive edge.

The fact of the matter is simple: Most high profile, vacant positions attract several technically qualified (and perhaps over-qualified) applicants. Consequently, final decisions are usually based on political and ideological suitability. In Judge Thomas’ and D’Souza’s case political and ideological suitability spells RACE!

There are undoubtedly scores of eminently qualified persons from the majority culture, vying for leadership in the attack against affirmative action. What makes D’Souza so appealing is his racial background. His minority status brings more credibility to the anti-affirmative action movement than the combined efforts of all of his white collaborators.

The same is true of Judge Thomas. In spite of George Bush’s objection, race is the decisive factor in his nomination to the Supreme Court. Only a deceitful egotist or a paranoiac would opine to the contrary.

So racial preference got them their jobs, and yet it is racial preference they seek to discredit in their right wing attack on affirmative action and multiculturalism. If Judge Thomas and D’Souza are genuinely opposed to affirmative action, they should give up their jobs rather than continue to bite the hand that feeds them.

But biting the hand that feeds them is only one of their many virtues. They are dangerously deceptive. Recall how during his confirmation hearings, Judge Thomas repeatedly discounted race as a criterion for his appointment, but readily invoked it as the cause of his alleged “hi-tech lynching.” How convenient!

As for D’Souza, the recent debate between himself and Stanley Fish was ostensibly about the pros and cons of “Political Correctness” (PC). However, D’Souza turned the forum into an attack on affirmative action and multiculturalism. It was only in response to a question by a member of the audience concerning a definition of PC, that the issue was directly, but briefly (about 5 minutes in nearly 3 hours of debate) addressed.

My intelligence was belittled. But then again, D’Souza (by a Freudian slip) did rank NIU students pretty low down in his hierarchy of the intellectually capable.

Beware! There are treacherous minorities on the loose who will think nothing of reversing decades of civil rights gains in their rabid, self-seeking quests.

Ian Baptiste

Graduate Student

Education