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perle's avatar

I have been waiting for someone else to touch on this, and now must assume that my position is so radical that everyone will condemn me. I look on institutions like Harvard as having a sacred trust to preserve the very best in scholarship. Each candidate should be evaluated for their ability to offer exceptional contributions to enrich our patrimony. Nothing else should count. There are countless institutions that can provide a career path and even offer opportunities to those who have been discriminated against. Is there no place for top-level scholarship in this Country?

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GT64OZ's avatar

The Babylon Bee today - Awkward: Supreme Court Rules Against Affirmative Action With Affirmative Action Hire Sitting Right There

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T. Paine Redux's avatar

Hahhhaaaa. Love it

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dissonant1's avatar

That is an idealistic view but it is one that they recognized at their founding and promoted. For Harvard, it was "Veritas Christo et Ecclesiae," which means "Truth for Christ and the Church." So, what are the guiding principles of Harvard now? From where do they come?

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perle's avatar

The SCOTUS is NOT an instrument for solving deep seated political and social problems. Its job is to maintain the Rule of Law, and it is not doing its job. This newest will have zero effect on actual practice, except for window dressing in getting around the decision. The SCOTUS is politicized, as is our entire government until further notice.

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Jun 29, 2023
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perle's avatar

I agree that gratitude is the antidote and cynicism is poison but neither the oligarchs nor the mushy middle interest me. Nothing will ever persuade me that those willing to compromise on basic principles deserve consideration. We as individuals have our own responsibility to maintain our integrity and moral fiber. Should our society and our government show any signs of embracing positions that deserve our respect and admiration let us rejoice and show our support. Failing that, as Bastiat said centuries ago, "When law and morality contradict each other, the citizen has the cruel alternative of either losing his moral sense or losing his respect for the law."

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T. Paine Redux's avatar

So they didn't really close off raced-based admissions then. Schools will just find. ways around it and the legal process will start again ad infinitum. Given what the court did on the voting case, I have no confidence that they will ever come to a coherent judicial philosophy.

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AmericanCardigan's avatar

Hey i just passsed my vehicle emission test today after two previous failures. Was told to grease the guy $200 and I’d be fine. Worked like a charm.

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Retired FL LEO's avatar

I’m a dinosaur I’ll admit it. I went to Michigan State in 1975. Qualifications, GPA and SAT and ACT scores. I think I also had to check off white male in some box. I got an “honorary” scholarship, that is no money, because my dad made too much money, probably around $12k.

No sob story essay, no expression of plans to change the world, just my alleged intelligence measures. My minority friends, same story except most were on scholarship. Michigan at the time had a black population of about 12% and strange enough, that was the percentage of black students enrolled (at least in the freshman class). Just how was MSU able to accomplish this without preferential treatment? BTW Bakke was decided when I was a Junior. As one of my professors predicted, it won’t have much of an effect on us.

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Yancey Ward's avatar

Set minimum scores required, draw names out of a hat using an accounting firm to regulate. Fair and not open to easy rigging.

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Tamsin's avatar

To riff on Stalin,

It's not who takes the test, it's who scores the test.

And, it's not who writes answers to the test questions, it's who writes the test questions. This last is why we have seen so much nonsense the last twenty-five years in early mathematics education, as progressives try to sideline calculating a correct numerical answer, and to prioritize writing a paragraph description of your struggle to find an answer.

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Steghorn21's avatar

Excellent news! Racism has no place in a modern, democratic society. Of course, the usual suspects voted no.

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Cosmo T Kat's avatar

Yes, interesting to note the three dissenters of which two of the three are the dimmest on the bench, all want more racism to combat racism. They know they wouldn't be on the bench if not for racism, theirs and their party's addiction to intolerance.

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T. Paine Redux's avatar

and racism will still hold a place in a modern, democratic society. At least for college admission-types, etc, etc.

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Cosmo T Kat's avatar

The more we progress to common sense the more progressives resist progress.

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Jun 29, 2023
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Steghorn21's avatar

I'm sure they would welcome him with open arms...

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Jun 29, 2023
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Steghorn21's avatar

True, but symbolism is very important too. It's like the ruling on abortion. Sure, people can get round it too, but it sends out a powerful message. Oh, and it angers all the right people!

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