John McWhorter – The End of Race-Based Affirmative Action
Episode description
0:00 John: Let’s be honest about what “taking race into account” means in affirmative action
10:09 Glenn: How can anyone argue that race-based affirmative action doesn’t violate the 14th Amendment?
19:29 Why are we so focused on elite institutions?
24:32 John: The University of California works just fine without “racial preferences”
30:28 “You’re pulling the ladder up behind you” is an invalid critique
35:00 John: The fact that racism exists does not justify changing standards
44:04 Why Roland Fryer thinks we should put our money where our mouth is on race and education
51:04 Will the post-Students for Fair Admissions future turn into a “Hardship Olympics”?
Recorded July 8, 2023
Links and Readings
Zachary Bleemer’s paper, “Affirmative Action and Its Race-Neutral Alternatives”
The Supreme Court opinions in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard
John’s book, Losing the Race: Self-Sabotage in Black America
John’s NYT piece, “On Race and Academia”
Roland Fryer’s NYT oped, “How to Fix College Admissions Now”
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