Some food for thought regarding the race issues (if you dare to think about them)

An interesting article on the issues of race and the affirmative action. It is a touchy subject and many would prefer to ignore it or pretend that we live in a post-racial/post-sexist world. Yet, the reality remains as complicated as ever:

Here is the rationale for the affirmative action (since the author is right-wing, his language is not impartial - I don't quite share his sentiment in this case.):
"Preferences as recompense for past discrimination must eventually become implausible, but the diversity rationale for preferences never expires. 

Liberals would never stoop to stereotyping, but they say minorities necessarily make distinctive — stereotypical? — contributions to viewpoint diversity, conferring benefits on campus culture forever. And minorities admitted to elite universities and professional schools supposedly serve the compelling goal of enlarging the minority component of the middle class and professions."

But here is the problem:
"“Academic mismatch” causes many students who are admitted under a substantial preference based on race, but who possess weaker academic skills, to fall behind. The consequences include especially high attrition rates from the sciences, and self-segregation in less-demanding classes, thereby reducing classroom diversity. Blacks are significantly more integrated across the University of California system than they were before the state eliminated racial preferences in 1996, thereby discouraging enrollment of underprepared minorities in the more elite institutions."

And this is an interesting paragraph regarding the situation in sciences:
"There are fewer minorities entering high-prestige careers than there would be if preferences were not placing many talented minority students in inappropriate, and discouraging, academic situations: “Many would be honor students elsewhere. But they are subtly being made to feel as if they are less talented than they really are.” This is particularly so regarding science and engineering, which are, as Heriot, Kirsanow and Gaziano say, “ruthlessly cumulative”: Students who struggle in entry-level classes will find their difficulties cascading as the academic ascent becomes steeper. Hence the high attrition rates."