Diversity Equity and Inclusion

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When Obama was elected POTUS, I am a registered Republican who voted for him. I voted for him based on his decision not to vote in favor of war in Iraq.

Anyway, I was deeply saddened to hear Michelle Obama say she felt proud of her country for the first time. And I was shocked to hear Obama's preacher Jeremiah Wright about 9/11 and "not God bless America but god$#@! America." Even today you can hear the pain in Michelle Obama when she speaks about her experiences as a young black student at Princeton. She claims that white kids at her elementary school fled because they didn't want to go to school with blacks. She claims her white Princeton roommate switched dorm rooms because she didn't want to room with a her, a black student.

So, as a white woman, who has empathy, I feel sorry for blacks like Michelle Obama and Kolin Kapernick who are truly gifted with opportunities beyond what most white people have in any nation, but especially beyond what most blacks have in any other nation.

Kaepernick is biracial and was raised by white parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Asians, Jews, Italians, Irish -- just off the top of my head -- have succeeded in America despite oppression and institutional biases against them. It's a work in progress, but I tend to believe we'll find that Hispanics are on a similar upward trajectory despite prejudices and institutional biases against them. Same with African immigrants.

I think the primary demographic that's not succeeding and is not on an upward trajectory are natural born Black citizens. I think they face prejudices and institutional biases that are more firmly entrenched against them than any other group. And I think there are internal cultural factors (created in part by historical discrimination) that also work to undermine the success of the demographic.

And, I think DE&I avoids coming at these issues directly, in part, due to political considerations. Perhaps if they can unite all non-whites against whites, they can obtain the political power they think they need to help Black people specifically.

What you don't mention is that all groups who have succeeded in America followed the same basic template, and at its heart is hard work, delayed gratification, and the avoidance of self destructive behaviors.

Jewish students were once described much as Asians students are today. They worked too hard and studied too much. Their attendance at prestigious schools was capped lest there be too many of them...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When Obama was elected POTUS, I am a registered Republican who voted for him. I voted for him based on his decision not to vote in favor of war in Iraq.

Anyway, I was deeply saddened to hear Michelle Obama say she felt proud of her country for the first time. And I was shocked to hear Obama's preacher Jeremiah Wright about 9/11 and "not God bless America but god$#@! America." Even today you can hear the pain in Michelle Obama when she speaks about her experiences as a young black student at Princeton. She claims that white kids at her elementary school fled because they didn't want to go to school with blacks. She claims her white Princeton roommate switched dorm rooms because she didn't want to room with a her, a black student.

So, as a white woman, who has empathy, I feel sorry for blacks like Michelle Obama and Kolin Kapernick who are truly gifted with opportunities beyond what most white people have in any nation, but especially beyond what most blacks have in any other nation.

Kaepernick is biracial and was raised by white parents.

I still feel sorry for him that he felt the need to kneel during the national anthem as a form of protest. He didn't really get people on his side by doing that. He lacked appreciation for everything he achieved in this country.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't get all of this generalizing about why asians "succeed" while other racial groups don't.

Can't we just do stuff that reduces things that clearly hurt some groups more than others (e.g. inequality in education), without forcing everyone to read Ibram Kendi and Robin DiAngelo?

I think the success of Asians is precisely the point that the "systemic and institutional racism for benefit of whites" made by Kendi and DiAngelo are demonstrably false. Clearly, Asians are not white, not by skin tone, and certainly not by cultural background. Asians also don't succeed at everything, just some things - though the areas of success they are well known for are viewed as a privilege enjoyed by the oppressor class.

Most Asians who have come to the U.S. in the past 50 years were not poor and downtrodden in Asia or here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't get all of this generalizing about why asians "succeed" while other racial groups don't.

Can't we just do stuff that reduces things that clearly hurt some groups more than others (e.g. inequality in education), without forcing everyone to read Ibram Kendi and Robin DiAngelo?

Because assigning people to groups is what modern DE&I is all about.

My theory is that the GOP successfully used race as a divisive issue to win elections during the 1970s, 1980s, and part of the 1990s. This strategy rallied their base and they were able to somewhat contain the racist part of the party.... until Trump.

The Dems needed some hot button issue to rally their base and leaned into the identity politics stuff, focusing on DE&I. It gets people out to the polls, especially when it's "us" versus "white supremacy." If the GOP can get their racist part of the base under control, the Dem's won't have a white supremacist boogeyman, and will start losing elections.

Even if GOP racism were eliminated tomorrow, the Dems would still have plenty of issues around which to rally their base and the issues would be handed to them by Republicans. Try a woman's right to choose for starters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't get all of this generalizing about why asians "succeed" while other racial groups don't.

Can't we just do stuff that reduces things that clearly hurt some groups more than others (e.g. inequality in education), without forcing everyone to read Ibram Kendi and Robin DiAngelo?

Because assigning people to groups is what modern DE&I is all about.

My theory is that the GOP successfully used race as a divisive issue to win elections during the 1970s, 1980s, and part of the 1990s. This strategy rallied their base and they were able to somewhat contain the racist part of the party.... until Trump.

The Dems needed some hot button issue to rally their base and leaned into the identity politics stuff, focusing on DE&I. It gets people out to the polls, especially when it's "us" versus "white supremacy." If the GOP can get their racist part of the base under control, the Dem's won't have a white supremacist boogeyman, and will start losing elections.

Even if GOP racism were eliminated tomorrow, the Dems would still have plenty of issues around which to rally their base and the issues would be handed to them by Republicans. Try a woman's right to choose for starters.

PP. You're right, that's true. With that said, I do believe that whoever moves away from these identity-based and social conservative stuff first will win.

I voted for Obama twice, did not vote in 2016, and voted for Biden in 2020. As an independent, I'm itching for a non-Trump Republican candidate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't get all of this generalizing about why asians "succeed" while other racial groups don't.

Can't we just do stuff that reduces things that clearly hurt some groups more than others (e.g. inequality in education), without forcing everyone to read Ibram Kendi and Robin DiAngelo?

I think the success of Asians is precisely the point that the "systemic and institutional racism for benefit of whites" made by Kendi and DiAngelo are demonstrably false. Clearly, Asians are not white, not by skin tone, and certainly not by cultural background. Asians also don't succeed at everything, just some things - though the areas of success they are well known for are viewed as a privilege enjoyed by the oppressor class.

Most Asians who have come to the U.S. in the past 50 years were not poor and downtrodden in Asia or here.

Is there a link for that? I found this from 2019: In 2019, Asian immigrants were 1% less likely than the overall U.S.-born and overall immigrant populations to be in poverty, with 11 percent of immigrants from Asia below the federal poverty level compared to 12 percent of U.S.-born individuals and 14 percent of immigrants overall.

[Anonymous]

I think the success of Asians is precisely the point that the "systemic and institutional racism for benefit of whites" made by Kendi and DiAngelo are demonstrably false. Clearly, Asians are not white, not by skin tone, and certainly not by cultural background. Asians also don't succeed at everything, just some things - though the areas of success they are well known for are viewed as a privilege enjoyed by the oppressor class.


Most Asians who have come to the U.S. in the past 50 years were not poor and downtrodden in Asia or here.


Is there a link for that? I found this from 2019: In 2019, Asian immigrants were 1% less likely than the overall U.S.-born and overall immigrant populations to be in poverty, with 11 percent of immigrants from Asia below the federal poverty level compared to 12 percent of U.S.-born individuals and 14 percent of immigrants overall.

"Asia" is a big area. It all depends.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't get all of this generalizing about why asians "succeed" while other racial groups don't.

Can't we just do stuff that reduces things that clearly hurt some groups more than others (e.g. inequality in education), without forcing everyone to read Ibram Kendi and Robin DiAngelo?

I think the success of Asians is precisely the point that the "systemic and institutional racism for benefit of whites" made by Kendi and DiAngelo are demonstrably false. Clearly, Asians are not white, not by skin tone, and certainly not by cultural background. Asians also don't succeed at everything, just some things - though the areas of success they are well known for are viewed as a privilege enjoyed by the oppressor class.

Most Asians who have come to the U.S. in the past 50 years were not poor and downtrodden in Asia or here.

Tell that to all of the South Vietnamese and Afghan refugees who came here after wars ended in their countries.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't get all of this generalizing about why asians "succeed" while other racial groups don't.

Can't we just do stuff that reduces things that clearly hurt some groups more than others (e.g. inequality in education), without forcing everyone to read Ibram Kendi and Robin DiAngelo?

I think the success of Asians is precisely the point that the "systemic and institutional racism for benefit of whites" made by Kendi and DiAngelo are demonstrably false. Clearly, Asians are not white, not by skin tone, and certainly not by cultural background. Asians also don't succeed at everything, just some things - though the areas of success they are well known for are viewed as a privilege enjoyed by the oppressor class.

Most Asians who have come to the U.S. in the past 50 years were not poor and downtrodden in Asia or here.

That is true, but according to Kendi or DiAngelo, they couldn't possibly have been successful because they are not white, and the US systems and institutions are setup for the benefit of whites only.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You have to balance the modest gains from homework against the opportunity costs.

Opportunity costs: Zoned out on needless ADHD drugs so parents don’t have to deal with them, gaming themselves to Hugh scores and Hugh body mass, prescription parties where everyone selects prescription drugs from a big bowl, driving drunk or drugged?

My kids are nothing like that. I’m sorry your kids turned out that way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When Obama was elected POTUS, I am a registered Republican who voted for him. I voted for him based on his decision not to vote in favor of war in Iraq.

Anyway, I was deeply saddened to hear Michelle Obama say she felt proud of her country for the first time. And I was shocked to hear Obama's preacher Jeremiah Wright about 9/11 and "not God bless America but god$#@! America." Even today you can hear the pain in Michelle Obama when she speaks about her experiences as a young black student at Princeton. She claims that white kids at her elementary school fled because they didn't want to go to school with blacks. She claims her white Princeton roommate switched dorm rooms because she didn't want to room with a her, a black student.

So, as a white woman, who has empathy, I feel sorry for blacks like Michelle Obama and Kolin Kapernick who are truly gifted with opportunities beyond what most white people have in any nation, but especially beyond what most blacks have in any other nation.

Kaepernick is biracial and was raised by white parents.

I still feel sorry for him that he felt the need to kneel during the national anthem as a form of protest. He didn't really get people on his side by doing that. He lacked appreciation for everything he achieved in this country.

Yes, because kneeling is so disrespectful, the worst form of protest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't get all of this generalizing about why asians "succeed" while other racial groups don't.

Can't we just do stuff that reduces things that clearly hurt some groups more than others (e.g. inequality in education), without forcing everyone to read Ibram Kendi and Robin DiAngelo?

I think the success of Asians is precisely the point that the "systemic and institutional racism for benefit of whites" made by Kendi and DiAngelo are demonstrably false. Clearly, Asians are not white, not by skin tone, and certainly not by cultural background. Asians also don't succeed at everything, just some things - though the areas of success they are well known for are viewed as a privilege enjoyed by the oppressor class.

Most Asians who have come to the U.S. in the past 50 years were not poor and downtrodden in Asia or here.

That is true, but according to Kendi or DiAngelo, they couldn't possibly have been successful because they are not white, and the US systems and institutions are setup for the benefit of whites only.

The dodge is to say that any nonwhite demographic that succeeds doesn’t count because their success proves they’re white actually.

[Anonymous]

Asians are often considered “white adjacent.”

I’m not sure how the success of black immigrants gets explained.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You have to balance the modest gains from homework against the opportunity costs.

Opportunity costs: Zoned out on needless ADHD drugs so parents don’t have to deal with them, gaming themselves to Hugh scores and Hugh body mass, prescription parties where everyone selects prescription drugs from a big bowl, driving drunk or drugged?

My kids are nothing like that. I’m sorry your kids turned out that way.

Not referring to your kids but yo those I see in my practice.