Segregation Still Exists, But There Is Hope

While I know that there are still racist people in the U.S., I would never have thought that segregated proms are still the norm in some areas of the country. These proms, rather than funded by the school, are funded by parents and as such would qualify as private parties. The good news is that the students seem to find it ridiculous and have healthy interracial relationships.

Is America ready for a President who is not a White Male?

For years, common wisdom has held that the last "White Men Only" club in America has been the presidency. This year, both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are trying to challenge that assumption. But is America ready for the change?

...the CNN poll today shows that 72% of whites and 61% of blacks believe the country is ready for a black president. That's up from 65% and 54%, respectively, two years ago. (Both polls have a margin of error of +/-4.5%.)

But asked if the country is ready for a female president, blacks and whites both are in agreement; they're less sure -- only 63% of both whites and blacks answer yes. That's up slightly (from 58%) for whites but down among blacks from 67% since December, 2006.

Interestingly, men and women remain in agreement on this issue, too. In 2006, 60% of both genders said yes and this time it's 65% female and 64% male.

My own guess has been for a while that America wants a black president before a female president.

SCOTUS strikes down race as a factor in diversification

I am a white male, which I am told, means I am one of the most privileged people in America and the world. Whether or not that is true is up for some debate - especially since in the last two years I have been passed over for admittance into schools precisely because I am white and male but that's not racism or sexism - it's diversification. That actually gets us to the crux of the issue with yesterday's SCOTUS decision that race is not a factor that can be used in the diversification of schools. Last night as I sat and watched the Democratic candidates for president proclaim this as destroying decades of judicial precedent I could only think "huh?". From what I remember of Brown vs. Board of Ed. the issue was black students being excluded because they were black - which is clearly wrong. In yesterday's case the problem was white students being excluded because they're white. So, the democratic theory would work like this mathematically:
school - black students + white students = racism
school - white students + black students = diversity

To which I can only respond, "What the [your expletive here]!!!!" Now clearly there are some differences in the cases. In Brown all blacks were being excluded and in yesterdays' case it was only a percentage of whites being excluded. Nonetheless, what the court decided yesterday was still in line with Brown in saying that race is not a factor that can be used in the effort to provide equality and diversity in our schools. In fact schools are allowed to decide between students and are allowed remarkable freedom in choosing between students, they're just not allowed to use race as a factor. This seems reasonable to me.

If we are going to get past race in this country then we need to stop using it as a crutch. Are there inequalities in this country that need to be overcome - heck yeah. Stealing from the rich to help the poor isn't the way to do it - that only causes bitter rich people and less bad off criminals. In the same way blocking white admittance to allow black students in isn't a reasonable method of diversifying our schools. Provide some incentive for blacks to move into predominantly white neighborhoods, give out school vouchers, redraw school district lines. Do what you want, just don't say 'you're black so you're in and you're white so you're out.' This doesn't reck precedent - it strengthens the ultimate American precedent 'All people are created equal' and discrimination on the basis of race is wrong.

Can a Dog Be Racist?

An African man who applied for a job was rejected by a businessman because his dog is racist and might bite the African man. Can a dog really be racist or is more realistic that the dog is following a pattern-response behavior based on the businessman's own prejudice?