...This article seems to naturally target affirmative action, which, even to a slightly liberal Afro-American as myself, is an admittedly counter-racist and toxic arrangement. I also agree with Dr. Sowell's unstated clause that meritocracy should trump diversity. But the crucial point that conservatives seem to miss is that affirmative action came into existence not because of inequality in opportunities per se, but because the way society was structured lead to an inequality in opportunities. Had meritocracy been so viciously sacred 60-70 yrs ago for every group, then we could say things would be different between racial groups. But to willfully ignore these distortions is as bad as condoning the inequality itself. - Dneka Moton

I like how the author interweaves the current class conflict debate with other known racial and talent-related forms of inequality. However, when you look at the most equal societies, those in Northern Europe, they are usually more socially homogeneous and perhaps therefore more naturally egalitarian. In heterogeneous societies such as America or Britain where cultural and racial differences are more common, it is true that some racial or ethnic groups (or other types of groups) are more likely to succeed at certain things than others. Engineers are more likely to be White or Asian males, etc. But to assume that these inequalities are justified based on the fact that they exist is jumping to a disingenuous conclusion...

...This article seems to naturally target affirmative action, which, even to a slightly liberal Afro-American as myself, is an admittedly counter-racist and toxic arrangement. I also agree with Dr. Sowell's unstated clause that meritocracy should trump diversity. But the crucial point that conservatives seem to miss is that affirmative action came into existence not because of inequality in opportunities per se, but because the way society was structured lead to an inequality in opportunities. Had meritocracy been so viciously sacred 60-70 yrs ago for every group, then we could say things would be different between racial groups. But to willfully ignore these distortions is as bad as condoning the inequality itself. - Dneka Moton

I like how the author interweaves the current class conflict debate with other known racial and talent-related forms of inequality. However, when you look at the most equal societies, those in Northern Europe, they are usually more socially homogeneous and perhaps therefore more naturally egalitarian. In heterogeneous societies such as America or Britain where cultural and racial differences are more common, it is true that some racial or ethnic groups (or other types of groups) are more likely to succeed at certain things than others. Engineers are more likely to be White or Asian males, etc. But to assume that these inequalities are justified based on the fact that they exist is jumping to a disingenuous conclusion...