One of the core problems with Affirmative Action is that it does not actually address the cause of unequal outcomes when it comes to race. Proponents are often focused myopically on the equality of outcome, as opposed to the equality of opportunity. Seeking to help improve the education of those racial and ethnic groups that are doing poorly academically, for whatever reason one might ascribe, might prove to be an arduous, though ultimately fulfilling, task. Rather then face that difficulty, a more easy option is available to those who want to achieve an equality of outcome: Dumbing down the curriculum to the point where so many more people pass, that differences between the passing rates of different racial and ethnic groups shrinks or even disappears.
Many school districts that have large black and Hispanic student populations tend to be in very left-leaning areas and are dominated politically on their governing school boards run by Democrats and other far left ideologues. While sometimes parents can successfully fight against this (charter schools being a popular option for many), the schools continue to fail. Since it is intuitively obvious that conservatives do not run the schools or control the curriculum (aside from the occasional “creationism” scare), the people who run the school often have to rely on the laughable claim that they are being starved of fund by evil Republicans in Washington who hate “brown kids.”
Yet, when disparities nonetheless creep up, the schools respond by dumbing down the curriculum so that more black and Hispanic kids who would have failed end up passing, thus artificial achieving an equality of ill-educated dunces.
While this give a superficial glimmer of achievement, the roots of the original inequality are simply hidden. For many on the left, their concept of “justice” is based upon the assumption that the equality of outcome must come before all else, and that if equality of outcome is achieved, then utopia will spontaneously form.
Harrison Bergeron could not be reached for comment…
