Affirmative Action

This whole discussion about affirmative action in class made me remember something i once read about a black conservative names Shelby Steele, and his views on it. Steele just wrote a book called "White Guilt: How Blacks and Whites Together Destroyed the Promise of the Civil Rights Era", and in it he says that whites today have 'white guilt' from what they have done to blacks, and this is why affirmative action is here. In this book he bashes affirmative action, welfare to minorities, and other such programs. He says these policies make whites feel better about their past deeds, and makes them not seem racist, but at the same time these things ask nothing from blacks. He thinks that affirmative action is just an incentive for Blacks not to try hard, because they can try less and still succeed because of these programs. He says blacks now think that they have a lower bar than anybody else and they will only reach for that and not higher. He points out that SAT scores dropped among blacks from 1990 till 2000, and he says that this is a likely cause.

He says affirmative action makes blacks out to be second class citizens, because they are expected to do less than everybody else. He also says it makes blacks dependent on whites for them to be successful. Whites can now look down at blacks and think you are only here because i let you. He then starts to criticize liberals who promote these policies. He says that liberals can now say they have a clean slate because they are doing affirmative action programs. He says affirmative action actually promotes white supremacy, because these programs make us out to look smarter, and put minorities on a lesser level.

He says now that they civil rights movement is in serious trouble because Blacks need to say that they are weak and whites are strong to get anything. He says this will eventually stigmatize a whole generation of young blacks, who need to see their leaders constantly sell themselves out.

His critique of liberal policies then continue. He says that liberals take away the personal responsibility of blacks solely for political gain, and then they are able to say they have a higher moral authority than conservatives. He says that liberals claim the conservatives are racist because they don't believe in these programs. This he concludes is the way that liberals try to gain power in America. He says that subsequently if liberals abolished these programs they wouldn't be seen as compassionate, and thus lose their power base. The liberals form of power is to take over all personal choice so they can try to rectify the sins of the past. He says even now they are trying to portray the environment as a victim of past 'white atrocities' and they can once again claim a new moral high ground by trying to protect it.

He then criticizes George Bush for losing his pride when responding after Hurricane Katrina to the charges he didn't care about Black people. He said Bush clearly cares about blacks and the only reason he responds to this is because of his white guilt, and by speaking this would remedy his problem. He says this speech was not meant for the benefit of blacks but an attempt to not look racist in front of swing voters.

I don't agree with everything Steele has to say but he does bring up a lot of good points. In another article of his he says that the U.S is doing badly in Iraq because of this guilt. He says the army has to win a war but at the same time can't seem the least bit racially and culturally insensitive, or imperial in any way. He also says that the demonization of America by Europe is a way that Europe can get over their white guilt. They say that America is the new imperial devil, is racist, hates culture, and this helps their guilt. Overall he is a very interesting man and a lot of his articles are very interesting.