From the Tom Woods Letter:
Not long ago I spoke to the fearless Heather Mac Donald, author of When Race Trumps Merit, about how the toxic doctrine of “disparate impact” has undermined standards of all kinds, all across society.
Symphony orchestras, for example, are known for holding their auditions behind a screen, to make absolutely certain that individual musicians’ characteristics do not interfere with the dispassionate analysis of their musical abilities. But because this impartial process yields orchestras that are too white and Asian (and therefore has a “disparate impact” on blacks), there is buzz about taking the screens down for the precise purpose of allowing orchestras to discriminate on the basis of race.
Well, just the other day it was reported that 225 black teachers will each be awarded at least $1 million in damages each because they failed the National Teachers Exam.
You read that right.
Was there “discriminatory” content in the test?
It didn’t actually matter. The test “violated civil-rights laws,” according to the New York Post, because it allowed “far more white candidates to pass.”
It is a test of general knowledge. Anyone with a shred of self-respect who failed it would refuse to accept the payout.
“The standards are the standards,” said one outraged Brooklyn principal. “It shouldn’t be based on what would be easy for blacks or whites. To hire people who are not qualified and change the requirements because a certain group didn’t pass the test is bulls–t.”
Here’s a typical question:
2/3 is between the numbers given in each of the following pairs EXCEPT
(A) 0 and 1
(B) 1/2 and 3/4
(C) 2 and 3
(D) .6 and .7
(E) .5 and .8
This, conservatives will say, is all because of a perversion of the original noble ideas of the civil rights revolution.
It would be great and convenient and easy to believe that, which is why most conservatives do.
But it isn’t so. The rot was there from the very beginning. Nobody wants to say that out loud, but I specialize in saying things out loud.
Episode #2366 of the Tom Woods Show takes on this delicate subject, one about which we have to have an honest conversation for a change:
https://tomwoods.com/ep-2366-the-civil-rights-revolution-gave-us-a-new-constitution/
Speaking of teachers and schools, this is one of the toughest arguments we have to answer. Why, how would students become educated without tax-funded schools?
You’ll never guess: I have a free eBook outlining the answer, and it’s called Education Without the State.
Enjoy:
https://www.NoStateEducation.com
