Justice Scalia is correct: the monstrosity that affirmative action spawned

By Sylvia Thompson

Recently, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia commented that blacks lured into colleges and universities for which they are ill-prepared are not benefited by such actions, and he is correct. I am thrilled that finally a white person is not afraid to state the obvious.

I think the higher-education scam in today's America is part of an overall strategy of the liberal Left to destroy black America. By that, I mean to take away the gains blacks have achieved toward an independent and free-thinking existence, since slavery.

Liberal leftism is in my view extremely racist and the only distinction that I draw between today's Left, when it comes to an issue of American blacks, and the more virulent of the race-hating groups is their different motivations.

The more prominent of the latter group (the Klan, neo-Nazis, skin-heads) are propelled by deep seated hatred stemming from a belief that they are being replaced. These sentiments go as far back as the American Civil War and the ignoble treatment southerners received during Reconstruction, especially poor white southerners.

Modern leftists, which consist of whites and other ethnics, are motivated by greed and power. To garner and maintain power, there must be a class over which they can wield power and on whose backs wealth can be gained. In this respect, leftists are much like slave holders of the past. Slavery, after all, was an economic system.

One means of maintaining a malleable class of people is by manipulating how they are educated. American slaves were forbidden education outright, but today the tactics must be more subtle.

Miriam Makeba, South African singing star of the 1960s in her autobiography, made a noteworthy point. She shared that in areas of British control in South Africa, black South Africans were educated in the same system provided for British children. Under Dutch control, education of blacks was geared completely toward servitude. Having grown up under the British system of education, Makeba's generation produced such South African greats as Nelson Mandela.

The impact of education is crucial, and leftists are aware of this fact, as were slave owners. Consequently, I have no difficulty understanding the Left's intentions regarding the education of blacks.

Like Makeba, I consider myself one of the fortunate. I was educated before the Left (like the Dutch Afrikaners) corrupted the American education system. When I entered college, a tiered model made it possible for all young people who were so inclined to find a school that fit their abilities. I found one that fit my needs among the lower tiers. Political correctness, I'm sure, has scrapped the tier system but U.S. News & World Report still publishes online rankings of practically all colleges in America. The list reveals that more are worthy of attention than just the top ranked Harvard, Princeton, and Yale.

Obviously the top of the list includes schools requiring more rigorous preparation to enter than those in the middle and bottom ranges. What the information provides is a guide for parents to steer their children to the environment most suited for their abilities and temperaments. Being realistic about the procedure ensures that their children will avoid a world of frustration, self-doubt, and eventual failure for most of them, whatever their ethnicity.

For sure, fewer black youths are prepared for the most rigorous schools. Many factors play into why this is. One major factor of which is the extremely poor quality of K through 12 public education all across the country, especially in predominantly black schools, thanks to the machinations of the liberal Left. If children are deliberately stifled at that stage of development, and I contend that leftist education policies deliberately stifle them, they simply will not be prepared for a rigorous college education.

Another factor is due to the Left's all-out assault on American families, resulting in fewer black families remaining intact. Single-parent households (mostly black mothers) are less likely to stress endeavors that prepare their children for education. Dr. Ben Carson's mother was a rare God-send. The parents-family factor is magnified when we consider that many immigrant children whose parents came to America with little or nothing often excel in school, because of support in their homes. Vietnamese refugees are an example.

I lay the bulk of the blame for the violence on college campuses at the feet of the Left. Leftists insist that top tier schools fill their ranks with a sufficient number of "faces of color" solely for the sake of having faces of color. Leftists certainly don't care if those faces of color learn anything. There is always a place for them on welfare rolls if they don't succeed, and most do not.

Those pathetic, disillusioned young blacks are acting out their frustration at being in schools where they cannot compete. What's even more pathetic is that there are probably many colleges where they could do well, and even excel. A degree from one of those schools is more valuable than no degree at all. It's often the case that black students misdirected to first tier schools eventually drop out. And that is a monumental waste of human potential.

I truly hope more people will speak out as did Justice Scalia so that we can end this shameful, dehumanizing charade orchestrated in America's schools.

© Sylvia Thompson