Critical Mass

Jonah Goldberg has an article on Townhall.com entitled "Racism by any other name," in which he asserts that "It's time to admit that 'diversity' is code for racism."  Says Mr. Goldberg:

If it makes you feel better, we can call it "nice" racism or "well-intentioned" racism or "racism that's good for you." Except that's the rub: It's racism that may be good for you if "you" are a diversity guru, a rich white liberal, a college administrator or one of sundry other types. But the question of whether diversity is good for "them" is a different question altogether, and much more difficult to answer.

If by "them" you mean minorities such as Jews, Chinese-Americans, Indian-Americans and other people of Asian descent, then the ongoing national obsession with diversity probably isn't good. Indeed, that's why Jian Li, a freshman at Yale, filed a civil rights complaint against Princeton University for rejecting him. Li had nigh-upon perfect test scores and grades, yet Princeton turned him down. He'll probably get nowhere with his complaint - he did get into Yale after all - but it shines a light on an uncomfortable reality.

The rest of the article is a good read, and shines the light of common sense on the various racial arguments in higher education around the country.  Mr. Goldberg's conclusion is one I suspect many in America agree with, even if they are too afraid to say it:

There was a time when condescension, discrimination, arrogant social engineering along racial lines and the like were dubbed racism. And, to paraphrase Shakespeare, racism by any other name still stinks.

Now don't get me wrong - I'm not racist by any measure.  I think people of every "race," ie skin color and self/socially imposed subculture, should have access to higher education.  (Race is a flawed notion when applied to people.)  I think scholarships should fund just about any group or cause they want, based on their own motivations; but when the schools themselves start picking and choosing based on skin color rather than on merit, that is racism, benevolent or not.