New to Tennessee

[ariesjow]

Originally Posted by Pimpy

Why should race be considered at all? It is completely arbitrary and has no bearing on how deserving a candidate is, unlike merit factors such as grades, SAT, ACT, community involvement, etc.

People close to Michelle Obongo have even admitted that her scores weren't high enough to justify admission to Princeton, yet she got in anyway on account of her race... then had the audacity to write a thesis about how blacks aren't given a fair shake on campus. There's just something wrong with that picture!

If you read my post above I explained why I believe race is considered. To put it rather plainly, if race wasn't considered, there would be an even a greater disparity in the number of minorities in professional organizations because there number of applicants as a whole are lacking.

I think the huge presumption is your argument is that the minority candidates are per se less qualified and that factors other than race, such as grades, test scores, extracurriculars, aren't equally considered for them. There's also this rather strange belief that a few points on a standardized test should make or break who's competent enough to deserve the best higher education.

Test scores are one amongst many things that are considered when admitting students. Let's bear in mind that these standardized tests have been "corporatized" for years. One's parents can simply drop a few thousand in a prep course to get his or her child the best score possible (and I fully recommend they do it they can afford them!). Colleges and universities know this so they may use test scores as a mere means to weed people out so to speak. However, if you write a lousy admission essay, sat on your bum outside of school or have mediocre grades, Princeton won't even give you the second look whether you're white, black, blue or green. Note, as well, that schools often consider other factors one might consider "unfair" on their face such as legacy status when making these decisions.

As much as you probably despise Michelle Obama, you probably won't disagree that she's a highly intelligent woman whose experiences back up that she was more than deserving of a Princeton education. The woman worked for Sidley Austin for chrissakes! She's a prime example of why we, as a nation, should encourage more minorities to pursue higher education.

[CaliCouple]

Yep pimpster, you're spot on. I'm brushing up on my English whilst I visit here. I only hope too many from the Left Coast don't feel the need to "improve" TN. It's a long way to Australia...

[mad fiddler]

Originally Posted by JMT

Here at my university, diversity is defined as skin color. Anytime a new faculty member is hired, the university has to jump through all kinds of hoops to prove that the position was advertised to minorities, and if a white male is hired, proof has to be filed with the Office of Minority Affairs that there were no females or minorities qualified. Of course, if the university hires an Hispanic faculty member, no papers have to be filed to prove that the position was advertised to white applicants.

JMT, since that process was put into place (its very different at my school, where we have to report what's happening every step of the way), how many white people have you hired, and how many people of color?

[mad fiddler]

Originally Posted by Pimpy

White people may not have a history of being discriminated against, but we sure are in the present!

For example, the University of Michigan uses a "point system" for admission purposes in which being black or Hispanic is worth more than a 1600 SAT score. How many points is being white worth? You guessed it, ZERO. If that isn't egregious discrimination, I don't know what is.

And the rap magazine comment was a joke. It's called humor. You should try it sometime.

White people are being discriminated against? Somehow I don't feel oppressed.

There are plenty of scholarships for white people to encourage diversity at TSU, which was originally created as part of a segregated system of education. Segregation wasn't that long ago -- the Geier case started in the late 1960s, and Nashville didn't begin desegregation until the early 1970s.

The rap comment was a derogatory stereotype -- it doesn't qualify as humor.

[LynnKK]

Funny how "non racist" folks always seem to be bringing it up.

[RS-1080]

Originally Posted by LynnKK

Funny how "non racist" folks always seem to be bringing it up.

LOL, that reminds me of a joke.


Q:How many anti-racists does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A: Ten. One to screw it in and nine to complain that the light is too white.

[nolpatrick]

Thanks for your input!

[Beretta]

Closed for Moderator review.

[Beretta]

Originally Posted by nolpatrick

I am considering moving to Pleasant View, Tennessee. I am originally from the San Francisco Area and my husband is from Knoxville. We are both interested in a quieter life that what we have had in Albuquerque where we currently reside. We have two boys and want to offer them some land to run and explore on. We have friends in the area and would be joined by my sister-in-law and her family. My question is if there are any other people who have a relatively similar background of urban/suburban life and liberal backgrounds that have moved to smaller Tennesse towns and how they have felt about the change. I am not used to living in an area that has so little ethnic diversity but am open-minded. I love the area, it is absolutely beautiful and my superficial interactions with people in the area have been nothing but wonderful. Any input would be welcome! Thanks.

This is pretty much the same as the other thread you started on the same subject. There have been many spirited responses. Hopefully they have helped you. Any further political discussions need to be held in the P & OC forum. Good luck with your move.