The Clear Insight of Thomas Sowell on Ricci!

Thomas Sowell, who I am beginning to think of as the primary "thinker" in our society, writes a column today - "What Constitutes Discrimination?" - reacting to the law and the Ricci decision from the Supreme Court.

His logic in explaining the problem is clear and concise, and everyone who wants to understand why we are continuing to have our racial problems should read this.

A couple of important 'graphs:

"That is why courts split along ideological fault lines in cases like the New Haven firefighters' case, where the crucial facts are not even in dispute. The only real dispute is over whether a test is automatically biased if different groups pass it at different rates. Apparently the groups themselves cannot possibly be different, according to "disparate impact" theory."


and:


"Where in fact have blacks been most successful? Sports and entertainment come to mind immediately. These are areas where blacks have to meet the same standards as anybody else."

If Derek Jeter swings at three pitches and misses, he is out, just like any white ballplayer. If people stop watching Oprah Winfrey's program, it will get cancelled, just like anybody else's.

The biggest beneficiaries from the "disparate impact" dogma are those who claim to be helping minorities. They benefit by feeling noble, winning votes or attracting money. The actual consequences for blacks-- or for the polarization of American society-- seems to be of little concern."


If you read this and can still feel comfortable with the Dem approach to discrimination and the judicial activity in this country, I would like to hear where Mr. Sowell is wrong!