For the Love of Humanity

I am not one to go all "old white cracker" on any particular issue, because I recognize many issues are far more complicated than pseudo-sociologist worry warts would have us believe through platitude rich on-air diatribes.

However, I recently came across this article in the NY Times, detailing a new study that sought to explain why black lawyers did so poorly at their law firms. Basically, the study found that a black student who graduates with average grades from a law school is 8 times as likely to get hired by a national law firm than his/her white counterpart with comparable grades. The reason, sadly, is because in this day and age, even with affirmative action of various stripes, there is still a woefully low amount of black students in graduate school, especially law school, hence they are in demand. Nobody wants to be known as the David Duke of law firms, understandably. The article then described how those same young black lawyers are then far more likely to eventually quit or be fired from those top firms that hire them than are the firms other non-minority attorneys.

The conclusion reached by the study is predictable; if you hire someone who is less qualified to take and work at the job than your typical hiree is, they are more likely to fail. If you hire a few lawyers with drastically lower grades than your other attorneys achieved, they won't do as well. The counter-argument to this study is found about halfway through the article, where the person retorting basically says: "Well, come on, grades don't mean everything in terms of what lawyers will or will not be successful. Grades have something to do with it, but it's also other factors, such as writing ability, personality, and problem solving." Ummm..... excuse me while I attempt to suppress my rage; but what the hell does this person think law students are GRADED ON besides "writing ability" and "problem solving?" Good hell people, it is arguments like this that do more to hurt the cause they are attempting to prop up!

I personally do not have a problem with some basic levels of affirmative action being integrated into various institutions, including graduate school and various professions. However, let's be honest, if we are working toward a social-utilitarian goal, it is unnecessary to hide the methods we use to achieve our ends. Arguments like that are just sad.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/29/us/29diverse.html?ei=5087%0A&em=&en=84dc3b56d7de235a&ex=1164949200&pagewanted=all