Posted on 06/02/2009 11:19:53 AM PDT by ClassicLiberal
If a white nominee had said he could come to a better decision than an old black man there would be no context from which this could be taken out of. The comment stands on it’s own, regardless of how it was framed.
The context is that she directly contradicted O’Connor comment with a racist one.
So there's no "universal definition of wise," but "a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life."
That looks contradictory to me: first the relativist assertion that there is no universal truth, and then a claim that better conclusions would more often be reached by the "wise Latina," than the "white male who hasn't lived that life."
Even though you can't say what "wisdom" is the Latina ends up being wiser, more often than not. So you can say what "wisdom" is, at least in a pragmatic sense.
That's something to think about, though what I'd really want to ask Judge Sotomayor is whether she really thinks Mexicans and Puerto Ricans are part of the same "race."
Sotomayor’s comments reflect a milieu where things like what she said can be said — and not appear insensitive or hateful. The media is in this milieu, so they can’t see the hatefulness in these words.
Great post.
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