Posted on 03/20/2005 6:12:18 AM PST by billorites
He admits stealing money from McDonald's cash register "when he could" - pretty much sums up where black America went wrong.
What I'd like to see him examine is just what happened to that "Talented Tenth" that at one time existed within and may have allowed a vibrant and often successful parallel black community but today seems lost, misdirected, or possibly exiled from, that community.
Fryer appears to have some link with that part of the past and I'm glad he makes use of it.
He could also go to the core of that 'salty slave' theory by looking at Jamacan immigrant families, African immigrant families, and ancestors of American slaves; I think he'd find a great difference in the hypertension scores based simply on where people believe their ancestors came from.
Let's not be too hasty about enthusiastically praising Fryer here. DuBois was a socialist.
Thank your for your reply.
I should have been more specific and said that the tokenism is on Harvard's part. This is a puff piece written by liberals about how good they are to the minorities. The clues? He doesn't have to teach, he has research assistants, a salary (for what if he isn't teaching), an office and probably other perks such as health insurance.
The article is particularly gooey as to Fryer's history. We all have sad stories and most of us have risen above them.
One more thing, Economics is not a field of "coldblooded rationalism". Adam Smith was a professor of Moral Philosophy and he did all right.
All I can say is that there was a day when Harvard would not have touched a man from a family of convicted criminals who did not know the date of WWI. He should have already produced significant research in a doctoral dissertation, but I don't see any important new contribution documented. Best wishes to him, though, being a token is a hard way to go.
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Yep, nothing but a bunch of opportunistic thieves. It's so clear now, thanks. What's your wisdom about those pesky joos who run Hollywood and Wall Street?
I stopped reading after this quote. IF IDEAS can only be discussed by one race or gender in order to be legitimate, well then the inmates have taken over the asylum.
You missed the point of my previous post. The whole point of the Society of Fellows is that you get all kinds of goodies to hang around and be brilliant. I had a classmate who was chosen, and that's the deal. From what I can gather, admittedly anecdotally from the web and elsewhere, this guy could be a legitimate contender. I don't know. but the deal shows nothing about favoratism to him. I haven't (and probably couldn't) read his PH D Dissertation and judge it, but it'a a big leap to pick apart an article written by someone else and low-rate him becasue of it.
Incidentally, DuBois wrote, IMHO, the best refutation of multi-cultural nonsense, as follows:
"I sit with Shakespeare and he winces not. Across the color line I move arm in arm with Balzac and Dumas, where smiling men and welcoming women glide in gilded halls. From out the caves of evening that swing between the strong limbed earth and the tracery of the stars, I will summon Aristotle and Aurelius and what soul I will, and they come all graciously with no scorn nor condescension. So, wed with Truth, I dwell above the Veil."
From : The Souls of Black Folk
Incidentally, DuBois wrote, IMHO, the best refutation of multi-cultural nonsense, as follows:
"I sit with Shakespeare and he winces not. Across the color line I move arm in arm with Balzac and Dumas, where smiling men and welcoming women glide in gilded halls. From out the caves of evening that swing between the strong limbed earth and the tracery of the stars, I will summon Aristotle and Aurelius and what soul I will, and they come all graciously with no scorn nor condescension. So, wed with Truth, I dwell above the Veil."
From : The Souls of Black Folk
Thank you for reminding the New York Times who seems happy with amnesia. Walter Williams is probably the best academic economist around, excepting a few unheralded folks in the hinterlands.
And my point is that since race has become a determining factor at all levels of academia, any black selected for any plummy job, such as sitting around and thinking great thoughts, will be suspect of having gotten the position because of racial preference. This follows because of the nature of affirmative action. I believe that conclusion is even stronger regarding Harvard where rigid correctness rules and they are trying to put on a pretty new face since Cornell West resigned.
He may be great. He may be Einstein but he will always have to fight the phantom that he was selected because of racial preference.
Black writers have put this argument foward before, as I am sure you are aware.
The article promotes tokenism and racial favoritism in a shameless way. It is obvious from the text that all of his perks are because he is black. , which sure sounds like it is your view. I think there is nothing in the text, other than the bare fact of race, on which to base the idea that "all of his perks are based on it.
I do not doubt for one second that race played a major part in his acceptance. That is what those people (Harvard)do especially since they have trotted out this hagiography in their favorite Bible, the NYT. The article is one long justification for their programs and what wonderful people they are, helping the less fortunate, etc. It is PR. Flacking. Again; this is what they do. If this wasn't played out in the Times who would have known?
I think it naive to believe this is not PR concerning AA programs.
OK, believe what you want. That it was written by one of his econ collaborators rather than a Times feature writer makes me disagree. Also a quick look at his papers on line. We'll watch him over the next few years and see who's right.
Have a good week.
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