In the late 1970s, my dept head hired a young black lady as a technical writer. She had a college degree (Psychology major) from a state university.
The lady could not even write a complete sentence. She would sidle up to others in the department and ask them to help her compose her reports.
After a couple of months of this, I happened to be in a research room when another staffer came in. In the general conversation, the topic became the new tech writer. We both had the same problem — spending too much time trying to help the black lady write up her assignments. Then, the head tech writer came into the room and we included her in our discussion. WE were all on the same page. We didn’t have time to do OUR work and the black lady’s work. The head writer took our complaints to the Dept. Head. He was forced to release her. Luckily for him and the company, she was still on her intitial employment probationary period.
We wondered how she managed to get through high school and college and not be about to write a sentence. Additionally, we wondered what her thinking was that she would apply for a job as a technical writer. Surely, she knew how limited her writing skills were.
My question would be: How did the company hire her in the first place if her skills were so lacking?
Studying psychology itself screws your mind up.
When I was in law school in the 80’s, one of the students in my initial class was a black lady with her PhD in education. I don’t know how this poor black lady earned a PhD because she was completely overwhelmed.
Law schools teach via the Socratic Method and the professors are often ruthless. The moment weakness is detected, the more twisted professors double-down on the pressure and swoop in for the kill.
My contracts class was held in a large tiered lecture hall with about 100 students in each class. Typically she—the professor—would ask a question with the occasional quick follow-up. If you gave a reasonably coherent answer, she would move on and focus on someone else. But one particular day she made this black woman stand and answer for an entire class. She tied her in knots and had her confused, stuttering and crying. She utterly humiliated her. The next time class was held she asked her to stand again to resume the questions. The woman stood, grabbed her things, and never came back.
That black lady was one of roughly thirty unqualified students admitted to law school under an affirmative action program with a name like “Hope Scholars.” Not one of them graduated. Not one! Because of liberalism, qualified whites were passed over to give unqualified blacks a chance they hadn’t earned. What they did earn was stress, debt, and a record of failure sure to be a resume enhancer and confidence booster in later life.
I used to teach a course in which the students had to write case studies. This was a junior-year college course. I was appalled at how many couldn't write a coherent paragraph, or write a logical argument. I shouldn't have even seen these students until they had been taught those skills. I dread to think how they managed after they graduated.