I’m 66. Up until the time I was about 20, I assumed women and blacks in professional and high-level positions were extremely competent because not only did they master the relevant subject matter, but they also had to break through the old-boy network (I’m not saying that was right, it was just the way it was).
What changed for me at 20 was seeing some of the people who were let into my husband’s PhD program though affirmative action - and seeing some of the affirmative-action faculty hires. I went from assuming high competence for those groups to assuming low competence.
And, yeah, people are okay with allowing the best to participate in sports but not in academics. Years ago, our school district stopped having different levels of various courses. My neighbor was happy about it because now her son wouldn’t feel bad about not being in the “top” math group. But she was fine with her son making the track team and mine not.
Yup.
I’m not far from your age and any black in a professional position was assumed by the virtue of him/her being there was assumed to be.
This was way before “affirmative action.
And did I say this was in Tennessee?
CNN is just like Segregationists the old Democrats of the “Solid South.
White was assumed to be “quality” and black inferior.
Who is the racist here?