Keyword: kenmasugi
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Forgetting Pearl Harbor By Ken MasugiPosted December 7, 2005 Every few months it seems we are presented with yet another poll revealing astounding ignorance of basic American history by especially the young. The tendency is aggravated by the forces of political correctness, i.e., the liberal understanding of America, which emphasize a distortion of that history to favor a leftist contemporary political outcome. This type of knavery has always been around--we can go back to 1913 for the egregious example in Charles Beard's An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution of the United States . This work set off a whole...
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What Does a Conservative Do on Martin Luther King Day? How should conservatives celebrate Martin Luther King Day? We can honor the high-minded, patriotic side of King, who spoke of the American Dream, of a color-blind society that evaluates people on “the content of their character.” That would truly be an aristocracy of merit, a conservative idea if there ever was one. This King was the one calling us back to the ideals of the American Founding and reminding us that its legacy was not fully enjoyed by all. In this view, the Civil Rights Revolution, for which...
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Democracy in Washington State, San Diego, and the Ukraine Reading accounts of the Washington election for governor in the national papers makes the Republican request for a recount sound like loser's sour grapes. But there is a deeper issue that makes the episode surprass San Diego, even if doesn't near Ukrainean proportions. The conservative Republican challenger ran narrowly ahead of long-time Democratic pol, Attorney General Christine Gregoire, in the original election (261 votes) and then the first recount (42 votes). But, the second recount, by hand, put her ahead (by 129 votes), with her margin of victory increased...
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"The Birth of a 'Latino Race'" LAT op-ed by Ian Haney Lopez, who notes the effect of the Census Bureau's adding an "other race" category. "Today, about 6% of Americans, or more than 1 in 20, count themselves as "some other race," and the overwhelming majority of them are Latinos. Like it or not, nearly half of the Latino population considers itself a race." This is clearly a conclusion he wishes to promote. Yet, a simpler conclusion can be derived: race here simply means nationality, as it did until the middle of the twentieth century. Thus the...
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Tom Wolfe's Struggle With God and the Greeks A review of I am Charlotte Simmons, by Tom Wolfe By Ken Masugi This is an ugly book, but it could have been even uglier, being as it is a book about the life of the mind. And protagonist Charlotte Simmons of Sparta, North Carolina is scarcely an heroic figure. Prized by her protective family and a determined teacher, Charlotte becomes an outstanding student—admitted with full scholarship to Dupont University (a fictitious Ivy League school with a Georgetown or Duke-level basketball team). She is a freshman version of Sherman McCoy of...
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Asian-Americans and Affirmative Action in Higher Education The WaPo's Jay Matthews concedes points to an Asian-American critic of racial preferences in higher education. Leftist Asian-Americans often make shocking arguments about standing aside for those who have suffered more discrimination. In other words, Asian-Americans should not protest discrimination in favor of blacks, Latinos, and Native Americans. Matthews' interlocutor, Ed Chin, M.D., lacks such generosity: "I am convinced that one reason why Chin's well-reasoned complaints have not led to massive demonstrations and legislative reform is that the students of Asian descent who are rejected by the Ivies get educations just as good...
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