One of my GSIs wrote of her hometown: “While reading the letters to the editor in the local paper, you flip to the front page to make sure you didn’t pick up The Onion by mistake.”
Now while I usually do my best to avoid a similar experience, I accidentally stumbled upon today’s editorial page in The Enquirer. While the whining about Democrats was no surprise, I couldn’t help but be taken aback by the last opinion, which uses the brilliant tactic of employing racist assumptions to prove that racism doesn’t exist—except against privileged groups in society:
Regarding the article “Census shows racial inequalities persist in pay, schooling, homes” (Nov. 14) discussed racial gaps in success. The implication was that the gaps were tied to racism.
That premise seems highly questionable since the two most successful ethnic groups in America are Jews and Asians. Both are minorities and both have been victims of terrible persecution. How is this possible? One major reason is superior intelligence coupled with cultural emphasis on education to develop that superior intelligence.…
There is no question racism exists in our society, including racial discrimination against white people and Asian people in education. But the critical factors in success and failure seem to be intelligence and making intelligent decisions. [emphasis added]
As much as I’m looking forward to going home for winter break, there are some aspects of Cincinnati that I will never miss.
