Why Racialism?

A reader writes:

Why is Sonia Sotomayor allowed to get away with being described, or describing herself as “non-white”? I thought, as every MSM or government report on any race statistics puts it: “Hispanics can be of any race.” She looks strikingly like my wife’s in-laws — Italian. Are Italians not “white”?….or maybe the race hustlers think that northern Italian are “white” and Sicilians and Neapolitans are non-white? AFAIAC she is as “white” as I am…which is about as “white” as you can get! She has a distinguished Spanish surname…aren’t Spaniards “white”?…indeed, “western European”?

This is so convoluted and actually disgusting and profoundly un-American that it perfectly illustrates Chief Justice John Roberts’ point that it is a “nasty business, this dividing up by race.” I also note that her views, mutatis mutandis, are EXACTLY the same as……Pat Buchanan’s and his racialist pals!! They also think that there are “genetic endowments” that lead to specific viewpoints cultural expressions…that are “superior”….they just think they belong in the USA to white people, that’s all….and they don’t mean her! But there is no principled basis for distinguishing Buchanan’s odious “blood-and-soil” views of America from hers! It’s only that the shoe is being worn on the other foot.

True; but there is no doubt that at present, racialism is ascendant. The odd thing is, the American people don’t like it, even in its more innocuous forms. This is confirmed once more by a Quinnipiac poll that came out today:

American voters say 55 – 36 percent that affirmative action should be abolished, and disagree 71 – 19 percent with Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor’s ruling in the New Haven firefighters’ case, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.

Looking at specifics of affirmative action, American voters:

Oppose 70 – 25 percent giving some racial groups preference for government jobs to increase diversity. Black voters support it 49 – 45 percent while Hispanic voters are opposed 58 – 38 percent;

Oppose 74 – 21 percent giving some racial groups preference for private sector jobs to increase diversity. Voters in every racial and religious group oppose this;

Oppose 64 – 29 percent affirmative action for Hispanics in hiring, promotion and college entry. Black voters support it 59 – 30 percent while Hispanics split 47 – 48 percent;

Oppose 61 – 33 percent affirmative action for blacks in hiring, promotion and college entry. Black voters support this 69 – 26 percent, as do Hispanics 51 – 46 percent;

Oppose 62 – 32 percent affirmative action for white women in hiring, promotion and college entry. Women oppose this 58 – 35 percent but blacks support it 55 – 37 percent.

Yet the racial spoils system is stronger than ever. This is an area in which the political class has simply disregarded the preferences–and the superior moral insight–of a substantial majority of Americans.

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