We are developing the social individualist meta-context for the future. From the very serious to the extremely frivolous... lets see what is on the mind of the Samizdata people.

Samizdata, derived from Samizdat /n. - a system of clandestine publication of banned literature in the USSR [Russ.,= self-publishing house]

Samizdata quote of the day

So, for the reader who is not interested in entertaining doubts, what does it take to become an anti-racist? Kendi finishes his book with a bathetic, platitudinous list of must-dos. Here’s one: “Invent or find antiracist policy that can eliminate racial inequity.” Here’s another: “Deploy antiracist power to compel or drive from power the unsympathetic racist policymakers in order to institute the antiracist policy.” He never gets more specific. Again, it’s hard not to notice that there is no room for changing minds and hearts in his worldview. The point is to get and use power. You do not vote racist politicians out of office, or persuade others to do so in a liberal democratic process. You “compel” them or “drive them from office” with “antiracist power.” And one is left to wonder what he could possibly mean by that? Kendi is careful not to say the quiet part out loud.

Andrew Sullivan

6 comments to Samizdata quote of the day

  • Bell Curve

    Mao wasn’t wrong about the source of all political power, so not all that surprised to see a leftist seeing things in those terms.

  • Dom

    Inequity is defined as any difference between any ethnic groups in their average outcomes in any field of life or work. Any policy that leads to any racial differentials in anything that doesn’t roughly reflect the racial demographics of the society is ipso facto racist.

    So … let’s see … Harvard’s former policy of restricting Jews was actually anti-racist all along, and the current policy of restricting Asians is also anti-racist.

  • Jim

    “Inequity is defined as any difference between any ethnic groups in their average outcomes in any field of life or work. Any policy that leads to any racial differentials in anything that doesn’t roughly reflect the racial demographics of the society is ipso facto racist”

    I look forward to him attacking the NFL (or NBA, or indeed the Premier League), for their utterly racist selection policies which result in Afro-Caribbean men being massively over represented in said field of work, and White, Asian and Hispanic men being massively under represented………………I may be waiting some time……..

  • george m weinberg

    Y’all are being silly. It’s not possible for members of a victim class to be racist, nor for them to benefit from racism.

  • “Invent or find antiracist policy that can eliminate racial inequity”

    but under no circumstances define an objective measure of what would constitute even a modest degree of success in this endeavour, still less measure whether the policy achieved it.