"Isn't it a funny coincidence that all accomplished people of color are secretly dumb?"

[ProSense]

Weeks ago, Jeffrey Rosen wrote a scurrilous article for The New Republic in which he asserted, on the basis of anonymous gossip, that Sonia Sotomayor, summa cum laude of Princeton, recipient of the prestigious Pyne Prize, and editor of the Yale Law Journal, was "not that smart." Rosen was candid enough to admit that he hadn't "read enough of Sonia Sotomayor’s opinions to have a confident sense of them" and that he hadn't "talked to enough of Sonia Sotomayor’s detractors and supporters to get a fully balanced picture of her strengths." As I wrote at the time, the subtext of such arguments, which any person of color in the Ivy League has faced, is that people of color who accomplish anything resembling success are simply the undeserving recipients of preferential treatment. Note that this line of argument was raised against the president of the United States, and persisted among the right for some time.

Isn't it a funny coincidence that all accomplished people of color are secretly dumb? (That isn't necessarily a partisan observation--whether or not Clarence Thomas was "qualified" to serve on the Supreme Court is different from the question of his intelligence. Liberals, then and since, often fail to make the distinction. As for the "Scalia clone" arguments, when was the last time Scalia quoted Frederick Douglass in a opinion?)

link

Reminds me of the claim that Obama was the affirmative action candidate.

[BlooInBloo]

1. It's literally incredible.

[valerief]

2. Women are secretly dumb, too. Just ask any conservative white male. nt

[ejpoeta]

26. so she must be doubly secretly dumb. she is both latino AND a woman.

what is obama thinking!! it's a wonder the woman can get dressed by herself in the morning!

[valerief]

27. Yeah, and she must read with her lips moving, too. What am I saying? Some white man must read to her

[muntrv]

3. Sonia went to Princeton University and Yale Law School, so

she must be stooopid!! Like Sam Alito, who also went to Princeton U and Yale Law.

[nxylas]

31. But she only got in because she's a minority

Whereas no white male has ever got into an Ivy League university because of who their father was :sarcasm:

[Karenina]

33. Her being a minority DID open a door for her at Princeton.

During that time many schools were aggressively recruiting top drawer minority students. Having earned top SAT scores, I received invitations to apply from a number of prestigious schools. My sister's application to Princeton was rejected because they were concentrating on inner-city students. She was told, "With your board scores and GPA you can attend ANY school in this country." Except Princeton, her first choice. She went on to graduate from Harvard. If there is even ONE dear soul who understands the import of what I've posted here, I'd sincerely appreciate your weigh-in. ;-)

[marmar]

4. Insecure white Republican dudes are very threatened by smart people of color and women.....

..... The only way they can deal with the fear is to discredit the source of it.

[Pirate Smile]

5. Roger Simon actually did a good job on Hardball re the Republican's

"affirmative action pick" mantra. He said that they are telling minorities that no matter how much you work, no matter how hard you try, no matter how much you study, how far you climb, how much you accomplish, Republicans will always just say you got there because of Affirmative Action and you really aren't the best - so why would any Hispanics vote for them?

[Cha]

7. That's a really nice double edged

sword they've made for themselves.

[drm604]

9. I saw that.

He stated that very well. We need to keep repeating that.

[jgraz]

6. And yet, Republicans seem to do just fine being *openly* dumb.

Go figure...

[awoke_in_2003]

8. No, it is not a funny coincidence....

it is racism, pure and simple.

[angee_is_mad]

10. We always had to be

smarter and brighter to even get an invite. Every black child was raised that way and it was drummed in our heads when we were toddlers. We may not have followed it, but we knew what time it was.

[Number23]

24. Girl, preach it

"Work twice as hard to get half as far." I've heard that for as long as I can remember. Since I was a child. Didn't understand it until I graduated from college and then it hit me over the head like a ton of bricks.

And in 2009, not a damned thing has changed.

[Thrill]

11. Haven't you heard? They don't earn those degrees. They give it to them.

.

[babylonsister]

12. Not funny at all, and we've proved it.

But I hear you. Rosen was 'way' out of line, posted an alternate, positive article today, but the damage was done.

So now I don't care. He's not worthy of serious thought.

[Hello_Kitty]

13. Boosh was the biggest fucking affirmative action hire of all time.

Like Molly Ivins said, he'd be lucky to be the manager of the Kennebunkport Denny's if it weren't for his family name.

[Spazito]

14. Yep, and Turley echoed this...

in his reprehensible opinion on the lack of "intellectual depth" of both Judge Sodomayor and Supreme Court Justice Marshall, both persons of color but I am sure it was just a "coincidence" ( :sarcasm: ) with no intent to echo creeps like Jeffery Rosen.

[Karenina]

15. I hope that remark bites his butt

and bumps him off the circuit.

[Spazito]

18. I think his inclusion of Supreme Court Justice Marshall in his screed today...

may well cause him to lose what is most important to him, money and media face-time, I certainly hope but am not holding my breath waiting for it. It was disappointing, to be honest, to hear he appeared on Keith Olbermann's show tonight as I was hoping Olbermann would have been disgusted by Turley's comments earlier today.

[Pirate Smile]

20. Turley's crap reminds me of what The Field has been posting about over the past couple of months.

[opihimoimoi]

16. We get it: Pub Bullies defeated and deflated: Only thing to do is DESTROY

everything within reach....

Bullies are terrible people who demand control and dominance...when not satisfied, the throw tantrums...fall on the floor pounding their fists and crying like pigs in a vice...

They will say anything to quell their thirst for the podium, microphone, ...exposure time....they even try to out talk opponents to get in the last word. they are media HOGs....

The GOP Bullies have been exposed for what they really are....LOSERS who won't LOSE

[EFerrari]

17. It's a mystery!

lol

[kwenu]

19. Not half as funny as assuming all white people are brilliant.

[Honeycombe8]

21. It's a shame they weren't born white and male, so that they would be intellectually...

gifted.

At best, a minority female can be "bright." At best. That means she catches onto things quickly. But it doesn't mean she's smart, intelligent, intellectually gifted, or brilliant. Only men can be THAT!

[bettyellen]

22. good stuff

[chieftain]

23. And the irony is that the persons most likely to see through

the disguise are failed disc jockeys. Everyone knows that attendees of the Ted Knight School of Broadcasting have much more intellectual heft than Yale Law Review Editors.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

25. America needs to grow up regarding prejudice

America is still for most parts in the 1800s. At least some countries of the world have matured regarding racial, basic human rights. America needs to examine itself and turn over a new leaf.

[asphalt.jungle]

29. you really think WE'RE behind the rest of the world?

matured? have you ever seen a european football game outside of england? the way those enlightened citizens of spain and italy (we won't even get started on eastern europe) treat the black players is a sign of great maturity.

[Ilsa]

28. I can't help myself. I'm just going "bwaaahahaha" over your subject line.

It's just insane on the RNC side of the tracks where a mental institution needs to be built.

[Orsino]

30. The right-winger's main bogeyman:

...that someone poor or brown might get something for free that could instead be enriching the wealthy white elite.

[Brewman_Jax]

32. The standard RW response

to them, of course, there is no way that a person of color could actually be qualified for the job/position, esp. if a white male is in line for said position. :sarcasm: