The Quiet Bigotry Of Low Expectations

Let’s talk about the quiet bigotry of low expectations.

Woke radical progressives keep pressing society to change certain standards for certain demographics, specifically black Americans, in situations where there is a performance disparity.

Too few black law students are passing the bar? Just lower the passing score for the bar exam so that more are able to pass.

Too few black students are graduating high school? Just change the GPA scale so that a .13 GPA ranks near the top half of the class, then they all can graduate.

Too many black students being detained or suspended for truancy or poor behavior in class? Just change the disciplinary standard so fewer are being suspended for their behavior.

That’s not helping anything.

Think about what you’re saying by lowering those standards.

You’re saying that you don’t think those black law students are smart enough to pass the bar exam and that you have to lower the standard in order for them to be capable of passing.

That’s bigotry.

You’re saying that you don’t think those black students are smart enough to learn and understand the standard educational curriculum and that you have to dilute the curriculum or manipulate the rankings in order for them to have a chance at success.

That’s bigotry.

You’re saying that you don’t think those black high school students are not intelligent or motivated enough to grow and improve their behavior in order to recognize and avoid the consequences of poor behavioral choices, and that you have to relax disciplinary standards in order for them to be capable of succeeding.

That’s bigotry.

You’re saying that you don’t think black Americans are as good or as smart as other people, so you think that lowering standards is the only way that a black American could possibly succeed.

That. Is. Bigotry.

By lowering the standards to artificially pad statistics of minority achievement in order to make people feel better or to appear more equitable, you are giving them artificial qualifications to use for the rest of their lives, and thus setting them up for potential failure in their future endeavors.

Instead of lowering standards because you expect less of black Americans, why don’t we actually address the issues that legitimately affect achievements, and fix those issues so that they achieve all that they are legitimately capable of. Because I believe that race and skin color do not dictate your capability to achieve great things. I believe that all people possess excellence, brilliance, and potential, and are capable of incredible things, no matter the color of their skin.

Instead, let’s address the record number of absent fathers in black American families, which contributes to delinquent behavior. Statistically, children growing up without fathers at home are almost 4 times more likely to live below the poverty line and twice as likely to drop out of school altogether.

Young men raised in fatherless homes are twice as likely to find themselves in jail. Young women raised in fatherless homes are 4 times more likely to have a teen pregnancy, which in turn contributes to black women accounting for approximately 36% of all abortions despite representing only 13% of the female population.

Let’s address how single-parent homes are more likely to provide a less structured learning and study environment, leading to lower reading comprehension and thus lower test scores.

Let’s address the government incentives for black parents not to marry or stay together in order to maintain government benefits.

None of this is to discount the many incredible and hardworking single mothers (and fathers) who have raised amazing individuals in our society today. But statistics cannot be discounted.

Fathers in the home matter.

As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said,

“The group consisting of mother, father and child is the main educational agency of mankind.”

The Top Three Biggest Problems Facing The Black Community

1) Lack of fathers in the home

2) Lack of fathers in the home

3) Lack of fathers in the home

But let’s talk about the allegedly “racist” @realDonaldtrump…

— Larry Elder (@larryelder) August 18, 2018

And lowering societal and educational standards in order to cover up the legitimate reality of underperformance in certain demographics is like trying to put a bandaid on a bullet wound. It covers up the problem for a moment, and makes it look like the problem no longer exists. But it doesn’t fix the problem. It doesn’t prevent the longterm negative impacts that the problem will inevitably create.

Expecting less of certain people is a disservice to those people and a disservice to society at large, even if you package it with fancy language to make it sound positive.

This is the quiet bigotry of low expectations.