By now, surely you’ve gotten wind of the brouhaha out at Harvard, about how a fresh faced and by all accounts highly intelligent young Woman’s electronic missive musing on the possibility that African Americans *could be* genetically predisposed towards lower average rates of intelligence in comparison to Whites. Evidently it all started as a friendly debate round a dinner table where it is said that a few members of the Federalist Society were present. The young Woman in question, one Ms. Stephanie Grace, who did her undergrad at Princeton in Sociology and is said to have taken up the singular focus of the HBD set as part of her on the record work, was a member of said dinner party, and felt that she needed to make clear(r?) her views on the matter, so she wrote an email-and the rest as they say, is history.

I suppose I could go into the weeds with it and whatnot, but I think all of that has been done to death by other venues on the Internet-besides, y’all know how I roll-I’m a lot more interested in what drives those who seem to hold to views Ms. Grace does/did, where it comes from, and why they chomp so hard at the bit over it all. True, just because one has less than honorable intentions doesn’t necessarily invalidate their arguments; but come on, we all know that in the realworld, the messenger is at least as important as the message he, or in this case she, is trying to convey.

So, for me, the question has to be: why is there so much intense focus by a not insignificant portion of American polity?

Well, if their own views and responses are to be believed, the HBDers will say that bringing this point to light will show Affirmative Action for the sham it is-a crass quota system that tilts in favor of Blacks-less qualified Blacks, mind you-at the expense of more deserving Whites. Merit, the HBDers say, is what should carry the day, along with other such boilerplate as individual rights, and so on.

Now, up until this point, I’ve been rather mum on my personal view of Affirmative Action and the like; to be quite frank, I am deeply ambivalent about it all. I just want to put that out there, because I am sure there are those who will read my words and attempt to suggest that I have a dog in the fight. Not really-the truth is, that most African Americans don’t benefit from AA as is widely believed, and even if they did, that doesn’t necessarily mean that I think it’s right-again, I’m deeply ambivalent on the matter. In fact, I think AA as it is currently defined is incredibly messy and sloppy; it contributes to the Zero Sum nature of our society, and runs the real risk of creating as much enmity as it purportedly cools out.

But, being that I understand human nature in a way other folks either can’t get with or refuse to admit, I accept AA as yet another of life’s necessary evils in our world. Simply put, AA is hardly the first program that favored one group over another, and that includes in the history of America. Indeed, one of the most favored groups ever, where the progeny of the rich and connected-many of which weren’t as smart or motivated as their forebears. And yet, there they are, enjoying the privilege that such luck brings.

And this trend continues to this day, *especially in places like Harvard*. Yet, th HBDers, conservatives and the like, don’t seem all that bothered by the fact that the scions of the wealthy and connected have always, and continue to in our time, get over *solely* because they just happened to be related to a Muckety Muck.

Now look-whenever someone like me brings up such a point, all the sputtering and smoke-blowing and the like comes outta the woodwork. I get that. Why? Because I understand that human beings have an incredible capacity for self-delusion and Bullshittery, born of their primitive, tribal instincts. Simply put, the reason why the HBD set doesn’t raise as big a stink over the fact that the rich and connected have always enjoyed AA, or the fact that, as a group, White Women have benefitted more from AA than any other group, including Black folk, is because, well, they’re still White. Please note that no one has even thought to question if Ms. Grace *really deserves to be on the Harvard Law Review*, to say nohing if she *really* had the chops to be at Princeton. That this same lady then signs off her email by pleading not to be given the Larry Summers treatment, is an irony that only Fate could appreciate.

So, if the reason why those who rail against AA the most say virtually nothing rich White scions and White Women is because they’re all on the same team, why not simply say that and call it a day? I for one could certainly respect that position, no need to measure skulls, trot out charts and grids and graphs-just simply say you don’t want Black folk getting in on the goods that have always been the preserve of White folk for centuries. Seems simple enough, right?

Well, that’s the catch-for better or for worse, ours is a putatively educated, more “scientific” age-and the truth is that we give more weight to those who can express themselves with an air of objectivity, circumspection and thoughtfulness. Simply saying that you have a problem with people who aren’t of your kind getting over, well, that sounds…Prole. Besides, what about the notion, the ideal, the principle of merit?

Well, for me, I laugh everytime I hear someone attempt to trot out such a notion. Remember last years big Ricci firefighters “reverse discrimination” case? The “merit” argument was trotted out there, too. They said that the Black test takers simply weren’t good (read: smart) enough to pass the test and that more deserving White (and one Latino) firefighters got the finger. Do I believe that such a thing could be the case? Yup.

But, you see, here’s the trick for me: there ain’t a White person reading this right now who’s gonna tell me with a straight face that every single WHITE person they’ve worked with was fully qualified and the best person around to do the job. There ain’t a White person around that’s gonna tell me that they don’t know White people who got over not because of how smart or capable they were, but because they right connections. Come on.

Indeed, the record shows that incompetence, favoritism and the like is hardly the preserve of Black people. In fact, its so common that White people have benefitted in such ways that we accept it as a matter of course-and perhaps that what sets off so many other White folks about Black Affirmative Action-they see in it what they either couldn’t or wouldn’t see, in their own backyard.

Among HBD bloggers who go on and on about such things, the only one I’ve seen to date to have the balls to openly talk along these lines is Steven Sailer, who’s often said that AA a is problem only for marginal White guys. Interesting, when you think about the profile of the average HBD blogger, ain’t it?

So long as there are human beings who have yet to evolve past their hindbrain thinking, and so long as there are only so many high post jobs and school slots, *somebody’s gonna be left standing when the music stops*. That should come as anything new to anyone reading this; the problem is that THEY shouldn’t getting ahead of me.

Can we at least admit this?

Of course not. Why? Well, think about it: we exist in arguably the most competitive, zero-sum, me against you/us versus them society known to Man. And worse, we don’t have a heck of a lot of love for losers-*especially White Male ones*. Why do I single them out, you ask? Simple. Because White Males, taken as a group, have the most chances for success in the game they’ve created. If a White guy can’t cut it given all the advantage he’s been given at birth, well, what are we to make of that, hmm? I mean sure, a less smart Darkie got ahead of you-but what does it say about you, if you’re the White guy this happens to? Do you really want to announce to the world that despite a stacked deck, you’re still a failure? In a winner take all society like ours? A society that, as George C. Scott said in his Oscar winning role as Gen. Patton so famously said, “loves a winner”?

Like I said, come on.

So, from a purely psychological point of view, it makes sense why there is a hardcore group of guys-and let’s be honest here, they are guys-who rail so strongly against things like AA. It makes perfect sense.

At least it does to me.

A final thought about the Black Law Student Association…

Now, admittedly, I don’t know a heck of a lot about thse outfits, so it is entirely possible that they’re out there doing the Lord’s work, because Lord knows we Black folk need it when it comes to the American Criminal Justice system. All I know, is that, as a guy on the outside looking in, that there are slightly bigger fish to fry than to get all hot and bothered about the electronic musings of some young lass. Yea, she dared to consider the possibility that Black folk ain’t too smart-what else is new? These folks act like they ain’t never heard someone say something unflattering to Black folk before-wait, maybe they haven’t. After all, much has been made of the fact that many students hardly come from the hardscrabble communities that comprise theheart and soul of Black America-that was certainly true of the Harvard Law Review’s first Black president. To the BLSAs of the world, I say-get over it. Yes, there are people in this world who don’t think all that highly of Black folk, including you, too. Shrug it off and decide if you really wanna make a difference in the lives of Black folk who could really use your help, or, if you’re gonna spend the bulk and mass of your life trying to get folk who are at best ambivalent about you and your kind to accept you as equals. Personally, I don’t care which way you choose to go, but I really do think you all look kinda silly knee-jerking and carrying on in the way you uppity Blacks do. You’re embarrassing more working class Black folk like me. Either get involved in the hood, or go do the Jack & Jill thing-but all that “outrage” stuff-kill that noise. Besides, outrage is vastly overrated.

My job is done here. Comment and reply, holla.

The Obsidian