Why “Anti-Racism” Is the Worst Form of Racism | Coleman Hughes | EP 474

Coming up (0s)

• Since 2014, mainstream media outlets have started using terms like "systemic racism" and "white supremacy". (3s)
• It was predicted that this would lead to Black and Hispanic voters supporting the Democratic party and white voters supporting the opposing party. (10s)
• Contrary to predictions, Republicans have gained increasing support from Black and Hispanic voters. (21s)

Intro (30s)

• The book "The End of Race Politics: Arguments for a Colorblind America" advocates for evaluating individuals based on merit rather than race or other group affiliations. (1m16s)
• Selecting individuals based on factors other than merit is detrimental to both the individuals being selected and society as a whole. (1m59s)
• The discussion centers around the concept of colorblindness and its implications for achieving a just society, acknowledging the challenges posed by ingroup favoritism and racism. (2m58s)

It’s been four years: podcasting, writing, and “The View” (3m42s)

• Since December 2020, the speaker has started a podcast, "Conversations with Coleman". (4m14s)
• The speaker has written a book titled "The End of Race Politics: Arguments for a Colorblind America". (4m25s)
• The speaker has appeared on various platforms, including "The View", to discuss their philosophy on race. (5m33s)

The origins of racial color blindness (6m9s)

• Colorblindness originated in the 1860s with Wendell Phillips, a prominent abolitionist who advocated for a government that doesn't discriminate based on race. (7m45s)
• A false historical narrative has emerged, suggesting colorblindness is a far-right idea, while it actually originated from the radical wing of abolitionists. (7m25s)
• There's been a successful campaign against colorblindness, leading to a distorted understanding of its origins and principles. (9m13s)

Psychological markers for performance: success has nothing to do with race (11m11s)

• A 20-year study revealed no psychological markers related to race or ethnicity that could predict performance in various areas, including management, entrepreneurship, and creativity, or negative behaviors like criminality or addiction. (11m12s)
• Legally, employers are mandated to be race-blind in hiring as race is not a relevant factor in job performance. Screening individuals based on race is unlawful, and legal precedent emphasizes the importance of job-related criteria and the statistical validity of assessment methods. (15m51s)
• While unstructured interviews are commonly used in hiring, they are statistically proven to be unreliable and potentially biased, making them legally questionable as a primary assessment tool. (16m59s)

The crowning achievement of the civil rights movement (17m55s)

• The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a significant achievement of the Civil Rights Movement, aiming to enshrine colorblindness in law, particularly in employment. (18m4s)
• The lead sponsor of the bill explicitly stated his opposition to reverse discrimination or affirmative action, emphasizing the act's intention to prohibit discrimination based on any reason. (18m49s)
• Over time, judicial interpretations have shifted the application of the Civil Rights Act, leading to the implementation of reverse discrimination in specific situations. (19m44s)

Valid situations in which to racially discriminate: information and stakes (20m29s)

• There are situations where it is valid to consider race, such as high-stakes situations with limited information, like identifying a potential terrorist on an airplane. (22m54s)
• In most everyday situations, individuals have access to more information than just race, making racial discrimination unnecessary and irrelevant. (21m43s)
• When encountering someone new in a low-stakes environment, it is more beneficial to gather information through conversation rather than relying on racial stereotypes. (22m27s)

Defaulting to stereotypes, in-group favoritism and it’s proper place (24m54s)

• People rely on stereotypes when no other information is available, especially in high-stakes situations where predictions are necessary. (25m11s)
• While factors like cognitive ability and personality are more informative predictors of performance, sex and race become irrelevant when these factors are considered. (26m17s)
• From a societal perspective, it is beneficial to allocate resources to individuals with the most potential, as it maximizes their productivity and benefits society as a whole. (27m51s)

Ethnic tribalism, proper taboos, and rekindling humor to break resentment (28m10s)

• People have an innate tendency to favor their own in-group, which can manifest as ethnic tribalism. (28m24s)
• Cultural norms and taboos can help mitigate the negative excesses of tribalism, such as by discouraging expressions of racial hatred. (31m32s)
• Allowing for benign expressions of ethnic differences, such as through humor, can help to defuse tensions and promote intergroup understanding. (32m4s)

From aristocracy to meritocracy … and back again (36m27s)

• Historically, the alternatives to meritocracy have been nepotism and dynasty, not equity. (37m0s)
• Without objective testing criteria, subjective decision-making based on connections, influence, and prevailing narratives will likely dominate selection processes. (37m57s)
• Replacing objective tests with subjective criteria can lead to ideological selection, nepotism, or aristocracy, none of which promote merit. (38m58s)

A profound source of hope, color blindness is inherent (39m9s)

• Children are not born with a sense of racial tribalism and will play with children of other races without a second thought. (39m50s)
• Colorblindness is intuitive to children, and they do not care about race. (40m17s)
• Reinforcing the value of colorblindness in children can be as simple as showing them Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech and living by example. (41m1s)

The impossibility of equal outcomes, setting people up to fail (41m26s)

• Different cultures have different values and behaviors, making equal outcomes across all groups unlikely. (41m58s)
• A study in Broward County, Florida showed that universal IQ testing helped identify gifted but poor Black and Hispanic children who may not have been identified otherwise. (44m19s)
• A study at Duke University found that students admitted under lower standards, including Black students, legacy admits, and student athletes, were more likely to switch from hard sciences to easier majors, highlighting the importance of meritocratic processes in academic success. (46m58s)

Hiring for the wrong reasons (50m18s)

• A study was conducted at the Naval Academy with 4,500 participants to predict military and academic performance. The study found that athletes who were preferentially admitted performed worse than those admitted based on psychometric merit. (50m19s)
• The argument that assessment criteria are prejudiced is refuted by the fact that jobs have inherent qualities and merit, and evaluating performance based on those qualities is reasonable. (51m23s)
• Meritocracy is based on the idea that jobs have content and a hierarchy of ability, and that it is in everyone's best interest to recognize and reward those who excel in their respective fields. (52m53s)

When your enemies create your terminology: meritocracy and capitalism (52m59s)

• The terms "meritocracy" and "capitalism" were created by opponents of the concepts. (53m18s)
• The term "capitalism" suggests that capital is the most important factor, not labor. (53m35s)
• The term "meritocracy" falsely implies that test scores are a reflection of a person's moral worth. (54m14s)

The false correlation between intelligence and morality (55m2s)

• There is no correlation between personality traits associated with morality, such as conscientiousness and agreeableness, and intelligence. (55m54s)
• While intelligence can provide advantages in a complex society, it is not inherently tied to morality and can even be associated with negative outcomes when combined with a lack of moral grounding. (56m46s)
• Observations from clinical practice highlight that individuals with lower intelligence can display admirable moral character, demonstrating resilience, lack of resentment, and a willingness to serve others despite facing significant challenges. (58m21s)

The disparity of IQ and the cultural worship of intellect (59m37s)

• Modern Western society, being complex and rapidly changing, places a high value on general cognitive ability, leading to those with high cognitive ability being disproportionately rewarded. (1h0m31s)
• While differences in intellectual ability may seem unfair, there is a responsibility associated with intelligence, and misusing or not utilizing one's intelligence can lead to negative consequences. (1h2m59s)
• Individuals with high intelligence who do not cultivate humility and gratitude for their abilities risk those abilities becoming a source of bitterness and dysfunction. (1h5m51s)

Steel-manning the opposition, the grift of Ibram X. Kendi (1h6m7s)

• The speaker suggests that the pursuit of equity is not truly about achieving equal outcomes for all racial groups, but rather a means to advance the interests of specific racial groups, particularly Black and brown communities. (1h12m0s)
• The speaker observes that proponents of equity selectively focus on disparities where Black people are disadvantaged while ignoring disparities where White people experience higher rates of negative outcomes, such as suicide, alcoholism, and certain diseases. (1h10m41s)
• The speaker argues that this selective focus on disparities reveals the true motivation behind the equity movement, which is not about achieving true equality but rather about promoting the interests of specific racial groups. (1h11m55s)

Layers of pretext: my virtues, my race, me (1h12m26s)

• Some people may prefer their own group because it is advantageous, and they may disguise this preference by claiming moral superiority as a representative of their racial community. (1h12m35s)
• Many activists claim to represent an entire community, but they are not representative and are only acting in their own self-interest. (1h12m53s)
• The demand for equity is rooted in envy and resentment, and there is no way to satisfy this demand because it is based on subjective experiences and cannot be objectively measured. (1h14m4s)

Discerning your own base motives (1h15m45s)

• One way to determine if someone is genuine in their beliefs is to observe if they maintain their stance even when it's not personally advantageous. (1h16m41s)
• An individual's willingness to endure personal sacrifices for their beliefs can serve as a measure of their authenticity. (1h19m51s)
• Engaging in activism without facing potential consequences for negative outcomes can lead to a disingenuous form of activism that prioritizes appearances over genuine concern. (1h19m57s)

When Coleman Hughes broke “The View” (1h20m46s)

• An invitation was received to appear on the show The View, despite an expectation that the show's hosts would not be receptive to the guest's opinions. (1h20m52s)
• During the appearance, a question was posed about whether the guest's opinions were influenced by financial support from right-leaning groups, a question that the guest characterized as a personal attack. (1h21m19s)
• The guest's response, which emphasized a history of holding these views and refuted the implied claim of outside influence, was notable for its calm and factual tone in contrast to the accusatory nature of the question. (1h21m42s)

Any movement to unite us will be deterred by the Marxists (1h23m33s)

• Toronto, 10 to 15 years ago, was considered successful in achieving colorblindness. (1h23m34s)
• The disappearance of this colorblind ideal in Toronto raises the question of why anyone would want to disrupt it. (1h24m4s)
• Henry Ford, a capitalist, paid his workers high enough wages that they could afford the cars they produced, effectively moving them out of poverty. (1h24m31s)

Communism has a terrible track record, so they switched from economics to race (1h24m49s)

• Free market systems have resulted in a significant increase in wealth for the poor and working class, although wealth distribution has remained relatively unchanged. (1h24m50s)
• There has been a shift in focus from class-based revolution to one centered around race, gender, and ethnicity, providing new avenues for revolutionary sentiment. (1h25m18s)
• Despite narratives suggesting otherwise, recent political trends in the United States reveal that Republicans have made gains with Black and Hispanic voters, while Democrats have seen increased support from white voters. (1h26m9s)

“The End of Race Politics” (1h28m9s)

• The book The End of Race Politics: Arguments for a Colorblind America is available on Amazon and Audible. (1h28m15s)
• A new book may be written on an undisclosed topic in the next three to five months. (1h28m52s)
• The podcast Conversations with Coleman is available wherever podcasts are found. (1h29m19s)