I’ve previously explained in this forum that “social justice” (SJ) is just Socialism/Marxism by another name.
One of the goals of SJ is euphemistically called “equity” which, to SJ advocates, means everyone gets an equal result — regardless of effort or ability. A current student “strike” at a university in New York City illustrates this corrosive thinking.
Students and the New School have, like a cliche’ from the 1960s, occupied a campus building and made “demands”.
Among their demands is that all students receive ‘A’ grades for the semester, and that class attendance have no effect on grades.
Like Captain Renault discovering gambling at Rick’s… I’m shocked, SHOCKED, to find that New School is:
…committed to developing students who will have an impact on the world and address the most pressing social issues of our time. This effort is bolstered by the university’s Office of Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice, which is committed to fostering an equitable, inclusive, and socially just environment for our community.
Maybe I’m just naive, but doesn’t giving everyone an ‘A’ make getting an ‘A’ meaningless? Unless you plan to use it to further your education. For instance, at law school, since you won’t even have to take the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) anymore.
The latest nonsense in ‘higher’ education is that the American Bar Association has voted to eliminate the LSAT as a requirement for admission to accredited law schools — because it is “a roadblock to diversity”.
“Diversity” preempts competence. What could go wrong?
I took the LSAT on a bet, without a preparation course, and with a hangover. I’m no rocket surgeon, and that I scored high enough to get into a major law school tells you how tough of a test it really is.
The LSAT does effectively test reading comprehension, which is essential to being a lawyer. Are we to conclude that ‘diverse’ college grads can’t read well enough to get as high a score as a hungover class clown who took the test to win $50? If so, that is the epitome of ‘bigotry of low expectations’.
So what happens when you get under-qualified ‘diverse’ law students? First, you must lower the curriculum standards — which is already happening is some law schools. They don’t include study of certain difficult topics which, though anachronisms in modern society, do require development of legal reasoning ability.
Then, inevitably, when those under qualified ‘diversity’ students who are ‘socially promoted’ through law school are then unable to pass the bar exam, standards for passing will have to be lowered to achieve ‘diversity’ in the legal profession. Doing so is already being suggested within legal academia who prefer to dumb down the profession rather than to admit their social experiment in ‘diversity’ is failing.
There are already too many (how can I say this diplomatically) …. uhhh, less-than-optimally-competent practitioners in my profession. The movie Idiocracy has become frighteningly prescient.
Is the medical profession next? Apparently, if critical classes, such as organic chemistry for pre-med students, are ‘too hard’, the students get the professor fired.
I guess he should have just given them all an ‘A’.
The New School student strike originated in support of the faculty striking for higher pay. That makes another of the student demands farcical. They want no increase in tuition until 2028.
Apparently understanding even basic economic concepts is not required learning at the New School.
Or maybe the students were all just given a ‘A’ in the subject without having to attend class!
Gary Beatty lives between Florida and Pagosa Springs. He retired after 30 years as a prosecutor for the State of Florida, has a doctorate in law, is Board Certified in Criminal Trial law by the Florida Supreme Court, and is now a law professor.