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Angela Putnam said:They believe that if they don’t think racist thoughts, or say racist things, or commit racist actions, then they must not be racist....In my own work, I define racism as a system of subjugation and oppression that is pervasive throughout U.S. structures and institutions, and that works to privilege some people based on perceived group membership.
An abstract from one of her seminars (link) states "Three ideological discourses emerged before, during, and after the seminar – Liberal Pluralism, Meritocracy, and “Reverse Racism.”"Angela Putnam said:However, I must also make clear that I do believe that those of us with more privilege—those whose invisible knapsacks are bursting at the seams with privilege (thank you, Peggy McIntosh, for that invaluable analogy)—bear even more of the brunt because our privilege allows us access to resources and connections that those with less privilege do not often have at their disposal.
It wasn't a yes or no question.If you believe the answer is yes, that means you're racist.
It wasn't a yes or no question.
I actually believe that the merit system is time proven, works and benefits all.
Oh OK. I forgot about the topic name. Good point.yes it is. The question is "Are Merit Systems in Academia and Work a Method of Enforcing White Dominance?"
Merit systems either do enforce white dominance or they don't.
So the answer is very clearly yes or no.
Oh OK. I forgot about the topic name. Good point.
I met my boss on the train on June 19, 1986. He barely knew who I was before, and hired me as his law associate. Does that count?Do you have an example of a merit system that isn't subject to the conscious and unconscious biases of those that chose merit? I cannot think of any place where "it's who you know, not what you know" doesn't apply.
I met my boss on the train on June 19, 1986. He barely knew who I was before, and hired me as his law associate. Does that count?
I doubt it's unique.No, because it's an anecdote. Actual research shows people are biased towards the familiar, and this limits the ability of outsiders and minorities to penetrate "meritocracies".
Angela Putnam, a Pennsylvania State University-Brandywine professor thinks college faculty need to do more to undermine their students' belief in "meritocracy" and the value of "hard work" (link). Her view is that meritocracy entrenches white power and privilege. See “Working Hard” Is A White Lie, According To Penn State-Brandywine Professor (link to article) The two articles both come from what some would call right-wing websites. I personally found the rhetoric to be conclusory, and not likely to persuade many people outside the Internet echo chamber. Thus, I visited Ms. Putnam's website (link to main website) and associated blog (link to blog). I will post a few excerpts and keep them brief enough to stay within posting rules. Excerpts:
An abstract from one of her seminars (link) states "Three ideological discourses emerged before, during, and after the seminar – Liberal Pluralism, Meritocracy, and “Reverse Racism.”"
It is quite difficult for any institution with academic rigor and selective admissions to be other than a meritocracy. That is just common sense. However, not all professors exercise common sense or even coherence. As much as I criticize right-wing websites, I find the so-called "work" of Angela Putnam to border on incoherence. She argues that "every white person—no matter how rich or poor, old or young, educated or uneducated, can and should step up and work toward dismantling systemic racism and fight for equity and social justice." She gives no suggestion as to how that "dismantling" would occur.
Other professors even argue that white civility towards blacks is somehow racist. Two professors at University of Northern Iowa,C. Kyle Rudick and Kathryn B. Golsan "say classroom 'civility' promotes 'white racial power'" (link) & (link to paywalled article) .
Perhaps there answer is in a less restrained, even violent and/or chaotic academic environment that prevails in many schools and much of society. I actually believe that the merit system is time proven, works and benefits all.
She is black.Ms Putnam believes blacks are less intelligent and less capable than whites.
She is black.
She's also borderline incoherent and I don't think that's a racial thing. Many people think they are being very profound when basically they're babbling.She is black.Ms Putnam believes blacks are less intelligent and less capable than whites.
I know.
I doubt it's unique.
Angela Putnam, a Pennsylvania State University-Brandywine professor thinks college faculty need to do more to undermine their students' belief in "meritocracy" and the value of "hard work" (link). Her view is that meritocracy entrenches white power and privilege. See “Working Hard” Is A White Lie, According To Penn State-Brandywine Professor (link to article) The two articles both come from what some would call right-wing websites. I personally found the rhetoric to be conclusory, and not likely to persuade many people outside the Internet echo chamber. Thus, I visited Ms. Putnam's website (link to main website) and associated blog (link to blog). I will post a few excerpts and keep them brief enough to stay within posting rules. Excerpts:
An abstract from one of her seminars (link) states "Three ideological discourses emerged before, during, and after the seminar – Liberal Pluralism, Meritocracy, and “Reverse Racism.”"
It is quite difficult for any institution with academic rigor and selective admissions to be other than a meritocracy. That is just common sense. However, not all professors exercise common sense or even coherence. As much as I criticize right-wing websites, I find the so-called "work" of Angela Putnam to border on incoherence. She argues that "every white person—no matter how rich or poor, old or young, educated or uneducated, can and should step up and work toward dismantling systemic racism and fight for equity and social justice." She gives no suggestion as to how that "dismantling" would occur.
Other professors even argue that white civility towards blacks is somehow racist. Two professors at University of Northern Iowa,C. Kyle Rudick and Kathryn B. Golsan "say classroom 'civility' promotes 'white racial power'" (link) & (link to paywalled article) .
Perhaps there answer is in a less restrained, even violent and/or chaotic academic environment that prevails in many schools and much of society. I actually believe that the merit system is time proven, works and benefits all.
Maybe the three essays by or cited by her are incoherent?I want to point out something that may be lost in the shuffle here: she is not criticizing the ideal of hard work. She is criticizing the social structure that promote belief that hard work will unfailingly get you ahead in life. There's quite a difference, and it's not clear from your description which she is doing.
Maybe the three essays by or cited by her are incoherent?
Can you tell me what they mean? I'm not smart enough to figure them out. I spent 30 minutes trying to do so last night and I just can't make sense of them.Why do you think so?
I want to point out something that may be lost in the shuffle here: she is not criticizing the ideal of hard work. She is criticizing the social structure that promote belief that hard work will unfailingly get you ahead in life. There's quite a difference, and it's not clear from your description which she is doing.
The truly sad thing is a-that has to actually be said in the first place and b-that people will still argue that the comment is racist.give me 1000 people of all colors with great work ethic and the same intelligence levels
now give me another 1000 people with low work ethic and the exact same intelligence levels
the first 1000 people will outperform the second 1000 by a huge degree over their lifespans
and color, age, sex, sexuality, and religion have nothing to do with it
are there outliers where hard work alone doesnt matter? sure....
but they are again, outliers
hard work pays off for the vast majority of people no matter what other circumstances there are...period
Just so you know I have only a limited regard for the scholarship listed in the OP.Good thing other cultures don't take this hard work and meritocracy thing to heart in any way, otherwise the might do great. Can you imagine if all of the Asian cultures just worked hard and strived for merit based recognition... we'd probably have to penalize their SAT scores for college admission just to keep things in check. /sigh :roll:
In other news, the morale of my workforce has increased dramatically after ensuring they have clear standards that apply to everyone and simple benchmarks to strive for that allow for a merit based competitive promotion process, and promotion disputes have dropped from 67% of promotions being complained about to about 12%. I'm sure those two data points just prove how powerful the lie of meritocracy is though.
Just so you know I have only a limited regard for the scholarship listed in the OP.
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