Today's Philosophy from the Internet: Life's Unfairness meets Racial Disparity in Madison County Schools

BLOT: (03 Mar 2011 - 12:13:38 PM)

Today's Philosophy from the Internet: Life's Unfairness meets Racial Disparity in Madison County Schools

After analyzing Chuck Lorre's written statement on aloneness, I wonder if I should make it a regular feature: "Philosophy From the Internet"? If I did, though, I would have to include such things as...

A leader in the Madison County Republican Party has written a letter to federal officials stating that disparities between white and black students in Huntsville's school system exist because "life is unfair."

"If there is unfairness, it is because life itself is unfair. The unfairness is not manmade," said Hugh McInnish, at-large member of the county's Republican Executive Committee.

I snuck that one up on you a little, for funsies, but you can read the rest of the article if you want: Republican leader says 'unfairness' of life is cause of racial disparities in Huntsville schools. And, I have to say, the picture included looks exactly what you would expect. Well, sort of.

There is a letter from which the quotes come from, but I'll let you go to the article and find it yourself (look down once you are there, spot the linkie!). Now, face value, before I move on, let's take a look at this core juicy bit. "Life is unfair". Ok, check. I can get behind that. I mean, not really. Life—if by which you mean what most people mean, a loose summation of the collective algorithms, approximations, and axioms that make up physics, chemistry, biology, psychology, sociology, history, economics and so forth; specifically in the way they impact us as human beings—is potentially the fairest thing in the world. It happens to us all. Sure, you have some assholes making bank off lies and trickology, and you have guys who spent the best years of their life not only being healthy, but helping others, get cancer a few weeks after their marriage and passing on. That sucks. A lot. But, statistically, everybody is on this rock to live a crappy life with smiles in it, and sometimes the smiles outweighs the crap*. It's not fair in that you are going to get all four aces every hand, but at least we are playing with the same deck at some level.

Then he goes on and says it is not manmade, though. The unfairness of life. And I don't even know what he is getting at. Awesome dude getting cancer? Ok, maybe that's not manmade, but what about almost everything else ever meant by the term? Economic disparity?** Food shortages? War? Lack of career opportunities? Pollution levels? General dissatisfaction? What the flying fook is it if not manmade? Not to mention that at best, he goes on to say things that imply it's not life, i.e. whites + "the system" apparently, who are unfair to blacks, but the blacks themselves.

"Blacks misbehave on average more frequently than whites do," McInnish said.

God, it's like, he's going on about how the unfairness isn't manmade but then blames African-American students for it. But that would only not be paradox if he somehow didn't think those African-Americans were culpable of their own doing. I mean, this sounds like he... thinks... you know... that...

McInnish also argued Tuesday that the gap between white and black students' participation in advanced courses is not because black students are not afforded the chance...the gap exists because black students are not able to perform as well in advanced classes.

Ah.

Keep it classy, North Alabama...

* But not in Nottingham.

** From TheOnion: Gap Between Rich And Poor Named 8th Wonder Of The World

LABEL(s): on Society

OTHER BLOTS THIS MONTH: March 2011