Trump and Harvard

The Off-Topic forum for anything non-LDS related, such as sports or politics. Rated PG through PG-13.
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Hound of Heaven
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Re: Trump and Harvard

Post by Hound of Heaven »

Harvard's approach to addressing racism in America involves the implementation of admission policies that some may view as discriminatory in determining who is granted access to education.

It seems that today Harvard refers to their admission policies that consider race as "Race conscious assistance," which can be seen as outright discrimination, and the institution has a history of such practices. If Harvard intends to consider race in its admissions process, it could approach this in a manner that appears less discriminatory by referencing the racial demographics of the nation as a basis for student selection. However, they would hesitate to accept students based on the racial composition in America, as this would result in a student body that is 64% white. For the progressive individuals overseeing admissions at Harvard, this would be perceived as racist. Even in a nation where 64% of the population is white, a student body reflecting that percentage would give the impression of racism.

In the perspective of progressives, they perceive America as racist due to the significant presence of white individuals in the country. In their perspective, they believe it is reasonable to permit non-Asian minorities to achieve a 1100 on the SAT, whereas Asian women are required to score a 1330 and Asian males a 1350. Such a notion would only appear just in the perspective of a progressive.

In Harvard's class of 2028, the demographic breakdown is as follows: 37% of the students are Asian American, 31% are white, 16% are Latino, 14% are black, 1% are Native American, and less than 1% fall into other categories. Essentially, there is a concern regarding the fact that 37% of their students are Asian, leading to a decision to lower standards for non-Asians to facilitate their admission. Progressives seem to accept discrimination against whites and Asians, perceiving them as individuals who are already well off. Progressives exhibit deep-seated racism!
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Kishkumen
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Re: Trump and Harvard

Post by Kishkumen »

Jersey Girl wrote:
Thu Apr 24, 2025 6:53 am
I think it would be akin to opening a can of worms, Kish. If LDS believes that the constitution is divinely inspired and set up by God, how would speaking out against Trump be taking a stand behind that belief?

It's late/long day. I might not have made myself clear.
I would expect that, similar to Pope Francis in the past, the leaders of the LDS Church could affirm their doctrine regarding the Constitution without ham-handedly inveighing against Trump explicitly.
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Re: Trump and Harvard

Post by Gadianton »

Hound,

Some parts of that hit my funny bone pretty good so thanks. There is room for serious reflection, however. You've constructed a moral dilemma, and I'm curious how you resolve it. A moral dilemma isn't simply a situation where there is conflict over what's right and wrong, but over the criteria for determining what's right and wrong. You imply two criteria, which are in conflict.

Is the good reflected in a student body at Harvard that reflects the ethical composition of the nation as a whole?
Is the good reflected in unbiased entrance exams?

Even in a situation where whites score high enough to secure 64% of the slots, the dilemma still exists, but Harvard gets lucky and doesn't have to face it. However, it's very unlikely that this will be the outcome, and that both whites and Asians are crowded out by the lowered test standards for other minorities. So the real tension is between whites and Asians. Would Harvard do the right thing by making the SAT component equal for all: Are Trumpers happy when Harvard is mostly Asian because it's a meritocracy? Or are Trumpers happy when Harvard is 64% white, thus reflecting the racial constituency of the country? In that later case, test scores will need to lowered for whites in order to achieve the goal.
Last edited by Gadianton on Thu Apr 24, 2025 3:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Kishkumen
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Re: Trump and Harvard

Post by Kishkumen »

I can’t believe that anyone believes that a presidential administration rife with staggering incompetence has any genuine interest in meritocracy.
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canpakes
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Re: Trump and Harvard

Post by canpakes »

There is no link shown between Harvard’s student body makeup and whatever ‘progressives’ think.

The Trump Administration does have an interestingly DEI-adjacent approach to what it believes Harvard should teach or what ideologies the teaching staff and student body should hold, though.
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Molok
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Re: Trump and Harvard

Post by Molok »

Hound of Heaven wrote:
Thu Apr 24, 2025 11:57 am
In the perspective of progressives, they perceive America as racist due to the significant presence of white individuals in the country.
As the official representative of all progressives, I must correct this. We perceive America as racist because of the history of America. Please take note of this and refrain from telling such lies in the future.
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canpakes
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Re: Trump and Harvard

Post by canpakes »

Molok wrote:
Thu Apr 24, 2025 2:14 pm
As the official representative of all progressives, I must correct this.
Finally you show up.

We had some rando on the board trying - for over 10 pages - yet failing to define ‘progressivism’. I’m glad that we’ll get some actual insight on this, now.
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Molok
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Re: Trump and Harvard

Post by Molok »

canpakes wrote:
Thu Apr 24, 2025 3:00 pm
Molok wrote:
Thu Apr 24, 2025 2:14 pm
As the official representative of all progressives, I must correct this.
Finally you show up.

We had some rando on the board trying - for over 10 pages - yet failing to define ‘progressivism’. I’m glad that we’ll get some actual insight on this, now.
Oh, no, we don't know what "progressive" means either, sorry. It's just sort of a vibe, you know?
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Re: Trump and Harvard

Post by Chap »

Molok wrote:
Thu Apr 24, 2025 2:14 pm
Hound of Heaven wrote:
Thu Apr 24, 2025 11:57 am
In the perspective of progressives, they perceive America as racist due to the significant presence of white individuals in the country.
As the official representative of all progressives, I must correct this. We perceive America as racist because of the history of America. Please take note of this and refrain from telling such lies in the future.
I suppose you are thinking of all the black slaves, and the wiping out of large numbers of Indians and the seizure of their land, and stuff? Yup .. both those things might be thought by some to have been just a wee sorta racist-looking, I suppose.
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Doctor Steuss
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Re: Trump and Harvard

Post by Doctor Steuss »

There does seem to be shift this time around.

The first Trump presidency, the Church issued statements on a regular basis denouncing his policies and things his administration was doing.

This time, the First Presidency officially congratulated him, two Apostles went to his inauguration, and there hasn't been a peep from the Newsroom about any of the administration's problematic actions.

I wonder to what extent it is because they seem him as an ally, and to what extent they see it as self-preservation to not do anything that might offend someone with a revenge fetish that's surrounded by religionists that think Mormonism is a non-Christian cult.
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