With the 2012 election in full swing I have begun to seriously consider the conditions of the United States since the last election. While I did vote in the 2008 election, I wasn't as informed as I would like to be, nor was I able to comprehend the magnitude of the election in which I was voting. Lately, because of forces outside of this course as well as the text we have been exploring, I've gained a new appreciation for the need to be well informed. I know how obvious this sounds, but a simple Google search about American voters can bring up some shocking information. For example, an article from the Washington Post entitled "5 Myths About Those Civic-Minded, Deeply Informed Voters" shows that young voters ages 18-29 still know the least about national elections. The same article shows that only 60% of young voters in the U.S. were following the news after the 9/11 attacks. While I know that I am reasonably well informed (by these WP standards), I also know that I am an exception AND that, in reality, I'm still learning new information all the time. I know the future of the U.S. depends a lot on the upcoming election, but I think it truly depends on the education and understanding of the American people.

Many of the books we have been introduced to this semester have opened my eyes to my own responsibility to being a change in the world. It is becoming clear to me that my previous desire to “be a good person” is much harder to define than I previously thought. While my “good person” standard used to be something like the desire to not cause harm to others and treat people with respect it has become clear to me that my new standard should try and increase human dignity as much as I can. Dr. Tatum’s book (highlighted in the previous post) has really made this point clear to me. While I may think I am being responsible and kind to others I may also be lowering human dignity without even noticing. I do not think I am doing a particularly bad job at treating others with respect, but Dr. Tatum made it clear that I need to be more active and conscious of my interactions with others. Here is an interview with Dr. Tatum from PBS where she summarizes many of the points in the book (it’s quite good for a refresher). I need to be more aware of the racist society in which we live and I believe I am becoming more conscious of its subtleties. As Dr. Tatum says in the PBS interview, “We’re all being exposed to stereotypes, and we all have to think about how we have been impacted by that.”

Relevant update:

While listening to NPR Tuesday morning I heard about how the Supreme Court will be hearing a case about affirmative action and its use in higher education admissions. Here is a link to the article. Only a few weeks ago I would have been thrilled to hear that the Supreme Court would be rehearing a case related to affirmative action, but now I am not so sure. I now recognize the complexities of affirmative action. Some people (including Dr. Tatum) view affirmative action in a positive light, a needed buffer to counteract the pervasive racism found in our society. Others view affirmative action as the worst thing that can happen to minorities, saying it only perpetuates the discrimination it is seeking to avoid. Clarence Thomas believes that “the government may not make distinctions on the basis of race” and that “government cannot make us equal; it can only recognize, respect, and protect us as equal before the law.”

Most of the comments I have read from the news article consist of people harking about meritocracy, a commonly held belief being “I want my surgeon to be one who is most qualified; not one who became a surgeon because he met some requirement that has nothing to do with his qualifications.” My initial reaction to these types of comments is something along the lines of “so the minority is unqualified?” I found many of the comments to be extremely racist and frustrating to read.

As a side note, it is interesting to view the comments on the CNN article related to this case in comparison to the comments on the NPR article. It is a true testament to the difference in viewers. 

It is interesting how Americans have such faith in meritocracy in some aspects (affirmative action, for one) but clearly disapprove of it in other areas (Occupy Wall Street). People in the majority do not tend to recognize the advantage they experience daily. Here is aninteresting article about the myth of meritocracy and why it cannot work in America’s economic and social climate. The article claims that our firm belief in meritocracy can be somewhat traced back to our “ancestral primate instincts for contest, dominance and pecking orders” but it is obvious that things have changed as we have evolved. Meritocracy does not account for cultural differences and the social constructs like racism, sexism, etc. The firm belief in meritocracy is harmful to the public as a whole.

Finally, here’s a chart from McNameeand Miller’s The Meritocracy Myth.

Table 1.  Share of Total Available Household Income, 
2002*

Income Group	Share of Income
Top Fifth	49.7%
Second Fifth	23.3%
Third Fifth	14.8%
Fourth Fifth	8.8%
Bottom Fifth	3.5%
Total	100.0%
Top 5 Percent	21.7%

*Source:  DeNavas-Walt et al. 2003. 

When the top 20% of American households receive roughly 50% of the wealth (the top 1% accounting for 30% of the wealth) is our society truly merit based? Perhaps the top 1% worked hard for their huge wealth. From McNamee and Miller,

Working hard is often seen in this context as part of the merit formula. Heads nod in acknowledgment whenever hard work is mentioned in conjunction with economic success. Rarely is this assumption questioned. But what exactly do we mean by hard work? Does it mean the number of hours expended in the effort to achieve a goal? Does it mean the amount of energy or sheer physical exertion expended in the completion of tasks?  Neither of these measures of “hard” work is directly associated with economic success. In fact, those who work the most hours and expend the most effort (at least physically) are often the most poorly paid in society. By contrast, the really big money in America comes not from working at all but from owning, which requires no expenditure of effort, either physical or mental. In short, working hard is not in and of itself directly related to the amount of income and wealth that individuals have. 

We need to let go of the myth that merit is the deciding factor an American’s success.