Kerby Anderson

Former President George W. Bush once said that the political left often viewed minorities with what could be described as “the soft bigotry of low expectations.” We see it in studies that discover that white teachers are much less likely to see black students as college material. Derek Hunter argues in a recent commentary that “the soft bigotry of low expectations” has been replaced with “the hard bigotry of no expectations.” This was inevitable once you accept the idea that minorities are disadvantaged because they live in a world of systemic racism. A recent decision in the state of Oregon provides a good example. The governor and other Oregon leftists are convinced that having any academic standards, no matter how low, are disadvantageous to minority students. The argument is that having no standards would help “Black, Latino, Latinx, Indigenous, Asian, Pacific Islander, Tribal, and students of color.” Before we look at the absurdity of this policy, it’s worth noticing that the Oregon governor and staff added Asian students to the list of other minorities. In fact, many universities are being criticized (and some even being sued) because high-achieving Asian students face quotas and discrimination that make it difficult to gain admission into many prestigious colleges and universities. The real issue is this. “Black and brown students aren’t failing school, they’re being failed by schools.” Educational achievement tests highlight failing schools and poor teacher performance. Teachers and politicians don’t want to be blamed for the failures committed in these schools. This is their solution. If students aren’t doing well on academic achievement tests, then let’s stop testing the students. Call it the “hard bigotry of no expectations."