Affirmative action has me in a tizzy. Let me construct a chain of logic here. Diversity is good because diversity provides people with different perspectives. Solving problems happens more effectively if people have different perspectives. Therefore, problems get solved more effectively if people come from diverse backgrounds.
This is a straw man argument, which I present because I cannot find a satisfactory argument as to the benefits of diversity. Many people believe in diversity. Enough, apparently, that it should supplant merit as the standard for admittance to a university or the offer of a job. My straw man argument appears logical, but I believe it to be flawed.
I think that the different perspectives that help to solve problems are not ones engendered by race. They are ones engendered by experience in domains related to the problem. I am a white male; if I have a problem to solve I am not going to seek out a black female or a white male or a pan asian trans gendered clone for help. I am going to seek an expert in the problem domain.
My opinion on this was formed in part from teaching research methods and statistics to undergraduates in the psychology department at the University of Georgia. The students who added value to my classrooms were the ones who asked intelligent questions about the material. Black students did not add value to the classroom by providing a different perspective on correlation coefficients.
What I find most distressing about this policy is that if diversity adds such value, why are only African Americans, Native Americans, and Hispanics receiving preferential treatment. There are plenty of other minorities, and by this logic we could improve the classrooms and workplaces exponentially by adding more minorities.
I think it is an important part of a person’s social development to interact with people from all walks of life. But I believe the onus to seek out such an environment is on the person, not on society to provide such an environment through legislation or policy. Diversity in hiring practices is deplorable, and if you disagree make sure you ask for a diverse surgical team next time you need an operation.