Discrimination

“Affirmative Action on Campus Does More Harm Than Good”

/ Matthew Clemente / Leave a comment

That was the proposition being debated on the Intelligence Squared podcast.

Moderated by ABC News’ John Donvan, the debate featured Gail Heriot (University of San Diego) and Richard Sander (UCLA School of Law) who argued for the motion; and Randall Kennedy (Harvard Law School) and Theodore Shaw (Columbia Law School), who argued against the motion.

Here is description of the debate:

Affirmative action, when used as a factor in college admissions, is meant to foster diversity and provide equal opportunities in education for underrepresented minorities. But is it achieving its stated goals and helping the population it was created to support? Its critics point to students struggling to keep up in schools mismatched to their abilities and to the fact that the policy can be manipulated to benefit affluent and middle class students who already possess many educational advantages. Is it time to overhaul or abolish affirmative action?

NC Voter ID Law Revives Fears of Racial Disenfranchisement

/ Matthew Clemente / Leave a comment

NC Voter ID Law Revives Fears of Racial Disenfranchisement

Recently, NPR’s All Things Considered discussed a new North Carolina voter ID law that some critics fear will make if harder for minorities and the poor to access poling places. 

Here is a description of the story: 

North Carolina’s governor signed a new law requiring a state-approved photo ID to cast a vote in a polling place and shortening the period for early voting. The move comes just weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated a key provision of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which had required large parts of the state to get federal approval before changing voting laws.

Gov. Pat McCrory, a Republican, says the new law will protect the state from voter fraud.Critics say it reverses crucial reforms designed to help protect the rights of African-Americans, young people and the poor.

NPR’s Ailsa Chang visited rural areas of North Carolina to report on how the changes could affect poor minority voters who live there.

Urban Dictionary in the Courtroom

/ Matthew Clemente / Leave a comment

Urban Dictionary in the Courtroom

On NRP’s Talk of the Nation, New York Times reporter Leslie Kaufman and Rutgers law professor Greg Lastowka discuss the use of the website Urban Dictionary in the court room.  

Here is a description of the segment: 

The use of slang in court proceedings can be tricky, especially in criminal cases where an uncommon slang term used by a witness can make a difference in a case. New York Times tech reporter Leslie Kaufman and law professor Greg Lastowka talk about how judges and lawyers have turned to sites like Urban Dictionary to help define slang terms and the legal implications of the trend.

Read Leslie Kaufman’s Story

 

SNL: “Accidental Racist” or Just Racist?

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SNL: “Accidental Racist” or Just Racist?

Country singer Brad Paisley and hip hop artist LL Cool J released a duet titled “Accidental Racist.”  The song clumsily discusses racial prejudice in United States.  Since the single’s release, Paisley and LL have been on a media offensive, defending the allegedly offensive track.   

Last weekend, the duo stopped by Saturday Night Live‘s “Weekend Update.”  

I intended to post a link to the song.  However, it seems that most of the videos on YouTube  have been taken down, will be taken down, or of poor quality.  

My take: the song is bold move, characteristic Paisley’s unconventional lyrics.  While the song certainly seems created a dialogue about race, the song is not very good.  It is a sort of ad hoc mash up musically.  Moreover, the lyrics do not measure up to the gravity issue.  

It reminds me of what I was told in a creative writing class I took in college.  My professor recommended that new writers shouldn’t write about cancer.  She advised that because cancer is such a powerful topic, it is difficult to pull of a story that is fresh and deft.   Having listened to all six plus minutes of “Accidental Racist,” it strikes me as a story about America’s cancer that is neither fresh nor deft.