Fleming's main argument appears to be that efforts to diversify incoming classes of midshipmen at the Naval Academy lowers standards and, more importantly, raises costs to the "taxpayers who bankroll the military."
This is a topic about which the good professor has been very passionate and vocal over the past few years. However, neither passion nor verbiage can compensate for what I perceive as a weak argument for opposing...
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Diversity - 2009-07-07 12:55:42
I find it sad that those posting racist rhetoric somehow equate "diversity" with lower standards... that's not what "diversity" means. Professor Bediako had it right when he described it as "opportunity". That opportunity is not just about black or latino students but also includes Appalachian whites and others that have not had opportunity. If we are so worried about "lower standards" then why not talk about the legacy admissions? These admissions clearly allow students that would not meet criteria otherwise to join the Naval Academy (ie Senator John McCain). Being allowed to attend Naval Academy based on high or low SAT scores, legacy... DOES NOT promise to make a great/terrible student nor a great/sorry officer. The FACT is SAT scores do not measure a persons success in the naval academy or college.
And for the record the Black and Latino freshman students entering the Naval Academy this year were in the top 6% and 5% of their respective graduating classes, while the entering white students only fell in at 11%. And if my child were attending the Naval Academy I would NEVER allow him to take a class from Prof Flemming. I am disappointed that a Professor would write such vile and then expect a student to be able to perform in such a hostile environment.
Also note the vile written here about Professor Bediako is unnecessary and disgusting... think more, act less racist and emotional.
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Now What - , - Karma: Neutral
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Bediako exposed - 2009-06-27 08:21:47
In reply to Ms. Bediako's encomium to affirmative action at the Naval Academy, let me only recite my conclusion because of space constraints, supporting arguments available but here merely implied.
By weakening our national defense, at one of the very institutions the mission of which is to strengthen it, through affirmative-action admission policy, by barring better qualified white male applicants from entering and supplanting them with less qualified and mentally slower applicants because they sport nonwhite skins, poses an imminent threat to our survival as a nation by filling our officer corps with a bunch of mediocrities, and those responsible for it should be punished in the end for threatening our survival with their egalitarian lunacy. The armed forces are not the venue for conducting social experimentation as a priority, including at the Naval Academy. The priority there should be the defense of the nation. But Roughead, the chief administrative officer at the Academy, said that his priority is NOT the defense of the nation. Rather, it's racial diversity! A government that turns on its own citizens and abdicates the raison d'etre of its creation in the place, to protect them from enemies foreign and domestic, by prioritizing level-pegging programs as part of a harebrained egalitarian social experiment that is neither justified in fact by any observation I've made nor in moral philosophy by any rational argument I've seen--I'm here challenging egalitarians out there, Bediako included, to make known an argument rationally justifying the so far unproven assumption of equality itself as a moral and social ideal--is not worthy to continue to exist, just as Jefferson declared, and also as he declared, should be helped onto the dustbin of history by citizens whose minds and spirits have remained sufficiently uncontaminated by the egalitarian virus.
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Affirmative Action - 2009-06-27 06:27:50
and its politically correct derivative, Diversity, are simply the injection of politics into the military. It has been going on forever, but many people misunderstand Clausewitz contention that "War is merely a continuation of politics." Whenever the balance of war versus politics is upset, a military suffers. This happened during the War Between the States, and until Lincoln changed the balance by appointing Grant based solely upon results, he could not defeat a country at least 5 times smaller in population and many more times smaller in resources. Our military has been out of balance, biased politically, since Truman fired McArthur, integrated the military, applied the Truman Doctrine. Look at the results. We have not won outright a major conflict since then. The Korean and Vietnam wars taught us not to fight anyone who could even remotely whip our butt. If it wasnt for our technological superiority, who knows where we would be and science and technology, is one of the areas in American life that is frustrating the affirmative action industry. Education, law, government, unions and even large business has been heavily diversified, and look at the results.
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Chester ... - 2009-06-26 19:32:51
I hope you realize that you have been getting a form of diversity from the Naval Academy from just about day one, and not always the absolute best available because of how Appointments are levied throughout the 50 United States and various territories. It is because of this system that picks from a group of qualified individuals, and not necessarily the 1250 best candidates, that it is much more diffecult to get an appointment from Maryland and Virginia than it is to get one from Wisconcin or South Dakota. No one has can show that the Naval Academy has or is close to failing its mission by searching for and finding more diversity as yet.
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Flawed Analogy - 2009-06-26 17:27:55
If I could improve the chances of my team winning more races by providing opportunities to some of his athletes to join my team,
And how does admitting less qualified students improve the chances of the Naval Academy to turn out more highly qualified Naval officers?
The purpose of the Naval Academy is to produce the best possible officers in order to in turn do the best job of defending our country. It is not to provide opportunities for incoming students. It's not about the students. It's about the country.
This does not ignore history. By all means we should put greater effort into improving education in this country so that this disparity does not appear among high school graduates applying to the Naval Academy. But admitting less qualified students to the Naval Academy will not affect that disparity. When that disparity disappears then the racial makeup of incoming Naval Academy classes should reflect such. But not before; otherwise you weaken our national defense at one of the very institutions whose mission is to strengthen it. Removing better qualified students from it and replacing lesser qualified ones does no good and much harm.
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Stupidity - 2009-06-26 17:19:55
I'm a Naval Officer. I want the best people working for me, fighting along side of me, defending my country. To give me anything less than the best is immoral.
I don't give a damn what color they are, I just want the best.
Anyone who sends me less than the best is doing me, my shipmates, and my country a disservice. Anyone who sends me less than the best because of the color of their skin doesn't understand what America is all about.
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USNA and Diversity - 2009-06-26 12:14:27
I fail to see how your comments wrt academics at USNA are related to diversity, unless you say only minority students struggle academically - absolutely not true. You also state that the USNA should offer some less rigorous academic program for students without the necessary skills when in fact they do - the Naval Academy Prep School in Newport, RI. Additionally, there are several different tracks for most of the common technical courses offered at Navy: for the engineers the heavier courses are known as Cables and Ships for electrical and marine engineering while the non-engineers study Wires and Boats. Once a student is admitted to USNA and makes it through Plebe Summer, the Admin goes to fairly significant lengths to ensure each student gets the much help they need, but they must apply themselves, nothing is given for free. The real argument about diversity at the Naval Academy is not about the Mids doing the work; it is about finding the right candidates to ensure those who do make the commitment are capable of upholding the high standards and traditions of the Naval Service. Having a diversified student body is a laudable goal, but only if the end product meets the Navys needs. USNA has dedicated significant resources to recruitment of minorities from areas that have historically been under-represented at Navy and as long as the candidates they find there are sufficiently qualified to succeed without lowering the standards, I say good on them! However, if they have chosen to take shortcuts to achieve a political goal that has little impact on the performance of the fleet, ultimately many will pay a high price for this political rouse. I fall into the category of lets wait and see, I want to give the Naval Academy the benefit of the doubt as to who they select to attend the institution. I think Flemming is overstating his case of lower standards and I think the follow-on opinion by the UMBC Prof misses the point wrt the real mission of the Naval Academy.
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fred flintstone - , - Karma: Excellent
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USNA and Diversity - 2009-06-25 17:25:40
The idea of diversity is terrific, but at what expense? Allowing students regardless of race, gender or any other attribute to enter any institution seems like a perfect world. The Naval Academy strives to co-exist in this world, but... Academic differences between students requires re-evaluation of the academic program. Students that have not been exposed to the academic challenges most likely will struggle with difficult concepts. The majority of these difficult concepts are in technical areas: Math, Science, and engineering. Why doesn't the Naval Academy create a somewhat less rigorous academic program for students without the necessary skills. Too many midshipmen struggle through the core academic courses (Calculus, Chemistry, Physics and English) are then required to re-take these courses during the summer when they should be experiencing the Navy and Marine Corps. This group of academically challenged midshipmen may make great officers, but they will not be prepared for the challenges. Secondly, intermixing these students into classes has multiple effects. Either the class moves to fast for them, the instructor slows down to meet their needs but bores the brighter students or tries something in the middle. The third case could alienate both extreme groups. Another alternative would be to create special classes for these students all the way through their Naval Academy career. Unfortunately this is not realistic, because the world is not always going to provide multiple work opportunities. I don't have the answers, but someone at USNA needs to start addressing the academic situation, not the diversity situation.
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What a complete load of poop! - 2009-06-23 12:42:30
I guess I should not expect anything more from someone who has never actually held a *real* job in his life...
Assistant Professor
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
August 2005 Present (3 years 11 months)
Assistant Professor
University of Cincinnati
(Educational Institution; Higher Education industry)
August 2003 July 2005 (2 years)
Post-Doctoral Fellow
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
(Higher Education industry)
2001 2003 (2 years)
State University of New York at Stony Brook
PhD , Social/Health Psychology , 1997 2001
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University
MS , Community Psychology , 1994 1996
University of Central Arkansas
BS , Psychology , 1990 1994
Camden High School
1988 1990
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f. flintstone - , - Karma: Excellent
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I HAVE A DREAM, TOO - 2009-06-23 12:16:12
I plan on petitioning the National Basketball Association to lower the standards for those that can't jump, shoot, or dribble. I feel these standards are unacceptable and are meant to keep me from enjoying the game at a professional level. Those that are tall and have the requisite skills should be held to the current standard; those like me shall be held to the lower standard. Each NBA team will be required to man their team with at least five "athletes" from the lower standard class. However, we'll continue to play under the same rules under which the league now plays.
Sounds pretty ridiculous, doesn't it? Well, in fact, that's what has happened to our universities and employment opportunities all across America. There's a reason it's called the standard -- because it should be the lowest acceptable metric. Don't get me wrong -- there are many qualified minority candidates, and they should be given every possible opportunity to earn a spot in any upcoming academy class. And, yes, there are other qualities that are important to a leader other than mere academic standards. If a candidate possesses those traits, then they should be reflected in an interview process. This is what Mr. Fleming suggests. However, what he suggests is that those candidates are not screened in a competitive process, but rather given exemptions through other means.
I apologize for the sins of the past. However, that is not a reason to incorporate a system that induces a reverse discrimination against qualified white candidates. You say it yourself, Mr. Bediako -- America is the land of opportunity. Those that fail to meet the standard did not take full advantage of the opportunity presented to them. When candidates are judged on different standards based on the color of their skin, you are erasing the hard work and dedication of those that set a goal and worked hard to meet that objective.
My suggestion -- erase the "race" block on the application altogether and judge each candidate on the merit of their application. The cream will rise to the top. Like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., I too long for the day when no one will "be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." I would suggest to you that diversity is not the dream to which Dr. King aspired, but rather the exact opposite -- the imposition of quotas and the establishment of standards based on race.
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Needs Logic Classes - 2009-06-23 10:29:48
I will be certain that, if any of my children attend UMBC, they avoid this professor of psychology. It may be that he needs some classes in logic and reasoning. It appears that he may be clouded by his own skin color and does not have his eyes open to the fact that he is advocating racism as a tit-for-tat measure.
If dumming down the homeland's best fighting force all for advancing someone's skin color is what he wants, COUNT ME OUT!
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K. Wilson - Ellicott City, md - Karma: Neutral
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If not right - 2009-06-23 08:26:20
Then this policy should not be supported because it is exactly the situation that would arise. Economic status is not determinative for appointment to our military academies, but a minority candidate does get a marked advantage, which is the reason for this entire discussion. If you are now going to say that you do not support this policy, then that is a different story. It is definitely a fundamental difference of opinion. I believe that racist preference policies were wrong in the past. I believe that they are wrong now. You think that they were wrong in the past but are correct now. As long as racist policies are in place, racial resentment will not decrease throughout our society. Using OSU as the sample, the only item respecting an advantage in their admission list that could conceivably refer to what you claim to be a policy supporting admission preferences for 'poor white students from Appalachia' is 'you provide cultural, economic, racial, or geographic diversity'. A poor black applicant would satisfy two of those criteria. It only makes sense that they would then get even greater consideration than the poor white applicant. So we are right back where we started.
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Ben H. - Annapolis, MD - Karma: Good
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Reply to Incorrect - 2009-06-23 02:21:46
Ben H., I think you misunderstood my point. I never proposed that it was "right" for Bob Johnson's child to have an advantage over a poor White kid (And, seriously, why would his children be competing for anything with poor White children? That wouldn't make sense given his economic status). But I digress...my point is that I believe you you're implicitly saying that one cannot use race (i.e., affirmative diversity) to rectify unfair disadvantages that evolved because of race (i.e., racism that favored Whites for 346+ years). In my opinion, that's wrong and does not represent justice. Perhaps it would be different if Blacks actually got their 40 acres and a mule following the Civil War...then, if they failed, it was because of their own lack of initiative - not because they were never given a chance. And as for the schools - there are several. Ones that immediately come to mind are Ohio State, Ohio U, Indiana State, U of Cincinnati, and U of Louisville.
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Nat T. - Baltimore, MD - Karma: Neutral
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Incorrect - 2009-06-22 07:30:26
Nat, your response is a series of inaccuracies and red herrings. I did not ignore or deny history. Terrible things happened in the past. That in no way means that it would be right for Robert Johnson's child to have an advantage over a poor white applicant due to the 'lack of a level playing field' in the past. Just because somebody disagrees with you does not mean they are relying on emotion, this is another very common red herring. As long as we continue to use race as a factor to give one group an advantage over another, you are right, these problems will not go away. The emotionality of claiming past wrongs necessitate wrongs today is where the problem lies. Can you please cite a particular University that has a policy regarding 'poor white students' and direct me to a source where I can read about it? That would be extremely interesting.
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Ben H. - Annapolis, MD - Karma: Good
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It's Funny... - 2009-06-20 23:59:11
It's funny how critiques of the writer's "flawed" logic don't address the main point - that, as a country, we ignore or deny history. How can we expect the playing field to be "level" when some groups in this country weren't even allowed to play the game until recently? I don't see anything flawed about that logic. True, this is a complex issue that touches off all kinds of emotions, but favoring our emotions over the facts just insures that we will never find a resolution. By the way, I used to live in southeastern Ohio - and for the record, many colleges and universities have special admissions policies for poor white students from Appalachia. They can get special scholarships to go to colleges in Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio and not have to pay out of state tuition. These kids make up the greater proportion of "opportunity" students than black kids. Does that "dumb down" those schools because they give opportunities to children from impoverished areas in Appalachia? I think the writer's logic applies to these kids as much as it does to black and hispanic kids.
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Nat T. - Baltimore, MD - Karma: Neutral
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Unflawed Logic - 2009-06-19 14:45:10
Everything that I have read indicates that there is a bright line differentiation in the process for students who would increase diversity as opposed to white males. If there is some kind of wealth factor that is used to remove applicants from the 'desired' pool that would increase diversity, I would be very interested in hearing about it. No doubt, there are very few Bob Johnsons in the world but there are millions of very successful minority families and millions of very unsuccessful white families. My intention was to make that broader point, but perhaps I wasn't clear. Again, if anybody knows of a process whereby that 'diversity' candidate is pulled from the group who benefits from this preselection and is dropped in with the white males to compete against the same standards, I would love to hear about how that process unfolds.
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Ben H. - Annapolis, MD - Karma: Good
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Doesn't understand - 2009-06-19 12:37:26
Prof. Bediako apparently doesn't realize that the purpose of the U.S. Naval Academy is not to provide opportunity to blacks and hispanics or redress wrongs against blacks committed decades ago, but to produce the best possible Officers to run the Navy. Or, at least, that used to be the mission. As Prof Fleming points out, now the Chief of Naval Operations -- and former USNA Commandant of Midshipment -- and USNA Superintendent now say that diversity is the primary mission.
My hat is off to Prof. Fleming for having the guts to say the Emperor has no clothes. Bravo zulu. As for Prof. Bediako, my son just graduated from UMBC -- I sincerely hope was not a student in her class and was subjected to her ignorance and faulty logic.
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J. Rockford - , - Karma: Neutral
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Flawed logic - 2009-06-19 09:09:35
Ben...while I disagree with you, I respect your opinion. That being said, the fallacy in your argument is that it seems to assume that most people admitted under this program are from a situation like Bob Johnson's kids. In reality, there are very few Bob Johnsons in the world. Unless you know the criteria, you can't assume that economic considerations aren't made in making the appointments.
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Chris M. - , - Karma: Excellent
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Flawed track team analogy - 2009-06-18 22:28:00
If Robert Johnson (the African-American founder of BET television, an incredible businessman, and great American success story) had children (I am not sure that he does), would they qualify as having been training in a 'decrepit, cinder-filled track'? Are the white children of two mining country parents with only high school educations, living just above the poverty line, properly characterized as having access to 'world-class training facilities'? Of course not. This is where quotas and racial preferences fail. The way things stand and the way this writer believes is correct, Robert Johnson's children grew up with fewer opportunities than the kids living near the poverty line with parents who had only a high school education. The absurdity of such a claim is astounding. That it stands as rational thought borders on scary.
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Ben H. - Annapolis, MD - Karma: Good
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Irony - 2009-06-18 16:33:10
"an egalitarian society where people will eventually be judged by their merits"
Isn't the writer advocating just the opposite?
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