The Analysis Of Articles About Fairness & Its Varying Meanings & Manifestations

Abstract

This paper examines a total of five articles that each discuss the subject of fairness and its varying meanings and manifestations. Four out of the five articles come from a series done by Dr. Thomas Sowell (2010), while the fifth comes from American activist and writer, Timothy Wise (2002). In this paper, Sowell’s articles are explored and an understanding of his assertions are established while the Wise article is summarized and discussed in relation to the Sowell articles.

Keywords: fairness, discuss, meanings, relation, understanding, assertions

Thomas Sowell: The Fallacy of Fairness

In Sowell’s (2010) four-part series, equity takes center stage, and Sowell’s distaste is made apparent from the very beginning. Sowell’s argument centers around the idea that fairness is a fallacy that has altered the way people think (Sowell, 2010a). People are often blinded by and encouraged by the word (Sowell, 2010a) even though they have differing opinions on what the word means. In the first installment of his series, Sowell uses the example of the uproar against the biased tests used for admissions and employment purposes (Sowell, 2010a). According to Sowell, people often define justness as every individual having an equal opportunity for success (Sowell, 2010a), when in reality some groups or individuals just have more advantages than others.

In the second part of Sowell’s series the main focus is the achievement gap. Sowell’s immediate comparison of equity to a farce, which is a comedic work, brings to light his true feelings on what most consider to be lawful, which is that it is a joke. Sowell takes us to Berkeley High School in California, where there was a fuss over a controversial proposal that aimed to get rid of four teaching positions and put the money towards programs that help low achievers (Sowell, 2010b). At the time, the achievement gap at Berkeley High School was the highest in the state of California (Sowell, 2010b) and they were looking for a way to bring up those who were falling behind. Sowell believes that this attempt to allot more money to low achievers is just another equalization crusade that has the goal of leveling the playing field by bringing down those who at the top (Sowell, 2010b). More often than not, achievement is associated with privilege (Sowell, 2010b) and this often leaves a group or individuals priorities and efforts (Sowell, 2010b) out of the picture. There are those who, according to Sowell, like to show themselves as advocates for those who are considered to be lesser (Sowell, 2010b) and rather than help change the attitudes, priorities, and behavior of the effected, they choose to play the hero.

In the third part of his series, Sowell brings back the idea of us wanting to treat everyone equally. This formal form of equity does not do much, and some have proposed that we as a society should arrange the outcome rather than treating everyone as equals (Sowell, 2010c). Sowell focuses on the accident of birth and how it affects opportunity and says that there is little that can be done without producing other issues (Sowell, 2010c). Attempting to change the communities in which people are raised would be a monumental task (Sowell, 2010c) and it would go against the principles of multiculturalism. Sowell believes that this essentially traps people and forces them to stay in the communities they are born into (Sowell, 2010c). Some people are born into families and communities that do not value things like education and they need to have the option to better themselves (Sowell, 2010c).

In the final installment of Sowell’s series, he discusses the tempestuous question of whether people have the natural ability to perform at similar levels (Sowell, 2010d). Sowell states that as far back as the 20th century, variances in achievement between different classes and races were attributed to racism and discrimination. There have been studies conducted that have proved the idea of genetic superiority, and IQ testing has shown variances in the test scores of different groups. Sowell points out that all of these conclusions were based data, not judgements or stereotypes (Sowell, 2010d). Sowell states that developed skills and capabilities are what pay off (Sowell, 2010d) and these have never been the same for any individuals and/or groups. Sowell concludes that like results do not come from like treatment and that the straggling groups have not been shown what would allow them to advance (Sowell, 2010d).

Tim Wise: Failing the Test of Fairness: Institutional Racism and the SAT

In this article, Tim wise examines the revamping of SAT tests to further equalize them and develop them to be fit for today’s education system (Wise, 2002). Wise says that regardless of the push to eliminate any biased or discriminatory material from the SAT, the proposed modifications fail to notice the biggest issues associated with the test (Wise, 2002). He goes on to say that these issues will no doubt resurface in another section of the test, no matter how commendable the attempt to remove the material may be (Wise,2002).

For example, in the writing portion of the exam, conventional English will most likely be the foreground (Wise, 2002). This leaves little chance for students who do not employ the standard style of writing (Wise, 2002) to receive high marks on their exam. Wise says that some believe that it is unjust to be testing students who are not up to standard (Wise 2002) and using the results to determine college placement. The fact is that the inadequate education of those taking the test basically ensures that there will be a gap in scores (Wise, 2002) between students of different ethnic and racial groups. Wise states that the largest problems are not able to be so easily adjusted with such gradual improvements (Wise, 2002), and they are the stereotype threat and racial gaps.

The stereotype threat is essentially a feeling that one is not as capable or intelligent as others (Wise, 2002). Studies have shown that African American students notice the critical labels placed on them by the majority groups (Wise, 2002). It is these negative stereotypes that cause many African American students to underperform on standardized tests, as the idea of proving these stereotypes inhibits their overall performance (Wise,2002). The development of tests such as the SAT are often based on racial gaps (Wise, 2002) and the experimental question section of the exam often reflects them. The questions are likely to be thrown out if those who answered the questions correctly did not pass the exam. Wise says the race-related suggestions made by these policies are very clear (Wise, 2002) and because minority groups tend to score lower than majority groups, any experimental questions those groups answer correctly will never make the actual test.

Wise states that while this does not come across as blatantly racist, the overall thinking has a that impact (Wise, 2002). In order for a question on a pretest to be considered valid, the questions answer has to be compared to the answers given by other testers (Wise, 2002). However, this method causes racial gaps to occur as tests usually display a gap in scores (Wise, 2002). Wise says that if testing groups such as the SAT want to refine the education system that is causing these gaps to occur, then they cannot continue to support a test that continuously repeats and strengthens unjustness (Wise, 2002).

Thomas Sowell on Tim Wise Discussion

Both the Sowell articles and the Wise article have many similarities. Wise, in his article, is taking a stance on institutional racism in standardized testing and how testing companies are paving the way for racial gaps. While Wise believes the testing companies are not overtly racist (Wise, 2002), he does believe that the thinking behind their policies has a racist impact. Sowell, in the first installment of his series, touches on the subject of standardized testing. In his eyes, the tests themselves are not unfair, life is. This lends enough information to where one can come to a conclusion about Sowell’s opinion on the matter. I think it seems that if Sowell were to read Wise’s piece on institutional racism in standardized testing, he would most certainly not agree.

While Sowell believes that it is just a fact of life that some families and communities do not value education, among other things, as highly as others, he also believes that anyone can produce better results for themselves (Sowell, 2010c) given the right chances. It does seem, however, that Sowell would agree that if testing agencies such as SAT would change their policies on how they choose test questions and how they grade, then they would be providing a better chance of passing for those groups who do not usually pass standardized tests.

I also believe that Sowell would disagree with the idea of the stereotype threat. Sowell, in his third article, states that people often place the blame on others when the end results are not equal (Sowell, 2010c). I think that Sowell would say that, yes, there are stereotypes against minority groups when it comes to educational success, but when they continuously keep the same behaviors and attitudes (Sowell, 2010) they cannot expect to somehow have better outcomes in the future (Sowell, 2010c).