The Myth of Equality :: Racial Relations, Politics

In his article, â€Å"The Myth of Equality† written in August 2010 in his official blog, Patrick Buchanan, an American conservative political commentator, suggests that equality will never be achievable here in America when it comes to personal skills and abilities (par. 8). He points out the inequality that is evident in the American professional sports where only those who are considered â€Å"good† are thriving (par. 6-7). Buchanan reveals that the standardize test that is given to students proves that there is a disparity in education among racial groups (par. 16). He infers that here in America, because we vary in our capabilities to perform at something, inequalities among racial groups are almost the standard and it is demonstrated in several institutions. One organization where inequality among racial groups is established is in the American professional sports system; where only those who demonstrate excellence in the sport flourish. Buchanan interprets statistics reported by columnist Walter Williams to conclude that black male athletes dominate majority of the popular sports such as the NFL and the NBA (par. 5). Furthermore, Buchanan reveals that no one complains when Hispanics and Asians who make up a good percentage of the population are not visible nor pursued after in this organization (par. 2). The enactment of standardizes testing given to students to measure their academic abilities and supposedly will close achievement gap only prove that the battle to the end achievement gap between racial groups is a failure. Buchanon elucidate statistics of the results from the national test under the â€Å"No Child Left Behind† program to infer that there is a huge gap between white students and black students (par. 19). On the same note, New Yorks state test scores reveals a large imbalance in academics between different racial groups (par. 16) For Buchanon, here in America, the notion of equality among racial group will never be attained. This is because we as an individual, whether it is academic or athletic, are all different in a great deal of way. We respond to situation differently. There is always some sort of competition that is constantly occurring and it is certainly true that only those who exhibit excellence will be superior over the rest of the population. Although Patrick Buchanan’s essay proves the notion that equality among races when it comes to academic is in fact a myth, he failed to illustrate other influences that drive America in to racial inequality.