Sowell: Free Market Fights Discrimination

Investors Business Daily ^ | March 1, 2010 | DAVID HOGBERG

[Kaslin]

It's axiomatic: Discrimination accounts for racial inequality in our society, and government action is needed to fix this injustice.

Not so fast, says economist Thomas Sowell. There are many causes of inequality, and discrimination often explains less than we think it does. Furthermore, discrimination is most powerful when it's state policy, because government can force someone else to pay the price of discrimination.

Sowell: Yes. And they are a tremendous threat to the more militant blacks on campus who make a determined effort to keep them out. I mentioned in that book a young woman who did very well on the SATs whose mother was a maid and father an alcoholic, and the university admissions committee tried to keep her out.

In the free market, businesses are "out to make a buck," and there's a heavy price from discriminating against potential customers and employees based on race.

In part two of a wide-ranging interview with IBD, Sowell explains intellectuals' many misconceptions about race, discrimination and inequality.

IBD: In one of your first books, "Black Education: Myths and Tragedies," you said self-sufficient, intellectually oriented, hardworking black students were a threat to the preconceptions held by white faculty members who feel guilty about discrimination. Do you think such students — or even such black people, more generally — are a threat to the preconceptions of intellectuals?

[El Sordo]

Ping

[Kaslin]

Ping for part 2 of David Hogberg interview with the great Thomas Sowell.

[jazusamo]

Part 2 of David Hogberg's interview with Thomas Sowell.

Thanks for posting and the ping, Kaslin!

*PING*
Thomas Sowell

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Please FReepmail me if you would like to be added to or removed from the Thomas Sowell ping list…

[stephenjohnbanker]

Thanks for the ping.

[marktwain]

The information about Plessy v Ferguson blows more liberal myths out of the water. I remember a presentation where the case was sold that a railway conductor just intuitively “knew” that Plessy was part black, and that was why he refused him a seat!

[sinanju]

That’s the big lesson to be taken away from this interview. Capitolism doesn’t discriminate. Capitolism wants to make money. Capitolism wants the most paying customers and the highest-quality employees and the cheapest, most reliable suppliers.

Discrimination has to be forced upon capitalists by governments. Those segregated bus lines were not given a choice in the matter.

[rdb3]

Discrimination has to be forced upon capitalists by governments. Those segregated bus lines were not given a choice in the matter.

So true.

[rockinqsranch]

Thanks for the ping jaz.

[bayouranger]

Bump.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

this is the first time in many years I have no new book project on the agenda. I'm hoping, although my friends are all quite cynical about this, that "Intellectuals and Society" will be my last new book. I've said what I've had to say and I want to spend more time with photography.

(Dr. Sowell's photography can be viewed at http://www.tsowell.com/photos_link.html.)

Uh oh . . .