The Only Issue is Whether the Benefits Outweigh the Costs

Too often, the debate focuses simply on whether there is some benefit to using racial preferences. As discussed in the next bullet, we believe those purported benefits are unpersuasive, but even if you disagree and think there are benefits, you must also ask whether those benefits outweigh the costs.  

Consider this example: Suppose someone argued against desegregation because he thought this would disrupt the coaching staff of the high-school football team, causing the team to lose more games. Even if this were so, we would conclude that the importance of getting rid of Jim Crow was much more important than the football team’s won-lost record.  Likewise, even if you believe there is some marginal benefit to classroom discussion by having a more “diverse” student body, you have to ask whether such benefits are worth the costs of something as divisive and unfair as racial discrimination.