There Are Many Undeniable Costs to the Use of Racial Preferences

But suppose that you believe that there are some benefits to using racial preferences. Very well, then: You must then ask if they are worth the costs. And the costs are considerable. Here are some of them.  

Affirmative discrimination is personally unfair, passes over better qualified individuals, and sets a disturbing legal, political, and moral precedent in allowing racial discrimination.

It creates resentment.

It stigmatizes the so-called beneficiaries in the eyes of their classmates, teachers, coworkers, and employers.

It fosters a victim mindset, removes the incentive for academic excellence, and encourages separatism.

It compromises the academic mission of the university and lowers the overall academic quality of the student body, in the case of college admissions; it lowers productivity by hiring and promoting those other than the best qualified, for employers; and it costs taxpayers money, by awarding contracts to those other than the lowest bidder, in the case of set-asides.

It creates pressure to discriminate in grading and graduation, or in employee evaluations.

It breeds hypocrisy within the school and company, and encourages a scofflaw attitude there.

It mismatches individuals and colleges/jobs, guaranteeing failure for many of the former.

It papers over and allows society to ignore the real social problem of why so many African Americans and Latinos are uncompetitive for top schools and jobs.

It gets governments, companies, and schools involved in unsavory activities like deciding which racial and ethnic minorities will be favored and which ones discriminated against, and how much blood is needed to establish group membership.