Althouse: "[T]wentysomethings just don't care if their Supreme Court justices are black, white, Jewish, Protestant, gay, or straight."

June 1, 2010

"[T]wentysomethings just don't care if their Supreme Court justices are black, white, Jewish, Protestant, gay, or straight."

"Every day someone under the age of 30 either sends me an e-mail or tweet or a Facebook post reminding me that those of us making a huge big fat media deal about the nominee's race, religion, sexual preferences or marital status are quickly becoming cultural dinosaurs."

47 comments:

Bender said...: "[T]wentysomethings just don't care if their Supreme Court justices are black, white, Jewish, Protestant, gay, or straight."

Don't care? I guess that means that twentysomethings are all racist, sexist, bigoted, homophobes.; 6/1/10, 9:41 AM
F said...: And isn't this exactly the point we've been working toward all these years? In MLK's immortal words, "judged by the content of their character, not the color of their skin?"

What does this do to affirmative action, though? Kill it, II hope. Another dinosaur. F; 6/1/10, 9:41 AM
Anonymous said...: I'm yet to meet anyone (excepting, perhaps, ShoutingThomas, but I tend to dismiss him) who actually cares about these things, only a lot of people who care about other people caring about these things.

- Lyssa; 6/1/10, 9:44 AM
kathleen said...: let's give all of them a trophy for being so f***ing great; 6/1/10, 9:45 AM
Anonymous said...: They're tired of listening to their parent's and grandparent's dogma.; 6/1/10, 9:45 AM
Scott M said...: Why the arbitrary delineation at 20-29- year-olds? I know very few 30-39-year- olds that this matter much to either. What seems to be stealthing it's way into the political reality is that the post-Boomers really don't give a shit much about what the Boomers would consider their bread-n-butter issues. While this doesn't negate the political history of this country over the past couple of decades, I believe it was wrong to crystallize the arguments around social issues while the country slowly spent its way into oblivion.; 6/1/10, 9:49 AM
MadisonMan said...: I agree with Lyssa -- although I don't know a lot of (actually, any) Political Operatives. I think POs are more concerned with it.; 6/1/10, 9:50 AM
Ken B said...: Well actually all we know is that they SAY they don't care. That is the expressed prefernce. Did you expect different?; 6/1/10, 9:51 AM
Anonymous said...: When the skulls full of mush finally firm up into something called a brain,it will be interesting to see what it is exactly that they'll care about.

Supreme Court justices, black, white, Jewish, Protestant, gay, straight,all carry political baggage that must be considered these days.

The dems utterly destroyed the process when they crucified Bork and Thomas.; 6/1/10, 9:53 AM
paul a'barge said...: Dahlia Lithwick.

Clickety click

Imagine that you are (1) under 30 and (2) you're on Dahlia's list of people who "send me email".

right.; 6/1/10, 9:56 AM
lemondog said...: If 72 percent of Americans have yet to form an opinion on her, wouldn't this indicate that Americans, in general, do not define SC members solely in terms of their differences on race, gender, religion, and sexual preference?.; 6/1/10, 10:00 AM
I'm Full of Soup said...: At that age, I'd be surprised they even care who is nominated. Cause that interferes with their planning for happy hour, girls, happy hour and girls. At least that is how I remember my 20's.; 6/1/10, 10:00 AM
Fred4Pres said...: Good. What matters if they believe in following the law or making it. The latter being no good.; 6/1/10, 10:05 AM
KCFleming said...: Geez, weren't they paying attention in their college lectures?

Don't they know that only class matters?
What is wrong with these people?

Fortunately, if they ever get jobs, the endless Diversity Training and Diversity Recruitment will make them care.; 6/1/10, 10:10 AM
GMay said...: Toss this 39 y/o in with those who don't give a shit about any of that stuff either.; 6/1/10, 10:10 AM
X said...: good for them, but it doesn't change the fact that they are still the 3rd most ignorant 10 year age cohort.; 6/1/10, 10:15 AM
Anonymous said...: When I was young, we were convinced our parents were bigoted dinosaurs, too.

The cherished belief of every young generation is that their parents didn't actually form their opinions bases on lifelong experience.

Kids are stupid. They're supposed to be stupid and full of BS about how they are free from sin.

I can't make any sense out of lyssa's comment. I'd love to live in a meritocracy. In reality, I live in a society obsessed with racial and sexual desinged precisely to punish my kind.

Perhaps, sanctimonious lyssa, this doesn't bother you so much because you occupy a higher rung on tha quota ladder.; 6/1/10, 10:17 AM
Anonymous said...: That should read: racial and sexual quotas designed to punish my kind.; 6/1/10, 10:22 AM
Palladian said...: Maybe, just maybe, shoutingthomas, you don't get anywhere because you constantly whine about not getting anywhere. Affirmative action certainly discriminates against people, but some people don't win because they're losers.; 6/1/10, 10:23 AM
Unknown said...: Wasn't it the Lefties that started obsessing about Ms Kagan's gender or what ever it was? I seem to recall the same sort of thing was said by the same sort of writer about the campus commandos 40 years ago about how tolerant they were.

And we know how that one turned out.

There may be less here than meets the eye.

PS Dare I ask what the Hell looksism is?; 6/1/10, 10:28 AM
Richard Dolan said...: The Althouse progression: from the weekend's holiday idyll (sunsets, robin's nests and all that) to today's grubby reality. Not only are today's two posts law related (often a good indicator of grubbiness to come) but also sex related. This post is about how 20-somethings don't care about soon-to-be Justice Kagan's predelictions, while the next one is about the registration duties of Thomas Carr, convicted sexual offender.

There is an element of continuity in the narrative arc from sunsets and robin's nests to Kagan/Carr. The ALthouse progression even mimics in its way the connecting arc from high romantic to post-modern. But was that the original intent, to say nothing of the original understanding?; 6/1/10, 10:30 AM
I'm Full of Soup said...: Shoutingthomas:

I have a brother-in-law who is / was a bigger socialist/ hippie than anyone I know. He fell into his own little business and now, when a customer bitches or complains, he imagines dollar bills floating around the customer's head-that helps my B-I-L to resist the urge to tell off the customer and he just smiles and tries to make the customer satisfied. Perhaps, you could try that.; 6/1/10, 10:30 AM
Jon said...: ""[T]wentysomethings just don't care if their Supreme Court justices are black, white, Jewish, Protestant, gay, or straight.""

Nonsense. This may be true of white, straight 20-somethings, but Hispanic 20-somethings certainly cared very much that Sotomayor was Hispanic, and if an openly gay justice were nominated gay 20-somethings would care very much about that.; 6/1/10, 10:31 AM
The Crack Emcee said...: See, this is what I mean about the stupidity of our culture now: why are "twentysomethings" seriously looked to as American society's fonts of wisdom? Isn't that supposed to be, like, the 70 year olds? I work with a kid in his twenties, and he's a fucking idiot. But the writer is correct - along with getting to work on time, he could care less about whether I was a feather boa-wearing polygamist Pakistani Scientologist, because he's currently much, much more concerned with getting a good price for his turntables and the proper grooming of his facial hair.; 6/1/10, 10:32 AM
Bender said...: Why the arbitrary delineation at 20-29- year-olds? I know very few 30-39-year- olds that this matter much to either. What seems to be stealthing it's way into the political reality is that the post-Boomers really don't give a shit much about what the Boomers would consider their bread-n-butter issues.

It doesn't matter much to most Boomers either. It only matters to the left, who tends to think that the entire world shares their twisted view of the world, seeing everything in terms of race, sex, ethnicity, sexuality, economic class, and on and on.; 6/1/10, 10:35 AM
Anonymous said...: Perhaps, sanctimonious lyssa, this doesn't bother you so much because you occupy a higher rung on tha quota ladder.

Well, at 1% of the global population , I do think redheads are the ultimate minority. Sadly, no one else seems to have caught on yet.

Redheads: So rare, they can't even set quotas for us!

- Lyssa (Who tried to point out that her law school's team color, orange, which clashes horribly with red hair, was highly discriminatory, but no one paid attention.); 6/1/10, 10:38 AM
Palladian said...: "...and if an openly gay justice were nominated gay 20-somethings would care very much about that."

Not really. The only people who make a big deal about such things are Democrats, who have discovered in us queers yet another "victim" demographic to emotionally and politically exploit. The average gay 20-something cares about what the average straight 20-something cares about: themselves and fucking.

The only 20-somethings who care about such things are toads like Matthew Yglesias, since fucking is out of the question for them.; 6/1/10, 10:41 AM
Anonymous said...: MM said agree with Lyssa -- although I don't know a lot of (actually, any) Political Operatives. I think POs are more concerned with it.

So, the POs are PO'ed? (sorry, couldn't resist). What that says to me is that the POs are out of touch; they should only care because they think we (the public) care, but we don't and they look silly.

- Lyssa; 6/1/10, 10:42 AM
Anonymous said...: Palladian,

You are a vicious, worthless asshole.

You don't know anything about my status.

You are just plain evil.; 6/1/10, 10:42 AM
William said...: In Russia during the time of Peter The Great some people made the sign of the cross with two fingers to indicate the duality, both God and man, of Christ's nature. Others made the sign of the cross with three fingers to indicate that God was the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. If you made the sign of the cross the wrong way, some people considered it hate. Some people died because they made the sign of the cross the wrong way.....I'm sure that the human race can evolve into a state where gender, race, and class do not matter. I find it hard to believe , howver, that the human race with its infinite inventiveness will not find some other way of creating an us/them chasm......Nonetheless, I'm glad that these differences are diminishing. It gives people like Ms Lithwick more time and psychic energy to hate corporate executives and Christian fundamentalists.; 6/1/10, 10:49 AM
Palladian said...: "why are "twentysomethings" seriously looked to as American society's fonts of wisdom? Isn't that supposed to be, like, the 70 year olds? I work with a kid in his twenties, and he's a fucking idiot."

That's a good point. There's a reason the Constitution doesn't allow people under 25 to have much of a say in government:

...No Person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the Age of twenty five Years...

...No Person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty Years...

...neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office [the Presidency] who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty-five Years...

There's a reason for this!

But Democrats like 20-somethings precisely because 20-somethings are generally emotional morons who are easily manipulated and thus fit nicely into the Democrat agenda.; 6/1/10, 10:53 AM
The Dude said...: As long as they are extreme leftists it doesn't matter what tribe they come from.; 6/1/10, 10:54 AM
Jon said...: @ Palladian

I didn't mean in their daily lives, I meant relative to the degree that they typically care about a SCOTUS nominee.; 6/1/10, 11:03 AM
Anonymous said...: They're lying or completely self-unaware. If the court was made up of all white guys they'd be clammering all over saying how non-reflective of the US they are.

They don't care now because it's Elena Kagan supposed lesbian. I was in my 30's in grad school when Alito was nominated and I kept hearing from these young kids who "don't care about race" etc. about what a crusty old white guy he is.

Everyone cares about these things because we have been programmed to for the last 50-60 years.; 6/1/10, 11:05 AM
Anonymous said...: Palladian,

You are truly an evil little SOB.

So now, we know.

The kids, as all kids always have been, are an odd combination of total ruthlessness and idiot sanctimony.

lyssa's the whole package. Ranks near the top of the quota system, so no skin off her back. The evil white hetero man at the bottom.. must be a bitter bigot. You're going to break your back kissing your own ass.

About the only thing to do with a completely vicious asshole like Palladian is to pull out the tax returns for comparison.

Smarmy sanctimony is the sickness of our political system. Rule of thumb: the more sanctimony, the greater the corruption. See Palladian.; 6/1/10, 11:20 AM
Anonymous said...: lyssa's the whole package. Ranks near the top of the quota system, so no skin off her back.

Dear ShoutingT,
Could you please write a letter to all of the law firms from which I have been desparately trying to secure a job before my clerkship ends (in 2 months), in this, the worst economic time for new lawyers that anyone can remember, and point out to them that, despite what they see and all rational thought, I am actually "near the top of the quota" system, and they should therefore hire me to avoid any discrimination accusations?

Love ya, thanks a bunch!

- Lyssa

(And don't try to give me some advantage based on my boobs- there are a hell of a lot of chicks graduating law school these days. Plus I'm pretty flat chested.); 6/1/10, 11:35 AM
SteveOrr said...: I agree with Ken. This reminds me of that Simpsons episode where Ned Flanders went crazy:

Dr. Foster: I can't find what they're saying in here. Did you write this?

Younger Doctor: Um, did you like it?

Millennials are eager to please their superiors, folks like Lithwick. The last sentence of her article not be lost on us. Sorry, guys. I’m not buying the suggestion that the culture wars are over.; 6/1/10, 12:12 PM
roesch-voltaire said...: I think that these students find it strange that on the one hand adults claim the court should follow the intent of the constitution and not be affected by "empathy", but on the other hand adults want to count the number of children and religious affiliations of the judges as a measure of whom should be nominated. Full disclosure, I work with COE students who are bright, hard working and thoughtful about their present and future role in society so I listen to what they think.; 6/1/10, 12:16 PM
Palladian said...: I love being Evil! Join me on the dark side, Lyssa, and with our all-powerful affirmative action statuses we shall rule the world!; 6/1/10, 12:17 PM
Anonymous said...: I think that these students find it strange that on the one hand adults claim the court should follow the intent of the constitution and not be affected by "empathy", but on the other hand adults want to count the number of children and religious affiliations of the judges as a measure of whom should be nominated.

Don't the kids realize that those are two different, generally not overlapping groups of adults (that is, that conservative adults tend to want the first and liberal want the second)? Seems like that should be obvious.

-Lyssa (BTW, I'm not trying to be smart or argumentative (I'll save that for ST), I'm really curious why what you said would be confusing.); 6/1/10, 12:24 PM
I'm Full of Soup said...: Palladian:

Heh he called you evil. That has to be a first for you here at Althouse?; 6/1/10, 12:30 PM
Anonymous said...: I love being Evil! Join me on the dark side, Lyssa, and with our all-powerful affirmative action statuses we shall rule the world!

I am IN! Wait, I don't have to go gay, do I? ST always talks about [peforming male sex acts] to get ahead, can I just do that, or do I have to do the opposite?

Oh well. Evilness, world domination, it's all good!

- Lyssa; 6/1/10, 12:32 PM
halojones-fan said...: If you desperately want to wallow in racial self-abnegation, get into SF&F fandom.

These are people who will proudly flock to boycott an author forever because that author created an alternate prehistory in which humans didn't cross the land bridge into the Americas. This is, to some people, a disgustingly racist fantasy world.; 6/1/10, 12:33 PM
Anonymous said...: Now, that's interesting: the recession makes the quota system moot in some ways.

Years ago I worked for a corporate law firm. Quota system was a mania.

I understand that it's hard for you to see or care about that in this period of law firm contraction.

At least I've for a job... Several in fact.

Believe me, lyssa, all hiring in law firms is on a race and sex quota system. The white guy with the same grades as you will have an even greater struggle getting a job.

I gaduated from college during the Jimmy Carter debacle, so I know what you're up against,
Good luck finding a job.; 6/1/10, 12:42 PM
Cedarford said...: I'd give Lithwick some creds but for the fact that she is a diversity Maven when it suits her "type" of preferred people. Just a year ago she was writing about the imperative "the country" feels, then supplying the quotes to bolster her case - for a woman to replace Stevens. And of course, being a Jewish or Catholic woman as 3 of the 5 on the 2009 short list were "should be no impediment" to selection.

Convenient for the Jewish Lithwick...Who in her sophistry adds the usual progressive cant : "at least nobody is being hurt by this shallow conversation. Nobody, that is, if you consider the creeping sexism, looksism, and homophobia surrounding the Kagan nomination to be painless."

Then doing the liberal/progressive Jew act to insist we "listen to the Children" that we are in not only Barack's post-racial America, but also a post-gender America.

In 2007, Lithwick was counting "excess Evangelicals" in disproportion to their numbers inside Justice Dept, particularly those from Regent University. Her article "Holy Hires": http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/06/AR2007040601799.html

It is great "the children" are now informing Dahlia that unlike less enlightened older people, they could care less if the Court was half Mormon and half Muslim, or all NYC people, or all empathetic childless women.

To believe Dahlia Lithwick is to belive in ideological expediency.; 6/1/10, 12:51 PM
dick said...: very strange. Check who is making all the hubbub about these matters. Hint - it ain't the conservatives. It is the libs claiming that the conservatives care about all these things.

I have found that conservatives are for the most part far more accepting of these differences. The libs are too busy patting themselves on the back for being so socially aware that they don't even notice that nobody else really cares all that much.

What the conservatives do care about is the judicial philosophy of the candidate and that is totally up for grabs since we know very little other than she hates the military, the one group in the country that has almost universal support. That is what most of the people against her appointment are afraid of.; 6/1/10, 1:14 PM
LordSomber said...: Those "making a huge big fat media deal" about these kind of things seems to be the media itself more than any one side, methinks.; 6/1/10, 1:58 PM