Robert F. Kennedy Jr. under fire for backing Affirmative Action.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Controversial Take on Affirmative Action

Democrat presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s critical take on the Supreme Court decision to end affirmative action policies and bar schools from applying race-based criteria to admissions has faced an outpouring of criticism online.

The Supreme Court’s 6–3 decision on June 29 revived a strict interpretation of the 14th Amendment to make clear that equal treatment under the law bars discrimination based on race, even when that discrimination gives a leg up to groups considered “marginalized” or “underrepresented” in public life in some respect.

Some, like former President Donald Trump, hailed the decision as a step toward a race-blind, merit-based system of college admissions that prevents discrimination against those with extraordinary abilities.

“It will also keep us competitive with the rest of the world,” Trump wrote in a statement posted on Truth Social, in which the former president argued that color-blind admission policies would help the country as a whole, as those who are the most talented and hard-working will have a less constrained path toward success.

Others, like Kennedy, lamented the high court’s move as a step back while arguing for the use of race-based policies to “undo the effect of racist policies.”

“I know many Americans feel that purely race-based decisions are unfair. However, this feeling misses important context. The effects of racist policies going back centuries are now self-perpetuating,” Kennedy wrote in a series of posts on Twitter.

The presidential hopeful continued his missive by laying out the argument that color-blind admissions standards protect those who are “already in the circle of privilege” and that race-based policies are an appropriate measure to elevate those who have been marginalized.

Merit-based admissions favor “those who grew up in affluent, educated households,” Kennedy wrote, adding, “Wouldn’t you like to invite in those who have been left out in the cold?”

Kennedy’s take drew a flurry of critical responses on Twitter, including from large accounts with hundreds of thousands of followers.

‘Laws Should Not Favor Anyone’

Neuroscientist Dr. Debra Soh, author of the bestselling book “The End of Gender,” was one of those who pushed back on the view that race-based admissions criteria would fight racism.

“I respect much of your work but the solution to racism in the past isn’t MORE racism,” Soh wrote in a tweet.

“It’s a myth that the Asian and white students being discriminated against are ‘privileged,'” added Soh, who has over 250,000 followers on Twitter.

Emmanuel Rincon, writer and founder of political consultancy Regional Renaissance Consulting, took a similarly dim view of Kennedy’s remarks.

“I disagree with you on this. The victimization and elimination of meritocracy drives down any society. I am Hispanic, a migrant, and I don’t want any special treatment from any institution. Laws should not favor anyone,” Rincon posted in a tweet to his over 236,000 followers on Twitter.

“Horrible take – the solution to systemic racism is not more systemic racism,” an account called The Rabbit Hole wrote in a post on Twitter to its 391,000 followers.

Psychology professor Geoffrey Miller, who has over 130,000 followers, responded to Kennedy’s post by remarking that “This tweet just cost you the support [of] every principled, centrist American who thought you were kinda cool last week.”

The Hodgetwins, a stand-up comedy and conservative political commentary duo with over 2 million followers on Twitter, posted a tweet that simply said, “BAD BAD take.”

While legal experts say the implications of the Supreme Court’s 237-page decision are not yet fully clear, it appears that the ruling will force colleges and universities to find other ways to meet their “diversity” objectives besides race-based admissions.

The Epoch Times reached out to Kennedy’s campaign for comment.

Continued Focus on Diversity

The Supreme Court’s decision ostensibly ends the use of affirmative action policies in college admissions, sparking a heated debate on the merits of race-based criteria. Critics argue that such policies perpetuate discrimination, while proponents believe they are necessary to address historical inequalities. The controversy surrounding this issue highlights the ongoing importance of diversity in education and the challenges of achieving it in a fair and equitable manner.