Victor Davis Hanson on the War on White Men and the Erosion of Meritocracy

The Compact Article's Thesis

• 🎯 A controversial article by Jacob Savage in Compact Magazine details the career destruction of white males in fields like entertainment, journalism, and academia.
• 💡 The article posits that historically dominant white male hierarchies voluntarily reduced their own representation through a form of "proto-affirmative action" and later, government-mandated affirmative action.
• 📈 This shift, particularly accelerated after George Floyd, led to a significant decrease in white male representation, moving from overrepresentation to proportionality, and then to exclusionary hiring practices.

Erosion of Meritocracy and Standards

• 📉 The decline in meritocratic standards is linked to a perceived decrease in quality across various cultural domains, including movies (Star Wars, James Bond), halftime shows, and Disneyland.
• 🎭 This shift is attributed to replacing merit with "tribal chauvinism" and prioritizing group affiliations over individual competence.
• ⚠️ The article suggests that the destruction of standards has led to mediocrity and the deprecation of talented individuals within minority groups.

Blame and Responsibility

• 🗣️ Victor Davis Hanson disagrees with the article's assertion that no blame should be assigned, particularly to the "older white hierarchy" of liberal professors, journalists, directors, and actors.
• 💡 Hanson argues these individuals, holding secure positions, implemented changes out of a misguided "utopian generosity" that gratified their own sense of ego and shame, ignoring advice from figures like Thomas Sowell and Shelby Steele.
• 📺 Hanson also blames individuals who took advantage of these systems, especially those who knew they were unqualified and then perpetuated narratives of systemic racism to maintain their positions, citing Joy Reid as an example.

Counterarguments and Accountability

• ⚖️ Jeremy Carl, in response to the article, argues that diagnosis is insufficient and that "fighting back" is necessary, rather than simply lamenting the unfairness.
• ✊ Carl suggests that addressing perceived injustice by creating greater injustice is wrong, and that individuals who caused significant damage must be held accountable.
• 🚫 The destruction of DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) initiatives is presented as a form of fighting back against these detrimental practices.