Hypothetical Libertarian Scenario...

[Fr3shjive]

As Libertarians we believe that the government doesnt have the right to tell a business or any private institution to do anything. I always thought this was a great idea because if you have an organization or business then you should be able to allow who ever you want to use your services, especially if its private.

I thought about this scenario and the only case where I thought this would be a major problem is with private universities or education in general. Hypotheically, if the country were divided racially, like we were back in the 50-60s, minorities would have a very limited selection on the institutions that they would be able to attend. Many of the top universities were segregated and if it weren't for government intervention there would be very limited opportunities for minorities to get educated and improve their overall situation.

Do you think it would be acceptable for the government to intervene and allow minorities to attend these private institutions?

[Anti Federalist]

Meh, it's been 50 years now and "minorities", as a whole, are more poorly educated, in prison and worse off than they were then.

[pcosmar]

Meh, it's been 50 years now and "minorities", as a whole, are more poorly educated, in prison and worse off than they were then.

The system seems to be working.
:(

[pcosmar]

Hmm, On further looking.
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0872606.html


Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)

In the late 19th century, colleges for black students were started in box cars (Atlanta University) and church basements (Spelman College). Mary McLeod Bethune, one of the nation's foremost black educators, opened a college in 1904 with $1.50 and 5 students. Today, there are 106 historically black colleges and universities in the United States, who can count among their graduates such luminaries as W. E. B. Du Bois (Fisk University), Thurgood Marshall (Lincoln University and Howard University), Toni Morrison (Howard University), and Martin Luther King, Jr. (Morehouse College).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historically_black_colleges_and_universities

[TonySutton]

The problem prior to the civil rights act was not how private businesses treated minorities. The problem was how government treated minorities and how that treatment had spread into private areas.

Private businesses are in place to make money. When you limit your potential customers you in turn limit your potential income. This is bad for business and opens the door to competition.

[nobody's_hero]

It's been my experience that certain universities are still segregated, only voluntarily, and by the students themselves. Certain colleges develop reputations for being majority this or majority that. You don't see lots of black students at the University of Georgia and you don't see lots of white students at the University of Savannah.

My high school was largely segregated. White kids ate with white kids during lunch and black kids ate with black kids. This was 2001-2005. It wasn't as if the staff forced us to be separate. People just kind of . . . filed (lack of a better term) themselves into their own groups.

But that was not always the case. I was in the marching band and there was some interaction there as we all had the same passion for music.

No one ever said it was racist. I guess we never really though of it that way, but I recall one time they tried to ban students from wearing the rebel flag tee-shirts (I forgot what company made them), which in essence was an attempt by the administration to stir up a racial issue that wasn't present. They tried to be fair about it by saying that no one could wear Malcolm X tee-shirts. It ended up uniting the students more against the administration's dress code than anything else.

[Anti Federalist]

The system seems to be working.
:(

Exactly.

In a perfect world, the "system" would have been rejected in favor of the "system" that you post about in post #4