When the issue is bias, we assume it’s harmful since the term has such a negative connotation. But what about thinking about bias in another sense (“Asian American Students Face Bias, but It’s Not What You Might Think,” The New York Times, Nov. 1)?
I’m referring now to what is known as stereotype promise. It means assuming students from certain races possess positive characteristics even before they’ve proved so. Asian American students are widely thought to be smart, hard- working and morally deserving. As a result, they benefit from their racial status before they even apply to college.
It’s this positive bias that is not being addressed in the two lawsuits before the U.S. Supreme Court.
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