Including the differential mortgage loan approval rates…
““Including the differential mortgage loan approval rates between Asian Americans and whites shows that the same methods to conclude that that blacks are discriminated against in mortgage lending would also lead to the conclusion that whites are discriminated against in favor of Asian Americans, reducing this whole procedure to absurdity, since no one believes that banks are discriminating against whites..."[W]hen loan approval rates are not cited, but loan denial rates are, that creates a larger statistical disparity, since most loans are approved. Even if 98 percent of blacks had their mortgage loan applications approved, if 99 percent of whites were approved than by quoting denial rates alone it could be said that blacks were rejected twice as often as whites.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
Statistical comparisons can be misleading when different metrics are used, leading to contradictory conclusions about discrimination.
In simple terms: Metrics matter; misuse can create false paradoxes.
Key Takeaway
Choose consistent metrics for fair analysis.
Themes
statistics
discrimination
economics
analysis
Mood
critical
analytical
Type
explanatory
scholarly
When to use this quote
- policy analysis
- banking regulation
- academic research
- media reporting
Key Concepts
statistical methodology
bias
interpretation
Questions to Reflect On
- How do metric choices affect perceived fairness?
- What alternative measures could clarify disparities?
A Different Perspective
Different metrics may reflect different realities, not absurdity.