--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Reinhardt, a German immigrant, told me…" description: "\"“Reinhardt, a German immigrant, told me that the selection of white legacies over Asian scholars reflects a disturbing trend in American society. “When..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c1/daniel-golden-102321_american-society_reinhardt-a-german-immigrant-told-me-tha_653157.jpg" --- # Reinhardt, a German immigrant, told me that the selection… ![“Reinhardt, a German immigrant, told me that the selection of white legacies over Asian scholars reflects a disturbing trend in American society. “When I got to the USA in the early 1960s, this country had become, by virtue of the GI Bill, pretty much a meritocracy,” h” quote by Daniel Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c1/daniel-golden-102321_american-society_reinhardt-a-german-immigrant-told-me-tha_653157.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c1/daniel-golden-102321_american-society_reinhardt-a-german-immigrant-told-me-tha_653157.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c1/daniel-golden-102321_american-society_reinhardt-a-german-immigrant-told-me-tha_653157.jpg) > ““Reinhardt, a German immigrant, told me that the selection of white legacies over Asian scholars reflects a disturbing trend in American society. “When I got to the USA in the early 1960s, this country had become, by virtue of the GI Bill, pretty much a meritocracy,” h”” [Daniel Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-golden/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote critiques the preference for white legacies over Asian scholars, noting a shift from meritocratic ideals to biased favor. **In simple terms:** White legacies are favored over Asian scholars, revealing bias. Key Takeaway Address systemic bias in academic and professional selections. Themes bias education meritocracy race immigration social justice Mood analytical critical Type American society:0 Immigration:0 Meritocracy:1 Pretty Meritocracy:0 Legacies Asian:0 White Legacies:1 Asian Scholars:1 When to use this quote - university admissions - employment hiring - immigration policy - academic funding Key Concepts Equity policy historical analysis Questions to Reflect On - How does the GI Bill influence current meritocracy? - What steps can reduce legacy bias? A Different Perspective May generalize complex historical trends. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-society/) [Asian Scholars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asian-scholars-5218645/) [Immigration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immigration/) [Legacies Asian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/legacies-asian-5218643/) [Meritocracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meritocracy/) [Pretty Meritocracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pretty-meritocracy-5218642/) [White Legacies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white-legacies-5218644/) ## Related quotes > [“David Brooks, “Our Founding Yuppie,” Weekly Standard, Oct. 23, 2000, 31. The word “meritocracy” is an argument-starter, and I have employed it sparingly in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/david-brooks-our-founding-yuppie-weekly-standard-oct-23-2000-31-the/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [Meritocracy is a good thing. Whenever possibly, people should be judged based on their work and results, not superficial qualities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/meritocracy-is-a-good-thing-whenever-possibly-people-should-be-judged/) [Eric Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/) > [“We simply cannot engage with either the ills or promises of society if we continue to turn a blind eye to the egregious and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angel-kyodo-williams/we-simply-cannot-engage-with-either-the-ills-or-promises-of-society/) [Angel Kyodo Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angel-kyodo-williams/) > [“Where the establishment emphasized humility, prudence, lineage, meritocracy celebrates ambition, achievement, brains&self-betterment”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hayes/where-the-establishment-emphasized-humility-prudence-lineage/) [Christopher Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hayes/) > [Innovation and meritocracy was what America was based on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shiva-ayyadurai/innovation-and-meritocracy-was-what-america-was-based-on/) [Shiva Ayyadurai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shiva-ayyadurai/) > [One of the things that is great about this country is that we're a meritocracy. Aspirational, hard-working people who want to come here -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priti-patel/one-of-the-things-that-is-great-about-this-country-is-that-we-re-a/) [Priti Patel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priti-patel/) > [Those who are able to climb up the ladder will find ways to pull it up after them, or selectively lower it down to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hayes/those-who-are-able-to-climb-up-the-ladder-will-find-ways-to-pull-it/) [Chris Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hayes/) > [The hard thing for me, and it took me many years to understand, the concept of Hollywood not being a meritocracy - I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-todd/the-hard-thing-for-me-and-it-took-me-many-years-to-understand-the/) [Suzanne Todd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-todd/) > [People don't believe this, but Hollywood really is a meritocracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rashida-jones/people-don-t-believe-this-but-hollywood-really-is-a-meritocracy/) [Rashida Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rashida-jones/) > [“Keeping people in jobs they are not suited for is terrible for them because it allows them to live in a false reality while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/keeping-people-in-jobs-they-are-not-suited-for-is-terrible-for-them/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [Is class snobbery a social reality in the United States? Absolutely, and the kind that's codified by meritocracy is probably more toxic than the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-noah/is-class-snobbery-a-social-reality-in-the-united-states-absolutely/) [Timothy Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-noah/) > [The world is not a meritocracy, as much as we may like to pretend that it is. And we have a long way to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-world-is-not-a-meritocracy-as-much-as-we-may-like-to-pretend-that/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [“As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken-2/as-democracy-is-perfected-the-office-of-president-represents-more-and/) [H.L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken-2/) > [Stand-up comedy in the end, unlike the rest of the entertainment industry, is a meritocracy. There's a certain level of undeniability you can work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-gaffigan/stand-up-comedy-in-the-end-unlike-the-rest-of-the-entertainment/) [Jim Gaffigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-gaffigan/) > [“This story is not at all an uncommon one in tech circles, including gaming. The popular notion is that women who get ahead must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bailey-poland/this-story-is-not-at-all-an-uncommon-one-in-tech-circles-including/) [Bailey Poland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bailey-poland/) ## More by Daniel Golden > [“From 1979 to 1988, it concluded, Harvard admitted only 13.2 percent of Asian Americans, compared with 17.4 percent of whites. Applicants from California and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-golden/from-1979-to-1988-it-concluded-harvard-admitted-only-13-2-percent-of/) [Daniel Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-golden/) [Explore all 2 Daniel Golden quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-golden/) ## More American society quotes > [The contempt for law and the contempt for the human consequences of lawbreaking go from the bottom to the top of American society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-contempt-for-law-and-the-contempt-for-the-human-consequences-of/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [American society is now remarkably atomized. Political organizations have collapsed. In fact, it seems like even bowling leagues are collapsing. The left has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/american-society-is-now-remarkably-atomized-political-organizations/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [I don't see much future for the Americans ... it's a decayed country. And they have their racial problem, and the problem of social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/i-don-t-see-much-future-for-the-americans-it-s-a-decayed-country-and/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [I have tried to defend what is most precious to our American society, a society that is now at war against the forces of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demian-bichir/i-have-tried-to-defend-what-is-most-precious-to-our-american-society/) [Demian Bichir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demian-bichir/) > [Cumulatively, American society is sliding toward a new form of 'authoritarian democracy'. Elections continue, free speech is generally protected, institutions operate in accordance with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-a-falk/cumulatively-american-society-is-sliding-toward-a-new-form-of/) [Richard A. Falk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-a-falk/) > [“As a culture, we had no heroes. Certainly not any politician--Barack Obama was then the most admired man in America (and likely still is),…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/as-a-culture-we-had-no-heroes-certainly-not-any-politician-barack/) [J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/) > [ “The Sexual plight of these children \[those adolescents experimenting sexually\] is officially not mentioned. The revolutionary attack on hypocrisy by Ibsen, Freud, Ellis, Dreiser,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/the-sexual-plight-of-these-children-those-adolescents-experimenting/) [Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) > [Hip-hop is contributing to American society's misogyny and racism, hyper-sexuality anti-Black representations. Hip-Hop isn't setting the standard for misogyny. No one reduces the presidency…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bakari-kitwana/hip-hop-is-contributing-to-american-society-s-misogyny-and-racism/) [Bakari Kitwana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bakari-kitwana/) > [I believe it is essential to have English as the official language of our National Government, for the English language is the tie that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-sensenbrenner/i-believe-it-is-essential-to-have-english-as-the-official-language-of/) [Jim Sensenbrenner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-sensenbrenner/) > [Black people cannot and will not become integrated into American society on any terms but those of self-determination and autonomy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerda-lerner/black-people-cannot-and-will-not-become-integrated-into-american/) [Gerda Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerda-lerner/) > [Black people in America have to, for their own protection, develop a defense mechanism, and I just grew terribly tired of it. When you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-robinson/black-people-in-america-have-to-for-their-own-protection-develop-a/) [Randall Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-robinson/) > [Public image is extremely important in American society and I observed personally that the Presidency of John F. Kennedy did much in the public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rosovsky/public-image-is-extremely-important-in-american-society-and-i/) [Henry Rosovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rosovsky/) > [Sometimes, you know, the president is a father-like figure in American society, to most Americans, even today, no matter how cynical we've become. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-baldwin/sometimes-you-know-the-president-is-a-father-like-figure-in-american/) [Alec Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-baldwin/) > [The family has always been the cornerstone of American society. Our families nurture, preserve, and pass on to each succeeding generation the values we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/the-family-has-always-been-the-cornerstone-of-american-society-our/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [While President Barack Obama has, in one sense, tipped his hand by saying that he wants judges with "empathy" for certain groups, he has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/while-president-barack-obama-has-in-one-sense-tipped-his-hand-by/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) [Browse all 315 American society quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-society/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Reinhardt, a German immigrant, told me that the selection of white legacies over Asian scholars reflects a disturbing trend in American society. “When I got to the USA in the early 1960s, this country had become, by virtue of the GI Bill, pretty much a meritocracy,” h”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Daniel Golden" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-golden/reinhardt-a-german-immigrant-told-me-that-the-selection-of-white/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "American society" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-golden/reinhardt-a-german-immigrant-told-me-that-the-selection-of-white/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c1/daniel-golden-102321_american-society_reinhardt-a-german-immigrant-told-me-tha_653157.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c1/daniel-golden-102321_american-society_reinhardt-a-german-immigrant-told-me-tha_653157.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c1/daniel-golden-102321_american-society_reinhardt-a-german-immigrant-told-me-tha_653157.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Reinhardt, a German immigrant, told me that the selection of white legacies over Asian scholars reflects a…” — Daniel Golden", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Daniel Golden", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-golden/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Reinhardt, a German immigrant, told me...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-golden/reinhardt-a-german-immigrant-told-me-that-the-selection-of-white/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-golden/reinhardt-a-german-immigrant-told-me-that-the-selection-of-white/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```