--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The reality of an historic struggle for…" description: "\"“The reality of an historic struggle for civil rights has degenerated into the hustling rhetoric of Newspeak. “Equal opportunity” now means preferentia..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/802/thomas-sowell-247_civil-rights_the-reality-of-an-historic-struggle-for_2035134.jpg" --- # The reality of an historic struggle for civil rights has… ![“The reality of an historic struggle for civil rights has degenerated into the hustling rhetoric of Newspeak. “Equal opportunity” now means preferential treatment. “Voting rights” now include preferential chances to win. School desegregation no longer means the right to attend any public school…” quote by Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/802/thomas-sowell-247_civil-rights_the-reality-of-an-historic-struggle-for_2035134.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/802/thomas-sowell-247_civil-rights_the-reality-of-an-historic-struggle-for_2035134.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/802/thomas-sowell-247_civil-rights_the-reality-of-an-historic-struggle-for_2035134.jpg) > ““The reality of an historic struggle for civil rights has degenerated into the hustling rhetoric of Newspeak. “Equal opportunity” now means preferential treatment. “Voting rights” now include preferential chances to win. School desegregation no longer means the right to attend any public school, regardless of race, but being forced to attend where you are told, according to race. “Equal justice for all” now means compensatory benefits for some—usually the more fortunate of those who share the political label “disadvantaged.”” [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) ## 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 argues that civil‑rights language has been twisted to favor groups labeled “disadvantaged,” turning equal protection into preferential treatment. **In simple terms:** Civil‑rights terms are being redefined to favor certain groups. Key Takeaway Question the true meaning of equality. Themes civil rights language politics justice Mood critical skeptical Type analytical political When to use this quote - public policy debates - education reform - voting legislation - media analysis Key Concepts equity policy semantic shift Questions to Reflect On - How does redefining equality affect marginalized communities? - What evidence supports this view? A Different Perspective The claim may overgeneralize complex policies and ignore genuine disparities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Civil Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-right/) [Civil rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-rights/) [Desegregation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desegregation/) [Equal justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equal-justice/) [Equal opportunity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equal-opportunity/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Preferential treatment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preferential-treatment/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [Voting rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voting-rights/) ## Related quotes > [“Regrettably, I paid far less attention to all those students less able to overcome the hostility and the sense of alienation they faced in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derrick-bell/regrettably-i-paid-far-less-attention-to-all-those-students-less-able/) [Derrick Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derrick-bell/) > [What happens from about 1954 to the late 1980s, is that we see a huge wave of optimism that school desegregation is going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goldstein/what-happens-from-about-1954-to-the-late-1980s-is-that-we-see-a-huge/) [Dana Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-goldstein/) > [“Most school desegregation suits were brought on behalf of blacks, but Mexican Americans also suffered various forms of school segregation throughout the southwestern states,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derrick-bell/most-school-desegregation-suits-were-brought-on-behalf-of-blacks-but/) [Derrick Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derrick-bell/) > [School desegregation is associated with higher graduation rates, greater employability, higher earnings, and decreased rates of incarceration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-smith/school-desegregation-is-associated-with-higher-graduation-rates/) [Clint Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-smith/) > [“Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home—so close and so small they cannot be seen on any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blanche-wiesen-cook/where-after-all-do-universal-human-rights-begin-in-small-places-close-4/) [Blanche Wiesen Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blanche-wiesen-cook/) > [Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/where-after-all-do-universal-human-rights-begin-in-small-places-close-3/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home - so close and so small that they cannot be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/where-after-all-do-universal-human-rights-begin-in-small-places-close-5/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [I now believe that evolution, or deevolution, never ends short of death, that no society has ever achieved an absolute pinnacle, that all humans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/i-now-believe-that-evolution-or-deevolution-never-ends-short-of-death/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to homeso close and so small that they cannot be seen on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/where-after-all-do-universal-human-rights-begin-in-small-places-close/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [There are few talents so richly rewarded - especially in politics and the media - as the ability to portray parasites as victims, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/there-are-few-talents-so-richly-rewarded-especially-in-politics-and/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [When I was teaching at an institution that bent over backward for foreign students, I was asked in class one day: "What is your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/when-i-was-teaching-at-an-institution-that-bent-over-backward-for/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [When people get used to preferential treatment, equal treatment seems like discrimination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/when-people-get-used-to-preferential-treatment-equal-treatment-seems/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [The whole idea of equal justice under law is completely incompatible with the idea of judges deciding cases according to "empathy".](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-whole-idea-of-equal-justice-under-law-is-completely-incompatible/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [“If you want to make beautiful music,you must play the black note and the white notes together”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-nixon/if-you-want-to-make-beautiful-music-you-must-play-the-black-note-and/) [Richard M. Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-nixon/) > [The social science on the impact of desegregation is clear. Researchers have consistently found that students in integrated schools - irrespective of ethnicity, race,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-smith/the-social-science-on-the-impact-of-desegregation-is-clear/) [Clint Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-smith/) ## More by Thomas Sowell > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [There is no bigger waste of time than doing 90% of what is necessary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/there-is-no-bigger-waste-of-time-than-doing-90-of-what-is-necessary/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [If you have always believed that everyone should play by the same rules and be judged by the same standards, that would have gotten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/if-you-have-always-believed-that-everyone-should-play-by-the-same/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [“In 1962, Democratic President John F. Kennedy, like both Democratic and Republican Presidents and Secretaries of the Treasury in earlier years, pointed out that “it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/in-1962-democratic-president-john-f-kennedy-like-both-democratic-and/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Ideological bigotry has become the norm on even our most prestigious campuses, where students can go for years without reading or hearing anything that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/ideological-bigotry-has-become-the-norm-on-even-our-most-prestigious/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Bailing out people who made ill-advised mortgages makes no more sense that bailing out people who lost their life savings in Las Vegas casinos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/bailing-out-people-who-made-ill-advised-mortgages-makes-no-more-sense/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [“One third of all Scots in the mid-nineteenth century moved from one county to another”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/one-third-of-all-scots-in-the-mid-nineteenth-century-moved-from-one/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [The difference is that we have the hardest and most painful evidence that there was a Holocaust. But, for the global warming scenario that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-difference-is-that-we-have-the-hardest-and-most-painful-evidence/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [“Just as price fluctuations allocate scarce resources which have alternative uses, price controls which limit those fluctuations reduce the incentives for individuals to limit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/just-as-price-fluctuations-allocate-scarce-resources-which-have/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [The greatest danger to the liberal vision are facts about the consequences of liberalism itself and the laws, policies, and ways of life that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-greatest-danger-to-the-liberal-vision-are-facts-about-the/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Having spent years ruining the housing markets with their interference, leading to a housing meltdown that has taken the whole economy down with it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/having-spent-years-ruining-the-housing-markets-with-their/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Do all children have some inherent right to live in America if they have done nothing wrong? If not, then why should the children…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/do-all-children-have-some-inherent-right-to-live-in-america-if-they/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [What 'eminent domain' laws mean in practice is that politicians have a right to seize your property and turn it over to someone else,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/what-eminent-domain-laws-mean-in-practice-is-that-politicians-have-a/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [“those parts of the British Isles without the advantage of coal deposits or ports, industrialization was as handicapped as in other countries.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/those-parts-of-the-british-isles-without-the-advantage-of-coal/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [The whole idea of equal justice under law is completely incompatible with the idea of judges deciding cases according to "empathy".](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-whole-idea-of-equal-justice-under-law-is-completely-incompatible/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) [Explore all 823 Thomas Sowell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) ## More Civil rights quotes > [Every one knows that the exercise of military power is forever dangerous to civil rights; and we have had recent instances of violences that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-adams/every-one-knows-that-the-exercise-of-military-power-is-forever/) [Samuel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-adams/) > [I am for freedom of religion, and against all maneuvers to bring about a legal ascendency of one sect over another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/i-am-for-freedom-of-religion-and-against-all-maneuvers-to-bring-about/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [I speak not for myself, but so those without a voice can be heard. Those who have fought for their rights. Their right to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/i-speak-not-for-myself-but-so-those-without-a-voice-can-be-heard/) [Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/) > [The Patriot Act is certainly a concern; all of those things are dangerous. I think more important than me preaching is that we as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-clooney/the-patriot-act-is-certainly-a-concern-all-of-those-things-are/) [George Clooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-clooney/) > [American civil rights leader, Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community? Lynching is a murder. For the past four hundred years our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/american-civil-rights-leader-where-do-we-go-from-here-chaos-or/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [“Why do we apologize for advocating for ourselves? Why do we apologize for taking up space that we are entitled to? Why do we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-tambascio/why-do-we-apologize-for-advocating-for-ourselves-why-do-we-apologize/) Elizabeth Tambascio > [We are a nation of innovators and problem-solvers who sparked revolutions in democratic government, civil rights, communications, flight, rural electrification and technology. We are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-a-mcchrystal/we-are-a-nation-of-innovators-and-problem-solvers-who-sparked/) [Stanley A. McChrystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-a-mcchrystal/) > [“Mental illness is not something you misunderstand in this era. Get educated because bias is no different than racism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/mental-illness-is-not-something-you-misunderstand-in-this-era-get/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [Civil rights leaders are involved in helping poor people. That's what I've been doing all my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-young/civil-rights-leaders-are-involved-in-helping-poor-people-that-s-what/) [Andrew Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-young/) > [I grew up in the early '60s, and there was a lot of civil rights, a lot of unrest in our country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herm-edwards/i-grew-up-in-the-early-60s-and-there-was-a-lot-of-civil-rights-a-lot/) [Herm Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herm-edwards/) > [The great paradox of the civil rights revolution is that instead of enforcing and expanding equality before the law, the revolution created differential rights…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-craig-roberts/the-great-paradox-of-the-civil-rights-revolution-is-that-instead-of/) [Paul Craig Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-craig-roberts/) > [The world - and America - has been defined by people who haven't necessarily abided by the laws and the rules. Civil disobedience is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-kennedy/the-world-and-america-has-been-defined-by-people-who-haven-t/) [Rory Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-kennedy/) > [I do not believe that defending traditional marriage between one man and one woman excludes anybody or usurps anybody's civil rights and denies anybody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-autry/i-do-not-believe-that-defending-traditional-marriage-between-one-man/) [Alan Autry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-autry/) > [Truth is on the side of the oppressed today, it's against the oppressor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/truth-is-on-the-side-of-the-oppressed-today-it-s-against-the-oppressor/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [The notion of women being written out of history is as old as the Bible, but it always seems more galling when it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-thornberry/the-notion-of-women-being-written-out-of-history-is-as-old-as-the/) [Emily Thornberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thornberry/) [Browse all 1,552 Civil rights quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-rights/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The reality of an historic struggle for civil rights has degenerated into the hustling rhetoric of Newspeak. “Equal opportunity” now means preferential treatment. “Voting rights” now include preferential chances to win. School desegregation no longer means the right to attend any public school, regardless of race, but being forced to attend where you are told, according to race. “Equal justice for all” now means compensatory benefits for some—usually the more fortunate of those who share the political label “disadvantaged.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas Sowell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-reality-of-an-historic-struggle-for-civil-rights-has-degenerated/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Civil rights" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-reality-of-an-historic-struggle-for-civil-rights-has-degenerated/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/802/thomas-sowell-247_civil-rights_the-reality-of-an-historic-struggle-for_2035134.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/802/thomas-sowell-247_civil-rights_the-reality-of-an-historic-struggle-for_2035134.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/802/thomas-sowell-247_civil-rights_the-reality-of-an-historic-struggle-for_2035134.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The reality of an historic struggle for civil rights has degenerated into the hustling rhetoric of Newspeak…” — Thomas Sowell", "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": "Thomas Sowell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The reality of an historic struggle...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-reality-of-an-historic-struggle-for-civil-rights-has-degenerated/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-reality-of-an-historic-struggle-for-civil-rights-has-degenerated/#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 } } ] } ```