Is it better for a state to have 15% of white and 15% of black citizens have a college degree or for 28% of white and 25% of black citizens to have one? If both groups average 1000 on the SAT, is that better than 1200 and 1150? Is it better for the median incomes to be $35000 for both or $45000 and $43000? To have a 90% high school graduation rate or a 98% and 96% rate?
Putting that in the form of a question detracts from the message without protecting you from harsh judgement. Just say it. Equalizing people to a lowest common denominator is no good for anyone.
It's the absurd premise of No Child Left Behind, which sounds nice but logically implies that no child gets ahead.
That's the thing. You and I seem to agree that the answers above are that the second cases are all better, possibly obviously better. If you choose different figures in the questions, I can find cases that would be concerning to me, even if everyone appears mathematically better off. (If the median incomes were $500,000 and $45,000 for example.)
Even with the figures I chose, I bet there are people who would wish for them to be "more equal" even at the expense of lower numbers for both groups.
I think that makes it a genuine question, even though the answer is fairly obvious to me at those levels.
Is it better for a state to have 15% of white and 15% of black citizens have a college degree or for 28% of white and 25% of black citizens to have one? If both groups average 1000 on the SAT, is that better than 1200 and 1150? Is it better for the median incomes to be $35000 for both or $45000 and $43000? To have a 90% high school graduation rate or a 98% and 96% rate?