Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

On December 3, 2021, the Military Times website published an article titled, “We just feel it: Racism plagues U.S. military Academies.”  This article was a follow up promo of an earlier article titled, “Deep-Rooted Racism, Discrimination Permeates the United States Military” published by the Associated Press on May 27, 2021.  In the linked article below, the authors discuss the history of racism in the U.S. military, briefly mention that progress has been made, but go on to allege that systemic and individualistic racism are still rampant within the service academies. Click on the link below to read the full Military Times article.  STARRS Vice President Dr. Ron Scott wrote a response to this article, which he titled, “Self-Fulfilling Prophecy,” which is provided below.  In an astonishing lack of objectivity or fairness, the Military Times declined to publish Dr. Scott’s article which follows below.

Orwell’s utopian farm life quickly unraveled, leaving one remaining commandment: “All animals are created equal; some are more equal than others.” The current emphasis on equity in the “diversity, equity, and inclusion” political movement is an example of this last commandment.

The “We just feel it” article is an example of self-fulfilling prophecy, a phenomenon first coined by eminent sociologist Robert K. Merton. A self- fulfilling prophecy “is a sociological term used to describe what happens when a false belief influences people behavior in such a way that it ultimately shapes reality.” 

In 1996, as a Vice Wing Commander in Japan, I attended equal opportunity training sessions for newcomers to the base to emphasize leadership support. During one session, a young airman introduced herself as “a proud African American, and I know there is racial discrimination at this base.” After the session I introduced myself and asked if she had reported the discrimination. She replied, “No.” I informed her that we take the zero-tolerance policy against harassment and discrimination seriously and ensured her the policy was enforced vigorously.  Could she provided specific details, so that we can investigate any violations? She could not do so, but she knew in her heart it was taking place.

In November 2017 a friend alerted me to a YouTube video of the U.S. Air Force Academy Superintendent chastising the entire cadet wing from the balcony of the cadet dining facility at Mitchell Hall. The general warned them, “If you can’t accept our values, get out.” The threat was based on an incident at the nearby Academy Prep School where five black students had a racial slur written on a message board outside their room. The incident turned out to be a hoax. The perpetrator was a fellow black student, but this did not matter to the Superintendent because facts could not dissuade him from the belief that systemic racism exists at the Academy.

He reiterated this point in a July 8, 2020, letter to “The Academy Family,” and directed the following:

USAFA/DS and USAFA/EO will co-chair an institutional assessment and review for biases within our policies, processes, practices, curriculum, and artifacts. The objective is to assess and capture racial disparities specific to African Americans and other identity groups in processes unique to USAFA. Results and recommendations will be provided to me NLT 18 September, and will be used to make tangible, lasting changes, and to inform future actions.

As a member of “The Academy Family” (Class of 1973), I filed a Freedom of Information Act request for documents stemming from and related to the “institutional assessment.” The request was filed on October 12, 2020. Despite the statutory requirement to respond to requests within 10 days (20 for more complex requests), no document evidencing this “institutional assessment: has been provided.

Challenging the looming and ubiquitous woke cancel culture, Professor Wilfred Reilly, a courageous black scholar from Kentucky State University, published a compelling book, Hate Crime Hoax: How the Left Is Selling a Fake Race War. The analysis is based on facts and evidence, not “we feel it” anecdotes.  I highly recommend it.

The most significant implication from sentiment represented in the “we feel it” article is the reliance on anecdotes and the use of the self-fulfilling prophecy to prove fact.  Conjecture and the promotion of racial stereotypes are two hallmarks of propaganda masquerading as journalism.  In publishing an article of questionable quality, The Military Times demeans its reputation.  As Hannah Arendt warned us in her book, The Origins of Totalitarianism, legitimizing race-thinking, racism, and ideology leads to chaos, terror, and totalitarianism.

Dr. Ron Scott, Col, USAF (Ret.) is Vice President, Board of Directors Vice-Chair STARRS, Inc.