Wisdom Through The Ages

I was having breakfast at the Globe Coffee Shop on 51st Street and 31st Avenue when in walked my good friend, Vernon Jackson. He slid into the booth opposite me and opened a newspaper. "What do you think of the president's pick for Supreme Court?" he asked.

"You mean Sonia Sotomayor?" I said. "I think she's a good selection."

"I don't know," said Vernon. "I'm not happy with this statement she made." Vernon read from the newspaper: "'I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life.'"

"I know about that," I responded. "But you have to remember she made that statement years ago, and who knows in what context she meant it?"

The waitress placed a cup of coffee in front of Vernon and took his order. Then he turned back to me: "I think this statement is very disturbing on a number of levels. For example, what does she mean by 'richness of experiences'? What exactly is she implying by that?"

"It's a fair question," I admitted. "I suppose she meant a class of individuals whose life experiences are different from what we have come to expect from typical judicial appointees."

Vernon sipped his coffee. "Nonsense," he muttered. "How can you say that one class of individuals is necessarily wiser than another? How can you fairly say that black men are wiser than black women or visa versa? How can you say that a cab driver of Middle East ancestry is wiser than a Korean surgeon or visa versa? Her statement is patently stupid."

I admitted he had a point. "It is true," I said, "that people should not be painted with such a broad brush. After all, one would hope that when it comes to medicine, a surgeon would be wiser than a cab driver and that when it comes to selecting the fastest route to the hospital, the cab driver would be wiser than the surgeon."

"Of course," said Vernon. "And it is ridiculous for a Supreme Court nominee to say a Latina woman would necessarily be wiser than a white male. It depends entirely on the circumstances."

The waitress arrived with Vernon's breakfast. She seemed to take an interest in our conversation, but said nothing.

"You may be right," I conceded. "When it comes to a legal issue, a lawyer, no matter the race or gender, would be more qualified than a non-lawyer. But it would be wrong to disqualify Judge Sotomayor for her remark. There is more to this nominee than a single questionable statement."

"Meaning?" asked Vernon.

"Meaning that her own background makes her a good choice. She was raised in the city. Her father died when she was a child and her mother, a nurse, worked like a dog and raised her and her siblings by herself. The mother instilled in her children the importance of a good education. She put them through Catholic grammar schools and private universities. Her daughter graduated from Princeton and Yale, served as a successful prosecutor and was appointed a federal judge. The siblings also were well educated and are today themselves successful professionals. Judge Sotomayor would be the first Hispanic to serve on the Supreme Court. That's quite a tribute."

At this point, the waitress came over. She said, "I hope you don't mind if I put my two cents in."

"Of course not," we said.

"I think Judge Sotomayor should withdraw her nomination."

"But why?" I asked.

"Because by her own statement, the Judge is not the best candidate."

"Then who is?" asked Vernon.

"The Judge's mother," said the waitress.

John J. Cox is a resident of Woodside who often contributes to the Gazette's Op-Ed column.