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Comment by Test0129 | Hacker News Reader

Ivy's were one example of the problem. Not of the white minority. As far as I know, ivy leagues do not have a white majority (owing to the legacy membership programs at many of them). However, one article [0] points to this happening in the midwest. It is also becoming the case at my local university who follows harvard's doctrine of race-based SAT/GRE admission standards.

[0] https://www.insidehighered.com/admissions/article/2022/08/29...

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The linked article uses a strange system for calling white students a 'minority'. If you count everyone who is not 'white' as one group then sure, but that makes no sense. In this discussion here people are speaking of 'Jewish' 'Asian' and 'Black' students as distinct, yet when 'white' is counted then everyone 'not-white' get grouped together. 38% white with 20% asian and 10% black, etc, does not make 'white students a minority'.

Also, it is incredibly difficult to take the 'white' demographic label seriously when it comes to people concerned about it becoming a minority because it is not a demographic that can be joined. A black person and white person have a child, and that child is black. There is no way for a person of color to have a 'white' child, while the opposite is true for a white person having a 'child of color', so therefore the 'white' demographic cannot do anything but become smaller and smaller until it ceases to exist.

If 38% of the students are white, then white students are a minority. That's not playing with words, that's a basic understanding of words.

You believe that 'minority' as a demographic term literally means 'anything less than 51%'? What happens when there is no '51%+' cohesive group? At this point is not the term 'minority' meaningless since every group is now a minority?

That is, in fact, what "minority" means. When there is no 51%+ group, the largest group is a plurality. We do have words for these things.

I am referring to definition 1b: the smaller quantity or share. Which one are you referring to?

Definition of minority

1a: the smaller in number of two groups constituting a whole

b: the smaller quantity or share

2: the group or political party having the smaller number of votes

3a: a part of a population thought of as differing from the rest of the population in some characteristics and often subjected to differential treatment

b: a member of a minority group

4a: the period before a person reaches the age of majority

b: the state of being a legal minor

(https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/minority)

If a group has 49% share, and there are 10 other groups that each have 5% share, will you still call the first group with 49% as a minority group? does n't make sense to me. As per your definition, then every group will be defined as a minority group.

Yes, indeed, every group under 50% is a minority group. In the scenario you outline, the group with 49% is the plurality, but no group has the majority, therefore all groups are minority groups.

what does "minority" mean then if not that and why are you saying that?

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