Hot take alert! The UCB system is biased. BOOM!
Mic drop.
Wait, here’s a very long winded explanation why. Please bear with me.
Mic pick up.

Intelligence tests are used to assess people’s aptitudes and compare them with those of others. In school environments, these can be used to identify star students and those who are struggling and need extra help.

Testing biases like cultural specificity can obfuscate data. Ask a kid brought up in a rural environment questions about urban specifics like hailing cabs or using elevators in high rise buildings, and they may not have access to that knowledge.

The administrator of the test also has an implication on how well a participant will perform. For example, women participants score higher when a woman administers the test. Black participants score worse when a white person is in charge.

Now here's the shiny part of my argument. A major testing bias is the ‘stereotype threat’ - a self confirming concern that one will be evaluated based on a negative stereotype.

Harold auditions are kind of like intelligence tests in that they measure our aptitude for comedy against other audition participants. An an Asian performer, I’ve always felt like I’ve had to work harder to compete with the white status quo.

So when I hear about a senior white audition judge make a denigrating remark about diverse performers after their audition, it demotivates me. Fuck it, it pisses me off.

If the institution that educates audition participants is mostly white, and the committee that oversees the auditions are mostly white, how can BIPOC, LGBTQIA, and Differently Abled participants expect to do well in our auditions?

We are all threatened by our stereotypes. This leads to a lineup of mostly white performers at the theatre.

UCB not only needs to give more opportunities to BIPOC, LGBTQIA, and Differently Abled performers on their stages, but also completely reform the institution and hire more people representative of these groups.

We'd feel a little less threatened if our teachers were less white and maybe we'd perform a little better in our auditions.

There’s my hot take. I hope this POC did well today.
Mic drop.

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