To the editor:

Leonard Pitts was right: It is destructive to set lowered goals for people by race (Journal-World, Nov. 25). But I was thinking what a pointless category “race” is.

Some African-American children come from poor backgrounds where they don’t have enough to eat and no stimulation in their environment. But President Obama says he doesn’t think his daughters should get special assistance. Latinos? Some come from poor homes and don’t know English when they enter school. Then there are, say, Jeb Bush’s children. Oriental? If you mean Chinese people who have been here several generations, you’d probably have to give them a higher goal, because they tend to do very well. On the other hand, new refugees from Burma, whose parents may not be literate in their own language, are also “oriental.”

Why would any logical person group all these varied people by such a meaningless category as “race”? Could you not look at where the person is starting from to set a different goal if needed?

Somewhat different, but a personal concern of mine, is the “disabled” category. Some people with disabilities do have a great deal of trouble learning, and some do not (think Stephen Hawking, anyone?). Could a lowered goal discourage school districts from making the extra effort to bring these students to their best accomplishment?