ABSTRACT
Serious people probably shouldn't use the word "underrepresented." It's a word with an argument embedded in it, that proportional representation by group, not ability or effort, should determine who gets what in America. Many blacks argue that they are overrepresented among prison inmates and underrepresented in most jobs worth having. Recent complaints from women's groups focused on underrepresention in symphony orchestras and the art collection at the US Capitol building. The recent flap over the lack of a black law clerk at the Supreme Court was a representation argument. The main problem with "representation" arguments is that they clash with the norms and standards set up to reward merit. So it's no surprise that supporters of representation have produced a series of arguments attacking merit. Another problem is that demands for representation can't easily be confined to the protected groups established by the federal government.
