Skrentny then addresses the deeper irony that white Americans accept all sorts of preferences, but not preferences for blacks. These analogies, however, are inapt. Most opponents of affirmative action object to the principle of racial classification. Any other preference is a preference of a different kind. Serving one's country is easily regarded as an indication of merit.
Nepotism is universally a term of opprobrium or derision.
Though it is not always illegal, as it is in government civil service, most Americans regard nepotism as unpraiseworthy. If performance on a certain kind of test is a qualification for a job, and racial groups do not perform equally well on that test, one could argue that, notwithstanding the racial disparity, performance on a test is an indication of some kind of merit. Familial relationship may be valuable for some businesses, but it is a much harder argument to make that it reflects merit. As a result, nepotism has been attacked when it shows racially adverse impact. It is notable that Skrentny does not address the issue of nepotism as it was taken up in the 1960s and 1970s in labor union discrimination cases.