<p>Harvard wants to educate world leaders maybe the Indian fellow lacked skills required by that august institution.</p>
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and if you're going to debate something Id suggest you spell your words correctly (unless you meant to do that for some reason?)
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<p>People in glass houses and all that...</p>
<p>i dont get the last post</p>
<p>quote by CH121S:
Doogie when did i ever say I was like you?
and if your going to debate something Id suggest you spell your words correctly (unless you meant to do that for some reason?)</p>
<p>you're not your!! good catch UCLAri</p>
<p>He also forgot the apostrophe in "I'd." :p</p>
<p>well damn talk about looking bad......pointing out a mistake with a mistake :P</p>
<p>those of you who do not believe slavery has affected today are living in a fantasy world. If blacks had been given the same oppurtunity from the beginning there wouldn't be a diptoportionate amount of them in jail or on welfare. I do believe anyone who grew up in a harsh environment and gets a 3.5 is infinitely more qualified than me who gets a 4.0+ and high SAT scores because of all the advantages my parents give me.</p>
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well damn talk about looking bad......pointing out a mistake with a mistake :P
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<p>You lose at the Internet. :p</p>
<p>I think that the problem, however, with the slavery is everything attitude is that it also gets used as a copout for blacks. Now, I'm not black, but I can call a copout when I see one. You see, we're witnessing a vicious circle (positive feedback loop) whereby blacks perpetuate their own problems with a lack of strong family and educational values AND whites do nothing but point fingers.</p>
<p>It needs to stop. Blacks need to strengthen their family bonds, give their children good homes and strong parenting, and a strong word or two about messing up. Whites need to quit their lame whining about "ohhh, he took my spot" (it's not your spot unless you had it, genius.) Whites also need to get involved with the black community and offer a hand, instead of simply sitting on their couches and talking about what a shame it is that the black community has problems. Get out there, get involved. There's a reason why a lot of blacks think that whites don't care.</p>
<p>Waaaait a second, soo because there was slavery hundreds of years ago, the black kid that sits next to be in my stats class cant do well in school...did i comprehend this correctly? Dude, what u just head is one of the the most insanely idiotic things ive ever heard. </p>
<p>My parents were both immigrants from small farms in Italy. Both came over poor as hell but worked their butts off were able to make lives for themselves. In the time since I was born, I have had tragic deaths in my family, my father being deployed to iraq, and then diagnosed with cancer years later. Now the difference is THIS HAPPENED TO ME, not my great great great grandfather that i know nothing about but am pretty sure that because im black was a slave...</p>
<p>PLEASE GIVE ME A BREAK. Why should a person living in 2005 blame his life on an ancestor of his back in the 1800's!!! Your life is what you make of it, you can try to scapegoat your shortcomings as much as you want, but in the end if you want something in America bad enough you can get it. DO NOT try to blame the % of african americans in jail or on welfare on ancestors that were in slavery almost 200 years ago. That is sooo rediculous! 200 years ago im pretty sure my great great great grandpa was milking a cow but that doesnt mean i cant get a 3.9 in school today.</p>
<p>And btw, I am white so UCLA, please dont make generalizations like that. I help out my community. In fact being in EMS i am always in the projects of my community which is heavily populated by african americans, helping them when they need to go the hospital. I havent passed judgements on any race, i just dont like seein AA used as a cop out or when people blame their lives today on things that happened 200 years ago.</p>
<p>so true doogie</p>
<p>"Whites also need to get involved with the black community and offer a hand, instead of simply sitting on their couches and talking about what a shame it is that the black community has problems"</p>
<p>Yes, and we do but now the blacks expect that of us as if we are required to get up and pay them welfare</p>
<p>WoW4201,</p>
<p>There's a difference between money and actually tutoring a kid who might have a shot at college. There's too much of the former, not enough of the latter.</p>
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And btw, I am white so UCLA, please dont make generalizations like that. I help out my community. In fact being in EMS i am always in the projects of my community which is heavily populated by african americans, helping them when they need to go the hospital. I havent passed judgements on any race, i just dont like seein AA used as a cop out or when people blame their lives today on things that happened 200 years ago.
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<p>Okay, and so what? You want a medal? You're getting all defensive like you're some saint deserving some sort of apotheosis. If you really are out there helping out, you have no reason to get defensive, and bravo to you. But do you think you represent the majority of society with their blinders on?</p>
<p>Guys, history affects us. 200 years is nothing in the scheme of things. Look at how the history of colonialism is still affecting much of the former British possessions. To discount history is to discount reality.</p>
<p>And in either case, the fact is I don't believe that blacks should be using the slavery issue as a crutch. But, to discount its real weight in the issue is also ignorant.</p>
<p>Like I said, vicious circle...</p>
<p>I think some of you are missing the point. When a student and his parents are hoping to get in a certain school or into a select group of schools, and have been working for years toward that goal they do not want to hear about slavery, or skin color, or affirmative action. Especially if the family does not have the resources for extra classes, tutors, and SAT prep courses, and the kid excells anyway. You are never going to convince them (or me) that minorities should be given an admissions boost for economic disadvantages that they themselves are subject to. </p>
<p>Now, AA based on family income makes much more sense, as low income students are clearly at a disadvantage. Minorities should worry less about AA at college and more about inequities in the Public School Systems. If everyone had access to a quality education, then you are at least starting with if not a level playing field, at least you're in the same ballpark.</p>
<p>But how do improve public schooling for these groups? There need to be folks who are not only educated, but willing to step in and do something for these communities. One of the largest problems that blacks face is that if there is a success, he or she tends to leave the community in order to better integrate with the mainstream majority society. Again, nobody is doing much to stop the positive feedback. </p>
<p>And you are subject to economic disadvantages, that's for sure, but are you subject to being treated as a black person?</p>
<p>My family, who are Afrcan-AMerican, had to work much harder to get where they are today than white people who didn't have to deal with the issues of racism. I am incredibly insulted that most everyone in this board seems to think slavery wasnlt a big deal. This country became the most wealthy nation in the world on the backs of slaves. 200 years of servitude followed by 200 more of racism is a "big deal" no matter what you bitter white people think.</p>
<p>UCLAri - The only way any community can assure a good education is to assert constant pressure on your schools, the school board, teachers, administrator and politicians and let them know education is the top priority. You have to organize and insist the children be educated. To me, education is everything. Its more important then anything except food to eat and heat in the winter. The parents must expect the best from their kids, and give up anything they have to to help them live up to those expectations. And I know its not easy, if you have less money you have to spend more time working, or looking for work, and its worse for a single parent with no money. Sleep less. Education is the only way out. Communities with underfunded schools have to set up community/church/home based extra help for kids, asking people that do have time to help those parents who have less.
You do not have to tell me how hard it is to deal with schools. When my son was in 9th grade he took a chance and moved to a brand new three district Magnet School. One (the lead) school which had a majority of black and hispanic students (about 75% maybe) provided 50% of the students and the other districts (90% white) provided the other half. The school was founded to provide rigorous academics, a more balanced racial mix and a program of arts and technology. It suceeded increadibly well. Last year was the first graduating class. 100% of the graduates were enrolled for college! I don't know the exact percentage college bound for the lead school, but its nowhere near 100%. You can guess what happened next. In its 4 years open, the school had to move twice due to an inability to get a long term lease. The school finally aranged for a long term lease at great terms in a beautiful space. The school board in a moment of monumental stupidity voted no and closed the school. This is what you are up against.</p>
<p>SEWcurious - No one is saying slavery wasn't a big deal. But if you expect people to get worked up and outraged about something that happened 200 or 300 years ago, you're dreaming. People of any color are worried about their kids, their job, paying the bills, etc. Slavery and its lingering effect on the African American community is way down at the bottem of the list. If you find that insulting, sorry. At the time your ancestors were in bondage, mine were living and dying in Ireland trying to find a potato that wasn't rotten with blight. I am not bitter at all. All I want is the fairest shot possible for my kids. And I frankly think unempoyment, lack of educational opportunity and crime within low income minority communities is a huge problem. I don't like the idea of AA, but when it comes to education I can live with it. By the way , you might get some arguement on the longterm effect of slavery on American economic success. Though slavery was the backbone of the plantation economy of the old south, much of that economy was ravaged by the Civil War. We were not the richest country in the world pre-war. Actually, you be more acurate saying "the backs of italian, chinese, irish, etc immigrant and American black low wage laborers of the mid to late 19th and early 20th century. But you would be right in saying it for the confederate states pre war.</p>
<p>Man, that was long winded, sorry</p>
<p>Radar- You're right that this country was built on the backs of many immigrants. I admit that mush of the AA system isn't fair but I am tired of every white person I know saying I am only getting in places because of my race. I worked hard have high grades and high SATs. It is not my fault that colleges look upon me more favorably than on others.</p>
<p>SEWcurious - I would take advantage if I were you.</p>