<p>I see one every day. He’s on my cross country team, and he’s going into the military.</p>
<p>^I live right next to a Native American reservation. So I see them everyday.</p>
<p>Maybe its because there’s not a lot of them. I only seen one once in my whole life.</p>
<p>^Okay one, and I’m talking about not on a reservation</p>
<p>boilingwax</p>
<p>I am sorry, but as a male who is half black and half white, I simply can’t believe that the entire black culture is a result of white oppression. Yes, white people have a longer history of valuing education. Yes, white people do have an advantage of being - statistically speaking - better off than blacks. But that shouldn’t stop black people from seeing that education will make or break your future.</p>
<p>I could agree with your “white oppression” theory if Asians were also underachieving, but they aren’t. Asians didn’t start showing up in America until the late 1800s - early 1900s. They too weren’t given the same opportunities as whites, but look at them. Most Americans stereotype Asians as being brilliant and all knowing, when in all reality, they are just hardworking. Education is valued highly in Asian culture, and they came here hundreds of years after blacks. So what happened there?</p>
<p>Look, its a culture thing, I know. But black culture isn’t a result of white people. It is a result bad parenting and “black” culture. Eduction isn’t emphasized enough.</p>
<p>Actually most asian immigrated during the 80s and the ones that immigranted during the early 1900s and 1890s still have family that live in the Chinatowns and such asian neighborhhods</p>
<p>there are only 2.5 million native americans alive today. that is less than one percent of america’s population. </p>
<p>but according to funstuff’s logic, that’s their fault. they weren’t killed off by white diseases and manifest destiny or anything.</p>
<p>
black culture is because of white influence. asian americans were not susceptible to the same discrimination and background as black people. asian americans kept the same/similar culture that they had in their respective cultures when they came to america. </p>
<p>i’m a black girl who grew up in a single parent home. my father was in jail for most of my life. your background is totally irrelevant to me, just as mine should be to you. </p>
<p>i don’t think you understand the theory of social mobility. you will essentially be the same as your parents… if your parents were impoverished and uneducated, well, you’re really just unlucky. if you are interested, peruse this document. <a href=“http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:G_MiwT1bLrMJ:www.americanprogress.org/kf/hertz_mobility_analysis.pdf+social+mobility+in+america+statistics&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESj6aytB1hN6y4kn71Fp_8Ob3vBN_sgEz55wId7i_Cbe7sc-tEYKa4__iMbdqXFxVSOxMZw83fs4eWUye2j4y-rvyBa3TS8pSA8uDUkpYNANfKk1OA-MGSBHYysbgrgCjZc_03zR&sig=AHIEtbSvngmJqGdnqkboTXDd-R1kBOPPzg[/url]”>http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:G_MiwT1bLrMJ:www.americanprogress.org/kf/hertz_mobility_analysis.pdf+social+mobility+in+america+statistics&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESj6aytB1hN6y4kn71Fp_8Ob3vBN_sgEz55wId7i_Cbe7sc-tEYKa4__iMbdqXFxVSOxMZw83fs4eWUye2j4y-rvyBa3TS8pSA8uDUkpYNANfKk1OA-MGSBHYysbgrgCjZc_03zR&sig=AHIEtbSvngmJqGdnqkboTXDd-R1kBOPPzg</a></p>
<p>The Native Americans seem to be doing just fine with their casinos. I say good for them :)</p>
<p>annnnnd now i know you’re ■■■■■■■■. i thought so, but i wasn’t sure</p>
<p>I’m hispanic and my parents were educated in the top schools of their country. So I guess that’s why education is also important to me. I’m one of 4 hispanics in my graduating class (600 seniors) and i can honestly say the other 3 are true to the stereotype. Their parents are uneducated and don’t push them to do anything with their lives.</p>
<p>I mean why did white people have to come and mess with black people, we were over there just chillin, everybody was naked, women had there breasts hanging out, we’re going to go back to the days of nakedness, all the ladies reading this thread, pull out your breasts right now</p>
<p>I am very skeptical of the “social mobility theory.” The Blacks (slavery) and Chinese (Gold Rush era) in America used to be destitute. Today, most Chinese and a good portion of Blacks occupy the middle class. You can’t say that class barriers are non-permeable.</p>
<p>how do you define middle class? there are statistics per income in that link i posted. </p>
<p>middle class has too fluid a definition for it to be of any practical purpose, you know? </p>
<p>however poverty is occupied mostly by blacks and hispanics.</p>
<p>
Ladies and gentlemen, I think we may be on to something.</p>
<p>Culture.</p>
<p>My mom grew up in a super poor family. Both of her parents were high school dropouts. They didn’t care about school and so her siblings didn’t either. It’s a wonder that my mom ever graduated. (She has two sisters and a brother… all who dropped out). After my mom, there’s only been one kid to graduate high school in the family and that’s my cousin. All the others have dropped out or are barely hanging on because they’re too young to.</p>
<p>If I go to college, which I’m planning on it, I’ll be the first one on my mother’s side of the family.</p>
<p>I don’t think it has anything to do with economics.</p>
<p>I’m below the poverty line, but academics have always been a priority in my house… at the very least it’s been understood that I will graduate high school.</p>
<p>Whatever your parents decide is important is what is important. If your parents decide that graduating is important, then you’ll probably do that, but if your parents don’t care… why should you?</p>
<ol>
<li>poor nutrition/medical care in utero for poverty stricken families</li>
<li>lack of early education resources and formative experiences prior to start of school, which greatly sets wealthier families ahead of the curve.</li>
<li>lack of emphasis on education, especially early education</li>
<li>the idea that a black child who does well in school may be considered to be “acting white” and thereby ostracized (even if a black child is not poor, there may still be the idea that he shouldn’t do well)</li>
<li>poverty affecting mind set; a hungry, ill-clothed child feels less inclined to learn when basic needs are not met. Poor nutrition also considerably affects ability to learn.</li>
<li>emphasis on sports ahead of education</li>
<li>lack of educated parents/community as mentors; role models tend to be rappers, athletes, people with money (who may/may not have earned it legitimately). Of course, we are talking about those AA people who do poorly. Boys and Girls club and some churches in my community have gone a long way in providing appropriate mentors for children.</li>
<li>other ideas as set forth by other posters</li>
</ol>
<p>Now, with that said, the number of African American children in advanced classes in my school does seem to be increasing each year. My class has three, the class below me doubles that, and the class below that probably is about 30% AA. Our school is in semi-rural Mississippi and is about 50/50 with 65% in poverty, based on Free and Reduced lunch.</p>
<p>What has this thread become?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>It’s just so simple! It’s like “why can’t we all just get along?” Come on–have you ever tried to understand how people are different from YOU? Your little world doesn’t seem to include reality. Have you ever thought about having educated parents who were not worried about where their next meal was coming from helped shape the person you are?</p>
<p>What if you were neglected as an infant? What if you were drug exposed as a fetus? What if your parents never read any books to you? What if your dinner time conversation was limited to 4 letter words instead of talking about world issues? You seriously don’t think this would have any negative effects on kids but would just make them work harder?</p>
<p>Hmmm…what a great plan, just neglect kids, treat them like crap, don’t give them proper nutrition and they’ll all be more motivated to get a better education. I wonder why rich people don’t take this approach?</p>
<p>Daxlo5</p>
<p>It has become a thread on why we should blame white people for everything. I mean, come on, they are evil and all that.</p>
<p>AUGirl</p>
<p>I agree completely. My parents are divorced and while my dad was around, he pushed academics on me hard. Actually, both of my parents did. Neither one of them went to college and I always did well in school. But, once my parents got a divorce, my mom softened up on me and my father wasn’t around to push it on me.</p>
<p>Now, my brother is in high school and is failing all his classes. The kid is 16 years old sophomore who is taking algebra 1 for the third time now. My mother doesn’t push him too hard and my father isn’t around to force it on him. Needless to say, we both have different academic outcomes. </p>
<p>Your environment determines a lot about you, not just your tax income bracket. If you want something, you will do your best to achieve it. Don’t blame it on anyone else.</p>