Many of my students while I was on campus were black. Most of those were there as student athletes, rather than there to pursue a major into a career that would provide for their needs, and for a life outside of their peer-accepted paths. My good students got harassed about getting good grades, then turned around and accused me of racism for their own bad grades.
Um...what? How is it "acting white" for one black kid to work hard to get good grades, but racist for me to assign a bad grade because another black kid won't do any work? I guess it must be a cultural thing.
I don't understand why people judge others on the shade of light or dark their skin is. I honestly don't know anyone who is racist. Instead, the people I'm acquainted with strongly dislike the nigger culture.
And whites aren't the ones perpetuating that culture.
Walter Hudson writes of ways racism is perpetuated by its self-proclaimed "victims," but he neglects one huge, overriding cause that the eight things he mentions have in common: culture.
The ironic thing is that the culture described by the failings of the race-baiters is shared equally by those mired in a culture of inherited poverty and generational dependence on government handouts. It's also shared by the inhabitants of third-world nations.
He mentions at the end of the article that America, as it was designed to be (no penalties to trading freely in a market that rewards hard work and honest pricing) would be the best way to truly end racism: truly judging a person by their actions and the content of their character as Dr. King called for. Instead, we have a politically protected class forcing trade with people who don't want to deal with their culture by using harassment and threats, and causing an artificial inflation of prices through increasing the costs of doing business.
It's not the race causing "racism," but the culture causing a perception of such. Most of the time, at least.
1 hour ago
ummm, is it a little too early in the AM to read the N-bomb - non-ironic, actual spelling -? The thing about growing up in PG County, MD and living most of my life in Washington, DC - ...needless to say in what people would call "Black neighborhoods," I'm fascinated by the Civil War, the tobacco economy, Reconstruction, Post-Plessy Jim Crow, WWI & WWII segregated Army, etc. etc... In your University experience, do the kids (of all colors of the rainbow, etc.) understand that all our fates are intertwined? The world only opens up if you know in detail, the broadest sweep of US history. My question: why would people NOT want to know as much as they can about this history, and frankly how far ---all of us--- have come?
ReplyDeleteNigger is a choice, not a skin color. I know a lot more white niggers than black ones.
DeleteMost of the kids tend to segregate themselves by who has what in common with whom--the football players stick together, the basketball players, the club kids, the affirmative-action pity admissions (and yes, they exist, and are often more driven to succeed when they realize how badly they've been served by their public schools), and so on. They're not interested in much of anything beyond their peer group and culture.
Sadly, the kids I see don't know their own history. They don't see how far we've come because they don't know (and often, don't care) where we've come from. I suppose it may be because so many people have told them that history is boring, or maybe because so many history teachers are coaches first and teachers last, and make history boring.
yeah, I'm reminded of the Andy Griffith Show where Opie & his little pals complain about the 'boring history' of the Revolution. Andy proceeds with a play by play of the shot heard around the world... anyway, you get the picture.
ReplyDeleteAs far as 'segregating themselves,' --- not a big deal for a little while - in a new place, with new people all around --- however, isn't the point of ANY learning institution to eventually leave the comfortable, hazy ignorance (where you can be cool with NOT knowing jack-shit 'cause you're Super-cool compared to idiots) & DELIBERATELY challenge yourself & getch-yer freakin' money's worth? i mean, Damn. Ask any skilled musician: is it worth it to know EVERY classical scale exercise --or-- any 'Modern/Abstract' painter/sculptor about anatomy, landscapes, rudimentary paint mixing, etc, etc...?
I guess you haven't seen the studies that show that a lot of kids GRADUATING college actually know LESS than when they STARTED college. Too busy stuffing their heads with inaccurate PC "studies" crap (i.e., women's studies, queer studies, minority studies, etc.--and yes, those are actual majors) to learn actual real world facts and knowledge.
DeleteThis whole push for "critical thinking skills" misses one basic fact: you don't learn those until you have a knowledge base of facts for your mind to extrapolate from.
Like I tell my composition students: you have to know the rules before you can break them effectively, and have it read well and make sense.
To enhance my legals skills, I watch several court TV shows (Judge Judy, etc.)......
ReplyDeleteMany of the shows deal with blacks and their legal problems.
I suggest you all watch a show or two to ENHANCE YOUR EXPOSURE TO NIGGERS!
I'd really rather not, OCM. I like people who choose not to be niggers. It's why I wasn't satisfied to stay in the same socio-economic class I was born into.
Delete"...know the rules before you can break them..." Let's be even MORE to the point: James Joyce might have written a revolutionary book called "Ulysses," but can any LAZY student grasp HIS 'rule breaking?' Message to lazy students: get to work on Homer, Shakespeare, George Elliot, Dickens & so forth - I think we are on the same page, here. Right, OLDCATMAN? The plaintiffs/defendants on Judge Judy are highly skilled, Stanislavski method actors, truth be told - don't be fooled, m'kay, you old charmer?
ReplyDeleteI really wish my students would actually study the classics, instead of current gossip magazines. Maybe then my job would be a little easier.
DeleteRussell, you're full of it!
ReplyDeleteAre you black?
Does it really matter?
Delete