Why You Be Blaming Me?

[Luis Gonzalez]

Why You Be Blaming Me?
By Luis Gonzalez
The Last Wire

Speaking to 1.200 graduating High School seniors in Topeka Kansas on the 60th anniversary of the groundbreaking Brown vs. Board of Education Supreme Court ruling, Michelle Obama spoke of the growing segregation in post-MLK America.

TOPEKA, Kan. — Sixty years after the Supreme Court outlawed “separate but equal” schools for blacks and whites, civil rights advocates say American schools are becoming increasingly segregated, while the first lady, Michelle Obama, lamented that “many young people are going to schools with kids who look just like them.”

“Today, by some measures, our schools are as segregated as they were back when Dr. King gave his final speech,” Mrs. Obama told 1,200 graduating high school seniors Friday here in the city that gave rise to the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case.

In a speech that was part commencement address, part policy pronouncement and part journey into her own past, Mrs. Obama said that Brown’s advances were being reversed. “Many districts in this country have actually pulled back on efforts to integrate their schools, and many communities have become less diverse,” she said, leading to schools that are less diverse.

“And too often,” Mrs. Obama said, “those schools aren't equal, especially ones attended by students of color which too often lag behind.”

~~~

“I think about my mother, who, as a little girl, went to segregated schools in Chicago and felt the sting of discrimination,” she said. “I think about my husband’s grandparents, white folks born and raised right here in Kansas — products themselves of segregation,” who helped raise a biracial grandson.

“And then,” Mrs. Obama said, “I think about how that child grew up to be the president of the United States, and how today, that little girl from Chicago is helping to raise her granddaughters in the White House.”

You can read the entire article here, and if you do, you may notice the absence of a few words very pertinent to a dialogue centered around the growing segregation in a post-MLK America.

I wholeheartedly agree with Mrs. Obama, but we may not see eye-to-eye on the reason for this growing segregation.

Michelle Obama and others of her mindset wish to paint a picture of an America slowly skulking back to segregation, but that is not the case at all, and all one has to do to understand that is to look around. Once you do that, you may realize what those missing words in the article are.

~~~

Continue reading at The Last Wire

 

[truth_seeker]

Some of the highest expenditures per student, occur in largely minority districts, yet they perform miserably.

No wonder with 72% of blacks today born outside wedlock. That figure alone, is the biggest single factor predicting subpar life outcomes (school dropouts, jail, drug/alcohol addictions, parenting more out of wedlock children).

Too back our first black President and his wife haven't made positive steps to face those realities. Instead they foment ignorance of the truths, wasting time on school diets, and giving blacks break after break, blaming whitey for their troubles.

MLK probably rolls in his grave.

[mountaineer]

Good essay, Luis. 

[MACVSOG68]

Outstanding Luis.  I wish you could post that on DU, KOS, or Huffpo.  Those are the folks who really need to face and digest that perspective.  They would all reject it out of hand, but many would start thinking about it hours, maybe days later. 

But they would remember it.

[DCPatriot]

Love it Luis.

It's worthy of being at the TOP of American Thinker.   

[alicewonders]

Another great article Luis!

Michelle fails to go on to say that in spite of past segregations and discriminations, both she and Barack were able to advance themselves to achieve very good educations and jobs. 

[Chieftain]

I'm not blaming you.  I said it's your fault.....

 

[Bigun]

GREAT job Luis!

EXCELLENT in fact!

If we are indeed falling back into a segregated America it is because of what white liberals have imposed on us and the choices we make as a result!

[Luis Gonzalez]

I'm not blaming you.  I said it's your fault.....

 

You've been arguing with my wife?

[Luis Gonzalez]

Another great article Luis!

Michelle fails to go on to say that in spite of past segregations and discriminations, both she and Barack were able to advance themselves to achieve very good educations and jobs.

Here are some numbers that may startle some:



When you look at those numbers, and take into consideration the absolute state of chaos of the black American family, you have to understand that they simply need to get their house in order to earn for themselves an equal portion of America's bounty.

There will NEVER be "economic equality" in America so long as the black American culture acts as a separate culture within the American culture. or so long as they accept the role of mendicants in the American culture.

[Luis Gonzalez]

Outstanding Luis.  I wish you could post that on DU, KOS, or Huffpo.  Those are the folks who really need to face and digest that perspective.  They would all reject it out of hand, but many would start thinking about it hours, maybe days later. 

But they would remember it.

We'll have an over/under on how long the post stays up if I link it to a response there.

[Luis Gonzalez]

Love it Luis.

It's worthy of being at the TOP of American Thinker.   

Thanks for the compliment my friend.

I wouldn't even know how to submit it.

[massadvj]

I agree with just about everything you say.  But as your chart shows, there is a substantial African-American middle class, and it is growing.  One of the highest growth ethnic market segments of the past few decades has been the African-American upper middle class.  So the picture isn't entirely negative.  There has been upward mobility among a significant portion of this ethnic group.  Most of those who have succeeded did so because of government-subsidized programs such as public schools, community colleges and government employment.

I myself am a professor at a state university, and I have advised and taught quite a few disadvantaged minority kids.  For the most part, those that make it are much more traditional, polite, well-groomed and prepared than their Anglo colleagues.  But far more are recidivism statistics.  About 15 percent of the freshman class at my university is African American, but less than five percent of the graduates are.  When we look at the reasons for the high drop-off, the biggest one is that they simply cannot read and write at a level comparable to other college students.  I don't blame the schools.  As you point out, their social structure is failing them.

I think it is the height of disingenuous liberal arrogance for Moochelle to lament the return of "segregation" and ignore the fact that this has happened after two full generations of force-feeding the African-American community the socialist elixir.  Those must be pretty thick blinders she's wearing if she cannot see that her approach to the problem has been an abject failure.  Either that, or she does see it and doesn't care because the system feeds the poverty pimp infrastructure that ensures her empowerment.  I tend to think the latter.

[Luis Gonzalez]

I agree with just about everything you say.  But as your chart shows, there is a substantial African-American middle class, and it is growing.  One of the highest growth ethnic market segments of the past few decades has been the African-American upper middle class.  So the picture isn't entirely negative.  There has been upward mobility among a significant portion of this ethnic group.  Most of those who have succeeded did so because of government-subsidized programs such as public schools, community colleges and government employment.

I myself am a professor at a state university, and I have advised and taught quite a few disadvantaged minority kids.  For the most part, those that make it are much more traditional, polite, well-groomed and prepared than their Anglo colleagues.  But far more are recidivism statistics.  About 15 percent of the freshman class at my university is African American, but less than five percent of the graduates are.  When we look at the reasons for the high drop-off, the biggest one is that they simply cannot read and write at a level comparable to other college students.  I don't blame the schools.  As you point out, their social structure is failing them.

I think it is the height of disingenuous liberal arrogance for Moochelle to lament the return of "segregation" and ignore the fact that this has happened after two full generations of force-feeding the African-American community the socialist elixir.  Those must be pretty thick blinders she's wearing if she cannot see that her approach to the problem has been an abject failure.  Either that, or she does see it and doesn't care because the system feeds the poverty pimp infrastructure that ensures her empowerment.  I tend to think the latter.

I must not have made myself clear... I'm posting on the run today.

That's what I meant to say. The chart is not a negative picture, and what could be seen as negative (the higher percentage of poverty level blacks) is an absolute result of the disintegration of the black family and the disassimilation from American culture.

[truth_seeker]

About 15 percent of the freshman class at my university is African American, but less than five percent of the graduates are.  When we look at the reasons for the high drop-off, the biggest one is that they simply cannot read and write at a level comparable to other college students.  I don't blame the schools.  As you point out, their social structure is failing them.

How do they get into that college, if they are not capable of work at that level?

If the answer is affirmative action, did they displace a better qualified non-minority student?

[massadvj]

How do they get into that college, if they are not capable of work at that level?

If the answer is affirmative action, did they displace a better qualified non-minority student?

We are a state university, so our mission is to reach out to students who would not otherwise be able to get a college degree.  We don't specifically target groups based on ethnicity, but our recruitment is focused on underprivileged areas, so a disproportionate number of minorities are included in the recruitment pool.  We do have "diversity goals," which I find reprehensible, but they are not backed up by any mechanism that provides favoritism to any specific ethnic group.

That said, it is pretty easy to set admission standards in such a way that there is de facto favoritism to one group or another.  For example, if you weight SAT score higher in the admissions process, you are likely to favor upper middle class kids and kids who went to parochial schools.  If you weight GPA higher, you will favor more minorities, because the level of performance necessary to earn a high GPA in an inner city school is not the same as that which is necessary to earn the same GPA in a parochial school.  We use a formula that weights both SAT and GPA, and this results in more minorities getting accepted.  The more elite schools give greater weight to the SAT and either ignore GPA or factor it in less than we do. 

[MACVSOG68]

How do they get into that college, if they are not capable of work at that level?

If the answer is affirmative action, did they displace a better qualified non-minority student?

Even if they are capable of work at that level (which can be argued), if they were picked utilizing affirmative action, then they did displace a better qualified student.  Yes, as Victor points out, they can shift the weights of the qualifiers used so as to favor minorities, but it's still affirmative action and still discriminatory.  Some colleges and universities are better at hiding these "goals", but lipstick on a pig...well...

[Bigun]

Even if they are capable of work at that level (which can be argued), if they were picked utilizing affirmative action, then they did displace a better qualified student.  Yes, as Victor points out, they can shift the weights of the qualifiers used so as to favor minorities, but it's still affirmative action and still discriminatory.  Some colleges and universities are better at hiding these "goals", but lipstick on a pig...well...

I spent in excess of 22 years at a state university similar to the one at which Victor works and can tell you first hand that a very large chunk of money from our budget each year went toward providing remediation for students who had been admitted but could not read or write at a level that would allow them to do university level work and we STILL lost more than half of them!

It is the dirty little secret of the "higher" education establishment in this state and if, as I suspect, it is a microcosm of what goes on everywhere the amount of money spent for that purpose is truly astounding!  Our public schools are, by and large, complete failures!
 

[MACVSOG68]

I spent in excess of 22 years at a state university similar to the one at which Victor works and can tell you first hand that a very large chunk of money from our budget each year went toward providing remediation for students who had been admitted but could not read or write at a level that would allow them to do university level work. It is the dirty little secret of the "higher" education establishment in this state and if, as I suspect, it is a microcosm of what goes on everywhere the amount of money spent for that purpose is truly astounding!  Our public schools are, by and large, complete failures!

Can't argue any of that.  And the sad thing is that liberals know this, but given their obsession with "equality of results" instead of equality of opportunity, along with their "white guilt", they justify such crap.  And they do it very easily.  "We owe them" is the catchphrase of the white liberal; "They owe us" is the rallying cry of the minority.

And together they can create yet another failing generation.

[240B]

That is why whenever I deal with the gobbermint, when they ask about race (which they always do) I always check the Black box. Or Indian or something.
 
They way American society is today, it would be stupid to tell them you are White. The disparity and advantage given to any not White or Asian or Jewish is so extreme that if you tell them you are a White, you immediately go to the bottom of the list, no matter what you are dealing with concerning government.
 
So, I am officially Black. Or Mexican. Or Indian. or something. The only thing for sure is that I am definitely NOT White. That would be suicide.
 
Funny thing is that when I show up, the people are so roboticly politically correct that they can't tell me that I am not Black.
 
All I have to do is to shout back, "Hey man what the hell do you mean by telling me I'm not Black! We're playing Liberal make believe LA LA land. I can be Black or a woman or any damned thing I want to be. And you have to shut up and take it. Those are the Liberal rules, you freakin fool."

[PzLdr]

That is why whenever I deal with the gobbermint, when they ask about race (which they always do) I always check the Black box. Or Indian or something.
 
They way American society is today, it would be stupid to tell them you are White. The disparity and advantage given to any not White or Asian or Jewish is so extreme that if you tell them you are a White, you immediately go to the bottom of the list, no matter what you are dealing with concerning government.
 
So, I am officially Black. Or Mexican. Or Indian. or something. The only thing for sure is that I am definitely NOT White. That would be suicide.
 
Funny thing is that when I show up, the people are so roboticly politically correct that they can't tell me that I am not Black.
 
All I have to do is to shout back, "Hey man what the hell do you mean by telling me I'm not Black! We're playing Liberal make believe LA LA land. I can be Black or a woman or any damned thing I want to be. And you have to shut up and take it. Those are the Liberal rules, you freakin fool."

When I hit the Race question, I usually fill in 'Human'. If I'm in a particularly puckish mood, I'll write '440 hurdles'

[massadvj]

Even if they are capable of work at that level (which can be argued), if they were picked utilizing affirmative action, then they did displace a better qualified student.  Yes, as Victor points out, they can shift the weights of the qualifiers used so as to favor minorities, but it's still affirmative action and still discriminatory.  Some colleges and universities are better at hiding these "goals", but lipstick on a pig...well...

Personally, I do not take issue with government institutions favoring people based on economic circumstances, even though doing so would naturally favor minorities.  I usually take issue with federal programs that do it because these matters should not concern the federal government.  If a state university wants to offer lower tuition based on financial need, I am fine with it, so long as the system is color blind.   Most of the private universities base their tuition packages on minority status, academic performance and financial need.  Because of this, a really smart, motivated minority from a poor family can pretty much write his own ticket as far as getting into a prestigious private university.

Ask Barack and Moochelle OPapaDoc about that.

[MACVSOG68]

Personally, I do not take issue with government institutions favoring people based on economic circumstances, even though doing so would naturally favor minorities.  I usually take issue with federal programs that do it because these matters should not concern the federal government.  If a state university wants to offer lower tuition based on financial need, I am fine with it, so long as the system is color blind.   Most of the private universities base their tuition packages on minority status, academic performance and financial need.  Because of this, a really smart, motivated minority from a poor family can pretty much write his own ticket as far as getting into a prestigious private university.

Ask Barack and Moochelle OPapaDoc about that.

I don't take issue with financial needs.  But affirmative action (also known as diversity goals) means acceptance at an institution, not assistance with financing.  And any acceptance which disregards real standards is discriminatory and someone else, better qualified, will be told no simply because of his or her race...or gender.  Again, if a smart motivated minority from a poor family gets through the legitimate screening process and is only provided financial assistance, not related to anything other than ability to pay,  I can live with it.  But as you and I know, that's not the case or goals with affirmative action.

[Luis Gonzalez]

Tonight of The Last Wire

Eternal Sunshine of the Intolerant Mind

See you down 'round Midnight.

[MACVSOG68]

Tonight of The Last Wire

Eternal Sunshine of the Intolerant Mind

See you down 'round Midnight.

Too late for me, but looking forward to it.