quick thought... April 25th, 2007 - 3:01PM
David Hoggard: […] “I am convinced that the discipline disparities showing up in school have a lot more to do with wealth than race. I am just as convinced that, on the whole, black parents want their children to be just as successful as any other student. But the difficult-to-tackle reality is that there are many more poor black families in our community than other ethnicities. Until that changes, progress on improving overall school behavior will be difficult.” […]
Tags: AfricanAmerican, change, children, community, David Hoggard, education, Greensboro, poverty, reality.
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To be clear, my provocative title isn’t suggesting anarchy or rioting in the streets.
What it is suggesting is that poverty doesn’t explicitly occur because of laziness. This country was built on the backs of slaves and the very first signifier of wealth — that has been passed on down through generations since then — has been claimed land of the pre-industrial era and free-labored industry in the south.
Ever since then, yeah, things have “equaled out” as some like to believe. Opportunities are out there for anyone in America to capitalize on. One problem: Adam Smith didn’t figure correctly that self-interest is either the best approach or a common trait through all people.
Why?
Because institutionalized and labeled people have a hell of a lot more to fight through than just getting out of bed.
That’s not a free pass for individuals to not try to better themselves and their children; it’s just a contextual observation.
So, yes, I agree with David. This is a real issue that needs to be addressed. The elephant in the room is “how” and whether or not we can be real with solutions.
Both on an individual and societal level.