Re: The Portrayal of Blacks in Popular Media

Aw, I'm sure you'd find some way to agree with it, whatever it was.

Don't bet any money on it.

For the edification of Snood the Paranoid, the "Caucasian" thread was an outgrowth of a political thread in which McGentrix described himself as a caucasion, and hilarity ensued. Too bad you see everything through your race-colored glasses. This is an interesting thread, though, despite your participation.

Aidan did not see fit to reply to my post on the Kansas City HIgh Schools, which by federal court order received more money than any city system had received for years and still did not raise test scores after ten years of pouring in Millions of dollars( one and a half billion extra).

This, of course, is a powerful arguement which shoots down the "if we only spent enough money" myth.

Again, one of the answers may be to try to change the culture based in the inner cities. A large majority of the African-Americans in the inner city do not respect education and look on it as a "white" thing. Indeed, Bill Cosby has exoriated the "victimology" of the inner-city blacks.

The Asian minority has performed extraordinarily well. They are an identifiable minority yet they outperform everyone in school and on tests, as a group. They have better SAT's and GPA's on average than Blacks, Latinos and Whites.

The African-American has been sold a bill of goods by the race merchants- Jesse, Al, and Farrakhan. They have been told that they cannot succeed because of racism. They look on themselves as victims.

A respected Black Columnist, Leonard Pitts, has written an article that can be found in the Chicago Tribune--11/29/2005 - title
"White Flight-in the wrong direction"

In this column, Pittts tells of white parents who are pulling their kids out of elite high schools, schools know for sending graduates to the nation's top colleges. THEY ARE DOING THIS BECAUSE THE SCHOOLS ARE TOO ACADEMICALLY RIGOROUS, TOO NARROWLY FOCUSED ON SUBJECT MATTER LIKE MATH AND SCIENCE......TOO ASIAN.

Pitts writes:

"I have no idea why Asian kids tend to lap the field, academically speaking. I do know that it has nothing to do with the simple fact of being Asian, and more than the fact of being black makes you a great basketball player. TO ATTAIN PROFICIENCY IN ANY FIELD, IT HELPS TO WANT THAT PROFICIENCY AND TO BELONG TO A CULTURE THAT\
REWARDS IT. We strive for the things we deem important."
end of quote

Another vote for Asian culture as a good model for those who wish to achieve academically.

Snood wants to get back to the "subject"

very well. Below is a hilarious take on the current movies by Mark Styne, syndicated columnist.

quote:

"Say what you like about those Hollywood writers of the thirties and forties, but they were serious lefties. Their successors are mostly poseurs loudly trumpeting thier courageous "dissent" wjhile paralyzed into inanity. This year's Sean Penn thriller, "The Interpreter" was ORIGINALLY about MUSLIM terrorists blowing up a bus in New York. So, naturally, Hollywood called rewrite. And instead the bush got blown up by African Terrorists from the little-known republic of Matobo"

end of quote

Incidentally, one of the most ridiculous concessions to "political correctness"in the Movies was the recent role of the omnipresent Morgan Freeman in "Batman Returns". We are led to believe that he is a genius in a variety of subjects. As a matter of fact, if Batman Returns took place in the years before 1992, there were only 4 blacks who earned PhD's in 1992. 51 Asians completed a Phd. degree in Math that year. In the same year, there were only 5 blacks who got a PhD in Computer Science, while 86 Asians did so.

If Hollywood wishes to convince us of the verisimilitude of their films, they really should have made Dr.Fox( Morgan Freeman's scientific genius character) an Asian.

But Hollywood doesn't care about verisimilitude, it cares about Political Correctness.

But Mortkat - I did reply to your post about the Kansas City High situation (in general) when I said it's ridiculous to continue throwing money at a situation in which attitudes are the factor that need to be changed.

I also allowed that attitudes on both sides need to be changed if we are to see any real progress in our schools.

I agree, Asians seem to have it down - and I'm not being sarcastic or belittling. I respect and appreciate the hard work and diligence I see Asian students expending. And I agree if all students adopted their study and work habits, we'd see a big change. By the way, at least some of the parents you see taking their kids out of those highschools that focus on science and math are white - Asian kids have surpassed whites in most areas of study, but especially in the sciences and maths, and it rankles.

Mortkat - Morgan Freeman is an actor. He has a wonderful, soothing voice and presence. He exudes kindness and protectiveness. I didn't see Batman Returns - so I have no idea what character he played-but I can bet it was a reasonably good guy who observed astutely and took care of things. Whatever else he's not a genius at , he's a genius at playing those roles. I think that's probably why he's chosen for them - not because he has a PhD in the same field his character supposedly does. If that was a requirement - most actors would be pretty much out of work.

For an amusing departure in terms of Morgan Freeman - watch "Nurse Betty". No imaginary PhD's there.

And you didn't answer my question about whether you're still teaching or not.

Aidan - Noel Epstein examines the myriad of functions public schools have taken on in the past century or so. It makes one wonder if these are burdens that hinder teachers and administrators in focusing on academic goals.

Of Reading, Writing....and Raising Kids

Thanks, it IS an interesting thread - and since I started it, it would be kind of non-existent without "my participation". It could do without yours. I will take your stupid remark about "race-colored glasses" with a grain of salt, since you also think "people around here are obsessed with race lately".

You just love that word "bloviate"--a recent discovery of yours?

snood, you might want to run through this time line:

http://www.liu.edu/cwis/cwp/library/african/movies.htm

JustWonders- interesting article, and it paints an accurate picture. Sadly, I can definitely see the need for the school as community center open until 9:00 at night, but at the very least it would be helpful to a lot of students to have after school homework help. A lot of parents, regardless of race and socioeconomic status, don't remember how to do Algebra and Geometry, much less higher maths and sciences so even if they wanted to help their kids with homework and made themselves available, they're not able to do so in certain subjects past a certain level. Enter the tutor. But depending on where you live, tutors charge $20.00 and up an hour. You can begin to see how greater available disposable income often correlates to better grades.

thank You, Letty. I promise to look at this when I get a moment...

Hey, I got on the air at WA2K today!

Okay, snood, what was the occasion for your appearance on WA2K? LOL

It was a command performance - Letty asked me to come by.

By invitation, yet. Good on ya.

aidan- I am not teaching anymore. I taught on all levels, elementary, High School and College and have not taught for the last seven years.

I am happy that you do give Asians their due. I am not Asian. When I have posted similar topics on other venue, I have been called a racist. A racist, of course, believes that his race is better than all of the rest which are somehow inherently flawed. My race is Caucasian not Asian but I think the Asians are the minority to be emulated.

Again, I must point out that the characterists of Blacks in the ghetto are almost directly antagonistic to schooling. The all day school won't help. It is only when Blacks begin to lose the victimology schtick, that they can make progress. African-Americans have succeeded--usually by abandoning the dulling effects of the ghetto mentality.

Some would say that the African-American, especially those in the ghetto are in such a bad situation that they could never achieve academically.

They are much better off than the Chinese in the far east who live in countries outside China.

Thomas Sowell, in his landmark study, Race and Culture, characterizes the Chinese who live in countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia as "The Jews of Asia". In countries like Malaysia and Indonesia, the Chinese are discriminated against not only DE FACTO but DEJURE and yet they are among the most successful inhabitants of those countries.

Why? The Chinese culture.

There is nothing stopping Blacks from changing their culture and emulating those in our society who are successful.

The first thing they must do is to shut their ears to the race merchants like Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton and Minister Farrakhan. Bill Cosby, Shelby Steele, and Thomas Sowell are successful African-Americans who have pointed out the way to success.

aidan- The government, both federal and state, have been throwing money at the inner city for at least thirty five years----there has been no improvement--the debilitating culture of the ghetto( which, infortunately some middle class blacks adopt) must change.

That means shutting out such icons as Snoop Doggy Dog, 50 Cent and all of the other ghetto garbage.

It won't happen and when you are twenty five years older, aidan, the Afican-American will still be at the bottom of the Socio-economic ladder, far behind Asians, and, incidentally, passed up by Hispanics.

snood, i think by now you would have a good idea of where i stand on this issue.

Hurummmph!