The Partisan Divide on Issues

[Bob Butler 54]

(07-11-2020, 10:16 PM)Classic-Xer Wrote: Well, if the current liberal trend continues, the liberals won't have cops to use as political pawns for them to make examples of in front of their base or blame or pick on as they please like they still kind of have available to them right now. Yes. if only the lowly blacks and other lowly folks only had better parents, better teachers, better leaders, better role models, better communities and a better overall environment like most other Americans they'd have a better chance at succeeding. living a better life and a better chance at survival. So, what are you going to do about them as their numbers continue to grow and your barriers begin to disappear and the bulk of us who can read the writing on wall are gone and living with us.

My sister taught first grade in a fairly affluent Boston suburb.  Included among her students were blacks with a success oriented culture that fit in with the white students well enough, but would still have to endure the prejudices of many.  Still, they presented no great challenges or difference from the other local students.

But she also had occasional students bussed out from Boston urban areas.  She explained it this way.  The people who had the greatest status and success visible to these young were star athletes, star performers, drug pushers, and mothers.  Thus, many pursued preparation to pursue these careers.

Now becoming a big time entertainer or athlete is a long shot.  One is apt to not be able to compete, or at best play a minor supporting role or get involved in a minor local act.  The other roles are less than desirable, but are still the only ‘success’ that is visible to a minority person growing up.  By bussing a few kids out to the affluent suburbs, they are at least exposed to the idea of a good education and work ethic could lead to a more ordinary and helpful role in the culture.  They choose kids who are already half way there, kids with the ethic to work hard and the intelligence to succeed.

One problem with that is the presumption that all blacks have the ghetto mind set.  Some people are prejudiced, set in their ways, and making it difficult or impossible for minorities to succeed.  Many are small government fans, making it difficult to equalize the school or even home environments.  Too many, small government is a racist tool, a way to prevent white tax money from serving the black community.  As long as this mentality persists, that people “read the writing on the wall” they help to perpetuate the problem.

And it is not that a well to do kid from the suburb never works at becoming a star athlete or entertainer.  That temptation is there for all kids.  It is just that the parents and the culture better ready the kid for a soft landing should there be failure in the low possibility of success in the dream.

But a key element is the racist presumption that all minority kids are the same and that resources should be hoarded to the dominant culture. To some degree you can work for success in spite of the attempts to monopolize culture and deny access.  It is impossible to achieve success if there is a large subculture attempting to isolate and deny resources.