Racism / Classism on DCurbanmom trolls or true?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm tired of trying to engage in these race-focused arguments without any sort of end. At the end of the day I will make school choices that I decide are best for my child, not society. Dozens of variables come into play, including the demographic make-up of a student body. That's just how it is.

sorry you don't get a pass. "best for my child" can reflect racism. why do you think white parents in the south resisted integration? they mostly weren't out lynching black people, but they absolutely did think segregation was the "best for my child."

I don't need a pass.

[Anonymous]

the bottom line is always the SES. Every single study shows that schools with signigicant concectrations of poverty have much higher rates of violence and other bahvioral issues. On top of the fact that kids from high poverty homes are almost always behind (this is not a race issues, my family is from WV and there is no way in hell I would send them to those all white redneck schools either). This isnt about trolling OP (what a dumb assumption), its about the facts of poverty and DCPS failing to realize they are also failing their brightest students.

[Anonymous]

also, no parent who actually cares about their kids wakes up and thinks "Wow, I hope my kid attends a school that is almost all poor kids, it will so good for larla to experience that!" how dense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:the bottom line is always the SES. Every single study shows that schools with signigicant concectrations of poverty have much higher rates of violence and other bahvioral issues. On top of the fact that kids from high poverty homes are almost always behind (this is not a race issues, my family is from WV and there is no way in hell I would send them to those all white redneck schools either). This isnt about trolling OP (what a dumb assumption), its about the facts of poverty and DCPS failing to realize they are also failing their brightest students.

I agree that it's poverty more than race, but please consider that you are in DC. There are almost no school children in DC who are living in poverty who are white. You can have the conversation in different ways in different areas, but when you are talking about DCPS, race and class stand as proxies for each other. Yes, I'm perfectly well aware of the many middle class Black families in DC with children. It's still next to impossible to extricate race and class in this city.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:also, no parent who actually cares about their kids wakes up and thinks "Wow, I hope my kid attends a school that is almost all poor kids, it will so good for larla to experience that!" how dense.

I don't think any parent wakes up thinking that - whether they "care about their kids" or not. I do think that when parents are fretting over the lottery and they live in, say, Brookland, they make sure to put every.single.charter on their list and when asked about their in-bounds school, most of them will either say that it's "not an option" or that it's "fine for early childhood."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You realize the word racist is practically meaningless at this point, right? It's been used so freely as a means to guilt and label and shut down honest discussion that it's worthless.

I agree, and I think that's unfortunate because it robs the accusation of the power it needs to confront true evil racism.

again please educate yourself about the meaning of racial discrimination and unconscious bias. Racism does not mean white hoods. It means historical, institutional poverty and lack of access to resources, which is very much compounded in a tiny, gentrifying city like DC with massive racial disparities. Most liberal white folks live in a white bubble and don't have to contfront it, but in DC schools become an unavoidable crucible. Hence you see "liberal" white people literally freaking the f out at the idea that their elementary school could be integrated with a black school (true story, happened just this year on the Hill.)

Totally agree!!!

racism means institutional poverty and a lack of access to resources are you kidding me lol

like other posters i'm done here

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You realize the word racist is practically meaningless at this point, right? It's been used so freely as a means to guilt and label and shut down honest discussion that it's worthless.

I agree, and I think that's unfortunate because it robs the accusation of the power it needs to confront true evil racism.

again please educate yourself about the meaning of racial discrimination and unconscious bias. Racism does not mean white hoods. It means historical, institutional poverty and lack of access to resources, which is very much compounded in a tiny, gentrifying city like DC with massive racial disparities. Most liberal white folks live in a white bubble and don't have to contfront it, but in DC schools become an unavoidable crucible. Hence you see "liberal" white people literally freaking the f out at the idea that their elementary school could be integrated with a black school (true story, happened just this year on the Hill.)

There is truth to this view of society in the United States, but with respect to the issue we're discussing, "the resource" you feel is segregated is very highly educated parents. This resource is not owned wholly by white people, but tends to be white considering the makeup of our city. Indeed, I'd hazard a guess that most if not all very highly educated black parents are not sending their kids to 80% below grade level DCPS schools, either. This reality negates (almost) completely the charges of racism that are thrown out so casually on this board, but this will not change considering that aggrieved people tend to have a lot of difficulty releasing their anger even in situations where the grievance does not fit. And further, because this is true, politicians and other appointed authorities who might be able to make changes in DCPS policy have an extra difficult time doing it.

They aren't sending their kids to schools in PG county either. So does that make these black people racist against their own race

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You realize the word racist is practically meaningless at this point, right? It's been used so freely as a means to guilt and label and shut down honest discussion that it's worthless.

I agree, and I think that's unfortunate because it robs the accusation of the power it needs to confront true evil racism.

again please educate yourself about the meaning of racial discrimination and unconscious bias. Racism does not mean white hoods. It means historical, institutional poverty and lack of access to resources, which is very much compounded in a tiny, gentrifying city like DC with massive racial disparities. Most liberal white folks live in a white bubble and don't have to contfront it, but in DC schools become an unavoidable crucible. Hence you see "liberal" white people literally freaking the f out at the idea that their elementary school could be integrated with a black school (true story, happened just this year on the Hill.)

There is truth to this view of society in the United States, but with respect to the issue we're discussing, "the resource" you feel is segregated is very highly educated parents. This resource is not owned wholly by white people, but tends to be white considering the makeup of our city. Indeed, I'd hazard a guess that most if not all very highly educated black parents are not sending their kids to 80% below grade level DCPS schools, either. This reality negates (almost) completely the charges of racism that are thrown out so casually on this board, but this will not change considering that aggrieved people tend to have a lot of difficulty releasing their anger even in situations where the grievance does not fit. And further, because this is true, politicians and other appointed authorities who might be able to make changes in DCPS policy have an extra difficult time doing it.

Huh, what? No, the "resource" is neighborhood schools. Not white people. Where did you get that? The situation for educated white and black parents is obviously different vis a vis racism, but if wealthy black parents in large numbers are refusing to use their neighborhood schools, then that continues to be an issue of class and gentrification. Just likely much less hypocritical.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm tired of trying to engage in these race-focused arguments without any sort of end. At the end of the day I will make school choices that I decide are best for my child, not society. Dozens of variables come into play, including the demographic make-up of a student body. That's just how it is.

sorry you don't get a pass. "best for my child" can reflect racism. why do you think white parents in the south resisted integration? they mostly weren't out lynching black people, but they absolutely did think segregation was the "best for my child."

I don't need a pass.

Fine, then we will call you racist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:also, no parent who actually cares about their kids wakes up and thinks "Wow, I hope my kid attends a school that is almost all poor kids, it will so good for larla to experience that!" how dense.

What about the poor parents? That's where the racism/classism is. That in the discourse these parents literally do not exist and/or are worthless and not worth considering.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You realize the word racist is practically meaningless at this point, right? It's been used so freely as a means to guilt and label and shut down honest discussion that it's worthless.

I agree, and I think that's unfortunate because it robs the accusation of the power it needs to confront true evil racism.

again please educate yourself about the meaning of racial discrimination and unconscious bias. Racism does not mean white hoods. It means historical, institutional poverty and lack of access to resources, which is very much compounded in a tiny, gentrifying city like DC with massive racial disparities. Most liberal white folks live in a white bubble and don't have to contfront it, but in DC schools become an unavoidable crucible. Hence you see "liberal" white people literally freaking the f out at the idea that their elementary school could be integrated with a black school (true story, happened just this year on the Hill.)

Totally agree!!!

racism means institutional poverty and a lack of access to resources are you kidding me lol

like other posters i'm done here

Bye bye. Just don't go storming your Title I Principal's office and demand that they start catering to your "advanced" child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm tired of trying to engage in these race-focused arguments without any sort of end. At the end of the day I will make school choices that I decide are best for my child, not society. Dozens of variables come into play, including the demographic make-up of a student body. That's just how it is.

sorry you don't get a pass. "best for my child" can reflect racism. why do you think white parents in the south resisted integration? they mostly weren't out lynching black people, but they absolutely did think segregation was the "best for my child."

I don't need a pass.

Fine, then we will call you racist.

Fine. That terms is meaningless anyway because people like you love to just sling it around.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:the bottom line is always the SES. Every single study shows that schools with signigicant concectrations of poverty have much higher rates of violence and other bahvioral issues. On top of the fact that kids from high poverty homes are almost always behind (this is not a race issues, my family is from WV and there is no way in hell I would send them to those all white redneck schools either). This isnt about trolling OP (what a dumb assumption), its about the facts of poverty and DCPS failing to realize they are also failing their brightest students.

A) why are you assuming that the "brightest students" are always the high SES ones?
B) in the context of this discussion, gentrification is impossible to ignore. the fact is a large proportion of DCUM posters CHOSE to move to their neighborhoods, where the "low SES" people live. It becomes quite ugly and questionable when not only do they take over the neighborhood real estate, but also demand to take over the schools as well. You don't get to both live in your nice urban neighborhood, enjoy the property appreciation, AND ignore the fact that people were there before you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You realize the word racist is practically meaningless at this point, right? It's been used so freely as a means to guilt and label and shut down honest discussion that it's worthless.

I agree, and I think that's unfortunate because it robs the accusation of the power it needs to confront true evil racism.

again please educate yourself about the meaning of racial discrimination and unconscious bias. Racism does not mean white hoods. It means historical, institutional poverty and lack of access to resources, which is very much compounded in a tiny, gentrifying city like DC with massive racial disparities. Most liberal white folks live in a white bubble and don't have to contfront it, but in DC schools become an unavoidable crucible. Hence you see "liberal" white people literally freaking the f out at the idea that their elementary school could be integrated with a black school (true story, happened just this year on the Hill.)

Totally agree!!!

racism means institutional poverty and a lack of access to resources are you kidding me lol

like other posters i'm done here

Ok so, why do you think black people as a group have less wealth, worst employment prospects, higher infant and maternal mortality, and poorer educational outcomes? Nothing at all to do with race?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Huh, what? No, the "resource" is neighborhood schools. Not white people. Where did you get that? The situation for educated white and black parents is obviously different vis a vis racism, but if wealthy black parents in large numbers are refusing to use their neighborhood schools, then that continues to be an issue of class and gentrification. Just likely much less hypocritical.

If wealthy white parents refuse to use their neighborhood school, you call that racism. But if wealthy black parents make the same choice, you call that an issue of "class and gentrification." Sounds to me like you're making a lot of inconsistent judgments about other people based on nothing but their skin color.