| The racism and classism (my kid is "high SES" and keep those "low SES" kids away from mine) is omnipresent on this board. What percentage of it is trolls? What percentage is sincere? |
| True. I know these people in real life. (I try to stay away, just to be clear). |
Yup, very real. |
| The funny thing is, my low SES kid confessed to me that she was earning money getting paid by high SES kids to write some of their essays throughout middle school. |
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Where are you all living?
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NW EOTP |
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I think the vast majority of "higher SES" (i.e. educated middle and upper middle class) people want their kids to go to school with a solid majority of kids of the same SES. A majority (no matter which race) probably also prefer their kid not to be in a tiny minority in terms of race. It's just that people will rarely admit these things unless they are on an anonymous board.
So the reality is that the world is full of such "awful" people, if that's how you judge those preferences. |
We can strive to be better. |
Please explain what's wrong with either of those. -NP |
I'd have more respect for them if they just moved into a neighborhood that reflected the demographics they find acceptable. Most of the "trolls" have options, even if it meant moving to an apartment or :gasp: the suburbs |
I am interested in your use of "them" here. Do you honestly consider yourself free of racism and classism? Can you truly say that neither race nor class played a role in your choice of neighborhood and thus school or charter school? I can say that as I look for schools for my child I know that she will be in the minority as a white child heading for a charter school. And I take some WOTP or Subrban parent's tsk taking with a grain of salt. You made your racist classist choice years ago. I'm making mine now. Are we really all that different? My child will probably be educated with a more diverse cohort than yours. Are you really sure you win the award for less racist? Not so sure. |
They're not rational decisions. Racism and classism are shortcuts we take instead of evaluating things rationally and with true statistical analysis. They lead to segregation and class divide. I suppose I'm assuming most folks here are not Richard Spencer and are against segregation and class divide. |
you have a point. the hypocrisy of gentrifiers who claim to be so liberal but are obsessed with "ses"... |
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Flagrant racism and classicism, my foot. Unfortunately, there isn't much of a middle ground in public schools in this city. Most of the students are either low-income Latinos and AA, or upper middle-class whites. The two groups don't mix all that well in public school classrooms after 1st or 2nd grade for a host of reasons. The bridge group - upper middle-class A professional, mostly bailed to the burbs in the 70s and 80s.
Parents do their best to make sense of the situation, cope and strategize. Give 'em a break. |
I had to think about this a bit.. here's my story. When I first moved into my neighborhood many years ago (a MCPS Red Zone and HOA neighborhood BTW), the "suspected" drug and gang dealers pretty much had the run of the place. Kids didn't play in the playgrounds. Beat downs to initiate new members occurred in the parking lot. You were pretty much worried about walking to your own car. I was assaulted for breaking up a party where young (MS or early HS) kids were being invited over to.. whatever. The cops came to my house once and warned me they confiscated a lot of weapons from the guy on a traffic stop and to be careful. We've had stabbings and shootings down the street, etc. The local MS was dealing with drugs, etc. That wasn't even the MS13 crowd down the road, BTW. Roll forward the clock about 15 years. Today you can't recognize the place. Kids play in the playground. You don't worry about being knifed or shot after dark. Housing prices are up. Do I discriminate who I let my children play with? I'd have to say 'yes'. I don't believe in letting my children play outside after dark. I don't believe in letting ES kids swear (or hear me doing it). I don't believe in partying with adults from 10 to 3 AM while my kids are upstairs in the house. I believe drug dealers and gang members need to steer clear of my family. Is that considered 'classism'? Just curious. |