Reply to Help me Edit: Response to Brookings Report

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=jsteele][quote=Anonymous][quote=jsteele][quote=Anonymous]yes, exactly. A lot of the books that have come out this year (How to Be Anti-racist, Caste) are about exactly this. It's really understandable that people get defensive when they think they are being "called a segregationist." this year has been a long journey of trying to get people to face instead that they are participating in a racist system. it's a subtle difference but maybe one that can relieve some of that defensiveness.[/quote]

To an extent I agree with you and I acknowledge that I probably should have viewed things more in this light. However, with regard to this report, I think its research is extremely shoddy, doesn't support the conclusions, and both ignores and reveals the obvious. Because the research is so light and flawed, what stands out are the allegations that are repeated throughout the report about supporting segregation. Perhaps the authors could have made their point without using such a loaded term? Is there really any justification for using such a term toward people who have chosen to remain in DC public schools rather than fleeing for private or the suburbs? [b]Why antagonize the very folks with whom you must partner to find a solution?[/b]
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Jeff, this reaction is white fragility in action. You can do better.[/quote]

You may be correct that it is white fragility, but it is also reality. If people are interested in hard truths, it is a simple fact that [b]this sort of language alienates your most likely allies.[/b] Why accuse people who didn't choose private schools and who didn't flee to the suburbs of supporting segregation? What solution does that help achieve?
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You feel alienated by it; that is clear. I understand that it is hard to find yourself the object of study and even harder when you think the study is poorly done (although note that the subjects of studies typically feel those studies are poorly done).

But you have a fairly powerful venue as the host of this site and what you are doing here is demurring about that power by raising concerns about what other people will think and do. The actions you take here, or do not take, set the tone and standard of the conversation on DCUM, and one of the implications of this study is that DCUM is important.

So far, you have been clear that your line is at openly racist invective--you delete it, and I'm glad you do. There are other actions you could take, including requiring people to use logins (not even real names!), that would have a powerful influence on the tone and would introduce some level of accountability into the conversation.  [/quote]

I doubt he’s the only one who feels alienated. I get that this might be white fragility, but after a year like this one, the righteousness around perfect wholeness is tiresome. We don’t live in ward 3 and I remain critical of that group, at least in the sense of not giving them a ton of credit for their nobility in sticking with dcps. But, I also am weary of knowing that basically no matter what we do we’ll never meet the standards of critics, so why bother?

You can take issue with that but collectively all the folks work out by being called racist at every turn probably feel like me, and Jeff, and now feel fine about doing absolutely nothing going forward to solve this particular issue. You perfectionists can do that, I will just keep doing what seems best for my kids. [/quote]

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