Comments on: Today’s moment of irony… http://www.bomanijones.com/blog/2007/08/10/todays-moment-of-irony/ The takeover. The break's over. Thu, 04 Dec 2008 00:46:22 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Tiffany http://www.bomanijones.com/blog/2007/08/10/todays-moment-of-irony/#comment-82285 Tiffany Thu, 16 Aug 2007 17:51:30 +0000 http://www.bomanijones.com/blog/2007/08/10/todays-moment-of-irony/#comment-82285 ETS-none. ETS-none.

]]> By: ETS http://www.bomanijones.com/blog/2007/08/10/todays-moment-of-irony/#comment-82224 ETS Thu, 16 Aug 2007 15:48:25 +0000 http://www.bomanijones.com/blog/2007/08/10/todays-moment-of-irony/#comment-82224 Tiffany, which candidate do you find most superior right now? Tiffany, which candidate do you find most superior right now?

]]> By: Tiffany http://www.bomanijones.com/blog/2007/08/10/todays-moment-of-irony/#comment-81652 Tiffany Wed, 15 Aug 2007 16:13:16 +0000 http://www.bomanijones.com/blog/2007/08/10/todays-moment-of-irony/#comment-81652 ETS-If you notice my post, I never claimed that Black folks accusing others of acting white was a non-issue. My concern is whether its contribution to black underachievement is significant enough to warrant the attention paid to it. One of my professors, Sandy Darity Jr. (also an economist) along with Carolyn Tyson and Dominic Castellino was an investigator on a project entitled “Breeding Animosity: The 'Burden Of Acting White' And Other Problems Of Status Group Hierarchies In Schools". Their study of North Carolina children showed that Black children don't inherently carry a cultural bias towards higher achievement. However, by and large, students often carried biases toward high achieving students (very few of them were race-related). The problem seems to be that the more rich white students were overrepresented in mentally gifted and AP programs, the greater the amount of resentment. Hence, any students that were able to 'cross-over' into the AP-types of classes were seen as interlopers or sellouts. Again, I have yet to see any convincing evidence that the acting white hypothesis can explain even a small portion of black underachievement. But we do know that when income-related disparities, particularly at young ages (a la Head Start) are reduced, this does much to eliminate race-related education gaps. So, knowing this, do we spend/waste our time on the acting white hypothesis or pour resources into what we know works? On a slightly unrelated note (back to Bomani's original post) there's nothing to me (either in his experience or rhetoric) that suggests that Obama will make a superior president. Hence, my ambivalence about voting for him. ETS-If you notice my post, I never claimed that Black folks accusing others of acting white was a non-issue. My concern is whether its contribution to black underachievement is significant enough to warrant the attention paid to it. One of my professors, Sandy Darity Jr. (also an economist) along with Carolyn Tyson and Dominic Castellino was an investigator on a project entitled “Breeding Animosity: The ‘Burden Of Acting White’ And Other Problems Of Status Group Hierarchies In Schools”. Their study of North Carolina children showed that Black children don’t inherently carry a cultural bias towards higher achievement. However, by and large, students often carried biases toward high achieving students (very few of them were race-related). The problem seems to be that the more rich white students were overrepresented in mentally gifted and AP programs, the greater the amount of resentment. Hence, any students that were able to ‘cross-over’ into the AP-types of classes were seen as interlopers or sellouts.

Again, I have yet to see any convincing evidence that the acting white hypothesis can explain even a small portion of black underachievement. But we do know that when income-related disparities, particularly at young ages (a la Head Start) are reduced, this does much to eliminate race-related education gaps. So, knowing this, do we spend/waste our time on the acting white hypothesis or pour resources into what we know works?

On a slightly unrelated note (back to Bomani’s original post) there’s nothing to me (either in his experience or rhetoric) that suggests that Obama will make a superior president. Hence, my ambivalence about voting for him.

]]> By: ETS http://www.bomanijones.com/blog/2007/08/10/todays-moment-of-irony/#comment-81644 ETS Wed, 15 Aug 2007 15:53:40 +0000 http://www.bomanijones.com/blog/2007/08/10/todays-moment-of-irony/#comment-81644 Tiffany, as I'm sure you've studied, the issue of black underachievement is a complex one .... and self-hate among blacks (labeling our own as white for achieving) is one of the reasons. Tiffany, as I’m sure you’ve studied, the issue of black underachievement is a complex one …. and self-hate among blacks (labeling our own as white for achieving) is one of the reasons.

]]> By: Rex http://www.bomanijones.com/blog/2007/08/10/todays-moment-of-irony/#comment-81019 Rex Tue, 14 Aug 2007 23:31:52 +0000 http://www.bomanijones.com/blog/2007/08/10/todays-moment-of-irony/#comment-81019 Obama didn't have the typical American high school experience growing up. "Barry" attended Punahou (a "tough to get into" private school) in Honolulu. I'm sure it painted him as having a silver spoon growing up in some people eyes, and some may feel he can't speak for the "general" population (white or black). But I understand where he's coming from when he says that taking your education seriously as a child or teenager is not something that you should allow to be affected by peer pressure... whether you're called our for "acting white," or "being a geek," or whatever... Obama didn’t have the typical American high school experience growing up. “Barry” attended Punahou (a “tough to get into” private school) in Honolulu. I’m sure it painted him as having a silver spoon growing up in some people eyes, and some may feel he can’t speak for the “general” population (white or black). But I understand where he’s coming from when he says that taking your education seriously as a child or teenager is not something that you should allow to be affected by peer pressure… whether you’re called our for “acting white,” or “being a geek,” or whatever…

]]> By: Tiffany http://www.bomanijones.com/blog/2007/08/10/todays-moment-of-irony/#comment-80747 Tiffany Tue, 14 Aug 2007 15:41:15 +0000 http://www.bomanijones.com/blog/2007/08/10/todays-moment-of-irony/#comment-80747 ETS-I don't necessarily have too many reasons not to vote for him--except for the fact that I do find his occasional metion on the 'acting white' hypothesis as an explanation for black underachievement to rather annoying. I spent my fair share of time studying the evidence for this in graduate school, and I don't find it convincing. I think that saying black kids who talk a certain way are 'acting white' is likely no more prevalent than, say, white kids calling each other nerds or geeks. On a more personal note, I got my fair share of being told that I talked 'too proper', (sort of synonymous at times with 'acting white' some would say) and I'm about to defend my doctoral dissertation. So in short, I can't figure whether or not Obama genuinely believes what he's saying or is catering to his white constituency. (Just to cut out the other objection that I know will arise, I know there are plenty of black folks who think this way too.) ETS-I don’t necessarily have too many reasons not to vote for him–except for the fact that I do find his occasional metion on the ‘acting white’ hypothesis as an explanation for black underachievement to rather annoying. I spent my fair share of time studying the evidence for this in graduate school, and I don’t find it convincing. I think that saying black kids who talk a certain way are ‘acting white’ is likely no more prevalent than, say, white kids calling each other nerds or geeks. On a more personal note, I got my fair share of being told that I talked ‘too proper’, (sort of synonymous at times with ‘acting white’ some would say) and I’m about to defend my doctoral dissertation. So in short, I can’t figure whether or not Obama genuinely believes what he’s saying or is catering to his white constituency. (Just to cut out the other objection that I know will arise, I know there are plenty of black folks who think this way too.)

]]> By: ETS http://www.bomanijones.com/blog/2007/08/10/todays-moment-of-irony/#comment-80744 ETS Tue, 14 Aug 2007 15:34:13 +0000 http://www.bomanijones.com/blog/2007/08/10/todays-moment-of-irony/#comment-80744 Tiffany what's your reason NOT to vote for him!? Tiffany what’s your reason NOT to vote for him!?

]]> By: Tiffany http://www.bomanijones.com/blog/2007/08/10/todays-moment-of-irony/#comment-80722 Tiffany Tue, 14 Aug 2007 14:46:31 +0000 http://www.bomanijones.com/blog/2007/08/10/todays-moment-of-irony/#comment-80722 I have been waiting and hoping that Obama would give me a reason to vote for him (and I'm not the only one). I have been waiting and hoping that Obama would give me a reason to vote for him (and I’m not the only one).

]]> By: ETS http://www.bomanijones.com/blog/2007/08/10/todays-moment-of-irony/#comment-80127 ETS Mon, 13 Aug 2007 16:06:10 +0000 http://www.bomanijones.com/blog/2007/08/10/todays-moment-of-irony/#comment-80127 Very interested in hearing what you conclude about not caring about Obama's speech. Ironically, after hearing him speak at the convention it was the first time I actually DID care ... but I'm pretty sure I know why. Very interested in hearing what you conclude about not caring about Obama’s speech.

Ironically, after hearing him speak at the convention it was the first time I actually DID care … but I’m pretty sure I know why.

]]> By: Lil' Tiffany http://www.bomanijones.com/blog/2007/08/10/todays-moment-of-irony/#comment-78629 Lil' Tiffany Sun, 12 Aug 2007 01:17:52 +0000 http://www.bomanijones.com/blog/2007/08/10/todays-moment-of-irony/#comment-78629 Hi, my name if Tiffany and I'm an internet addicted. I don't believe it's bad as some of the other addictions out there, but there you have it. I wonder if they support groups for this type of thing. Hi, my name if Tiffany and I’m an internet addicted.
I don’t believe it’s bad as some of the other addictions out there, but there you have it.
I wonder if they support groups for this type of thing.

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