For everyone arguing the whole "boot straps" vs "systemic racism" thing, can't it be a bit of both?
I taught high school in the inner city before I joined the Navy. If I was counseling an individual person, I would tell them that they have the power within their own lives to make changes for the better. I think that is true for everyone. To a certain extent, people do have to pull themselves up. I also think people should be held accountable for their actions and can't just blame the system on everything bad that happens to them.
But at the same time and in the public policy realm, we have to acknowledge the systemic issues that have plagued the US and figure out ways to move forward. I don’t think there is anything wrong with acknowledging that the black experience in America is different than the white one, even today. We have to work towards changing that somehow. What @DanMa1156 was saying earlier about class ranks for example makes a lot of sense.
The kids I taught that were at the top of their class were so disadvantaged compared to the middle of the road kids where I went to high school. They may have had lower ACT scores than the kids at my high school, but as a college admissions officer, I might take one of the kids I taught instead. They had achieved so much with a lot less.
I taught high school in the inner city before I joined the Navy. If I was counseling an individual person, I would tell them that they have the power within their own lives to make changes for the better. I think that is true for everyone. To a certain extent, people do have to pull themselves up. I also think people should be held accountable for their actions and can't just blame the system on everything bad that happens to them.
But at the same time and in the public policy realm, we have to acknowledge the systemic issues that have plagued the US and figure out ways to move forward. I don’t think there is anything wrong with acknowledging that the black experience in America is different than the white one, even today. We have to work towards changing that somehow. What @DanMa1156 was saying earlier about class ranks for example makes a lot of sense.
The kids I taught that were at the top of their class were so disadvantaged compared to the middle of the road kids where I went to high school. They may have had lower ACT scores than the kids at my high school, but as a college admissions officer, I might take one of the kids I taught instead. They had achieved so much with a lot less.