shootermcgavin7
05-22-2005, 11:58 AM
I came across this today in a book on Social/Race economics and I thought it was pretty interesting. Everyone else on this board besides myself might find it incredibly boring, and if that is the case, you can all go to hell, I'm posting it anyway:
These are the true stories of two boys, one boy is white, the second boy is black.
The white boy is raised in suburban Chicago by parents who read widely and involve themselves in school reform. His father, who has a decent manufacturing job, often takes the boy on nature hikes. His mother is a housewife who will eventually go back to college and earn a bachelor's degree in education. The boy is happy and performs very well in school. His teachers think he may be a bona fide mathematical genius. His parents are encouraging and are terribly proud when he skips a grade. He has a younger brother who is also very intelligent. The family even holds literary salons in their home.
The black boy is born in Daytona Beach, FL, and his mother abandons him at the age of two. His father had a good job in sales, but is a heavy drinker. He often beats the little boy with the metal end of a garden hose. One night when the boy is 11, he is decorating a tabletop Christmas tree - the first one he has ever had - when his father starts beating up a lady friend in the kitchen. He hits her so hard that some teeth fly out of her mouth and land at the base of the boy's Christmas tree, but the boy knows better than to speak up. At school he makes no effort whatsoever. Before long he is carrying a gun and mugging suburbanites. He makes sure to be asleep by the time his father returns home from drinking, and to be out of the house before the father awakes. The father eventually goes to jail for sexual assault. By the age of 12, the boy is virtually fending for himself.
Which of these boys has a chance of succeeding in life?
Amazingly, both children made it to Harvard.
The black boy who was beaten went to a local college, went to Penn St and then Harvard with a PhD in economics. He recently wrote a paper called "The Economics of 'Acting White'" in which he examines the disincentives placed on learning by urban culture. He is well established and considered an expert in the field, at the age of 28.
The white boy also made it to Harvard, and is also very famous. He is Ted Kaczynski.
These are the true stories of two boys, one boy is white, the second boy is black.
The white boy is raised in suburban Chicago by parents who read widely and involve themselves in school reform. His father, who has a decent manufacturing job, often takes the boy on nature hikes. His mother is a housewife who will eventually go back to college and earn a bachelor's degree in education. The boy is happy and performs very well in school. His teachers think he may be a bona fide mathematical genius. His parents are encouraging and are terribly proud when he skips a grade. He has a younger brother who is also very intelligent. The family even holds literary salons in their home.
The black boy is born in Daytona Beach, FL, and his mother abandons him at the age of two. His father had a good job in sales, but is a heavy drinker. He often beats the little boy with the metal end of a garden hose. One night when the boy is 11, he is decorating a tabletop Christmas tree - the first one he has ever had - when his father starts beating up a lady friend in the kitchen. He hits her so hard that some teeth fly out of her mouth and land at the base of the boy's Christmas tree, but the boy knows better than to speak up. At school he makes no effort whatsoever. Before long he is carrying a gun and mugging suburbanites. He makes sure to be asleep by the time his father returns home from drinking, and to be out of the house before the father awakes. The father eventually goes to jail for sexual assault. By the age of 12, the boy is virtually fending for himself.
Which of these boys has a chance of succeeding in life?
Amazingly, both children made it to Harvard.
The black boy who was beaten went to a local college, went to Penn St and then Harvard with a PhD in economics. He recently wrote a paper called "The Economics of 'Acting White'" in which he examines the disincentives placed on learning by urban culture. He is well established and considered an expert in the field, at the age of 28.
The white boy also made it to Harvard, and is also very famous. He is Ted Kaczynski.