Monday, April 07, 2014

It's Not My Racism, It's Your Behavior

We can make all the excuses we want for poor behavior, and we can even make the Orwellian claim that punishing bad behavior is "blaming the victim".  Do people really believe that crap, or do they merely say it because the truth sucks too much?  It's hard to believe that bad behavior in school is now a political issue, that it's not common sense to address it head on:
The day before Anderson shot at a rival “crew” member and killed a passenger, the Obama department released data showing that black students are suspended at three times the rate of white students. “The civil-rights industry predictably greeted this information as yet more proof that schools are biased against black students,” writes Mac Donald.

But “behavioral differences, not racism, drive the disparity between black and white student suspensions,” she argues...

“The lack of impulse control that results in such mindless violence on the streets unavoidably shows up in the classroom as well,” writes Mac Donald. “It defies common sense that a group with such high rates of lawlessness outside school would display model behavior inside school.”

The Obama administration’s anti-suspension campaign will undermine school safety, argues Hans Bader, a former attorney in the Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights. He cites a study by University of Cincinnati criminologist John Paul Wright, which found racial disparities in suspensions and discipline are caused by disparities in student behavior.
Suspensions, et. al., are markers of bad behavior that should be corrected, not signs of racism.  Too many suspensions is a sign that too many students are acting in socially unacceptable ways--in other words, they're out of control.

3 comments:

maxutils said...

It's actually the same argument as when women complain that they make fewer cents on the dollar than men do. If the work, experience, and whatever else are the sam, and women get paid less, then you have an argument. And a lawsuit. Show me the white kid who shoots someone and isn't disciplined, and you've got my attention. Until then, please stop making my head hurt, racism mongers...

3rseduc / handsinthesoil said...

I've always wondered, having read similar studies and cases, so we simply ignore behaviors so not to be "racist"? Would Bill Cosby be "racist"? As I know he says that basically this ghetto glorifying culture is to blame, not race.

maxutils said...

Citing Bill Cosby? You're right, he's very publicly taken those positions, he's taken flac from other African Americans ... but in this argument, it shouldn't really fall on a "This one black guy I know agrees with this" . I know what you were going for, but I think your argument stands on its own. It doesn't matter what color skin you have: you're on the right side. Bill Cosby should be praised for ALSO being on the right side... but it has kind of a "my black friend said this once..." feel. In my opinion. Maybe others, I don't know. I am white, and I have exactly one black friend whom I consider very close. Why? because I grew up in an environment whee I didn't meet many black people. One thing I know about him, though? He HATES when people cite the solo black person argument. Hates it. Launches on "Sillt white people" tirades. So I don't mean to be critical, especially since I agree with both you and Darren ... but that is my experience.