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That sounds accurate. Conversely, there are also poor people that still care about education and use what they have to push their kids to succeed. In the late
by siruncledrew 6y ago
That sounds accurate.
Conversely, there are also poor people that still care about education and use what they have to push their kids to succeed.
In the late 1990s, I lived near an apartment block with many Vietnamese immigrants who were poor (worked at min. wage or below in asian restaurants for crazy long hours), knew very little English, and they had almost no stuff since they arrived with a few suitcases. Despite this, most of their kids ended up graduating, and those who got scholarships went to community college or state college and those that couldn’t got jobs to support their families. These kids had few resources, but they had a work ethic. They had a lot of responsibility from a young age.
The neighbors of those kids whose parents were poor and already Americans (raised here) - those kids turned out more like your neighbor. Zero motivation, zero responsibility, parents gave such little of a shit about everything, dropped out of school, and held random min. wage jobs in brief spurts until they would get fired for no-showing.
Idk...it was such a jarring contrast to see. Both groups started poor from the same place, yet one group turned themselves into something and the other group just already gave up without even trying.
- devdas 6y agoIf the American group was people of colour, they would have a family history of everything being stolen or destroyed even if they actually did better. This is barely the third generation since the civil rights act was implemented, and social change takes far longer than that.
- ls612 6y agoGiven that the immigrants were Vietnamese I'd posit that that very history also applied to them in their home country in the 1970s (causing them to flee for their lives and end up in America). And yet somehow they didn't have the same mentality.
- herdodoodo 6y ago>And yet somehow they didn't have the same mentality. Please avoid racist snark like this.
- devdas 6y agoNo, you have one generation of people who have suffered from external causes, not a series of generations who have repeatedly had their economic gains destroyed. At some point, the goal stops being growth and turns to survival.
- Nasrudith 6y agoI know the real world is full of complications but there is one historic counter example which immediately comes to mind - Jewish people. They have a way long history where only having their economic gains destroyed would qualify as fortunate and was essentially a baseline with only Christians having inheritance. For over a millenium no less. This isn't a "model minority good/underperforming ones deserve their suffering" sort of one but to point out that just repeated gain destruction and even discrimination and stigma aren't foregone doom.
- devdas 6y agoThe Jews were still allowed to do certain jobs. They certainly weren't the lowest paid jobs, with crappy education forced upon them. I am not aware that the Jews were enslaved for multiple generations while being denied education and cultural retention.
- dahfizz 6y agoI think there is a strong selection among the immigrant group. People immigrate because they want a better life for themselves and their kids, and are willing to work for that.