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Having come out of the gifted and talented programs in question in NYC: The privileged go to private school. Our programs are dominated by first generation imm

Having come out of the gifted and talented programs in question in NYC: The privileged go to private school. Our programs are dominated by first generation immigrants, mostly SE Asian. Even the white component tends to be poor immigrant families. If hard-working and intelligent poor people clawing their way upwards is a stain on equality, something has gone deeply deeply wrong with our conception of equality. It’s always been a problem for NY liberals that these programs were so massively underrepresenting the black population. The fact that they were highly diverse had to be ignored. The fact that they were rife with poor first generation immigrants had to be ignored (it undercut the “rich people buy exam prep to get their kids in, which is why so few black kids get in” narrative). (The few black kids that did get in were almost /all/ first generation immigrants, too). The only thing that mattered was the optics: not enough black kids, kill the program.

raxxorrax 5y ago
I think there is also a hidden truth that immigrant children very often behave extremely disciplined, not only asian ones as per stereotype. They indeed see education as privilege while most common people don't see it that way, they just must go to school. That has as highly positive effect on grades. The effect often vanishes after a while.
JoeAltmaier 5y ago
You're making it a stain. Equality isn't some attack on your morals. I am saddened, that all the folks frightened by a world more equal immediately resort to imaginary persecution as a first reaction. "Not enough black kids" is "bigotry", right? Or do you argue that black kids are not smart? What is that argument called?
- arkades 5y ago
  No, my argument isn’t that black kids aren’t smart. And it’s distant enough from what I did write that I hesitate to even call it a straw man.
- _hilro 5y ago
  > I am saddened, that all the folks frightened by a world more equal immediately resort to imaginary persecution as a first reaction. What a dumb comment. More equal according to racial distribution and 0 other things. Color of your skin over your character/intelligence/work ethic?

raxxorrax 5y ago

I think there is also a hidden truth that immigrant children very often behave extremely disciplined, not only asian ones as per stereotype. They indeed see education as privilege while most common people don't see it that way, they just must go to school. That has as highly positive effect on grades. The effect often vanishes after a while.

JoeAltmaier 5y ago

You're making it a stain. Equality isn't some attack on your morals. I am saddened, that all the folks frightened by a world more equal immediately resort to imaginary persecution as a first reaction. "Not enough black kids" is "bigotry", right? Or do you argue that black kids are not smart? What is that argument called?

arkades 5y ago
No, my argument isn’t that black kids aren’t smart. And it’s distant enough from what I did write that I hesitate to even call it a straw man.
_hilro 5y ago
> I am saddened, that all the folks frightened by a world more equal immediately resort to imaginary persecution as a first reaction. What a dumb comment. More equal according to racial distribution and 0 other things. Color of your skin over your character/intelligence/work ethic?