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Obviously their kids are going to do well if they stay here.
I know a lot of first gen Nigerians, we have tons here. And just about everyone has a college educated parent. Some of their parents came here for college others attended college abroad, but they all have a fairly privileged background.
The stereotypes in this thread are pretty illustrative of why Nigerians have an easier time, sort of. You all have positive associations for the Nigerians. I have been mistaken for Nigerian quite often, because I went to college and my parents did. It is so annoying.
Sadly these positive associations do not last forever. Nigerians and other educated African immigrants still have higher unemployment rates then their non black immigrant peers. That advantage apparently doesn't translate into better success on the job market. http://www.bet.com/news/national/201...n-the-u-s.html
I think that poster jade408 hit the nail on the head. Racism is like a disease, for example, diabetes. If you let any disease go a long time without proper treatment, complications from the disease will develop. If you are diabetic and do not take your insulin you can develop heart and blood vessel disease, Nerve damage, kidney damage, eye damage, loss of extremities, etc. Thus, if diabetes is allowed to wreak havoc on the body a long time, to the point of creating standalone complications like mentioned, taking insulin shots will not make you healthy again. The same for racism.
I hate this arguement but let me give you the short version. The Nigerians coming to the US are from well to do middle class families. The hit the glass ceiling at home, so they came here. These are also the extra motivated people. The group of African immigrants here is pretty self selecting. So they've already got a head start when they get here. They likely went to private school, lived in a gated community at home and had all the trappings of middle to upper middle class life.
And just like here, if you start off with middle class or higher upbringing, your chance for success is really high.
Yes, some immigrants weren't able to transfer there professional licenses over right away, so they do "basic jobs" in the US. Or they are among the few not so educated people who come over. What that person lacks in education, they make up for it in drive. You have to be extra motivated to travel, halfway across the world to make a fresh start abroad. You aren't a "regular person" in terms of motivation, so you will try everything you can to succeed.
But most are coming over with a privileged background. Next time you meet a Nigerian cab driver, ask him what he studied in school. He'll likely tell you about his BS. Or ask if he had a car and driver at home. Odds are, he probably did. 75% of the Nigerians I know surely did. Their parents have masters degrees.
So these Nigerians are succeeded because they are starting off with privilege. Just like their middle class black peers.
All very well but African American middle class people continue to say the America is inherently racist and that racism thwarts their ambition. So if educated Nigerians are enjoying success in America than racism itself cannot be to blame.
Race definitely puts up roadblocks. There is a ceiling and people will pre-judge you. But many times Nigerians will get the veneer of the model minority too. But for our native born black kids, we have disadvantages. I don't have the studies handy but black boys are four times more likely to be suspended from school. We seem to want to blame this on some pathology of black boys, but the reality is teachers give harsher punishments to the black kids. Kids disrupt class all the time. Unfortunately the white kid usually gets a trip to detention and the black kid gets suspended. Leaving him a permanent troublemaker label that shapes future interactions with teachers and follows him through school. Teachers don't try as hard with the troublemakers and it becomes a self fufilling prophecy.
You also cannot forget the impact of choosing to live somewhere vs being born there. You have a mindset of mobility.
Class or class experience is important too. If you do not know anyone with a professional job, who will teach you about the interview, process, or options. If you are the first person to go to college, who guides you through the major picking or financial aid process.
Most of the benefits of class are related to networks.
Many Nigerians who come here are diplomats or the product of diplomats. The Nigerian community is also very tight and reclusive. There is a joke all Nigerians know each other. And it is pretty true. And we all know a lot of opportunity us built into personal connections.
But on a separate note. We, here in the US, tend to assume people with certain accents are smarter than others. Nigerians learn British English, which we associate with being sophisticated. So it is like having bonus points. Black Brits get similar privilege. As do French ones.
Social mobility us pretty nil these days, and your position in the middle class is precarious. But it is absolutely critical we reduce income equality or more importantly the opportunity gap for our long term success.
I lived in middle class suburbia with college educated parents. My schools had lots of programs and my parents were knowledgable enough and confident enough to know how to get around the racism so I would have appropriate opportunity. Not everyone has that benefit.
So the problems are complex. Class is somewhat protective, but perception is important as well. We can't expect similar outcomes when the experiences are wildly different.
You do know that Nigerians are specially selected for, right? It's not like we have millions of poor, uneducated illegal Nigerians flooding our country.
All very well but African American middle class people continue to say the America is inherently racist and that racism thwarts their ambition. So if educated Nigerians are enjoying success in America than racism itself cannot be to blame.
How does it thwart their ambition if they are middle class? Seems like they enjoy success while pointing out racism still exist. If a black american went to Nigeria he wouldnt complain about classism or a cast system like the natives would because he didn't experience it.
All very well but African American middle class people continue to say the America is inherently racist and that racism thwarts their ambition. So if educated Nigerians are enjoying success in America than racism itself cannot be to blame.
It does and it doesn't. Most middle class black people I know are doing pretty well, but we all know about the biases and prejudices we fave. It doesn't make success impossible for me, but I have relative privilege. It is much much harder for someone who doesn't have my privilege to get ahead. You need to be exceptional. And most even middle class African Americans have people in their families without the same opportunities and we see how much harder it is for some people in our extended families.
But the point is if you saw my last post, even these well educated Nigerians still have higher unemployment rates than the other immigrants. Why is that these people who are more educated than the average American still have higher unemployment rates.
Racism is stil a problem, no matter how successful you are, bias still causes problems.
Quote:
Originally Posted by EdwardA
This isn't even remotely true.
Diplomats, doctors, lawyers, etc all sorts of educated folks. That means starting from a position of privilege. Which gives you a head start to achievement. But there is still a ceiling.
You do know that Nigerians are specially selected for, right? It's not like we have millions of poor, uneducated illegal Nigerians flooding our country.
Right?!? Like the best brains are coming over to the US.
You do know that Nigerians are specially selected for, right? It's not like we have millions of poor, uneducated illegal Nigerians flooding our country.
Yes -- which is another plus as far as Nigerians. They generally respect the laws and come here legally and for jobs, you don't see so many filling the welfare offices or using food stamps.
It's funny how a stereotype is perpetuated by some black folks in this thread when it is a positive one. But it can never hold true for a negative one..
LOL @ "Most Nigerians are diplomats, offspring of diplomats or lawyers and doctors"
Why is this OK to say when it is a.priori knowledge tells us that it is totally untrue?
Is it also OK to point out that the 3rd highest source of revenue in Nigeria is internet/phishing/check fraud?? How they have call centers set up as legitimate business fronts to defraud citizens all over the globe through wire transfers?
The scam is named SPECIFICALLY after the Nigerian penal code. What a great distinction to have.
I guess once you step on American soil all of the sudden it makes you wholly moral.
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