Welp, Georgia, you're now close to dead last in highschool grad. rates (Atlanta: move, suburbs)

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by GeorgiaLakeSearch

If you think the wealthy progressives send their children to public schools in other cities you must be misinformed.

It actually IS largely true in the Twin Cities where many of the academically elite schools are public schools.

Of course, that may depend on your definition of "wealthy". Above a certain level, your statement may be true. I have no data about the uber rich.

[David1502]

Originally Posted by rcsteiner

It actually IS largely true in the Twin Cities where many of the academically elite schools are public schools.

Of course, that may depend on your definition of "wealthy". Above a certain level, your statement may be true. I have no data about the uber rich.

The academically elite public schools are usually located in school districts which have a high percentage of whites and very little diversity - and often that diversity is Asian students.

For example, earlier, Arjay pointed out that very few whites attend the public schools in San Francisco. However, if you travel 30 miles south to Atherton, the wealthiest zip code in the U.S., and you will see teh majority of the city attending the public schools as well as in neighboring Menlo Park, and Palo Alto. Palo Alto has one of the best rated schools in the country, yet neighboring East Palo Alto, which is probably at least 90% minority is in a separate school district.

Another example in the south is Mountain Brook, Alabama, the wealthiest city in Alabama. Mountain Brooks's residents have voted to pay higher property taxes to support the best school district in Alabama, instead of sending their kids to private schools. However, the city of Birmingham is immediately adjacent to Mountain Brook and less than 200 whites attend its public schools.

The common theme is that wealthy whites will support a local public school in a small district, however in a large district with little control, their enthusiasm to support the local public schools goes down - just look at DeKalb County.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by David1502

The academically elite public schools are usually located in school districts which have a high percentage of whites and very little diversity - and often that diversity is Asian students.

The entire suburban Twin Cities would probably qualify. Maybe that entire metro is an exception? It does seem to be given the world view I see down here... Then again, the public schools up there are VERY different than the public schools down here ... independent school districts not beholden to cities, many smaller districts rather than a few large ones, very few "richer" or "poorer" suburbs, open school enrollment across the entire state, etc. It's like the anti-Atlanta in many respects.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by rcsteiner

It voted, but mostly against it. The TSPLOST failed in all of the metro counties. It wasn't a city vote.

Which reminds me. Before we get too caught up in the notion that it's white folks who are holding us back from progressive goals, leave us not forget that some of the fiercest opposition to the TSPLOST came from African American leaders like Sen. Vincent Fort.

[toll_booth]

Originally Posted by RoslynHolcomb

Atlanta is not progressive, and Georgia most definitely is not. Please note the southern states that are more progressive leaning also tend to have the lowest black populations. Gunnar Myrdahl talked abouttjis decades ago when he did his famous study. I found that attitudes had changed little when I conducted a survey pertaining to the regressive tax code in Alabama. The numbers were telling, and I had plenty of whites people, some mired in poverty themselves who would greatly benefit from a new tax code tell me that they were against it because it would benefit blacks. Myrdahl found that white people in the Jim Crow south understood perfectly well that the system was damagingto them as well, but they were in favor of it because it kept blacks in their place. Kerp in mind that in order to get Social Security passed the program was arranged to exclude those professions primarily dominated by blacks.

Wait, wait, wait...we need to define terms. What exactly do you mean by "progressive"?

[Ant131531]

Originally Posted by toll_booth

Wait, wait, wait...we need to define terms. What exactly do you mean by "progressive"?

Many people seem to think that progressiveness is synonymous to liberal which is synonymous with democrat when that isn't fully the truth.

[toll_booth]

Originally Posted by Ant131531

Many people seem to think that progressiveness is synonymous to liberal which is synonymous with democrat when that isn't fully the truth.

Thank you for telling me what progressivism ISN'T. Now what IS it?

[GeorgiaLakeSearch]

Originally Posted by arjay57

Which reminds me. Before we get too caught up in the notion that it's white folks who are holding us back from progressive goals, leave us not forget that some of the fiercest opposition to the TSPLOST came from African American leaders like Sen. Vincent Fort.

In the CoA the only places that went below 42% voting for TSPLOST were in majority black areas of SW.

Look at the support it received in Buckhead, which voted Romney. It received 51-66% of the vote in sections of the city that went well over 70% for Romney.

[AcidSnake]

I don't think so either.

But in terms of groupthink and cultural identity/affinity, I have certainly observed that many people tend to act in a generalized fashion. And I myself, admittedly on most occasions will succumb to the aforementioned phenomena.

You ever look at the ABC show "What Would You Do?" with John Quinones?

Some of the topics that show entertains are very enlightening and will either leave you with a smile at seeing the best of human nature, or depressed at seeing the very worst.

Don't get me wrong, there are those special individuals who will dare to go outside the mold and go against the type, but mostly I see people as going along with the crowd. That's not a good or bad trait of humanity, I guess.

But it is what it is and denying it won't make the situation of the human condition any better.

Originally Posted by rcsteiner

I think many people don't fit into such nice, neat categories.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by GeorgiaLakeSearch

In the CoA the only places that went below 42% voting for TSPLOST were in majority black areas of SW.

Look at the support it received in Buckhead, which voted Romney. It received 51-66% of the vote in sections of the city that went well over 70% for Romney.

This.