Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
So you are saying that if a kid goes to a mostly white or mostly black school they will not be prepared to deal with diverse skin color in business? To me that seems completely irrational. I went to an all white high school (there was one or two black kids a few years behind me.). I did nto come away unable to function in a diverse workplace. I hav enever cared what color or shade my co-workers or boses or employee's skin color was. Only their performance and character.
I don't think you really believe that Blacks, whites, Asians and Hispanics all share the exact same culture and beliefs. When you have been immersed in a diverse environment you learn the sensitivities of others. Certain groups don't like to be refered to or talked to a certain way. Regardless of your intent, if you say the wrong thing you could possibly rub the person the wrong way or come across in such a way that it hinders the maximum productivity of an employee.
When one is used to a non diverse environment, they tend to see "their way" as the only way or superior way......that others need to assimilate to. I just think that you can manage people better if you understand and respect them better.
Last edited by Indentured Servant; 12-22-2011 at 07:48 AM..
I don't think you really believe that Blacks, whites, Asians and Hispanics all share the exact same culture and beliefs. When you have been immersed in a diverse environment you learn the sensitivities of others. Certain groups don't like to be refered to or talked to a certain way. Regardless of your intent, if you say the wrong thing you could possibly rub the person the wrong way or come across in such a way that it hinders the maximum productivity of an employee.
When one is used to a non diverse environment, they tend to see "their way" as the only way or superior way......that others need to assimilate to. I just think that you can manage people better if you understand and respect them better.
There is where we disagree. I listen to my daughters and their friends conversations when racial issues come up and it is clear to me that they are more racially sensative than most people I know yet they all attended a 99.8% white high school. One of the more popular after schools clubs was the cultural awareness club. I am not really sure what they did in that club. They went to an all black school for a week, had a fmaily exchange, went to some museums. What thyey did at their weekly meeting I cannot guess.
There is where we disagree. I listen to my daughters and their friends conversations when racial issues come up and it is clear to me that they are more racially sensative than most people I know yet they all attended a 99.8% white high school. One of the more popular after schools clubs was the cultural awareness club. I am not really sure what they did in that club. They went to an all black school for a week, had a fmaily exchange, went to some museums. What thyey did at their weekly meeting I cannot guess.
Well, I would suggest to you that your kids DO NOT have the type of knowledge of black people as someone who has attended school, k-12, with black people. That one week likely taught them something, but it in no way compares to what a person learns from YEARS of interaction.
Black folks have a LOT of sensitivities, based upon not only our history, but our personal experiences. You learn what they are by being around us. The wrong thing to do is to disrespect others sensativities. Because someone thinks that we should be "over" something or "Ok" with something, when we are not, happens WAY TO MUCH. Others are not qualified, through our history and experiences, to make that call.
This is not a suggestion that black or white people are monolithic, however.
Last edited by Indentured Servant; 12-22-2011 at 08:51 AM..
Well, I would suggest to you that your kids DO NOT have the type of knowledge of black people as someone who has attended school, k-12, with black people. That one week likely taught them something, but it in no way compares to what a person learns from YEARS of interaction.
Black folks have a LOT of sensitivities, based upon not only our history, but our personal experiences. You learn what they are by being around us. The wrong thing to do is to disrespect others sensativities. Because someone thinks that we should be "over" something or "Ok" with something, when we are not, happens WAY TO MUCH. Others are not qualified, through our history and experiences, to make that call.
This is not a suggestion that black or white people are monolithic, however.
No. My kids have less prejudice instilled inthem than kids I know who went to more mixed school where they divide into groups by racial lines and called each other names. The appropriate way to handle racial disfferences is best learned with some level of maturity, not when you are 14 and completely governed by your loudest and most aggressive peer.
You do nto have to go to a mixed school to learn that certain races do nto like to be called certain names. I certinaly knew that and never met a black, hispanic, or asian person until college.
Besides, you are making the auumptions that there is only one racial minority group. This is incorrect, there are several. All of them have names and things that they do not like said to them. If you want a kid to be fully immersed in all or most of the various cultures, not just one or two, you are out of luck. You will not find a school with equal or near equal numbers of whites, asians, hispanics, native americans, jewish people, indians, and Pygmys. It does not exist. There are a few private schools that maitain a semi-balanced mix of four or five racial groups (I actauly only know of one, but assume that ther are others), in public schools ou will find only one or tow cultures signifcantly represented.
However out of all of those schools, including the fancy private schools that pride themselves so much on a diverse balance, I see more prejudice generated rather than less. I cannot sya why, but my guess is that starting at 14 or younge is too immature to deal with those issues and they are too easily influenced by a few bad eggs.
No. My kids have less prejudice instilled inthem than kids I know who went to more mixed school where they divide into groups by racial lines and called each other names. The appropriate way to handle racial disfferences is best learned with some level of maturity, not when you are 14 and completely governed by your loudest and most aggressive peer.
You do nto have to go to a mixed school to learn that certain races do nto like to be called certain names. I certinaly knew that and never met a black, hispanic, or asian person until college.
Besides, you are making the auumptions that there is only one racial minority group. This is incorrect, there are several. All of them have names and things that they do not like said to them. If you want a kid to be fully immersed in all or most of the various cultures, not just one or two, you are out of luck. You will not find a school with equal or near equal numbers of whites, asians, hispanics, native americans, jewish people, indians, and Pygmys. It does not exist. There are a few private schools that maitain a semi-balanced mix of four or five racial groups (I actauly only know of one, but assume that ther are others), in public schools ou will find only one or tow cultures signifcantly represented.
However out of all of those schools, including the fancy private schools that pride themselves so much on a diverse balance, I see more prejudice generated rather than less. I cannot sya why, but my guess is that starting at 14 or younge is too immature to deal with those issues and they are too easily influenced by a few bad eggs.
You can rationalize your personal choice and decision all you want. However, one best learns to deal with a reality by existing in that reality. You can train for combat all you want.....but its not the same as actually being in a real firefight.
What I find is that most people get their prejudice from their parents.....not the schools. If one's parents are bigots then, as a general rule, the kids are more likely to be bigots consciously or subconsciously.
Kids are honest and adults are phoney. What you call maturity is the ability to HIDE and PRETEND. I would rather someone let me know that they had a negative opinion of black people than to smile in my face and act like they are not racist.
What I find is that most people get their prejudice from their parents.....not the schools. If one's parents are bigots then, as a general rule, the kids are more likely to be bigots consciously or subconsciously.
This. ^^^
I don't think that going to a diverse school is the key. It's growing up in a household where you are taught to respect everyone. Or maybe the parents don't even teach it directly. They might just lead by example.
I grew up in a 99% white community. I don't think I ever heard a single racist remark or witnessed a racist action from either of my parents. But I did see overt racism coming from other kids at school, and sometimes from the parents of those kids. The main thing for me was that I had the awareness to look at things and say, "hmmm.... that doesn't really seem appropriate. My parents and siblings don't say things like that."
If there are more bigoted kids coming from homogeneous white schools, it is probably because there's a higher percentage of bigoted parents living in those places, and they teach it to their kids. Not because the kids went to school with kids who look like them. A kid can go to a diverse school and still come out a bigot. And I can tell you that there are lots of kids who go to non-diverse schools who do not come out as bigots.
I firmly believe that knowing how to treat people with respect is a pretty universal thing. You shouldn't have to have experience living with a certain group of people to be able to NOT offend them. Education and a diverse environment can certainly take it to the next level, but there are plenty of people who come from homogeneous environments and somehow manage to navigate the world without offending people.
Last edited by michigan83; 12-22-2011 at 01:31 PM..
I don't think that going to a diverse school is the key. It's growing up in a household where you are taught to respect everyone. Or maybe the parents don't even teach it directly. They might just lead by example.
I grew up in a 99% white community. I don't think I ever heard a single racist remark or witnessed a racist action from either of my parents. But I did see overt racism coming from other kids at school, and sometimes from the parents of those kids. The main thing for me was that I had the awareness to look at things and say, "hmmm.... that doesn't really seem appropriate. My parents and siblings don't say things like that."
If there are more bigoted kids coming from homogeneous white schools, it is probably because there's a higher percentage of bigoted parents living in those places, and they teach it to their kids. Not because the kids went to school with kids who look like them. A kid can go to a diverse school and still come out a bigot. And I can tell you that there are lots of kids who go to non-diverse schools who do not come out as bigots.
I firmly believe that knowing how to treat people with respect is a pretty universal thing. You shouldn't have to have experience living with a certain group of people to be able to NOT offend them. Education and a diverse environment can certainly take it to the next level, but there are plenty of people who come from homogeneous environments and somehow manage to navigate the world without offending people.
I have no issue with what you just said but the issue is not always INTENT, but rather, IGNORANCE. There is a difference from someone who has been taught not to like another group and or to see them as inferior and someone who means no harm but just does not understand a group enough to know they may be saying something that makes others very uncomfortable. I know a lot of Africans and I have learned to not be as direct with them as I am with Americans, because it is considered rude. I was not born knowing this. I learned this from being around a lot of Africans. I had not bad intentions.....I just did not understand the culture....
I really do not understand how anyone can argue that one does not learn more through immersion than through seperation. Its counterintuitive....and likely cognitive dissonance.
We are a family of 6 (4 kids ages 6,8,10,12) moving from California, my husband is relocating his business, and we are considering, Novi, Northville and Ann Arbor. Hopefully the picture will be more clear when we visit in Feb. I love City-Data for all the discussions that are going on. The city of Novi has an excellent website.
You can rationalize your personal choice and decision all you want. However, one best learns to deal with a reality by existing in that reality. You can train for combat all you want.....but its not the same as actually being in a real firefight.
What I find is that most people get their prejudice from their parents.....not the schools. If one's parents are bigots then, as a general rule, the kids are more likely to be bigots consciously or subconsciously.
Kids are honest and adults are phoney. What you call maturity is the ability to HIDE and PRETEND. I would rather someone let me know that they had a negative opinion of black people than to smile in my face and act like they are not racist.
I don't really have the time, nor the inclination to incite this debate further, but I really do think you misunderstand what Coldjenses' point was. His/her point is that when you have kids, no matter their race, they tend to get into cliques at that age. At a very diverse school, the most obvious clique will be based on your race, whereas at a predominantly white/black school, the cliques will be based on other things (jocks, nerds, whatever).
I think that's true. At a homogeneous school, initial appearance isn't likely to push you into a group by default. At a very heterogeneous school, it's more likely that white kids will hang with white kids and black kids will hang with other black kids (and the same will be true with other racial groups).
The reality is that it's probably better to not have this level of "conflict" between racial groups at an early age, because their sole rationale for opposing other groups is purely social, rather than being based on actualities or *real* differences. They separate at first on race, because that's the easiest, but then they separate on rivalries, which is never healthy.
Kids raised in environments that are wholly similar, are less likely to harbor those latent feelings of hate, unless, like you said, the parents are overtly racist.
Either way, black folks need to lay off the racism card. I've seen it too many times. Every time something doesn't go their way, it's racism. I'm a white Southerner (originally), and my parents raised me to treat everyone the same until someone ****s you over. Then it's game on. And I have seen the card pulled so many times that it's lost its value. Seriously. Sometimes things don't work out, and sometimes people don't get along. It happens. It doesn't always have to be the color of your skin that makes someone not like you, or the world doesn't bow down at your feet. Sometimes, you're not qualified for a job, or you didn't get along with your employer, or you're just an a**hole. That's life, and that's something that even us in the "majority" have happen to us all the time. It's time to get over the BS, because in this county it is OK for a black person to be openly racist against others, but if a white person even makes a joke, they are immediately ostracized by EVERYONE.
If you want to be truly equal, then you have to take the good with the bad. Live on your own merits, and teach your kids the way to live and let live. If you don't do these things, no one is going to do them for you. It is up to each one of us (as human-beings) to instill the values of honor and pride to our offspring. That goes for every race. Respect for you elders, respect for your parents, and respect for you fellow humans, no matter what race, creed, color, religion, etc. It's the right thing to do. It is a tough world out there, no matter where you come from, and sugar coating it or filling your kids full of lies doesn't make it any easier once they no longer live under your roof.
This is a societal problem, to be sure, but one that's solution lies in your household, and not in any kind of program or whatever. Attitudes start at home, and if we've got to do it, then so do you. That's fair. That's equal. That's the new reality.
Onward and upward my friend.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
