Stephen Henderson Is Out...

[Richard]

It is something you can act on btw, it just doesn't fit your ideology so you choose to ignore possible solutions.

So we had an African American president for 8 years,Detroit has had African American mayors for how many years?

The Detroit board of Education is comprised of African Americans all who are well aware of a decades old problem but have been unable to adress it.

So how has the inner city school systems improved in the last 50 years or even the last 10.

So other then leaning on it is the white persons fault argument,what is your solution?

I say we cannot change the past or use it as an excuse and look to the quasi independent school board for recommendations and hold their feet to the fire while also supporting their recommendations.

Or who knows maybe it is a long term plot by the Russians to undermine our economy by not allowing everybody to reach their full potential.

[southen]

So we had an African American president for 8 years,Detroit has had African American mayors for how many years?

The Detroit board of Education is comprised of African Americans all who are well aware of a decades old problem but have been unable to adress it.

So how has the inner city school systems improved in the last 50 years or even the last 10.

So other then leaning on it is the white persons fault argument,what is your solution?

I say we cannot change the past or use it as an excuse and look to the quasi independent school board for recommendations and hold their feet to the fire while also supporting their recommendations.

Or who knows maybe it is a long term plot by the Russians to undermine our economy by not allowing everybody to reach their full potential.

It is not about you as a white person. I know selfishness is one of the key components of the conservative ideology but try to think about other communities. For a group of people that hates the "victim mentality" you sure have no problem invoking it when it comes to this topic.

How much power for change did BO have to help inner cities with a conservative congress? How much could these black mayors do with a dwindling tax base and little to no support from the state? Being in positions of power is great, but the system itself doesn't necessarily allow them to do what is necessary to fix the situation.

The inner city school systems struggle due to poor leadership, from the state on down, and lack of funds. When we adopt a system where school funding is tied to property values the inner city kids will always have a tougher road to success. The solution is putting more resources into the Detroit school system, but people of your ilk will cry foul and claim that isn't fair or that we are picking winners or losers.

Not using the past is a convenient argument. In case you were wondering what white privilege was or how you were practicing look no further than that particular view point. The past is represented in the city we have today and the struggles that came from it.

Since it is just lazy people who aren't successful do you think there are extra hardships to endure for a child growing up in a city with abandoned burnt out buildings that they have to pass daily, that they have to be worried about their safety from said buildings. What about the rampant crime in their neighborhoods, could that have an affect on their ability to reach potential? How about woefully understaffed and underfunded schools in crumbling buildings? Since things are so damn equal that shouldn't affect them right? Opportunity isn't equal across the board and until it is made such there will be a continuing disparity. Acting like all people have to do is try harder is a naive argument, especially in the face of statistics that show it is exponentially tougher to be successful when you are a person of color living in the city.

But sure, it is either the Russians, OR ideologues who are incapable of empathy. One or the other.