Friday, March 13, 2009
Chapter 17
This one was actually a pretty good article. I think it's really unfortunate that some people in the african american community view doing well in school as "selling out" or "becoming white". The article makes a pretty good case on its own so I won't really talk about the fact in the article, but rather extend the conversation to the stigma of doing well in school for everyone. It seems like in all schools, white or black, kids who do well in school are subject to critisism from their peers. People who do well in school are often labeled as "nerds" or "suck-ups". There seems to be something "cool" about not doing homework and getting C's. When I think back on high school I can remember certain people always pointing out bad grades they got. It was like they were trying to say, "Hey, look at me. I slack off and get mediocre grades, aren't I hilarious???" Even in college, there seems to be some kind of extra points for going out to the bars the night before and coming to class a little hungover. I can still think of instances were I get heckled if I chose to stay in and work on homework rather than going out to the bar. I guess some things never change.
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Love this post. Yes, it is true that some people view their lack of effort as something which makes them cool or that it shows that they are so smart that they can do somewhat well without effort. The problem is that these students are often the victims of their own beliefs. I can think of over a handful of students from my high school with this thinking, only to hear from a year later and find out that they had failed out of college because they did not do their homework or go to class. It is a problem in our schools, but the question remains as to what can we do to change it?
ReplyDeleteI also love this post. although i did not receive the best grades in high school, i did not brag about them, but rather used them as motivators to try harder in the future. I do however remember labeling someone as a nerd or a geek. Even though black students' experiences are much worse than those of "geeks" and "nerds," the previously labeled members always end up being the successful members of society. They understand what it takes to succeed in a stressful environment. However, i do enjoy reading that rather than being ashamed of being black, the seven black women whom were interviewed each said that they were proud to be black and that being black actually strengthened their self identity. They may have taken the abuse from others' discrimination, but they did not view themselves as inferior to anyone. I believe that all members of society should take this view towards their self identity.
ReplyDeleteI hate going along with the crowd but this is a pretty darn good post. You make actual connections with the subject and that's sometimes missing. The stigma of being a nerd will probably never die. In college and pretty much anywhere else, it's necessary to be a mook, regardless of race. In class we talk about middle school students having identity problems but we need to understand that all people face problems.
ReplyDeleteGotta say something about the previous post in which it says that nerds always end up being the successful members of society. Hasn't Dan ever seen all those smart people that at times look like if they're at the worst socio-economic position in the world?