Why don't blacks work harder in UG and on the LSAT so we can get rid of AA?

[Groundhog]

I was inclined to let the thread stay as long as it doesn't completely devolve into personal attacks.

[guyminuslife]

Alright, your discretion.

[FossilJ]

I think that is a pretty good policy.

[parsley]

is this to imply that blacks (and not white women) are the largest beneficiaries of affirmative action?

You know, I hear this used to support AA frequently.  (BUT THE WHITE WOMEN BENEFITED THE MOST FROM IT!)

It's not really a justification of AA for African Americans.  But more importantly, it's most often used to justify AA for African Americans in scenarios where women don't actually receive any preferential treatment.  And haven't for years.  And even if white women "benefited" from it (causal relationship?), do they continue to? Why haven't African Americans? Does some white women doing well after AA clearly demonstrate that race-based AA works? Or that AA works at all?

In other words, I'm not getting it.  Can you explain the point a little please? 

Also, this isn't really a flame thread. (Unless I missed out on some now-edited nasty posts.)  It does buy into the "black people are just lazy" stereotype, but it credits African Americans with equal ability.  [And does affirmative action - as practiced now - truly credit African Americans with equal ability?  You can't tell me that there aren't a whole heck of a lot of "white guilt" folks feeling pretty paternalistically pleased with themselves about helping out poor African Americans.]

And while I certainly wouldn't jump on the bandwagon for the OP, I do think there is something to be said about cultural values on education, peer influence on educational values, family involvement in education and connections to performance.

(Also, to the poster who thinks the "women in science" movement was somehow bigger than the "get minorities to college" movement just ain't paying attention...)

[2Lacoste]

This is quite possibly the FUNNIEST picture I have ever seen. The look in that poor little dog's eyes...          For the last 10 minutes I've been walking around my office laughing.

Seriously tho, what does "STFU" mean?

LOL, it means Shut The @#!* Up.

I thought it fitting.

[cui bono?]

Honestly, parsley, I do think this is a flame thread.  Why originally place it on BLSD?  Why not just place it  on the AA board or "drinking the haterade".  It's moreso the original placement of it that I question rather than anything else.   

[parsley]

Eh, I think you overestimate the coherent placement of threads in general. 

I nearly started a Pat Benatar thread in "Deciding Where to Go" without paying attention.

Although I agree AA or Haterade are more appropriate places for it, given the topic heading... (Maybe they were just trying to get people to look at *yet another* AA thread with the inflammatory subject line.   Worked didn't it?)

[rainmaker10]

Who is to say that there aren't exceptional black students who set the standard?

Surely black students LACK of "academic luster" is not your reasoning behind why AA is being fueled?

Surely...

[cui bono?]

Eh, I think you overestimate the coherent placement of threads in general. 

I nearly started a Pat Benatar thread in "Deciding Where to Go" without paying attention.

Although I agree AA or Haterade are more appropriate places for it, given the topic heading... (Maybe they were just trying to get people to look at *yet another* AA thread with the inflammatory subject line.   Worked didn't it?)

I guess it did

[orangebanana]

"It's not a question of poverty because Asian American students do better than their richer white counterparts."
There are lots of other factors besides poverty confounding the situation-cultural, social, etc. A student from a poor family with encouragement from family/teachers has a better chance of succeeding than someone with none. I also think the self-fulfilling prophecy can play a big role in any group's low performance.