Gene wrote: “I may be a clueless middle class white guy…but I’m not sure what race has to do with that advice. It’s pretty basic.”

Right. It is good basic advice, and it has nothing to do with race. Everyone should be good, work hard, and all that, to maximize their chance of a positive outcome, regardless of the levelness (UNlevelness) of the playing field. The only problem has to do with who is giving the advice to whom. To be effective — and that would include to NOT be perceived as intolerably smug or hypocritical — that advice would have to be dispensed by peers. True peers would be individuals who are racially, socioeconomically, and culturally of the same type, or at least close. The chubby middle-class middle-aged Republican white guy (and Forbes blogger) from the ‘burbs is obviously not even close to being a peer of the poor urban black kid; hence any advice coming from him stands only a slight chance of being effective (and is more likely to be perceived — perhaps correctly — as insufferably smug).

Again, in deference to Gene: the basic idea is not bad. Personal psychology, including inner intent and motivation, willingness to delay gratification, willingness to buckle down and do things that one does not feel like doing, etc., does have a great impact on individual outcomes, and that psychology (and behavior) can be modified to some extent. The way to do it might perhaps be to have the most-successful kids mentor the less-successful ones — the ones starting to slip through the cracks. Like a “big brother” program, but instead of some older guy from elsewhere, the young punk right next to them in homeroom. This would be beneficial for both parties. The most-successful ones ought to get in the habit of giving back to the less fortunate, and would benefit by doing so.

Needless to say (I hope!), this idea has NOTHING to do with the urgent need to correct centuries-old injustice and its social spawn (the existence of a persistent, intergenerational underclass), and to ensure equality of opportunity.

PS: Gene: you need not be a “clueless middle class guy”. You can now be a clue-laden middle class guy. See my post above, and this one. Understand that your advice is good, AND that it cannot possibly compensate for the structural inequality that impels certain outcomes over large populations, (structural inequalities that must be addressed by privileged people like you and me), AND that your advice, however good in the abstract, cannot possibly be effective in the context in question, coming from guys like you. Copische, pardner?

Precisely right. It takes a special kind of kid to overcome those odds (“much harder for a black kid…”). By definition, there are not many of those special kinds of kids. And hence there are not many who succeed. The fundamental environmental inequality (which is why it is “much harder” for some, and much easier for others) dictates the average outcomes over a large population. Across that population there will be, of course, the “special kind of kid” in the (positive) sense you mean it, but there will also be the corresponding “special kind of kid” in the opposite sense, a negative sense. That is, the special kind of kid with less innate resilience and resources, and less cognitive acuity (perhaps due to environmental stresses), etc. THOSE special kinds of kids will, if from impoverished environments, fall on their faces, end up in prison, and so on, much more readily than if they were in a different environment. The bottom line is fundamental environmental inequality. Of course you are right that a few special kids will make it, no matter what. And I don’t think anyone has ever argued with that. But it misses the point. The point is what happens to the average kid. Environment matters, and will determine average outcomes over large populations.

What race has to do with the advice is that you directed it on a racial basis. You’ll have to figure out that one for yourself as to why you did.

In any case, thanks for putting your thoughts out there.

“Try harder” makes sense in a system that’s not fundamentally unfair. But if you recognize that the situation really is unfair, should you really put the responsibility for changing that on the victims? Do those of us who benefit from the unfairness not have some responsibility to change it? Why not focus on that aspect of it (though that probably won’t generate as many pageviews)?

I just wanted to take a second to respond, since I fear I’m being misread. First and foremost, I consistently refer to the place I taught as the “Hippie School for Troubled Youth” because the program changed substantially after I left, and it was important that the existing program now operating under that name not be characterized (for good or ill) by my anecdotes. It is a different school now, and I cannot speak for its methods, results, or philosophy. (Also, that schools name was hard for me to say fluidly in public speaking situations, and hard for people to transcribe correctly in interviews; this works much better.)

But, more to the point, “Hippie School for Troubled Youth” should in no way be read as derogatory to the program in which I taught, nor the work I did while I was there. Back when I was still a teacher I found that friends, family, and well-wishers, in trying to explain what I did for a living, often characterized the program as one for “troubled youths.” I bridled at this until a very close friend finally took me aside and pointed at that, regardless of what we were in fact accomplishing at this school, a program where ~75% of the students in a given year had run afoul of the law, been forced out of one or several public schools, or been hospitalized for psychiatric issues was treating “troubled youths” as far as the outside world was concerned. That you or I knew these to be basically “normal” kids was immaterial. My mother thinks I’m handsome; the larger world gets the deciding vote.

That said, this is an exciting thread with some long and thoughtful contributions; I hope to swing by and respond in more detail when I have less crap cramming up my sinuses.

B,
D . . .

Just to make sure I’m not as clueless as portrayed, my wife has worked for the past seven years at a west philadelphia middle school where I am also involved (I assistant coach their baseball team). 99% black. Mostly poor. If they were purple then the title would’ve been different. I’m also a product of Philly public schools.

The column was written from the viewpoint of: what would I tell these kids if I could give any advice, given all the inequalities they face.

1. Study hard
2. Get good grades
3. Go to the best school you can
4. Use tech
5. Rely on mentors (particularly if parents aren’t available)

I may be a clueless middle class white guy…but I’m not sure what race has to do with that advice. It’s pretty basic.

Anyway – this guy couldn’t have said it any better. Please watch it. [Youtube link] Thanks.

This must be one of your works of fiction too.
Spices up the story but is as inflammatory and misinformed as the actions you challenge.

I’d also like to point out that many of the protesters were from the NAACP and other civil rights groups, protesting because the emergency managers are being used in primarily black communities.

I don’t think that called for a general condemnation of all of us who care about the local conditions in our own communities. Many of us do volunteer, give to Food Gatherers, etc. and just because we want decent conditions for ourselves are not trying to condemn others to a hateful existence.