muddysmind.com

This is a great read - as the story said, Cosby may be just taking the cover off of a truth that needs to be addressed. Every race / culture / whatever has them - and it always hurts whenever they're brought to the front.

Everyone should be proud of who they are, but looking for improvement is not a bad thing.

"Everyone should be proud of who they are..."

This is very true BUT no one (no matter who you are or what colour your skin is) should be proud of who they are if they are just settling for second, third or fourth best.

"but looking for improvement is not a bad thing."

Nope...not at all....and I applaud Mr. Cosby for bringing that point out front and center.

Great point - it seems that the root of most problems is the lack of attention to quality.

"...the root of most problems is the lack of attention to quality."

Ahhh! Yes, yes.

I personally believe that a big problem is that for blacks (and any public school student) we're setting the bar so low that they're playing down to expectations. That's sad and bigotted, and many people who claim to be looking for their best interest are doing it. Case in point: affirmative action. At one time it was needed, without a doubt. But, decades and a couple generations later, people who were members of the KKK 50 years ago cry at the thought of how they treated other races. Racism and bigotry are not gone, they never will be - but they're not part of popular culture anymore, in fact they're unpopular. So now, affirmative action does nothing but say "Well, can't get jobs on their own so we have to make sure employers hire a certain number of them regardless of qualifications, cause they can't otherwise." Which is a LIE! So, minorities in general are playing down to our expectations and that is wrong. Start demanding more, and they'll start giving more. Don't believe me, go to the School of Infantry (West) at camp Pendleton. Watch guys strap 200lbs on their back and march 20 miles through the mountains. The human body wasn't built for that punishment, but when you demand more, it'll give you more.

"So now, affirmative action does nothing but say "Well, can't get jobs on their own so we have to make sure employers hire a certain number of them regardless of qualifications, cause they can't otherwise." "

This is true not to mention completely unfair. However, some ARE qualified to do certain jobs...And this is the part that completely and utterly *baffles* me: Some minorities work their butts off and fight SO hard to get a good education so they *can* fairly and *honestly* be qualified for jobs that they can get on their own. Then affirmative action takes over and says:
'since we don't believe you can truely do this on your own, we'll set our quotas in place to make sure you get it'

After working my ass off for a proper education, *I* would personally be VERY offended by that mind set myself. That's why I truely don't understand why most minorities support race based affirmative action...then again, maybe more minorities *don't* support it but society and the media wants to convince us they do... I don't know.

"I personally believe that a big problem is that for blacks (and any public school student) we're setting the bar so low that they're playing down to expectations."

This is also very true. We *are* setting the bar too low. I can't tell you how many time this year that Muddy and I have tried had to help our eldest understand this. It's a never ending battle when the school system leaves your childs education incomplete and you try to make up for it at home.

One of the MANY faults schools have is how some school district's grading system works. I heard a few years ago on the news of why some school systems have stopped giving *grades* like the normal...A,B and C's on their student's papers. They have switched to using - on a more regular basis - a system of check markings and stars to "grade" papers with simply because they don't want to hurt a childs self-esteem. That when a child recieves a D on his paper....it can be very hurtful *to* his self esteem and could damage the way he looks at his own self worth. However, you give a child a check mark and it's not as hard to deal with. No lie ...I've actually heard those excuses! Not only is that politically correct but it's also BULL S**T.

When that child grows up and gets a job in the real world, no boss is going to give this individual a "check mark" to perserve his "self-esteem" if his work is not quite up to standard. Our school systems are NOT doing our children ANY favors by doing this (and other things just as stupid) but instead are bringing about more damage and setting them up for a horrible awakening.

The first time I recieved a bad grade it was college...you know what it made me do? Work harder!

Yeah, see, that's what *I* always thought a bad grade made someone do.

Society dictates how people(of many races)should think about themselves. The media isn't the blame. When people are taught shallow values and told that the white man is your set back,this is the real down fall of young society today. The truth is what you are told around the dinner table(if there is one)or when you ride down the road with parents who don't understand values either. It's not always the case in point. But in a lot of situations, when you have the blind leading the blind,these are the results you get from youths you see today. They have no real origin to fall back on. Now with that being said their are some who don't fall through the cracks. But parenting isn't watching the latest video by P Diddy or Usher, it's taking time with your valued blessing. The gifts from God"Called your childern.

My dad who is an immigrant from the West Indies used to always complain to me about the black American kids of the day. He would complain about the usage of bad grammar in inappropriate public settings and their lack of respect for their elders and their neighbors. I myself being born in America, and being black in New York City would get so upset at him because I felt attacked. Now that I am older and hopefully wiser, appreciate his feelings. I was taught at home that there was a time and place for everything, and I was also taught about respect for my elders and my neighbors. These values have since served me well in society and enabled me to be the best at everything I did professionally as an adult amongst my piers and others alike. Mr. Cosby reminds me of my dad in that they both do not accept excuses for substandard service in society. It doesn't take an extremely educated person to come to this conclusion. Circumstances caused my dad to support himself at the age of 13. He raised 3 children well with a 4th grade education. It was a very difficult task, however I never heard him once complain that the white man was the cause of any difficulty he had in trying to improve himself and us. I agree with Mr. Cosby in that it is easy to point fingers at others, but it is hard and necessary to have a sense of personal responsibility while pointing.

That was very well put and thought out, agreed.