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Originally Posted by Hank Chinaski
you complicate responding by equating the class to sex ed- as I type "wouldn't the type of parents that would get kids into this school make sure their kids (at least the black kids) know these lessons?" I realize you hear the same thought about sex ed, where it is bullshit, but somehow that seems different.
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I think this is very different than sex ed, which really should consist primarily of facts.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hank Chinaski
The country isn't post racist, but can't friendships be? And isn't that an important result of integrated schools (although rarer that one would hope)? So then we take two kids who might otherwise be completely unburdened friends and put them into rooms where they each hear about how hard it will be to truly be friends? I think growing up they could learn those same things from family and from living their lives.
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A good friendship between people of different races does not ignore the differences. Like I said, the lessons will be learned one way or another. And I'm not quite sure why you think the result of this school's approach will be burdened friendships. In fact, I'm kind of confused by your point. My best friend growing up was white. He was best man at both my weddings and we are still extremely close. He is (and we are) an anomaly in that we grew up in a very mixed race neighborhood and went to very mixed race schools. But you know who wasn't burdened in our relationship? Him. He learned many lessons and I taught him lots as well. But that was my burden. White people generally get to walk around enjoying total fucking freedom from the realities of racism. And I wasn't trying to constantly make him understand those issues. I bet he would have liked having a deeper understanding of some of that stuff earlier on.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hank Chinaski
I'm not saying anything different than I said before, and I don't feel educated enough about education to stand up against what educators feel is important. Just seems like it could complicate some kids growing forward.
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Hard to respond to this. Like I said, the lessons will be learned at some point. Are you saying it would complicate things for kids because it's too early for them to learn those lessons? Are you saying that it would be nice if they never had to? Because that ain't very realistic unless you're white and you end up like most white people in this country, with zero black friends, living in a gated community, and driving past the "bad" neighborhoods.
TM
