Elite K-8 school teaches white students they’re born racist

[mjr]

An elite Manhattan school is teaching white students as young as 6 that they’re born racist and should feel guilty benefiting from “white privilege,” while heaping praise and cupcakes on their black peers.

Administrators at the Bank Street School for Children on the Upper West Side claim it’s a novel approach to fighting discrimination, and that several other private New York schools are doing it, but even liberal parents aren’t buying it.

They complain the K-8 school of 430 kids is separating whites in classes where they’re made to feel awful about their “whiteness,” and all the “kids of color” in other rooms where they’re taught to feel proud about their race and are rewarded with treats and other privileges.

Emphasis mine.

Remainder of article:

http://nypost.com/2016/07/01/elite-k...e-born-racist/

[NecCat]

It's hardly surprising that an article that puts a well proven fact like institutional racism into quotes would paint a program that's trying to teach children about racism as anti-white. It would be interesting to see a properly researched article about this program and how it's working.

Love the end where an email asking people to be mindful and avoid harmful stereotypes about Muslims and Arabs is seen as pro terrorism. Couldn't ask for a better tell on the bias on the writer and therefor of the article.

[mjr]

It's hardly surprising that an article that puts a well proven fact like institutional racism into quotes would paint a program that's trying to teach children about racism as anti-white. It would be interesting to see a properly researched article about this program and how it's working.

Teaching white kids that "you're born racist"...yeah...

Sorry, but I don't buy the whole "institutional racism" thing.

[NecCat]

Teaching white kids that "you're born racist"...yeah...

Everybody is born racist, teaching children an age appropriate portion of the truth should never be prevented.

(There is no consolidated study I can find for that, but if your Google is broken I'll be happy to post links to my favourite dozen studies on that topic, and after much searching I haven't been able to find ones that show children are NOT racist after about 11 weeks old, so if you have I'd be interested to read them)

Sorry, but I don't buy the whole "institutional racism" thing.

http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/at-...ur-way-of-life

Forget that article, read all the links in the article. At this point institutional racism is a proven fact, the only plausible excuse for not believing it is a genuine belief that minority's are inferior to whites and incapable of doing as well ( ie personal racism)

[Rageaholic]

Here's the Daily Mail article

While I'm not denying institutional racism and prejudice still exists, instilling children with guilt is a scumbag move. What is this, Catholic School?

[mjr]

the only plausible excuse for not believing it is a genuine belief that minority's are inferior to whites and incapable of doing as well ( ie personal racism)

That's the only plausible excuse -- to you.

I personally don't believe minorities are inferior to whites. And I'm saying that as a Whitey McWhiterson. In the course of my career/life, I've met many, many minorities who are fine, hardworking people, whom I admire and respect, and I'm glad to have met/worked with them. How is that racist of me, simply because I don't "buy into" institutional racism?

Aside from that, this "minority's are inferior to whites and incapable of doing as well" almost sounds like political policy of a certain party represented by a donkey...

[mjr]

Everybody is born racist, teaching children an age appropriate portion of the truth should never be prevented.

Your statement here is "everybody". Does that mean even minority children are born racist? Or does that mean "only white children"? And if it's minority children, too, then why aren't the minority children taught that?

Essentially, you're saying that minority children don't need to be taught to not be racist, only white children do. That, to me, is simply ludicrous on the face of it.

[D_Yeti_Esquire]

Interesting topic.

The original sin bereft of scientific nuance is a bit much for me though.

With babies, there's a question of exposure. With kids, there's a question of quality of exposure. I'm not sure I'm comfortable with the volume of research to where I'd agree with those conclusions, but an Elite school teaches what kids will get in college. Not what they think (if they're smart.)

[TheHuckster]

Even if there were scientific evidence that people have some innate prejudice or racist tendency, it is never a good idea to shame people for something they were born with and can't help. It's fine to educate people about possible pitfalls that may lead them to a racist mindset (e.g. dissuade stereotypes at a young age). But to flat-out shame them for being born with some kind of prejudice, truthful or not, is counterproductive.

This school is managing to fail at this in two ways: You are born racist, therefore you suck. And you are born white, therefore you suck. That's a very damaging and destructive lesson to teach anyone.

[D_Yeti_Esquire]

Well there's definitely some evidence.

Time article had one about 15 week old childrens play references regarding children with unequal toy distributions and then added a racial component and the kids actually tended to group. And I think we've pretty much well established tribalism exists.

But whether that's innate racism or a question of varying degrees of exposure to different races is where I think the studies could use some work.

And you are born white, therefore you suck.

The problem is, I've seen in practice people that have actually internalized this who are white. And I think that makes racial dialogue a bit hard to do. It simultaneously cuts those people out of the dialogue (they devalue their own voice) and tends to set off your "white pride" set (who feel its their duty to speak).

[Gravekeeper]

Do we have a source for this that isn't right wing faux outrage masquerading as journalism? Not that I don't trust an author that apparently spends most his time writing about how Obama is the real racist, 9/11 is a cover up and Clinton is out to destroy us all to be objective. -.-

[D_Yeti_Esquire]

*Shrugs* The journalism is certainly slanted. But they're either teaching the curriculum or they're not. The actual guts of it are true/false.

So the question would be is the Post fabricating the story. And I used to be in a Union in NY, I could see half-truth definitely. Still, removing the commentary from the article it doesn't actually sound out of line of some left political thought simply being taught to kids. It's not like the right doesn't have their creationist textbooks after all.

[s_stabeler]

The discussion about institutional racism is a bit of a red herring. It probably does exist to some extent or another, incidentally. As for kids being born racist- I'm not sure they are as such-the studies sound like there is a limited resource- that is, the kids are provided with insufficient toys for all of them to play with- and they apparently instinctively group along racial lines. That's not racism as such, that's them not having much else with which to decide on.

Ultimately, however, the issue is with white kids apparently being taught they should be ashamed to be white, while teaching black kids they should feel proud to be black. that's not countering racism- that's merely switching it around. ( particularly toxic is where they apparently consider merely ignoring what skin colour people have to be a tool of oppression- it's not.)

possibly more to the point, if white kids really are being made to believe any success they have is merely down to them apparently being privileged, that again is toxic.(this is regardless of if white privilege exists or not. it's not if white people have an advantage that is the issue, it's kids being made to feel that any success is purely don to privilege. That is entirely the wrong message, and means they're doing it wrong, and worse, encourages the belief that any time a black person doesn't get something their way, that it is racism.

[Gravekeeper]

Still, removing the commentary from the article it doesn't actually sound out of line of some left political thought simply being taught to kids. It's not like the right doesn't have their creationist textbooks after all.

When you strip away all of his bullshit, scary quotation marks and anonymous "sources" you're left with a fairly reasonable sounding program. That is if you actually read the program's information which the article links to but doesn't actually discuss.

Everything aside from that, including the parts mjr is upset with, are anonymous hearsay being used as a ragebait for clicks. Quite successfully I might add as the director of the program already had to disable her linkedin and googling her you get all of 7 results before she's described as an "SJW Shitskin".

The discussion about institutional racism is a bit of a red herring. It probably does exist to some extent or another, incidentally. As for kids being born racist- I'm not sure they are as such-the studies sound like there is a limited resource- that is, the kids are provided with insufficient toys for all of them to play with- and they apparently instinctively group along racial lines. That's not racism as such, that's them not having much else with which to decide on.

It exists on more than just "some extant" though. Especially in NY. As for the born racist thing, that's not the best way of putting it but it is actually true. Young children, even babies, will gravitate towards attractive faces of their own race. If you think of it from an evolutionary perspective it makes sense. You go towards your own genes for tribal security as your best chance of survival.

Ultimately, however, the issue is with white kids apparently being taught they should be ashamed to be white, while teaching black kids they should feel proud to be black. that's not countering racism- that's merely switching it around. ( particularly toxic is where they apparently consider merely ignoring what skin colour people have to be a tool of oppression- it's not.)

But therein is the rub of this article. As everything aside from the program description is anonymous hearsay. From a guy who has actually used the phrase that Obama is "baring his socialist fangs" and forcing white people to be less successful. -.-

[D_Yeti_Esquire]

When you strip away all of his bullshit, scary quotation marks and anonymous "sources" you're left with a fairly reasonable sounding program. That is if you actually read the program's information which the article links to but doesn't actually discuss.

This is silly. You know as well as I do how journalism sources work. The Post is lying about their quotations or not. Anonymous isn't only valid when our side does it. So my guess is, those "scary quotations" were probably said but not in the context the article supposes. That's my experience with the Post. They're not going to lie but they're going to fudge the point in a way they don't have to print retractions.

Do the programs outlined in those exhibits bug me? Not particularly. I'd want more specifics. That said, it's absolutely indoctrination in a specific way of thinking about race unless you have kids that are ignoring their teacher. The reaction of people sending their kids to that school are valid. They have a say in what messages their kids receive.

And here's the other thing which is worth mentioning (but I will because I was a kid at the time Psychology and overmedication peaked), well-meaning adults firing off what they "think" at kids can have unintended consequences. I'm not even going to get into it, but I can think of a number of well-meaning messages I received that in retrospect ought to have been left until I was older (or were later debunked entirely.) Ethnic/gender studies gets taught at college for a reason. There is an expectation of academic rigour to it. There's also (to put it bluntly) more direct experience from those systems they can draw on.

With kids, they'll either absorb it or they won't. But what teachers can't control is how those messages influence a kid's development, period. Aneshu, is for all intents and purposes winging it. I'm not an experiment averse person though. So I dunno. People were fine "well intentioning" my generation too.