Obama’s NAACP Talk vs. the Department of Education’s Walk
Barack Obama won a lot of praise for telling the NAACP on July 16 that black students should quit using social disadvantages as an excuse for slacking off in school. But at almost the same time, his administration was busy using social disadvantages to manufacture an excuse for a new racial quota in high schools nationwide. And nothing promotes slacking off in school like educational quotas — “the soft bigotry of low expectations,” as another president once called it.
Give Obama credit; he says a lot of the right things. He always has. During the campaign last year he not only endorsed charter schools but explicitly endorsed “competition” in education, and he was booed at the convention of the National Education Association for endorsing merit pay.
It makes an important difference that Obama says these things. Competition and merit pay in education used to be untouchable concepts in the Democratic Party, and now they’re mainstream — thanks in large part to Obama.
The NAACP speech continued Obama’s longstanding practice of saying a lot of the right things:
We’ve got to say to our children, yes, if you’re African American, the odds of growing up amid crime and gangs are higher. Yes, if you live in a poor neighborhood, you will face challenges that somebody in a wealthy suburb does not have to face. But that’s not a reason to get bad grades. [Applause] That’s not a reason to cut class. [Applause] That’s not a reason to give up on your education and drop out of school. [Applause.]
And he didn’t just leave it at that — he drew the fundamental moral:
No one has written your destiny for you. Your destiny is in your hands. You cannot forget that. That’s what we have to teach all of our children. No excuses. [Applause.] No excuses.
“No excuses!” That’s strong stuff. It makes a big difference that a black president of the United States went to the NAACP — ground zero for the culture of racial excuses! — and said these things. And was repeatedly interrupted by applause!
Of course we know the NAACP’s applause for this sort of thing isn’t sincere. Oh, perhaps they felt at the time that they really approved of the message. But come the next morning they were right back at their desks, hard at work promoting racial excuses. That kind of applause is the sincerity of the insincere — they’re honest with everyone except themselves.
Nevertheless, the fact that they feel the need to applaud is a good sign. Hypocrisy really is the tribute that vice pays to virtue — and when do nations make payments of tribute? When they’ve lost a power struggle with a stronger neighbor. The all-excuses culture of the NAACP pays tribute to the “no excuses!” culture of Barack Obama because it knows it has lost the fight for public opinion.
If only the Obama administration lived up to the “no excuses!” culture promoted by its president.
There’s a couple ways these quotas could be achieved:
1. Allow in all minority [the proper kinds of minorities, mind you ... East Asians don't count for the quotas] students who have a chance of passing the course [forget about passing the AP exam, that's harder to fake]. Then cap the number of students from non-favored groups so the percentages come out right.
2. Keep the class size as before, let in the proper number of favored-minority students for the quota [draft kids if you have to -- who cares what they're interested in or prepared for? The bean-counters must be satisfied!]
Ploy number 2 is likely to be the one that occurs, and like with college where standards are lowered to the point that students are doing work that is remedial even for high school so that admissions quotas can be achieved. Who cares if the students so admitted cannot finish with a degree? The numbers have got to look good, or the federal govt will come after you. The well-being of the supposed beneficiaries of this policy is never of concern to the bureaucrats.
I do believe the administration IS listening to its president. Sad to say.
It is at the point that one can listen to what Obama says and know the opposite to be true.
Just go back to his ‘Words matter’ speech. Then look at all his subesquent statements, promises, and speeches. Now contrast that to his actual deeds. It’s prety clear we are dealing with a dishonest man.
I especially like his promises of ‘transparency’ in government.
Foster makes several good points,but like nearly all articles about Barack Obama,this one has to butter his bread; Foster says Obama says a lot of the right things. No mention that he says a lot of the wrong things and in context his main objectives are almost always the wrong things.
Isn’t Ali an Obami? Obama is responsible for the Obami. He alone. They are doing what he put them there to do. He is not an innocent choir boy and the bad people are not doing what he doesn’t want done.
These want-to-be-fair-to-Obama writers assume that they know the bad things that are going on in O-adminstration,but Obama doesn’t. The plain obvious truth is,Obama is directing the bad things. These things couldn’t happen any other way.
“The practical impact of Ali’s comments will be precisely to deny thousands of deserving students from accessing AP courses on account of their race.”
Civil Rights has been bastardized from the beginning to mean-blacks get extra preference for college, jobs and promotion. Civil Rights has nothing to do for white Americans. So to be so sanguine in not criticizing the promoters of civil rights is to tacitly approve of what they are and have been doing.
If you really did care about education you would write honestly about the disastrous influence the NAACP and NEA has had on education. We all know that the class will have to be dumbed down for the black students, or else.
This will preclude many deserving white students from attaining a level of education commensurate with their talents.
Your homage to the president is quite shameful in light of how he is personally destroying America.
come on guys, Obama is just doing what he was sent to do..
The uninformed, uneducated, uncaring, apologist in our country set him up to “right the wrongs” of more than a century ago..you know..today doesn’t count. Why work for what you get, why have equal rules for enrollment, admission, promotion. Hell, gotta sit home and make up for what happened to somebody born somwhere before they were ever a twinkle in someone’s eye.. Gotta give ‘em more free stuff. Let the devils that work everyday pay for it.
It’s just so much bull. I believe that if people think things are so unfair here and they should be “given” everything, perhaps they should try a few years in the “mother land” that they so equate themselves with.
Obama is here to dismantle America. He needs to be stopped. There is a vote in 2010, voting out his party would be a start.
The NAACP is racist in it’s very being. Discrimination does not discriminate. Meaning that regardless of how pretty things are said, the basis and basic fatal flaw is in the very thing that is getting praise. Impeach obama for being a traitor.
Obama is great at telling you what you want to hear, but is terrible at doing what he says. Just remember, if his lips are moving, he’s lying.It’s as simple as that.
Call ne crazy, but the more I see of barak the more I feel he’s a cross between rev. wright and colonel klink.
Remember when Obama’s lips aren’t moving,he’s still lying. He is a liar in what he is and what he does,and all of those around him and the things they are doing are part of the lies.
wonder why there are so few posts here? maybe people just aren’t interested in education..maybe that’s the reason we are in such sad shape in America. Politians hood wink us at every turn and we’re too damned dumb to do anything about it.
When my older son was in 8th grade, in 2004, we met with a counselor about these AP classes. My son had mono and missed about 10 days of his math AP class. The teacher stated unless he was a very driven student, he would not be able to catch up to the class. He was not driven.
Also the counselor related a story to us concerning a minority student in this AP class. She was shunned by her friends, ignored at lunch, and never included in any social activities because of her AP class. She was labeled a “coconut” at school. She ended up dropping out of the advanced class.
My younger son was supposed to get an award (along with others) for getting all “A”s for the year.(7th grade, 2008) He told us it meant nothing. Many of the kids had gotten a B, some multiple times. The school was using the year’s average to determine qualification. If they didn’t they would not have very many getting the award.
Lastly, why put a child in a class that he or she cannot handle. Why set a child up for failure? What can that do for their self esteem? Stop a lawsuit, sacrifice the children. I guess the class could be made easier……
I live and grew up on the Texas Gulf Coast, south down the coast from Galveston about 50 miles.Country town.
Holy Crap this a good article! Saying there are not proportionately enough folks of color is the same as arguing disparate impact in business. The lack of color is prima facie evidence of discrimanation in the minds of the race crowd. Never mind that there is no proof of actual discrimination. This discussion doesn’t mention title IX, but it’s simmering under the surface. We all want minorities and girls to have all the access that’s needed, but alas, we’ve gone past that to discrimination in the reverse….
Of course, when these minorities start failing the course, then there will be a quota for grades. That is minority achievement.
These guys will be grading on the “bell”..:(..oh yeah..dumbing..):.. down of America is here!!!!
China will be so disgusted;( when they take us over. They’ll have to reeducate us all..and I doubt they grade on a curve…
the whole thing is degrading to us as Americans