Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post

Hektore · 04-14-2007, 09:04 PM

I agree with everything that you have to say shesus. I'm not going to say that they're justified but those people who say 'thats their culture' have a point. If a person wants their life to become one of prison, being shot at, etc it's a value judgment just as right as anyone you could make. Now, I personally fail to see how anyone in their right mind could ever choose that life over education and fighting to escape the culture or make it better, but that is easy for me to say here in my comfy dorm room on my predominately white, middle/upper class campus. The few people who I can talk to about this and have real experience from these kinds of neighborhoods (mostly from NYC) paint a very bleak picture.

I could go to college because I had a huge network of support not only in coming to college but in becoming prepared to come to college. I have been told, and find it perfectly believable that the same network doesn't exist for most of these youth. The truth is, even if every single one of those students worked their ass of as hard as they could to do as well in school as they were capable of and every single one of them got into college most of them do not have the resources to actually go and finish. Many of these students would require aid and scholarships to pay their entire way through four years, and that is only available for perhaps the top 5-10% of those students. The rest will mostly be stuck in a place/jobs that ultimately won't amount to much of anything, because they didn't get the college education to allow them to do better. I don't see a problem with being a part of the working class, it's how I grew up. I also understand why most people would never want to settle for that. Unfortunately, there aren't any working class role models out there making millions of dollars and living extravagant lifestyles. There are ex drug dealers and prison birds making millions, so those are the role models that exist for the culture. If I were in the same situation, and I didn't excel in school as easily as I do, I would believe that the best I could hope for was the 'rapper' lifestyle.

You can't reach adolescents on a group level, it must be individually. Most people get the individual support required to make them strive to do something better with their lives at home. If you can't get it there it has to come from somewhere else, in the absence of good support they will turn to their friends or the people in their life they see living better than they are, which seems to be the drug dealers more often than not. Not to people who want to help them, and steer them in a better direction. It takes teachers who care and want better for their students, and the few in the community who are willing to work for change. It takes you people like you shesus, who really care. People who are better than I, who aren't so intimidated by the problem they couldn't deal with it. I wish you the best of luck.

04-14-2007, 09:04 PM	#8 (permalink)
Hektore Junkie Location: Greater Harrisburg Area	I agree with everything that you have to say shesus. I'm not going to say that they're justified but those people who say 'thats their culture' have a point. If a person wants their life to become one of prison, being shot at, etc it's a value judgment just as right as anyone you could make. Now, I personally fail to see how anyone in their right mind could ever choose that life over education and fighting to escape the culture or make it better, but that is easy for me to say here in my comfy dorm room on my predominately white, middle/upper class campus. The few people who I can talk to about this and have real experience from these kinds of neighborhoods (mostly from NYC) paint a very bleak picture. I could go to college because I had a huge network of support not only in coming to college but in becoming prepared to come to college. I have been told, and find it perfectly believable that the same network doesn't exist for most of these youth. The truth is, even if every single one of those students worked their ass of as hard as they could to do as well in school as they were capable of and every single one of them got into college most of them do not have the resources to actually go and finish. Many of these students would require aid and scholarships to pay their entire way through four years, and that is only available for perhaps the top 5-10% of those students. The rest will mostly be stuck in a place/jobs that ultimately won't amount to much of anything, because they didn't get the college education to allow them to do better. I don't see a problem with being a part of the working class, it's how I grew up. I also understand why most people would never want to settle for that. Unfortunately, there aren't any working class role models out there making millions of dollars and living extravagant lifestyles. There are ex drug dealers and prison birds making millions, so those are the role models that exist for the culture. If I were in the same situation, and I didn't excel in school as easily as I do, I would believe that the best I could hope for was the 'rapper' lifestyle. You can't reach adolescents on a group level, it must be individually. Most people get the individual support required to make them strive to do something better with their lives at home. If you can't get it there it has to come from somewhere else, in the absence of good support they will turn to their friends or the people in their life they see living better than they are, which seems to be the drug dealers more often than not. Not to people who want to help them, and steer them in a better direction. It takes teachers who care and want better for their students, and the few in the community who are willing to work for change. It takes you people like you shesus, who really care. People who are better than I, who aren't so intimidated by the problem they couldn't deal with it. I wish you the best of luck. __________________ The advantage law is the best law in rugby, because it lets you ignore all the others for the good of the game.