If I Were A Poor Black Kid

Gene Marks is a fucking blind and stupid white guy.  He's currently being branded as an evil racist for his article, "If I Were A Poor Black Kid".  For some odd reason, the anti-racist blogger BigWowo is defending Marks.

If I was a poor black kid I would first and most importantly work to make sure I got the best grades possible. I would make it my #1 priority to be able to read sufficiently.   I wouldn’t care if I was a student at the worst public middle school in the worst inner city.  Even the worst have their best.  And the very best students, even at the worst schools, have more opportunities.  Getting good grades is the key to having more options.  With good grades you can choose different, better paths.  If you do poorly in school, particularly in a lousy school, you’re severely limiting the limited opportunities you have.

And I would use the technology available to me as a student.  I know a few school teachers and they tell me that many inner city parents usually have or can afford cheap computers and internet service nowadays.  That because (and sadly) it’s oftentimes a necessary thing to keep their kids safe at home than on the streets.  And libraries and schools have computers available too.  Computers can be purchased cheaply at outlets like TigerDirect and Dell’s Outlet.  Professional organizations like accountants and architects often offer used computers from their members, sometimes at no cost at all.

If I was a poor black kid I’d use the free technology available to help me study.  I’d become expert at Google Scholar.   I’d visit study sites like SparkNotes andCliffsNotes to help me understand books.  I’d watch relevant teachings onAcademic Earth, TED and the Khan Academy.  (I say relevant because some of these lectures may not be related to my work or too advanced for my age. But there are plenty of videos on these sites that are suitable to my studies and would help me stand out.)  I would also, when possible, get my books for free at Project Gutenberg and learn how to do research at the CIA World Factbook and Wikipedia to help me with my studies.

I would use homework tools like Backpack, and Diigo to help me store and share my work with other classmates.  I would use Skype to study with other students who also want to do well in my school.  I would take advantage of study websites like Evernote, Study Rails, Flashcard Machine, Quizlet, and free online calculators.

 Gene Marks just doesn't get it.  Poor black kids have low average IQ and are unlikely to be capable of or interested in the tasks that Marks suggests.  Even black kids (or kids of any race, for that matter) of average and above-average IQ are unlikely to utilize technology in such a way.  What Gene Marks proposes is that poor black kids become autodidacts, which unfortunately, typically requires a superior IQ, something that is not common even among white/Asian populations, much less black ones.  A more appropriate title for the article would be, "If I Were A Poor Black Genius Kid".  Gene Marks is a RACIST because he practices the soft bigotry of unreasonable expectations.

Every I time I go to the public library (which is a lot) I never see homeless and poor people doing anything productive on the computers or reading books.  Most of the time they are watching Youtube videos and playing games.  Even at college libraries, people are on Facebook 80% of the time.  For most people, technology is not used as a learning tool or for value creation, it is simply a mode of entertainment.

Does Gene Marks actually think that kids use Sparknotes to help them "understand" books?  Kids use Sparknotes because they are too lazy to read the book in the first place (or too stupid).  It is amazing how many kids in this generation simply REFUSE TO READ.  Reading is one of the greatest pleasures in life and it is disappointing to meet people who boastfully claim that they hate reading.  They don't know what they are missing out on.

The insane out-of-wedlock birthrate among blacks needs to be curtailed.  Reestablishing the structure of black families is crucial to reinvigorating the black community and promoting social change (change to the past).  I am in favor of stricter of divorce laws and incentives or mandates that would allow more kids to grow up with both a mother and a father.

If I were a poor black kid, I would either join a gang or spend 4 hours a day practicing basketball.