It is sad to see Dr. Ogunyemi resurrecting Dr. Ogbu's widely discredited and misused research. Even Dr. Ogunyemi's anecdote makes clear that the association of blackness with "acting white" that occurred in his own life came from non-black peers: they were astonished that his high score on a test made him "white."
5
My son is a Black male who wears a white coat. When he began medical school somewhere in the cold northeast about 4 years ago, the environment was less than welcoming. I can remembering screaming into the telephone that I did not send him to medical school to become a civil right activist but a doctor, which led to a terse conversation between the two of us. We are the survivors of America's greatest sin, "chattel slavery" but at times, it appears to me that someone people are refusing to recognize our accomplishments and achievements because of the color of our skin, black. We are not Michael Jackson and are not interested in changing the color of our skin. I agree with the author's statement, "achievement has no color" but only so far because in America, everything is seen in terms of race whether you want to admit it or not.
14
maybe race has a sharper edge than ethnicity, or any other of the boundaries we've constructed (not unlke h(r)c's baskets), but the journey to, or past, the edges of those boundaries is, essentially, fraught with the same dangers
in exceeding their limits ("waddaya, too good for the rest of us" or similarly, girls and academically gifted athletes in memory "dumbing down" to fit in with peer sub groups).
many, as lucky as dr. ogunyemi, were encouraged by welcoming others in succeeding environments, who appreciated, maybe admired the effort of the outsider, (though these approvals sometimes came with overheard whispers that the new kid was like some kind of a mascot, "imagine, a _________ as sharp as that one." (an alternaitve, "dimaggio is ok, he's one ________ who knows his place," gathered while serving members in a posh, no-jews club).
however, not all survivors of the journey, once certified by degree or training, are welcomed or admitted without reservation to all occupations or levels of endeavor...color and ethnicity were, still can be, limits in, say, business that science (more "yes-no" than "pass the fois gras") was less likely to foster...for women, of course they were the same, with the academy having been among the most egregious/habitual offenders.
the expectations to surpass are one's own, no matter the job or the assignment (writing a book report to satisfy a teacher is the lowest setting of the bar, there is a curriculum in its indexes, go for them).
in exceeding their limits ("waddaya, too good for the rest of us" or similarly, girls and academically gifted athletes in memory "dumbing down" to fit in with peer sub groups).
many, as lucky as dr. ogunyemi, were encouraged by welcoming others in succeeding environments, who appreciated, maybe admired the effort of the outsider, (though these approvals sometimes came with overheard whispers that the new kid was like some kind of a mascot, "imagine, a _________ as sharp as that one." (an alternaitve, "dimaggio is ok, he's one ________ who knows his place," gathered while serving members in a posh, no-jews club).
however, not all survivors of the journey, once certified by degree or training, are welcomed or admitted without reservation to all occupations or levels of endeavor...color and ethnicity were, still can be, limits in, say, business that science (more "yes-no" than "pass the fois gras") was less likely to foster...for women, of course they were the same, with the academy having been among the most egregious/habitual offenders.
the expectations to surpass are one's own, no matter the job or the assignment (writing a book report to satisfy a teacher is the lowest setting of the bar, there is a curriculum in its indexes, go for them).
3
@ ecco - Ecco there is no sharp edge to "race" since "race" is not a scientific concept nor is it scientifically defined. The concept of "race" is the fatal invention of racists. And, if you read my comment just below yours you will see how races are invented by the US Census Bureau.
If the USCB makes its study into a proposal then Donald Trump and the white racist society of America will cheer the USCB for defining "White by law" to favor Donald Trump's German-gene mode of "thought".
If the USCB makes its study into a proposal then Donald Trump and the white racist society of America will cheer the USCB for defining "White by law" to favor Donald Trump's German-gene mode of "thought".
1
End the USCB system for classifying people by skin color and then telling us that they belong to races. Read Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngotze Adichie's Americanah, the bold text sections, that show what a real sub-Saharan African encounters on arriving in the USA.
Then start following blackmamba's comment in these Times comment columns. He, socially black as Professor Dorothy Roberts also describes herself in her essential TED talk, explains over and over again as she does, there is only one race, the human.
I write here in part because comments were quickly closed at Douthat today where this subject might have been discussed. I note here, just for the record, something that Donald Trump is going to love if implemented.
At present USCB white race includes all born in Europe, the Middle East and Africa north of the Sahara. The USCB is studying the possibility of creating a new "race" so that the white "race" would consist only of those born in Europe and their descendants.
Nothing illustrates the absurdity of the USCB system and practice than such a proposal. Each race was invented by racists - read Dorothy Roberts "Fatal Invention" - if you question that assertion.
And then, ask Race Related to provide for the very first time a discussion of this subject.
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
Dual citizen US SE
Then start following blackmamba's comment in these Times comment columns. He, socially black as Professor Dorothy Roberts also describes herself in her essential TED talk, explains over and over again as she does, there is only one race, the human.
I write here in part because comments were quickly closed at Douthat today where this subject might have been discussed. I note here, just for the record, something that Donald Trump is going to love if implemented.
At present USCB white race includes all born in Europe, the Middle East and Africa north of the Sahara. The USCB is studying the possibility of creating a new "race" so that the white "race" would consist only of those born in Europe and their descendants.
Nothing illustrates the absurdity of the USCB system and practice than such a proposal. Each race was invented by racists - read Dorothy Roberts "Fatal Invention" - if you question that assertion.
And then, ask Race Related to provide for the very first time a discussion of this subject.
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
Dual citizen US SE
2
Quite simply, this is quite representative of my problem with the debate about race right now—the idea that everything in ones' life has been ruined because of enslaved ancestors.
I am not condoning the actions of slave owensrs. I'm not suggesting we bury the past. However, by maintaining the mentality that one is/always will be the victim & thus, don't strive to do better, well, what do you expect? No one has ever said that 'making it' in life was going to be easy.
Imho, if leaders in the black community really wanted to help people to end the cycle of underachievement, it needs to start by eliminating the very idea that being 'white' means using proper English & going to school. Hold these kids accountable. The longer an entire community plays in to a victim mentality, the longer they'll stay there.
Almost all ethnic groups were enslaved at some point in time. My boyfriend's family came over from Ireland as endengured servants. His father is now retired after many years as a COO at a major bank in Chicago. People make their choices. They may not be choices we like, but there is a choice between education or the street.
I am not condoning the actions of slave owensrs. I'm not suggesting we bury the past. However, by maintaining the mentality that one is/always will be the victim & thus, don't strive to do better, well, what do you expect? No one has ever said that 'making it' in life was going to be easy.
Imho, if leaders in the black community really wanted to help people to end the cycle of underachievement, it needs to start by eliminating the very idea that being 'white' means using proper English & going to school. Hold these kids accountable. The longer an entire community plays in to a victim mentality, the longer they'll stay there.
Almost all ethnic groups were enslaved at some point in time. My boyfriend's family came over from Ireland as endengured servants. His father is now retired after many years as a COO at a major bank in Chicago. People make their choices. They may not be choices we like, but there is a choice between education or the street.
9
Facepalm! The "acting White" phenomenon has been debunked so many times, it makes my head hurt to see the words especially in the New York Times. Karolyn Tyson's research demonstrates that racialized academic tracking drives the experiences of high-achieving minority kids more than anything.
5
Those white kids were jealous and chose to snipe at the high-performing student with an obvious cheap shot.
8
Our issue is us. Stop complicating it and finding some external boogie man.
Signed: Me.
Signed: Me.
1
Just ignore them they are too shallow to understand hard work. Been there and stuck it out and now all my old neighbors stop me and say how proud they are of me and regret never applying themselves. I am BROWN
4
Very nice column save for the use of the word "Black".
Can we please move beyond calling someone by tincture of their skin.
Can we please move beyond calling someone by tincture of their skin.
1
This article reminds me of black fellow students' comments during my undergraduate years, on various strains/conflicts in their student identities; there was a racial dimension overlaying matters pertaining to many or most students, such as frequent ambiguities & ambivalence about "achievement."
What this article omits is a sense of pre-med culture's intrinsic ethical challenges, the kind that fade from perception after the halo of medical school admission & utimately, degrees, careers & salaries are conferred.
Here is an article discussing, among other matters, pressures to cheat & cut ethical corners in the scramble for admission-worthy transcripts:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https:/...
Mr. Ogunyemi presents a poignant, compelling account of racial treatment & factors, but Mr. Ogunyemi, nicely invoking Ogbu's fairly famous treatment of black student experiences, esp. in regard to "achievement orientation" could be more interesting w/ more attention to how these these issues overlay some of the grittier aspects of pre-med culture that get automatically laundered by fading memory & the special esteem culturally ingrained in a status/achievement- obsessed value scheme. How racial dynamics interplay with the nitty-gritty of the pre-med race (i.e,, acknowledging the latter) would add more interest & nuance.
What this article omits is a sense of pre-med culture's intrinsic ethical challenges, the kind that fade from perception after the halo of medical school admission & utimately, degrees, careers & salaries are conferred.
Here is an article discussing, among other matters, pressures to cheat & cut ethical corners in the scramble for admission-worthy transcripts:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https:/...
Mr. Ogunyemi presents a poignant, compelling account of racial treatment & factors, but Mr. Ogunyemi, nicely invoking Ogbu's fairly famous treatment of black student experiences, esp. in regard to "achievement orientation" could be more interesting w/ more attention to how these these issues overlay some of the grittier aspects of pre-med culture that get automatically laundered by fading memory & the special esteem culturally ingrained in a status/achievement- obsessed value scheme. How racial dynamics interplay with the nitty-gritty of the pre-med race (i.e,, acknowledging the latter) would add more interest & nuance.
2
For a good life, do what the successful people are doing, not the losers.
Is that really so hard to figure out?
Is that really so hard to figure out?
3
This piece is important and it is very good.
6
Great article! I remember dealing with this in the 80's when as a young person. My early beginnings of working in government. Someone made the comment that "Wendy" is white based solely on my conversations over the telephone. My parents were from the Caribbean Islands. I remembered trying to fit in because there was talk of other immigrants who spoke funny because of their native dialect. I was many times accused of "acting white" which I found to be ridiculous, what does that even mean? I met someone an African American a few months ago in a book store. She mentioned, "You like to read books?" I said, "Yes I do." Then she asked, "Where are you from?" I don't see where that applies. Her conversation after that was "Well most of the people from the Caribbean are smart". I totally disagreed with her. I believe education makes the difference. When applied to any individual for all backgrounds the difference lies in education. That applies to all people of any Race, Creed or Color. Maybe the one clear difference can be found in the strict upbringing of people from the Caribbean, our parents were very strict in the areas of education and discipline.
8
Over several decades, I have trained hundreds of medical doctors. I have generally found that those Black doctors in training from Africa and the Caribbean are thoughtful, diligent and have higher standards. Their success is all the more surprising given their generally darker skin and frequent foreign accent. Frequently their background is one of poverty that one can not imagine on an American level. They often went to one room schools in hand me down sneakers. Their parents frequently dropped out of elementary school and basic amenities like electricity and plumbing were scarce or unreliable.
What was most evident was that these young medical doctors were not burdened by the long legacy of American slavery that imposed a sense of victimhood. I never heard them use terms like white privilege, black oppression or people of color. They were less focused on grievance and more motivated to get improve themselves.
What was most evident was that these young medical doctors were not burdened by the long legacy of American slavery that imposed a sense of victimhood. I never heard them use terms like white privilege, black oppression or people of color. They were less focused on grievance and more motivated to get improve themselves.
16
Congratulations, Bolu on an excellent article! As a teacher at Booth, I concur completely with Mr. Rose,'s comments. Obviously you are continuing to contribute outside and within your profession.
3
Similar to the author, I am also a first generation immigrant. I went to UWO for my freshman year and transferred to another school right afterward. Many people I met at school were nice and polite. Except that one old Tim Horton's lady would not say hi or chat with me while chatting with almost every white male customer. Except that in my business 1220 class, people made groups by their race. Except that a few random drunk students harassed me with pranks in local student bars. Except that my Canadian roommate would address me with racial slurs whenever we had a disagreement. In this strange city and school, it's the blacks but it's also not only the blacks who suffer. All those who deviate from the white norm, like the author and also myself, suffer a different degree of identity loss, alienation, and mental distress here.
2
As Principal of Bolu's high school I congratulate him on this article and for being true to himself in working hard to achieve his goals. Bolu has clearly demonstrated that being a "student" is what counted most. He worked hard and contributed to his graduating class and clearly represented the school motto of Tolerance, Responsibility, and Integrity.
9
Boy, oh boy, I can't wait till we finally get rid of this nonsense and just let people be.
9
Being white might not explain the tradition of mid-level achievement. It might be a generational issue. In “The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother,” author Amy Chua explains why she’s so tough on her children. She’s hoping to avoid having them fall into the pattern of so many third-generation children… mid-level achievement.
According to her logic, the first generation in a new country works very hard, but will always struggle because they got a late start. The second generation has the same work ethic as their parents, but they have the advantage of getting off to a good start. They do so well and provide so many advantages for their children that the third-generation youngsters often take success for granted. Of course, all bets are off for subsequent generations. Dr. Ogunyemi’s aspirations and work ethic seem right in line with the Tiger Mom theory and may not be a black-white issue at all.
According to her logic, the first generation in a new country works very hard, but will always struggle because they got a late start. The second generation has the same work ethic as their parents, but they have the advantage of getting off to a good start. They do so well and provide so many advantages for their children that the third-generation youngsters often take success for granted. Of course, all bets are off for subsequent generations. Dr. Ogunyemi’s aspirations and work ethic seem right in line with the Tiger Mom theory and may not be a black-white issue at all.
10
This was my experience in the 80s. It's such a shame that this continues to be the norm. What happened to black intellectual aspiration and academic achievements once considered the norm pre-segregation?
6
My daughter is one of a minority of white children who tested into a competitive public school in Southern California, and it is not unusual for her to be the only white child in the extra curricular activities she chooses. Many of her close friends are Americans of Asian ancestry. Over the years, I have received many surprised and positive comments from her friend's immigrant parents which essentially boil down to "she is a credit to her race." And I have also listened to a number of white friends and relatives make snide comments which boil down to "she is acting Asian." So I have to agree with the thesis of this article: achievement has no color.
23
Shows that everyone is racist in some way! My grandmother used to make snide comments about how I shouldn't "behave like a white girl" (i.e. date while still in high school or even go to dances (until she found out a (Chinese) girl a few houses down went to her prom)) and that the best thing to do is be studious. She didn't even think it was appropriate for a "good Chinese girl" to be athletic! I was never confident in gym class because of her. :(
9
When I enrolled in medical school I was one of 9 Mexican-American medical students starting medical school in the entire country. John Ogbu taught research methods/medical anthropology at my medical school in Berkeley. I figured I would focus a lot on Chicano issues and Mexican healing traditions. I did not suspect that I would learn a lot about stereotyping of and discrimination against Asian students--that was surprising and useful.
Professor Ogbu and our other professors treated every student like a scholar, not a stereotype, and everyone performed accordingly.
Professor Ogbu and our other professors treated every student like a scholar, not a stereotype, and everyone performed accordingly.
27
First, thank you NYT for the converstions and personal accounts one can read in the digital version of the NYT. Having had the wonderful experience at the age of 1 to 3 of being in the arms of a Black nanny (as a white kid), and reading Note of a Native son in college, I'm very aware of the racism that has changed but is everywhere in so many subtle and not subtle forms (crossing a sidewalk or a cashier that refuses to touch your hand). I wish more whites would read an article like this--and how do we bring this about??
6
The author does not explore another interesting statistic - Blacks of African origin do as well and indeed exceed the performance of other racial groups and significantly out-distance the native Blacks of Canada and the USA.
If it is simply a matter of skin color - how can this be?
If it is simply a matter of skin color - how can this be?
3
It's culture. The author comes from a high achieving immigrant family with many of the opportunities and privileges of other well-educated families that expect their children to do well. Even if the family is not well off, the parents generally know how important education is.
Poor families, in contrast, have always lived a hand-to-mouth existence, whether they are poor Somali farmers, or inner-city African American families, or poor, rural, white people who voted for Trump. In general, the children of those families grew up in a low-expectation culture, and therefore, started life's journey behind the eight ball.
I'm not saying discrimination and bigotry cannot or does not have its own terrible effects, independent of culture and the type of family one grows up in. Furthermore, the interaction between discrimination and socioeconomic cultural effects can be truly devastating.
This is why even much greater education spending does not often translate into poor people escaping their economic circumstances. However, recent studies suggest the earlier you take children and their poor families and move them into wealthier communities, the better the children do in accessing the American Dream and increasing social mobility.
Poor families, in contrast, have always lived a hand-to-mouth existence, whether they are poor Somali farmers, or inner-city African American families, or poor, rural, white people who voted for Trump. In general, the children of those families grew up in a low-expectation culture, and therefore, started life's journey behind the eight ball.
I'm not saying discrimination and bigotry cannot or does not have its own terrible effects, independent of culture and the type of family one grows up in. Furthermore, the interaction between discrimination and socioeconomic cultural effects can be truly devastating.
This is why even much greater education spending does not often translate into poor people escaping their economic circumstances. However, recent studies suggest the earlier you take children and their poor families and move them into wealthier communities, the better the children do in accessing the American Dream and increasing social mobility.
1
He actually does so. Please read the paragraph that discusses voluntary and involuntary citizens.
3
It's a mixture of immigration selection & cultural differences. One group has been told that they are inferior for so long many of them believe it themselves. Another group willingly comes here from countries where they are at all levels of society. Their identity is affirmed giving them more self confidence.
8
Thank you for sharing your story and insights!
5
Worrying about what will people think if I do well extends to more than racial groups. I've known more than one woman who, back in the day, deliberately answered exam questions wrong from time to time to keep their grades from being too high. Everybody knows smart girls aren't popular.
23
Yes, it does, but this article is about the experiences of a man of recent African descent.
3
Precisely! As a straight-A student in high school, I often felt awful because I had learned that a female's deepest role was to be subordinate to males.
One teacher (of a class called Poise and Charm, which I mentally changed to Poison Charm) even explained how to play tennis: "Do your very best at the start--make him fear you might win. Then slack off a bit. Let him come up from behind and clobber you!"
Ah, what still passed for wisdom in the early 60s! How deeply I hope it never returns--and that it will stop harming people of color as well as women.
One teacher (of a class called Poise and Charm, which I mentally changed to Poison Charm) even explained how to play tennis: "Do your very best at the start--make him fear you might win. Then slack off a bit. Let him come up from behind and clobber you!"
Ah, what still passed for wisdom in the early 60s! How deeply I hope it never returns--and that it will stop harming people of color as well as women.
16
At age 13, I was traumatized by an article in Seventeen magazine that claimed that if we girls so much as wiggled a tiny bit walking up to the blackboard, we would be responsible for a chain reaction of erections all around the classroom. For years I walked like I had a board strapped to my back if I had to go up to the front of the classroom.
5
More excuses?
2
Africans, continental and diaspora, have a long and deep history and tradition of excellence in all fields of intellectual endeavor. Sadly, too many of us don't know our history. It has absolutely nothing to do with "acting white" and everything to do with acting like ourselves. Like Washington, and DuBois. Like Carver. Like Hurston. Like Morrison. Like Drew. Like Tyson. Like the women whose story is now being widely recognized in Hidden Figures. Like those who risked life and limb simply to learn to read. Like those who taught and learned through the depths of Jim Crow, northern and southern style. We don't have to act like anyone else. We have to remember who we are, and act accordingly.
26
The real women in Hidden Figures were very light skinned, a couple of them could have passed for white. They are not representative of the vast majority of black Americans.
3
it does not excuse the lack of achievement as a whole
4
I got news for you. The worst color prejudices are found in people in or descended from the Indian subcontinent. No surprise to me it was an Indo-Canadian sneering at you.
Take a look at the matrimonial pages--virtual or tactile--of any South Asian publication or matchmaking service. Everyone wants a wheat-complexioned girl. Dark guys aren't at as much as a disadvantage in the marketplace, because, you know, they're guys...
But don't worry. As a "white" woman who spent considerable time living in a majority-Muslim country, I was treated basically like a mongrel because I didn't have a caste/clan lineage like theirs--even the poorest people know their places within those hierarchies and want their children to marry only within the approved boundaries. And even within families, people mock their own darker children.
But seems like you turned out just fine, regardless of the horrors of your youth. Psst--kids are generally horrible, and will find any difference with which to torment you. You're not as special as you think...
Take a look at the matrimonial pages--virtual or tactile--of any South Asian publication or matchmaking service. Everyone wants a wheat-complexioned girl. Dark guys aren't at as much as a disadvantage in the marketplace, because, you know, they're guys...
But don't worry. As a "white" woman who spent considerable time living in a majority-Muslim country, I was treated basically like a mongrel because I didn't have a caste/clan lineage like theirs--even the poorest people know their places within those hierarchies and want their children to marry only within the approved boundaries. And even within families, people mock their own darker children.
But seems like you turned out just fine, regardless of the horrors of your youth. Psst--kids are generally horrible, and will find any difference with which to torment you. You're not as special as you think...
14
I'm familiar with Dr. Ogbu's work and the documentary about black students at Shaker Heights High School. But there's a key issue that is rarely if ever added to his work.
Dr. Ogpu's work accurately describes the sociology behind being "black", but leaves out the politics. This is its crucial element. In the 60's, Negros became black. There was nothing automatic about this transformation. It was called a change of consciousness. Nothing physical changed, except maybe a hair style. But for the first time we had a history, a place of origin and a kinship with the black diaspora.
Blackness was the result of that transformative process. We had political content to our existence. We were part of a worldwide anti-colonial struggle. When we did well in white schools we were appropriating knowledge for that struggle. Most importantly, those from our race who did not do as well still saw us as mini Jackie Robinsons who would bring back talent and skills that had been historically denied our communities.
Todays young people live in a political vacuum. Their blackness is tenuous, cultural, often politically neutral and stridently individualistic. As important as these features are, it leaves them with more questions and few answers about what being black means. As a result they react and retreat into an ingrown ethnocentrism that expresses its fragility through the 'acting white' phenomena.
Stockely Carmichael went to Stuyvesant High and no one ever accused him of acting white.
Dr. Ogpu's work accurately describes the sociology behind being "black", but leaves out the politics. This is its crucial element. In the 60's, Negros became black. There was nothing automatic about this transformation. It was called a change of consciousness. Nothing physical changed, except maybe a hair style. But for the first time we had a history, a place of origin and a kinship with the black diaspora.
Blackness was the result of that transformative process. We had political content to our existence. We were part of a worldwide anti-colonial struggle. When we did well in white schools we were appropriating knowledge for that struggle. Most importantly, those from our race who did not do as well still saw us as mini Jackie Robinsons who would bring back talent and skills that had been historically denied our communities.
Todays young people live in a political vacuum. Their blackness is tenuous, cultural, often politically neutral and stridently individualistic. As important as these features are, it leaves them with more questions and few answers about what being black means. As a result they react and retreat into an ingrown ethnocentrism that expresses its fragility through the 'acting white' phenomena.
Stockely Carmichael went to Stuyvesant High and no one ever accused him of acting white.
13
He went to Science, not Stuy, but once you were in either, nobody accused anybody of "acting white" (today, at Stuy, not "acting Asian?")
6
I stand corrected. That you.
1
i guess some of the dismissive comments were made by caucasians in this piece. i'm white and i lived in a first world country off and on for 19 years that was almost 100% non white
i could list many, many instances of prejudice....shock that i was good at math, that i didn't smell, that i was actually quite proficient with chopsticks, that i didn't have AIDS. on a number of occasions i heard, in the local language, 'F...ing foreigner' when i was walking down the street minding my own business. i also used to nod at fellow whites--and blacks--and it returned as an acknowledgement we were all in this together. however, i also experienced positive discrimination because the locals wanted me to think good things about their country.
i got very very tired of being an american stereotype--especially since i'm not one of those people from that promised land; as they often remind the rest of us. also, i started missing the multi hued shades of my fellow citizens and immigrants back in the old country.
sticking out like a sore thumb and living up and down to others' prejudices and idiocy is very wearing.
i could list many, many instances of prejudice....shock that i was good at math, that i didn't smell, that i was actually quite proficient with chopsticks, that i didn't have AIDS. on a number of occasions i heard, in the local language, 'F...ing foreigner' when i was walking down the street minding my own business. i also used to nod at fellow whites--and blacks--and it returned as an acknowledgement we were all in this together. however, i also experienced positive discrimination because the locals wanted me to think good things about their country.
i got very very tired of being an american stereotype--especially since i'm not one of those people from that promised land; as they often remind the rest of us. also, i started missing the multi hued shades of my fellow citizens and immigrants back in the old country.
sticking out like a sore thumb and living up and down to others' prejudices and idiocy is very wearing.
25
Kissing up and kicking down is an art form that is practiced everywhere, regardless of skin color or origin. Telling someone they are "acting white" to discourage their aspirations, and thereby kicking them down, is not an appeal for solidarity-through-shared-mediocrity. It is just kicking down. White kids do it to each other too, but unlike in this article, it does not get a racial tag.
15
I am so impressed with the authors dedication to achievement. Its not easy to become a doctor. It is facinating how our society in North America is so connected to our history on race. It is the greatest shame America has. However, I feel like we are getting close to some sort of resolution.
Regardless of the last gasp for racist conservatism represented by Trump, our nation is moving as a whole in a direction where we are about to face out past full on. Oppressed minorities deserve equality, even reparations and preferential treatment, to repair out nation. Not only that, but white people are beginning to fully realize their culpability for systematic racism in our institutions. We must fully take responsibility not only for our own priviledge, but also for the priviledge that our ancestors enjoyed. They build the foundation that we stand on, and white people need to understand that.
As a white transgender woman, I understand both oppression and priviledge. I am privileged because my white ancestors were able to build up fortunes that benefited me, and even though none of my family owned slaves, racism still benefited them in indirect ways. I am oppressed because I cant use the bathroom and because I have to be constantly wary and afraid of being attacked for my gender identity.
My oppression is public, just like skin color. I cannt hide who I am, and so I understand what it feels like to be a second class citizen. There should be no second class citizens.
Regardless of the last gasp for racist conservatism represented by Trump, our nation is moving as a whole in a direction where we are about to face out past full on. Oppressed minorities deserve equality, even reparations and preferential treatment, to repair out nation. Not only that, but white people are beginning to fully realize their culpability for systematic racism in our institutions. We must fully take responsibility not only for our own priviledge, but also for the priviledge that our ancestors enjoyed. They build the foundation that we stand on, and white people need to understand that.
As a white transgender woman, I understand both oppression and priviledge. I am privileged because my white ancestors were able to build up fortunes that benefited me, and even though none of my family owned slaves, racism still benefited them in indirect ways. I am oppressed because I cant use the bathroom and because I have to be constantly wary and afraid of being attacked for my gender identity.
My oppression is public, just like skin color. I cannt hide who I am, and so I understand what it feels like to be a second class citizen. There should be no second class citizens.
5
It may be that using race or color or some ethnic aspect is common to humans. Italians may reference Sicilians or Calabrians or others. Whites reference Blacks. Whites reference "trailer trash". Men vilify women they cannot get by saying they are sluts or easy, to label them into the future. Blacks hold ideas about degree of blackness among themselves, along with "good hair" a phrase I heard in second grade in my school in Cleveland, Ohio in 1956. Blacks speak of other Blacks who do well as trying to be white. Trying to do well is a universal aspect of human behavior. Whatever it takes to find the "other" and knock a bit of something from us we will do.
4
I think sometimes, people play up their oppression. I'm a cisgender, non-white female with immigrant parents. I don't FEEL oppressed in the way many people seem to think I SHOULD. I have small feet - so small that most shoes are too big for me. Do I complain? Sure. Do I feel oppressed because they don't make shoes for me? Nope. Because that is a #firstworldproblem. Do I feel oppressed because I'm an Asian female? Or even female? Rarely. I really don't understand why people act like it's a 24/7 sort of thing. In fact, I'm grateful my parents came to Canada and raised me here. There is less academic pressure in western society. So-called "tiger parents" are fairly tame compared to parents on the other side of the Pacific! Especially if you have cousins who do extremely well.
4
This is both a cautionary tale about stereotypes & conscious bias as well as a new take on Identity politics.
Is it just as misguided to demand people be assertively something ?
How many young students feel they aren't 'gay enough' for an LGBTQ group, 'black enough' for a BLM group, 'Muslim/Christian/Jewish enough' for other groups ?
Maybe it is time to question all stereotypes-and let folks be individuals who earn our love & respect.
Is it just as misguided to demand people be assertively something ?
How many young students feel they aren't 'gay enough' for an LGBTQ group, 'black enough' for a BLM group, 'Muslim/Christian/Jewish enough' for other groups ?
Maybe it is time to question all stereotypes-and let folks be individuals who earn our love & respect.
12
You have a point there. I grew up in a totally nonreligious but ethnically Jewish household in a diverse but heavily Jewish suburb of NYC. I experienced feeling very left out of Jewish communal life (because I was). At the same time, I wasn't very interested in religion or worship (not for lack of exposure -- I went to shul all the time with friends). It was a bit confusing off and on, but that's OK. It gave me something complex to chew on.
2
An excellent article which touches upon some of the issues many black students in the US and Europe face. It is sad that many people still seem to prefer 'their blacks' to be popular jokers, entertainers, social butterfly's and 'players' rather than studious and hardworking. My friend and I often comment how many non blacks love to see black people hustling, begging for money and failing because it makes them feel superior.
I refuse to play the game, and therefore have not always been Mr popular but you have to stay true to yourself.
I refuse to play the game, and therefore have not always been Mr popular but you have to stay true to yourself.
11
apparently in canada too where the piece was written.
5
Most people in the UK can't really tell the difference even though Canada is in the Commonwealth
i know. been to england 6-7 times, scotland twice and northern ireland once. my paternal grandfather's father was from larne in the north of ireland. my paternal grandmother was english and a ww1 bride.
Because achievement has no color? That should be true, but the fact that the author wrote this article shows how social constructs proves otherwise. However, doesn't the current political environment show a disdain for so-called intellectual elites. If I am not mistaken, the term "nerd" is a part of white cultural values and "nerds" are not treated too well and/or often bullied.
The reality is, as a character in the movie "American Gangster" asked, do you want friends or do you want success. Rarely when you are trying to achieve do they go hand-in-hand.
The reality is, as a character in the movie "American Gangster" asked, do you want friends or do you want success. Rarely when you are trying to achieve do they go hand-in-hand.
10
This kind of jealousy totally transcends race, but bites especially hard for kids who aren't "white"! It is the jealousy that tries to cut everybody down to size - the ugliest projection of the inadequecies of people who don't WAN'T hard work and intelligence to result in success. We all need to repudiate it, and I am so, so sorry that the ugliness of racial predjudice makes this even more unbearable for kids who aren't "like" us! It was hard enough for "white" people like me to combat this while raising my own children. My heart goes out to you for all the ugliness thrown at you for your will to be excellent! Never give in to these ugly, hateful sentiments. Excelsior!
14
Orland Patterson, Harvard Professor and African American Sociologist stated that Black underachievement was due to low expectations and uneven access to opportunity.
Interestingly as reported by the NYT, Blacks students from Africa and the Caribbean parents constituted 7 of 8 students in 2015 who got into all 8 Ivy League schools.
Interestingly as reported by the NYT, Blacks students from Africa and the Caribbean parents constituted 7 of 8 students in 2015 who got into all 8 Ivy League schools.
14
For students raised in the US, the access barriers and low expectations begin before preschool and have cumulative effects on performance up through high school and college. Students raised outside of the US without our brand of racism and segregation have very different experiences and opportunities.
10
As a native-born black American who went to very good schools, I can attest that blacks from the Caribbean can be as racist towards American blacks as anyone else. I've encountered such nastiness that I've been tempted to say that part of my family is from the West Indies. But why bother with such ___?
7
Long ago I had an African American friend who complained of not being able to find any educated guys to date in her small community in our small city. When I asked about meeting Afro-Caribbean or African guys studying or teaching at the nearby state university, she said, "No way, i do not date outside of my community."
1
It is this narrow minded defeatist attitude that cripples many African Americans from striving for success. As an American born in the US but raised abroad since early childhood, then returned to the US for university, I can say that I was shocked and dismayed by many (not all mind you) of my African American university peers who held similar beliefs on what was expected and accepted as "black" behaviour. Any attempt to do better, work harder, study longer, speak intelligently, dress well, etc.; all of these things were associated with "wanting to be white".
Signed: An African American qualified accountant and Certified Financial Analyst.
Signed: An African American qualified accountant and Certified Financial Analyst.
35
Many decades ago, I was briefly a tutor at an all-black elementary school in a terrible neighborhood. I mentioned something about proper grammar to the principal, who was black, and she made a dismissive joke about "The King's English." As a black person, I was disgusted.
Sometimes the black teachers and administrators contribute to the low expectations of their students. So do white liberals, who offer dumbed-down versions of the classics to which the students can "relate."
Sometimes the black teachers and administrators contribute to the low expectations of their students. So do white liberals, who offer dumbed-down versions of the classics to which the students can "relate."
9
I thought all students who did well were subject to being teased in school.
9
But are they accused of trying to 'be like' another race, as well?
6
Both white and black students are ostracized for being nerds. But, unlike whites, blacks can also be ostracized for "acting white" and "betraying" the black community. Whites don't have that added pressure.
8
I never was. But I grew up in a suburb of NYC where academic stardom was the pinnacle of achievement.
1
As many more learned people have pointed, out this theory is mostly myth based on anecdotal evidence and casual if not lazy research. Real rigorous research done on this topic actually contradicts the main points presented here.
http://www.vox.com/identities/2017/1/5/14175116/acting-white-myth-black-...
http://www.vox.com/identities/2017/1/5/14175116/acting-white-myth-black-...
5
The research you cite is hardly definitive. The survey research questions tap into cultural traits about competitive performance and bragging, as exemplified by "Eighty-nine percent of all students said they would be 'proud and tell all.'", which would be considered inappropriate behavior among whites. This research does not even attempt to measure enthusiasm for science, intellectual curiosity, or skepticism. It is merely tapping into the greater willingness of young black people to rate people on the basis of the outcomes of competition.
2
MAIsous is right. The studies the author cites are all deeply flawed. Self-reporting? What a joke. It's almost as worthless as the kind of anecdotal evidence the author (rightly) dismisses.
It sounds like there were a lot of factors the sociologists didn't take into account. A wealthy black students at wealthy white schools will have a different experience than poor black students at poor black schools who will have a different experience than students from mixed schools with poor blacks, poor whites, middle class blacks, middle class whites, etc. There are so many permutations, which means so many scenarios in which the phenomenon could exist or must be ruled out.
Also, I don't think "acting white" is an indictment of the "black community." It's a result of a still very segregated society with large socioeconomic discrepancies between a minority population of blacks and a majority population of whites. "Acting black," if it exists, could only disappear in a society with greater parity between blacks and whites. I also don't think anyone who testifies to the phenomenon would single it out as the sole or most important (or second or third or fourth most important) factor holding black kids back. Taking away "acting black" could hardly solve the problem.
It sounds like there were a lot of factors the sociologists didn't take into account. A wealthy black students at wealthy white schools will have a different experience than poor black students at poor black schools who will have a different experience than students from mixed schools with poor blacks, poor whites, middle class blacks, middle class whites, etc. There are so many permutations, which means so many scenarios in which the phenomenon could exist or must be ruled out.
Also, I don't think "acting white" is an indictment of the "black community." It's a result of a still very segregated society with large socioeconomic discrepancies between a minority population of blacks and a majority population of whites. "Acting black," if it exists, could only disappear in a society with greater parity between blacks and whites. I also don't think anyone who testifies to the phenomenon would single it out as the sole or most important (or second or third or fourth most important) factor holding black kids back. Taking away "acting black" could hardly solve the problem.
4
It's not a myth if you're on the receiving end of it. No one cares about academic research especially from politically biased academics. She bases her article on self-reporting studies that ask kids if they value school. That's like asking do you prefer sunny or rainy days.
You judge actions, not intent.
You judge actions, not intent.
3
Everything you say is true. No argument. But what happened in America was that desegregation and integration, even more so, were supposed to end the idealization of scholastic “whitenesss,” but instead it appreciated in value, as the model, as if the real problem had been not of equal funding but of miseducation. It may sound stupid and sick, but if someone knows, I’ve got what you want, then some react by saying, You’ve got nothing I want. As I said, it’s stupid and sick.
2
When someone has done nothing to earn your respect it is a waste of time worrying about his or her opinion. The only thing to worry about is whether they are placing obstacles in your way.
3
This culture that associates obtaining education and high achievement as indicative of “trying to be white” is a culture that does know its history.
What is deep within the history of the African American tradition and what we know to be true is this, “Education and faith, the Tigress and Euphrates of our liberation, twin rivers, at the core of our deliverance...Without a trained mind and a determined heart, you will go nowhere." Rev Dr. Calvin O Butts, III
What is deep within the history of the African American tradition and what we know to be true is this, “Education and faith, the Tigress and Euphrates of our liberation, twin rivers, at the core of our deliverance...Without a trained mind and a determined heart, you will go nowhere." Rev Dr. Calvin O Butts, III
17
I wonder what the Nigerian who split with his parents on returning, experinece, at my college in the 60-70 period. He became a surgeon.
1
"Acting White" was the mantra of black students trying to discredit other black students for doing well. These good students really had a hard time.
38
The last half of the twenty first century marked the beginning of racial, gender, religious and ethnic acceptance and enlightenment. Open mindedness in western countries seemed to have finally passed the fifty percent mark. Recent events unfortunately demonstrate that the human race still has a very long way to go. We can only hope that just a few generations from now, the joke you referenced at the start of your piece would be greeted with stony silence and confusion.
16
I went to an all white boys private high school in the 1980's. When somebody (other than the usual geniuses) did well on a test they were derisively called a "Browner".
There is a general human jealously to seeing others do well.
There is a general human jealously to seeing others do well.
15
The term, "browner," is probably a development of the term, "brown-noser," used at the all-white, boys, private, Jesuit high school that I went to in the 1950's.
9
The US cultural expectations of individuals according to race, color, ethnic identity, country of origin arise as manifestations of the sickness we still suffer from our heritage of enslaving people and devising a structural system aligned against people of color and anyone deemed "other" by people who view themselves as "white." Dr. Ogunyemi's experience of culture shock upon stepping into the American sickness is one that I have heard frequently from people of color who have come to the US from a country in which they were the majority. What his immigrant parents told him, "to surpass expectations," is the same advise parents of color have given to their own children. What we know is that even with surpassing expectations, even with "affirmative action," and even with a supportive community, the racial disparities that permeate every aspect of American life are barriers to merely staying alive, much less healthy, much less reaching "achievement."
14
Right, except he was not in the U.S.; he was in Canada.
5
I remember, as an elementary school student, hearing from the principle that a Jewish child had to work twice as hard as anyone else to succeed. I didn't, but succeeded anyway. And no Jew ever told me that I was acting Gentile.
Today, at a much advanced age, I have rid myself of that kind of preconception, to the extent that I owe my life to the open heart surgery administered by a Black surgeon, to whom I was referred by my Muslim Cardiologist.
No one can let someone else to set his or her standards. You set your own, and work to your own capacities. As long as you do, you can respect yourself, regardless of what anyone else may try to make you feel about yourself.
Today, at a much advanced age, I have rid myself of that kind of preconception, to the extent that I owe my life to the open heart surgery administered by a Black surgeon, to whom I was referred by my Muslim Cardiologist.
No one can let someone else to set his or her standards. You set your own, and work to your own capacities. As long as you do, you can respect yourself, regardless of what anyone else may try to make you feel about yourself.
44
if you live in an isolated community under the thumb of local prejudice, you not only can but are frequently forced by local norms to let someone else set your standard, or be prepared to pay a very serious price.
22
I recall an interview where Michelle Obama said she was ridiculed for getting good grades, and participating in extracurricular activities by her fellow students in the south side of Chicago.
20
Jan, I take it that you don't know that, not so long ago, people from your part of Europe were ridiculed in the United States as "bohunks" and "hunkies." They used to write newspaper articles about it.
12
Thank you for this authentic and insightful article. Many African-American students are burden by the weight of the "sell out or betrayal" perceptions associated with academic success and are unable to walk the emotional tightrope you describe. However, for those who can endure the alienation from their peers in the community and the isolation from their peers in the workplace, they will find joy in their professional journeys.
Signed,
African-American Interior Designer
Signed,
African-American Interior Designer
36
I wonder where this "sell-out or betrayal" perceptions associated with academic success came from. When I was in school in the 'Fifties, I got a lot of props for being an "intellectual" who was "heavy on top," i.e. having a head that was heavy because it was filled with brains.
4
My parents were the generation of Black Americans born during the Depression who came of age before the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This is the generation who told their children that we must be "Twice as good." To members of my parent's generation and their children, we Baby Boomers, "Acting White" meant dis-respecting your parents and not performing to the highest academic, ethical and behavioral standards. In fact, if I disobeyed my parents, my mother would say, "Stop acting like an American child," which was her way of saying "stop acting white." It was an admonition that stopped my misbehavior immediately. I first heard of this alternative sociological concept of "acting white" in the 80's while I was in college. But it was nothing I've ever seen or experienced in my own 50+ years of life experience as a native-born African American. Our deep belief in our own, humanity, excellence and strength has sustained my family and other African Americans for centuries. What you describe is a strange, new pathology that I am quite unfamiliar with. So, let's just say that I remain skeptical.
21
I'm a Black American of the boomer generation as well and "integrated" my new elementary school at the 6th grade (1966). But, by Jr. High (1968) "everyone" had to go to one of the two Jr High schools remaining. I had the double whammy of (1) knowing almost 80% of the white kids since I'd known them since 6th grade and (2) being one of two blacks regularly on the Honor Roll.
My uncle told me to pay them "no mind"...they were jealous and didn't know it.
And it didn't stop with "immature" tween kids either...high school, same....college same (mainly because I didn't sit in the self-segregated "black section" of our huge dorm cafeteria.
My uncle told me to pay them "no mind"...they were jealous and didn't know it.
And it didn't stop with "immature" tween kids either...high school, same....college same (mainly because I didn't sit in the self-segregated "black section" of our huge dorm cafeteria.
32
I _did_ sit in the self-segregated "Little Harlem" section of our cafeteria. Because I wanted to be able to relax, after spending several hours striving not to "disgrace the race" by failing to talk and act white in the presence of my white classmates. I saw no point in spending my personal time listening to white people discussing their summers in Europe and how superior the white covers of black music were to the originals, something as prevalent in 2017 as it was in 1957.
2
You might be skeptical but there is a lot of truth in this; however, it isn't just a black/white thing. When I was in school before desegregation, mediocre students made fun of those who did well in my all-white school. When I taught high school, it worked both ways. Black students told other black students they were acting"white" when they were studious and did well in school. White students made fun of other white students for excelling also. I think it's about trying to bring those who excel down to their level. Not a pretty thing.
8
Human mental preconceptions and prejudices cause no end of problems.
19