On 01/29/10 15:48, Warp wrote:
>   Besides, at least here what is taught at schools is dictated by law.
> You *can't* have a school which skips teaching something, be it private
> or not. I don't know how it is in the US.

	From my understanding, that doesn't hold here. May vary from state to
state. But even if some states mandate some curriculum (including for
private schools), it's fairly minimal.

>   It has been suggested that black people score more poorly in the fireman
> aptitude test because of a poorer education. And why would black people
> have a poorer education in the US? Is it because black people are not
> taught the same things as white people?

	Quite possibly, yes. Especially if they're poorer. It's fairly well
known that a _public_ school in a rich neighborhood gets a lot more
funding per student than a public school in a poor one. So fewer
resources, and often, worse teachers. Also, the richer school may have
many more programs to educate their students beyond what is considered
"normal".

>   Really? And what would be the alternative explanation for the claimed
> poorer education? I can think of three possible explanations:
> 
> 1) Black people in the US are not taught at school to the same extent as
>    white people. I have hard time believing this to be the case, especially
>    since, AFAIK, most black people go to the exact same schools as white
>    people do.

	If they're poorer, and there's a high level of segregation (both true
in the last city I lived in), then yes, it is the case. This isn't rare
in the US. And no, in many places, they don't go to the same schools.
The city I last lived in actually had to pass some temporary laws to
ensure that there was a healthy mix in schools by moving students around.

	I don't know about Finland, but over here you don't have that much
choice what public school you go to. Hence that temporary law to allow
students to go to other schools.

> 2) For whatever reason (maybe culture?) the average black person is not
>    interested in educating himself.

	Quite possible, as well. However, the question still remains as to
whether he is qualified to be a fireman, and the question still is
whether the test was relevant to firefighting.

> 3) Black people are unable to learn as efficiently as white people.

	Of course, one problem with your rhetoric in all 3 points (and perhaps
in other people's messages), is the usage of the phrases "black" and
"white".

	This isn't about black or white people in the US, but about them in one
particular locale in the US. It's a big country. 	

>   #1 doesn't work, unless you can show me some actual proof that black people
> are indeed being discriminated at schools in the US and not being educated.
> 
>   #3 would be the racist point of view, by definition (ie. there's something
> about being black that makes the person dumb).
> 
>   The only non-racist rational alternative is #2.

	You're brash to assume you have all the possibilities pegged down.
Andrel made a valid point about TV shows. And yes, in parts of the US,
I'm sure you'll find a fairly big discrepancy on the TV shows black
people watch vs white people.

	Perhaps the same can be said about sports, music, etc. You've ignored
the possibility of a cultural bias in the exam.

>   You mean that blacks are not taught the same things in the US as whites?

	If they're not in the same neighborhood, than often, no.

-- 
One flea to another: "Is there life on other dogs?"

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