THE SOFT BIGOTRY OF LOW EXPECTATIONS
Disclaimer: Good Day, Readers. WealthBuildingPowers blog is a financial literacy/competency blog and does not provide specific investment recommendations.
DIVERSITY EQUITY AND INCLUSION – DEI
Listen to the podcast version by clicking the below link
Following the George Floyd incident, I learned the terminology – Diversity, Equity and Inclusion- DEI.
I benefited from Diversity, EQUALITY, and Inclusion.
Equality means treating everyone the same and providing the same resources or opportunities.
“Equity recognizes we all have different circumstances and attempts to allocate the exact resources and opportunities needed to reach an equal outcome. This might mean offering additional help or resources to marginalized groups to level the playing field.” So, to catch up with Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, I need a gift worth about $100 billion. Jeff will still enjoy a substantial net worth lead, but I’m ok with that!
2023 – SUPREME COURT STRUCK DOWN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION PROGRAMS FOR UNC AND HARVARD
The Supreme Court struck down affirmative action programs at the University of North Carolina and Harvard, with far-reaching consequences for other public universities. The court ruled that the school’s affirmative action programs violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution and are, therefore, unlawful.
WHEN MIT STOPPED CONSIDERING RACE, BROWN STUDENTS’ ENROLLMENT SIGNIFICANTLY DECLINED
Recently, MIT, per the above Supreme Court 2023 ruling, stopped considering race in the admission process, returning to evaluating all applicants EQUALLY, focusing on ACT/SAT scores, GPAs, and essays. “We expected that this would result in fewer students from historically underrepresented racial and ethnic groups enrolling at MIT,” Schmill said of the ruling. “That’s what has happened. The white and Asian American student populations have increased, while all other groups have declined — some even down to zero, the profile shows.”
About 5% of MIT’s incoming class of 2028 is Black, a 62% drop from its 13% average in recent years. Latino students make up 11% of the class of 2028, compared to a 15% average in recent years, a 27% decline.
WHAT IF MICHAEL JORDAN’S HIGH SCHOOL COACH APPLIED EQUITY?
When Michael Jordan failed to make it to his high school basketball team, if the coach reversed his decision and accepted him on the team to account for “differences” in his skills, we never would have seen a six-time NBA Champion. Fortunately, Jordan’s high school coach told him the truth. You are, TODAY, not good enough. Work harder! Jordan’s college coach, Dean Smith, gave him similar advice when “Air Jordan” was not getting the minutes he thought he deserved. Again, Jordan worked harder and, as a freshman, hit the game-winning shot for the NCAA college championship.
Michael Jordan wanted an EQUAL opportunity to play his sport and demonstrate his superior work efforts. Equity would have ensured we never heard the song “Be Like Mike!”
STOP TAKING THE INCENTIVE TO WORK HARDER AWAY
When we tell black youth they should be accepted in top universities because they are brown-skinned, we take the incentive to work harder away. We are saying your work effort did not earn you a place at this university, but we will make exceptions. This is demeaning, and evidence shows many of these students struggle, with some dropping out or changing majors because they attended a university they were unprepared for.
HBCU’S CONTINUE TO DELIVER!
Attending a state university or Historically Black College/University HBCU is a good choice for many people. That decision may propel you to a better future, as it did for two of my role models. Both graduated from an HBCU, attended graduate school, and had remarkably successful careers—one with a seven-figure and the other an eight-figure net worth.
EQUITY LOWERS REQUIREMENTS AND EXPECTATIONS FOR BLACKS
This is the soft bigotry of low expectations. How is it fair to give a brown student an MIT or Harvard slot that an Asian American or white kid worked their derriere to earn? It is better to demonstrate to black students precisely what it takes if you want to attend the best schools in the nation. And they decide if they are willing to work hard enough to achieve their goal.
THE SOFT BIGOTRY OF LOW EXPECTATIONS
Equity gives an individual something they did not earn simply because of their race, sex, preferred pronoun, etc., defeating the principle and dream of equality.
WE TELL BLACK KIDS ———
- They cannot compete in the SAT and ACT scores. Asian Americans and whites will score significantly higher. WHY?
- That standardized tests administered in public schools are racist. WHY?
- You cannot gain fair acceptance to attend our best universities, such as UCLA, University of North Carolina, MIT, Harvard, etc. WHY?
- They are less intelligent and, in fact, inferior. WHY? You can clean that up with fancy, meaningless words, but this message is dangerous and harmful.
Laziness is learned at home. It stems from learned and tolerated behavior—or a student’s home life. Whether it’s learned behavior from parents or tolerated Behaviours, many students pick up “lazy” habits, attitudes, and mindsets that follow them into the classroom and life.
Let’s set the expectation that you can earn your way to any accomplishment for which you are willing to work harder.
MY LESSON
When my daughter was young, my wife thought I was too harsh in my feedback. I am 100% sure she was correct. She went on to tell me young girls get their self-esteem from their dads. Later, she admitted she made that up as she recognized it would alter my parenting approach for the better. I am glad I took Brenda’s counseling as a fact, and I became more like my dad in giving positive feedback first and coaching on possible self-improvement when needed. Today, I have a beautiful, intelligent daughter who sets high expectations for herself! She is a take-charge young woman who works hard to earn what she desires!
We must set the expectation that we can earn our way to any accomplishment for which we are willing to work harder. More importantly, we must show young people how to achieve their dreams. All dreams, be it an Olympic Medal, becoming a grand pianist, neurosurgeon, or teacher, anything worth pursuing requires sacrifice.
LET’S BE LIKE MIKE!
The paths to financial freedom are UNLIMITED. CHOOSE YOUR OWN!
LET’S MAKE SOME MONEY – CRYPTOCURRENCY, ANYONE?
WHAT SUBJECTS DO YOU WANT TO READ NEXT? WHAT QUESTIONS CAN I ANSWER? UNTIL NEXT TIME!
YOUR GREATNESS IS NOT WHAT YOU HAVE; IT’S WHAT YOU GIVE! – SOME CHARITIES I SUPPORT
St Jude Hospital: The mission of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is to advance cures and means of prevention for pediatric catastrophic diseases through research and treatment. Consistent with the vision of our founder Danny Thomas, no child is denied treatment based on race, religion, or a family’s ability to pay.https://www.stjude.org/
Wounded Warrior Project: An American charity and veterans service organization that offers a variety of programs, services and events for wounded veterans of the military https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org
Folds of Honor: Providing life-changing scholarships to the spouses and children of America’s fallen or disabled military. And now, our mission expands to the families of America’s first responders. On our watch, those who protect our freedoms and our families will know they are not forgotten. https://foldsofhonor.org
Wilson’s No-Kill Animal Shelter: A N0-Kill shelter that is a top-rated non-profit. They compassionately care for all their animals. https://wilsoncountynokillanimalshelter.mywcn.com/
Tunnel To Towers: Since 9/11, we have been helping America’s heroes by providing mortgage-free homes to Gold Star and fallen first responder families with young children and by building specially adapted smart homes for catastrophically injured veterans and first responders. We are also committed to eradicating veteran homelessness and helping America to Never Forget September 11, 2001. https://dogood.t2t.org/give/320847/#!/donation/checkout
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ABOUT ME
I am a proud nerd (as my beautiful wife and daughter have told me) investment and finance blogger with an NC. State, Chemical Engineering, University Rutgers, MBA and Harvard University, Advanced Management education.
I left a corporate career because I desired to make a difference as a speaker and writer. I was blessed to be coached and mentored by strong women and men in my family and professional life. It is my time to serve and give back.
DISCLAIMER
I started my first business at ~13 years of age (a small but brilliantly created plant nursery). I am a successful investor in stocks, options, and real estate and am happy to share my finance and investment lessons. I am NOT a licensed financial advisor. Please do not construe my suggestions on this blog as recommendations for your situation. As an investor, you must establish your risk/loss tolerance. Investment in any asset involves risk, including complete loss.
Please seek your licensed CPA or fiduciary financial advisors for individual financial advice.
I write this weekly blog to make an impact by reaching an audience and demonstrating the need for financial literacy. I will help you get there.
