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Comment by DaveExeter | Hacker News Reader

In New York City, it is not a problem of spite.

The problem is that Asian New Yorkers, on average, have higher IQs then everyone else. So they end up in the G&T (Gifted and Talented) programs.

African New Yorkers, on average, have lower IQs then everyone else. So the G&T programs have only a smattering of darker-skinned students.

This is called "systemic racism."

“The move to get rid of G&T is long overdue,” said Rachel Griffiths of Brooklyn. “You can tell at a glance in my sons’ school which class is G&T and which class isn’t — the racial divide is that stark. What does that say to all the kids about who is gifted and who isn’t? In addition to learning reading and writing, the kids get an ugly real-life lesson in systemic racism.” [1]

[1] https://nypost.com/2021/10/08/parents-rip-de-blasio-for-plan...

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> In New York City, it is not a problem of spite.

Sounds like it is, actually. Fast-and-loose claims of "systemic racism", absent any kind of constructive proposal aimed at actually addressing perceived prejudicial attitudes, are just the politics of envy writ large.

The dynamics is crystal clear. On the other hand, there are 4 billion Asians in Asia, and they are not sitting on their hands. We can handicap US education all day long, in the long run it's a sure way to lose the global talent competition. The consequences are also crystal clear: the winners get to design the next iPhone, the losers get to assemble said iPhone in sweatshops.

Sorry but I feel like I'm missing something here, how are IQs themselves systemically racist?

IQ has nothing to do with it. That is simply a crappy measure of certain types of problem solving ability.

That is a cultural divide problem. Asian cultures value education so much more than North American culture so families have a large focus on ensuring their children are well educated (in spite of our education system) as they view that as their ticket to success.

If we in Western countries continue to eschew improvements to our education system, and even reduce the ability for students to access programs that provide them a proper education, then we will continue to fall further and further behind Asian countries in innovation and productivity. Instead we look at the few programs for students that thrive in spite of the system and kill them because it is cheaper than investing in bringing other students up to that level.

The distribution of IQ and race outside the school have 0 to do with the gifted programs acceptance. This is not systematic racism. The children are experiencing systemic racism elsewhere which is presenting itself here.

What you just stated was actual racism, that other populations are unable to achieve what the Asian students have accomplished, so the program gives them an unfair advantage

In NYC, they test four-year olds.

Four-year olds are experiencing systematic racism?

Asians kids do better then whites. Racism against whites? Is that because we live in an Asian-centered society where white folk are marginalized? Asians keeping the white man down? Do we need affirmative action for white people? I think that is what Harvard is doing!

It looks like the next NYC mayor will be a black man, so he might be able to keep the "G&T" program going without being accused of racism.

>Four-year olds are experiencing systematic racism? I'd like to hear a different reason they aren't testing as well then? Or do Asians just test better then other races...?

>whites* Oh boy, looks like I struck a nerve there. If any student isn't testing well enough to enter then that's how it is. Good someone else has that chance. I wouldn't have a problem if there were no white people in it as long as everyone is testing against the same criteria.

>It looks like the next NYC mayor will be a black man, so he might be able to keep the "G&T" program going without being accused of racism. I accused you of racist commentary and logic, not the mayor. And if he said what you did, it would be racist as well, regardless of their color, which is not a qualifier on the capability of being racist.

Elimination of the G&T program won't fix the underlying systemic racism that is causing the racial disparity you see.

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