I'm actually more interested to hear what Matt has to say about the AA educational values paper. From my experience here at my current U, I think this guy's observation are spot on. With a great many of my AA students, you can spot the chip on their shoulder from a mile away. Those that fit his category often sit together, don't pay attention in class, and consistently get Ds and Fs. (Which sucks, because they try taking my class again the next year--taking spots away from more deserving students. And they get the very same D or F on the second pass.)

Conversely, I'll have AA students that are just spot on. Model freaking students. So much so that I wish I could clone them and create a master-race of future professionals. And these successful AA students want little or nothing to do with their AA counterparts that are "keeping it real" through consistent failure. They don't sit near them, associate with them; totally different worlds. I would go as far as to say that they're totally different populations.

And a few of these AA students that "kept it real" will get into grad programs because of unspoken quotas diversity--and that's where the real problems begin. Because these students have never been held to any real standard, and subsequently cannot achieve a real standard. And I've already had 2 students in this population suggest that their failures are because of my whiteness. And I'm just sick of it. Absolutely sick of it. It's gunna go down one day, it's just a matter of time. Somewhat ironically, a successful AA student has never questioned my whiteness. Go figure.

But to answer your question--yes, I do have quite a few white entitlement-baby students. However, these girls usually accept reality at some point and suck it up. Further, these are the girls that don't get into grad school--largely because they're white. So I don't have to deal with them on any type of regular basis anyway. There's simply too much competition for a white entitlement baby to slip through the cracks. It may happen every now and then, but even if it does happen--the rigors of grad school get them in line with a nice firm reality check. It's been my experience since leaving Gallaudet that the AA quota baby is the bigger problem, and it's precisely this victim mentality that Ogbu cites that seems to be a core issue. One great example is a part-time quota baby that is currently in the process of flunking out. She's trying to go to grad school with a full time job and take a full course load. Very few people could pull this off. And when you don't have the natural cognitive skills relative to her peers, compounded with the work ethic that "Saturday and Sunday are my personal days off"... you do the math. She flunked both my grad classes, and she'll likely flunk her way out of the summer session as well. And I just can't say this enough--I'm sick and tired of people maintaining a lower standard for the quota baby, because it comes back and bites you in the butt every time. There's no hiding a lack of proficiency, knowledge or skills.

Some people may find this concept offensive. But what I find offensive is the very concept of a second (double, or lower) standard for the AA "keeping it real" community. By its very existence, it is suggesting that there is a difference in ability. That, to me, is the real racism. The soft bigotry of lowered expectations. And it's too damn bad that none (or very very few) of my ivory tower cohorts recognize this or have the brass to state this reality.

Ok--sorry. I'll pack my soap box up and go now. Curious what Matt has to say--although I expect his population is about as cherry-picked white as can get.

P.S. I've been known to visit this site every now and then...