Freakanomics forgives you for tacit racism



De facto segregation and the ineptitude of Kansas City's Black elite have ruined the KC School District . . . Deal with it.

Just like every college educated white guy under 40, I have also read Freakanomics in lieu of becoming an interesting person in my own right. The book is filled with fascinating details that should be taken with a grain of salt: Like the utterly stupid and reprehensible Legalized abortion and crime effect.

Still, I'm a fan of the guy's theory on the low wages of crack dealers because it's basically true.

However, a recent argument devised by a local blogger regarding the "best inputs" (ugh . . . No homo!) which aren't attracted to KC Schools and result in poor performance overall is really stretching the logic of theories laid out Freakanomics - And I thought I was a bad guy for using the book to justify not leaving a tip.

Read the post for yourself but please remember that the demise of KC Schools played out over decades and was exacerbated by an irresponsible desegregation decision by one of the few, truly, "activist" judges . . . Therefore none of the district's problems are going to be solved by dumbass bloggers.
In other words, kids with more aptitude, and parents who invest in their children's education, improve more in school. The unfortunate reality is that the "best schools" tend to draw more of these types of students....while poor schools tend to attract more kids who's parents don't invest in them.
And to be fair, the logic in the above statement isn't totally out of line but it does ignore one of the single most important item in human history: MONEY. KCMO Schools have been notoriously top heavy when it comes to their administration because the place is basically an employment agency for KC's Black elite politicos. Also, the deseg decision in the latter half of last century paved the way for a building boom that put a lot of money in places that had nothing to do with education and test scores (Anybody remember the Olympic sized pools and Russian fencing coaches?) . . . It wasn't because KCMO didn't have money, they just spent it EVERYWHERE but the classroom. Meanwhile, better area school districts have invested in technology and students while the head of the KC School Board has simply worked to assure that no white women or Latinos are gainfully employed under his watch. All of these details regarding mismanagement might put a better perspective on why the people from Independence want out of the district so badly . . . And why anyone with the means has already found a better educational option.

Still, it's too easy to blame broke ass students and their families for the sorry state of KCMO Schools and that's what so many people do rather than dealing with the decades of mismanagement on behalf of overpaid Administrators and an overtly political School Board.

Comments

  1. The point isn't blaming poor broke ass students for the state of the school district, but the people who abandoned the school district over the past 30 years so that that is all that is left. If parents who cared actually left their kids in the school district, then a lot of the KCMO school district's problems would disappear. Not all of them obviously, but a large number of them. I think this is a case where blaming the school board for all that is wrong is easy, instead of taking a look at the social responsibilities of the citizens involved to affect their own change.

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  2. Cmon Brent, poor Black folk can't help themselves - Whitey had to fix all their problems for them.

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  3. Those that care did do something, they left that shit-ass school district and they took their money with them.

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  4. Why would you keep investing money in a loser? Doesn't make sense. You shouldn't throw money into this community just to make things better. Things might look better or smell better for awhile, but at the end of the day, it will all go back in the shitter. It is what it is. I'm glad I don't have to ask for fucking hand outs.

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  5. Your kids are (should) be your number 1 priority. Therefore, why would you ruin their entire future by putting them in the KC school district. I'd find a way to get the hell out. I'm surprised Kansas City Mo isn't a ghost town.

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  6. tony I loved this post. this school district has been chronically mismanaged by decades of administration and the differing school boards. KCMO will always be a second class city until that is fixed

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  7. Freakonomics changed my life.

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  8. some parents teach their kid how to sell crack or meth. Learn how to seperate to smaller quanities by using a scale. Show's their kids how the denomination of the US Currency is used. How to change a $20. How to run like hell if you see a cop.
    If the cop catches them they'll be out in time for dinner.
    So most kids do get a education from their parent.

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