Alan Aker has a great column in the Rapid City Journal this morning on the mistreatment of American Indian kids in school. The column doesn't go where you probably think it would, though.
But the bigots are not the ones who think more discipline is needed for Indian students; the bigots are the ones demanding, and winning, less discipline for them. The discrimination against Indians happens every time they don’t get disciplined for breaking the rules.
The bigots say that because Indians are disciplined more than other kids, it must mean that teachers and principals are “out to get” Indian kids and are giving preferential treatment to the other kids. They’re arguing for a quota system.
Their logic requires that if 10 percent of the kids are Indian, then only 10 percent of the disciplined kids can be Indian. If Indian kids break the rules more often, you have to stop disciplining them while you continue disciplining white kids, and that’s discrimination.
Is there a reason why Native American kids might have more discipline problems than other kids? Is it bigotry? Is it some sort of racial defect? Of course not:
A higher percentage of them come from homes in which there is alcoholism. A higher percentage of them come from fatherless homes. A higher percentage of them come from homes in which there is abuse or neglect. A higher percentage of them have relatives who have committed crimes and are in prison.
Take any group of blond-haired, blue-eyed, white kids and drop them into an alcoholic, fatherless, abusive, criminal home life, and guess what? A higher percentage of them will break rules in school. It has nothing to do with race.
Alan displays tremendous courage for such a politically incorrect but true message today. Proverbs says if we love our children we'll discipline them.
Happy Father's Day!
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