Why is Dil So Angry?

2006-09-30 [Cliché]: I don't find the south inferior. I mean, the accent drives me nuts, but that's nothing. I could never live there, but I'm a New Englander. Of course I can't live in the south. Couldn't live in the west neither.

2006-09-30 [ceridwen]: Heh... Yes, they are only assumptions on your part. And as Fizban kindly pointed out, you do suffer from assumptions from the north. I mean, really... Do you believe everything you hear? If I listened to some of the hardcore right wing old men around here I might say all northeners are baby-killing gay child molestors. But I know that can't be right.


Though, I do have a question for you, Fizban. "I don't beleive in the extreme I feel that Dulce is depicting in reference to the south..." What extreme? I don't think he was depicting an extreme, but maybe I'm blind.

2006-09-30 [Dil*]: Dulce was implying the south 'isn't that religious' and I don't believe him.

2006-10-01 [Fizban]: Neither do I.

and I didn't mean the traditional all encompassing inferior....there are many thing I find supierior and enviable among the more souther states, these qualities I believe it holds are again second and thirdhand knowledge for me but hey...I am sure there is truth to them still.

I merely meant that I believe the south to be inferior to the north in the particular facet of the multivarying american culture, and that is in social progression.

The fact of the matter is, that I especially by the statement Ceridwen just said, see that many of our social progressions, can easily, and I expect to be seen by them as social degredations.

which, in ways I agree, and in others, I strongly disagree.

I think it is degrading that the human race needs abortion...no less then that american culture needs to rely upon it. However, I agree in its need and aiding function in the success of this country.

2006-10-03 [kduncan]: You are correct, Dil, and Dulce Vita is flat out wrong.

How do I know this with such certainty? Because I live in the deep south. I'm a transplant from New York, and am originally from Canada (Ontario). I've attended schools in Ontario, New York, and Florida. In terms of my personal experience, I rank Ontario schools first, New York schools second, and Florida schools third.

The people in the southeastern US are:
1. More fervently religious than in the northeast.
2. Less tolerant of individual differences.
3. Less well educated.

With that said though, I will readily admit that not all areas and people hold to this stereotype.. though the majority do. One will also find more diversity and a more rounded, better educated population in larger metropolitan areas than in more rural areas.

Religion is not just "used as a backdrop and rarely actually practiced" in the southeast. New testaments are handed out to fifth grade students, flagpole "prayer sessions are held monthly, prayers are said before school sport matches, prayers are said before City and County commission meetings, prayers are offered up before public concerts, and creationism is taught in public schools.

Sorry, Dulce Vita. I see that you live in Florida, but have you gone to school in other states? Other countries? There are studies, the Morgan Quito study for one, that show southeastern states unfailingly rank in the bottom half of the US consistantly. Florida ranked 36th in the last Morgan Quitno study, which is not a favourable reflection on education in the state of Florida. There's also a wealth of information in wikipedia. While I generally exercise caution when reading wikipedia articles, they are frequently a good starting point for research.

Dulce Vita, if you have "oddball" (your term, not mine) articles that show otherwise, please share them with us.

http://www.morganquitno.com/edrank.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Educational_attainment_in_the_United_States

2006-10-03 [Fizban]: Alright, the voice of experience, I go with you!

2006-10-03 [Dil*]: this is a strange trend, why do asians seem to do better in school? Is it because of our culture? I think it is...asian parents are much stricter than caucasian parents from my experience. I've also read some IQ studies, and asians ranked highest as well. Well, it is possible to increase IQ with academic achievement I think. So maybe the academic achievement/effort thing is causing the IQ thing. Or is it the IQ thing that's causing the high achievement. Or is it discipline causing high-achievement/hardworking causing higher IQ. In these types of issues...it's a very complex interaction between all three fields.

Or all of the above could be flat out wrong.

Sucessful asians manage to escape communist China, are already wealthy..and use their wealth to help their children climb the educational ladder with their wealth assets (tutors ect.). I've seen a couple of 'those' wealthy asians. Do wealthy people have a natural edge over normies? It's quite complex. I'll stop rambling now.

2006-10-03 [Cliché]: They don't. I have both Asians and rich people in my school. The rich people can be veeerrry stupid. (*cough* Charlotte *cough*) as well as smart. I can name one asian out of the ten or so in our school I'm smarter than. The rest are friggen geniuses. Kevin Sun was saying that all his friends from China wanted to go into finance.

2006-10-03 [Dil*]: Lol, I'm asian. And I kicked the shit out of most people in my highschool academically. Oh, but I'm floundering now. In UBC (university of british columbia), nicknamed..(inappropriately): University of a Billion Chinese.

2006-10-03 [Dil*]: Andddd...I don't get why [Dulce Vita] is being this disagreeable. He usually isn't. I mean, getting all annoyed and saying I probably won't change myself even if I saw empirical evidence proving me otherwise..while not providing any. Then saying something about 'oddball' studies.

2006-10-03 [ceridwen]: Lol. That's my brother for you. xP Well... You see. We happen to have been born in raised in the south, as most of our family. So saying that the south is uneducated is like saying we're uneducated. Nataurally, we defend our turf. As for empirical evidence and whatnot... I can't tell you. But your studies are small, baised, and really don't prove anything. >.<

2006-10-03 [Dil*]: dulce is your brother!? :O XD o.o XD :O

2006-10-03 [ceridwen]: Lol. Yeah... Has been for let's see... my entire life. xD I thought you knew that?

2006-10-04 [Fizban]: who's dils? or Kduncans studies?

a good friend of mine is half japanese, and she was beaten only by a chillian who's entire family is depending on her utter success, and a caucasion who...I don't know if she was so brilliant as she was dedicated.

I dont know where her dedication came from...she was a brilliant writer...she had more flow in her writing then anyone else in my graduating class I will give her that definetly...

but there were times where she seemed to miss concepts that I understood...in my biology class. However, she definetly always worked harder then I did.

*snaps out of his analysis of a bunch of people none of you know*

2006-10-04 [ceridwen]: Dil's.

Heh... There's a reason we have stereotypes (i.e. asians being smart)... They often are pretty true.

2006-10-04 [Fizban]: lol...every rumor, every stereotype has some truth to it...

2006-10-04 [kduncan]: Schools in this part of Florida (panhandle) are not what I would refer to as great. I have a daughter who entered junior high school this year, and I am very disheartened by what I've seen so far. So disheartened that I am seriously considering pulling her from the public school system to homeschool her next year.

Quite frankly, she's not being academically challenged in school. A friend of mine has a daughter who was recently taken out of the same public school after one year of attendance for the same reason. Her daughter took a placement test for a virtual (on-line) school that is approved by the state of Florida, and placed at the fifth grade level. The girl was going into 8th grade, and was in advanced placement courses. The school the girl was attending is listed as an "A" school with the state of Florida, ie: it's considered one of the best schools.

If you look at the scores on the FCAT tests, statewide scores took an interesting little 'jog' upward around the third year (I think, I'd have to look up the data again to verify which year it was.) the tests were used. This little 'jog' shouldn't happen across the board, and indicates one of a couple of things probably happened: Either teachers started teaching to the test, or the test was made easier to allow a greater percentage of students to score well on it. Since students can only graduate from high school with an acceptable score, an easier test would allow more students to graduate, thus giving Florida an overall higher graduation rate. For those of you not familiar with the FCAT's, the FCAT is the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. It's a standardised test that is supposed to measure a student's acadamic achievement. A student can have good grades all year, but if s/he fails this one particular test, s/he can fail the entire school year. The effectiveness of teachers, schools, and entire school districts is based solely on this one test.

2006-10-04 [Fizban]: Again, a ridiculus thing...someone could have the flu that day, and be an A student...fuck up, fail it, and boom hafta suffer another year of apparent inadequete teaching. Probably completly again based just on one friggen test...

testing is soo not the correct way to teach...

2006-10-04 [kduncan]: You are absolutely correct Fizban.

2006-10-04 [ceridwen]: Yes, kduncan, I agree. We're not the best. But like I said, a lot of that has to do with the government. The FCAT is probably one of the biggest problems. They put way to much into those damned scores. >.<

2006-10-04 [Fizban]: OH, oh hun! we aren't saying that florida people are just naturally dumb or something! we agree, your programs suck, which is a complete detriment to the possible capabilities of the students enrolled in the schooling.

No one here is blaming florida kids for being dumb or something, we recognize the idiocies such as the restrictions church creates, and the governmental drawbacks.