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Among my son's friends, I've found his white male friends tend to think school of all grades is a social experience. They don't let homework get in the way of their social life. Being popular is more important than being a geek, and of course, one never wants to be strange enough to be called, "gay."
His ethnic friend is just as reserved and quiet as he is and also more pushed academically. His white male friend, who would say, "No way, I'm not going to study and miss out on the fun," had a moment of tension when he was sweating it out, waiting to find out if he was being accepted to the one state school he applied to. He did get in, but I could see resentment stirring, and even his mom made it a point of telling us the story of someone who applied, didn't get in, then reapplied as a Latin American and then was accepted. The grades, she said, should have been high enough to get her in the first time. Perhaps so, but I don't see why someone like her son would be resentful of being kept out of state school when we all know he never applied himself during elementary, middle or high school. Being popular was far more important to him than anything else.
Sadder yet is that I had a conversation with his mom and commented that he must now appreciate how competitive things are and that he is probaly ready to apply himself for college. Not so, she said. He's already drinking and thinks college will be one frat weekend after the next.
I think that many children of ethnic minorities feel the pressure to concentrate on academics. Maybe for anglos, it's more sports oriented? I don't know. There are exceptions everywhere you look to every rule you think you can apply.
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