>there is a lot swirling in my head on this (most of it is
>around conceptual reductionism, but i'm still chewing on that)
>but for the sake of this response, if one is willing to
>consider a statistical view of this topic what we have is what
>I describe in the title
>you have people in the lower tier of the 1% looking at those
>in the lower tier of the 99% and saying "be more like me"
>(ignoring the rarity of their circumstances and how they
>arrived there) rather than - and this is to the point of
>differentiation between the bryant and jemison-type comments -
>"this is possible, strive for it"

>in the case of the latter (keep pushing even when you run into
>obstacles) you are creating possibility and encouraging drive

I think people need to assess exactly how the person doing the encouraging is measuring success and the situation. If you have a sports hero talking to a little black kid at the local gym about sport success then yeah, statistics are really stacked against them from jump just based on the field. And that's independent of race for the most part...

But if that same person is just talking the general black public about rising above whatever level you feel you need rise above to feel like you've succeeded...then I say they keep the pep talks coming by any means necessary.


>in the former (I made it, you don't have any excuse not to)
>you are making accusation of failure

yeah, this is just old school version of "Man Up Dawg!" Basically folks that don't know WHAT to say or HOW to encourage just fall back on it. They indeed need to do better.

>trying to be succinct, hope that makes sense


"Get ready....for your blessing....."