Respectfully, this is precisely what I mean about the elephant in the room. Anyone who says that some people are less intelligent is automatically labeled a pseudoscientific racist troll. This type of reaction squelches debate and leads us to the mess that we're in with our schools right now. Toe the line or else! Conform!
It's okay to say that not everyone is tall or good at sprinting or good at drawing. But suggest that some people aren't good at academics and people jump at the chance to call you names.
No. Given the fact that "race", "class" and "successful at school" are not mutually independent categories means that any discussion of "lack of success at school" that attributes that lack of success to intelligence instead of including a full discussion of the incredibly detrimental and real effects of racism in the US means that people will call you racist.
I just finished Lisa Delpit's new book "Multiplication is for White People" about racism and education and it is an incredibly engaging read--less academic and detached than her first book "Other People's Children" but still well worth it for people who want to spur their thinking around these issues.
