How we interpret these trends largely depends on our social lens and political motives,
what side
of the ideological aisle we sit on,
and to what extent
and how we balance issues related to excellence, equality, and equity. It also depends on whether we want to focus on class or caste. For example, we can talk about cultural inversion, a concept introduced by black social scientists such as John Ogbu or John McWhorter.Their thesis is that poor academic achievement among blacks has more to do with their own negative attitudes than the effects of prejudice or poor schools; and that negativism is rooted in slave history and segregation, but dramatically worsened by a “cult of separation,” which makes blacks think that whatever whites do, they should do the opposite. As well, they identify a “cult of anti intellectualism,” which holds that academic excellence is a white thing, and “cult of victimization” in which black youth adapt and act out the labels or stereotypes foisted on them by the majority population“dumb,” “lazy,” or “delinquent.”