“Among Hispanics, there is little change in popularity from a grade point average of 1 through 2.5. After 2.5, the gradient turns sharply negative. A Hispanic student with a 4.0 grade point average is the least popular of all Hispanic students, and has 3 fewer friends than a typical white student with a 4.0 grade point average.” —- Roland G. Fryer, Jr. and Paul Torelli, An Empirical Analysis of ‘Acting White’
I was one of those students. I had plenty of friends, but many were not close, just acquaintances. They weren’t people I studied with or talked on the phone with after school. I was also tracked into classes with students who generally lived in a different part of town than me and were mainly Asian. I didn’t have much in common with them besides that we were in the same classes and were all competing for spots at the same type of universities. I wonder if Fryer ever talks about the experience of black, latino and native american students in classrooms where no one else looks like them? I wonder if the subtle racist remarks (microaggressions) or place of residence have anything to do with it. According to Fryer and Torelli, black and latino students are already going to be less popular than white kids based on their “objective” measure. Perhaps black and latino kids define friends differently.
He has sections titled, “Racial Differences in the Relationship between Popularity And Achiement”, and “Alternate Measures Of Popularity” where he seems to control for all, if not most, of the above.
Al, I thought you placed little faith in sociologists- or is it only “liberal” sociologists who earn your scorn?
I do have no (okay, a little, but very little) faith in sociologists, but who is talking about sociologists here? Roland G Fryer Jr is an economist.
I’m glad that’s cleared up now.
“but who is talking about sociologists here? Roland G Fryer Jr is an economist.”
-HP
Then perhaps he is out of his area of expertise.
Isn’t the study of interpersonal behavior of humans termed “sociology?” Which I guess is want all economists do to a certain extent. But this work has little to with finances and more to do with the behavior of or social interactions between “minorities.” This, me thinks, makes this a sociological study.
In any case, I thought you might want to start qualifying any future statements you make about sociologists, since you appear to agree with this particular social [*snicker*] “scientist.” I always thought it funny that many people involved in social studies often refer to themselves as social scientists.
BTW, how are your finals going?
What’s up O,
Fryer may be entering the realm of sociology, but he does so using economist tools, and more importantly, with economist beliefs, in other words, all of the Marxist presuppositions in sociology are stripped away, and your left with something much more workable.
Class is going, I have my final this Tuesday, December 6th.
Good luck! Make us proud!