I put Oprah on trial for using the broad brush:
“Say what you will about the American educational system—it does work,” she says. “If you are a child in the United States, you can get an education.” And she doesn’t think that American students—who, unlike Africans, go to school free of charge—appreciate what they have. “I became so frustrated with visiting inner-city schools that I just stopped going. The sense that you need to learn just isn’t there,” she says. “If you ask the kids what they want or need, they will say an iPod or some sneakers. In South Africa, they don’t ask for money or toys. They ask for uniforms so they can go to school.”
When Oprah was in Baltimore, she ran on the Poly track. This is a high school that is the top in the state, was in the top 10 in the country, and is mostly Black. Her job at WJZ was not too far from City College, a high school, that is one of the top 3 in the state, and mostly Black. They qualify as being in the inner city.
There are private, charter and "magnet" schools in inner cities across the country where there is a desire to learn. People have written about the waiting lists in the inner city for private vouchers to attend private schools.
In the U.S., we had lines forming days before the release for the Sony PS3. We had the same happen for the latest Microsoft XBox. We have kids asking for iPods, Zunes, Razr, and Chocolate cellphones. Let's face it, the U.S. is materialistic.
Oprah, I find you guilty of applying the broad brush.
Cheers to you for your efforts in school funding!
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