As much as I respect your beliefs and views as an individual who has expressed her views, I can respectfully say we can agree to disagree on a few things depending on what we view as "right." I recognize that just because you call yourself a conservative, it does not give me the right to assume you have every view of a typical conservative in mind. I apologize for any attacks and anxiety you have experienced due to holding a certain belief. I am not a fan of conservativism, although, I can see what we both have in common. We are open to discussion and debate. So without any name-calling or attacks on the other, here is my proposed debate:

I will ask you this: Are you only out there for your own self-interest?

Because if you are, then the fact of minorities living in poor communities with a lack of resources (grocery stores, eating healthy foods that nourish the brain and the body to do cognitively and behaviorally well), and education being rigged in the lower socioeconomic status of neighborhoods to be all about, "Sit down, do as your told, listen, be attentive, follow these steps EXACTLY, etc" is not a problem to you. Schools with the population of parents with a perceived higher income, wealth, and status of prestige, have different methods of teaching children. If you read Jean Anyon's "Journal Of Education; Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum Of Work", it clearly states and defines that your class and parents' occupation determines what kind of quality education you receive.

Students with different social class backgrounds will be rewarded for classroom behaviors that go with personal assertiveness; focusing on school knowledge, have argued that knowledge and skill leading to social power and reward. (medical, legal, managerial) are made of available advantages to the higher social classes but withheld from the working class.

The working class schools with the population of blue collar workers, (Maintenance workers, waitresses, auto mechanics, etc.), with the income below federal poverty levels. Their children’s education consists of more "practical" skills. Sit down, raise your hand, do as your told, copy it this way, do it in this order; it is very authoritative. Creativity is not encouraged if anything is discouraged at times when a child is trying to express individuality. Work is not checked to see if it is right or wrong but if they had done the procedures and steps right to what the teacher has shown them on the board. A little explanation, conversation, debate, or creative thinking of looking at things as a whole is not encouraged. Everything taught is rigid and structured.

Middle-class schools have a mixed population of several social classes and parent occupations. There is often a small group of rich blue-collar workers who are skilled and well paid such as carpenters, plumbers, and construction workers. And parents of the working-class and middle-class have white collar jobs such as women in office jobs, technicians, supervisors in industry, parents employed by the city (firemen, policemen, and several school teachers). Lastly, there are occupations such as personnel directors in local firms, accountants, “middle management,” and a few capitalists (owners of shops in the area). The work is getting mostly right answers. One must follow directions in order to get the right answers. But the directions call for some figuring, some choice, some decision making. For example, the children must often figure out by themselves what the directions ask them to do and how to get the answer. Answers are usually found in the book or by listening to the teacher. Answers must be in right order. So there is a little more flexibility than rigidity compared to the working class schools but still restrictive. Children can choose the methods of which they want to solve an answer, and teachers generally make an effort to make sure the students understand what they’re doing by reassuring them and asking them to elaborate how they came to their answers. Creativity and self-expression are still rarely requested.

Upper middle-class schools, aka affluent professional schools, have the population's occupations being doctors, lawyers, cardiologists, interior design, engineer, executive in advertising or television. School work in the AP schools highlights creative activity carried out independently. Students are asked to think open-mindedly and are challenging how to go above the status quo. The school's trust students to leave and enter the classroom to go use the bathroom or borrow a book from the library as they wish, as long as it is one person leaving the class at a time. These students compared to working class students are trusted more and taught responsibility rather than insinuating the students are deviant, liars, and incompetently responsible.

The elite class, aka executive elite schools, belong to the capitalist class. Parents are top executives such as presidents and vice presidents in major US multinational corporations (ATT, RCA, Citi Bank, American Express, US Steel, Financial firms on Wall Street, you get the picture. In the executive elite schools, they develop student’s analytical intellectual powers. Children are continuously asked to reason through a problem to produce intellectual products that are both logical and of top academic quality. The primary goals are to conceptualize rules by which elements may fit together in systems, and then apply these rules to solving a problem. Instead of giving students steps, formulas, or designed structures to solve a problem in whichever class it is they are learning, the students are asked to find their own ways of how to solve the problem and as a class, they solve the problem together using methods they all think of and elaborate together. “If you use good rules and reasoning, you get many ways.” Teachers always encourage the students to think outside the box. This is the premises to creating the next generation of leaders…only if you’re lucky to be born in an elite class.

To conclude this, students are taught so that they may mentally stay within the same class. Not to say there are some or many whom succeed like an elite from the working class. However, taking a look at statistics and facts, children only do as well as they're given. It’s like asking someone to build a house without any tools or resources for that matter, let alone given the blueprint. I am a huge believer in free higher education and the quality of education should be EQUAL. Yes, the working class should get the opportunity to be enlightened and individually creative as equal to the elites. Some may argue well if everyone has a higher education, who can be determined as the next CEO if they all have a substantial education? Easy, just because you give them the equal opportunity does not mean everyone wants to be a CEO or have the “highest” position. Students will find what they love and be great at it thanks to the foundation of greater and higher education given to them. In a world where they all can lead and work together in their field(s).

Please do not respond with "well my family worked hard and if we can they can too." You explained your situation very well, and you are blessed, (not for being racially considered white after WW2), but because you have a family that was educated enough. Some families do not have that same education, mentality, or opportunity of learning what family values and working together mean. Many kids who come from struggling homes are single parents, some are from families that work many jobs and don't have time to spend with their kids which cause emotional and behavior problems within the children living in those homes. Some families come from such bad roots and homes that it is not their fault if their kids became drug dealers, and it is not the child's fault either because they did not ask for that life, experience, or struggle. They simply were just born and thrown into existence. They are only learning and adapting to the environment they are in and their various amount of experiences (depending on how many were good, bad, toxic, mentally traumatizing, etc.) They do what they can to survive the circumstances they are in.

Another thought provoking question, if you say you do not have white privilege in response to your other article regarding you not having white privilege: White Privilege is more in reference to the elites in TRUE power, not the working class. Because even though you are a hard working middle-class status, it is false class consciousness because you are still a working class citizen despite your income or perceived "wealth." Only your circumstances are less harsh than those who are true minorities not just in the eyes of income, wealth, and social status. But in the portrayed eyes of minorities. Did you ever think the only way you and your family can psychologically feel closer to the top is by adopting the majority of the top values? I am sure if you were a minority living in Bronx, NY, with a disoriented family due to a various amount of socioeconomic reasons and more, you probably would see the world in a different light. In the light of the helpless that try so hard to help themselves but their voices are discredited, the liberals in my view are trying to stand up and use their voices to help those without a voice. They need to be heard as well, to be considered, to be taken seriously, to be respected just like how you want your voice to be heard and respected.

Lastly, I do not know if you are aware but being white is portrayed as being desirable. If you are white you are VIEWED and PERCEIVED as better than black. Did you ever think of what the connotations of being white were, or the connotations of being black? Have you ever thought to observe your situation, surroundings, experiences, and interactions with others from an objective standpoint? Did you or have you ever put yourselves in the shoes of a black, latino, Muslim person? Have you ever taken the media, advertisements, music, American culture into observation, infer from it, and take that into account? Did you ever take a look at it from a societal standpoint as a WHOLE, not just your life or you trying to justify and protect your label/name of white and conservative that you gave yourself?

I grew up being raised that I was white (which is debatable on who is looking at me and what they 'think' I look like), but I was also Muslim. I learned to reject both the negative and positive connotations of both labels. I am not white, and I am not a Muslim. I am Human and that's the basic part of who I am and it works for me because I am able to connect with and have empathy for all, to want the best for all humans just as much as I want the best for myself. That is my political, religious, personal, view: Humanism.