Africans versus African-Americans

[aroundtheworld]

In so many texts, idiot scholars try to claim that the African brain is inferior which we know is not true.

Why is there such a gap between the performance of Black Americans(native) and African immigrant families(new to USA)?

Nigerians, for example in the USA tend to be professionals: PhD, M.D. DDS, etc, whereas very few Black Americans achieve these goals.

Africans that come to the USA have a totally different work ethic. Many of them own gas stations, convenience stores, food franchises, and other businesses.

Like their Asian counterpart, the African kid is usually the "smart kid" in school.

Now, Black Americans have sometimes even more opportunities than Native Africans.

Why are Native Africans out-performing Black Americans???

[Mike the Jedi]

It's probably the same reason East Indians/Asians/etc. do so well. There is a real motivation to succeed. They don't take the freedoms of America for granted. It is the land of opportunity, after all.

[penetratorx]

The same thing happens in the UK, Sub-Saharan Africans outperform Afro-Caribbeans at school and the workplace.

They even outperform them as criminals, West African criminals tend to be into fraud and money scams while Afro-Caribbean criminals are lowly street muggers and drug dealers.

I once asked a Nigerian I was at college with why this is and he laughed and said that they had sold us all the stupid ones back in the day.

[aroundtheworld]

penetratorx said:

The same thing happens in the UK, Sub-Saharan Africans outperform Afro-Caribbeans at school and the workplace.

They even outperform them as criminals, West African criminals tend to be into fraud and money scams while Afro-Caribbean criminals are lowly street muggers and drug dealers.

I once asked a Nigerian I was at college with why this is and he laughed and said that they had sold us all the stupid ones back in the day.

good one.

I realized that about the crime, too. The west Africans are white collar criminals!

I'll bet if you put all the Nigerians and other West Africans with the Super Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans, they'd take over the world. ;D

[Melnorme]

The Africans who manage to immigrate to the West are a selected group. It's not just random people.
The ones who make it to the USA are often quite elite.

[Nist]

melnorme said:

The Africans who manage to immigrate to the West are a selected group. It's not just random people.
The ones who make it to the USA are often quite elite.

That's not true. They are normal people. Normaly middle class.

[anodyne]

The ones who make it to the USA are maybe the elite of their countries although some of the less skilled do make it. You'll find many African immigrants selling junk on the streets of NYC. I recall haggling with half a dozen African immigrant cab drivers at 1 or 2 in the morning about driving me home (100 bucks? hell with that.) But the same can't be said about African immigrants to Europe.

Most of those savvy Nigerians I'd wager are Ibos. They have a good reputation but I doubt the average African immigrant is a stunning success and its too early to say anything about their children. I'm not sure of any studies on native African children performance in schools in any western european nation.

[Melnorme]

Check out the average education or income ( I forget which one, maybe both ) of American citizens born in Nigeria - it may surprise you.

[buddy]

Nigerians and other African immigrant groups are highly successful because they have the motivation to succeed and to achieve something that wasn't possible back in their native countries. The same phenomenon occurred with European, Asian, and many Latin American immigrants as well. I'd say countries like the U.S., Japan, and most European countries enable people to "make it" more so than most other countries. Some of why African-Americans haven't been as successful as West Africans are probably because of the vastly different historical experiences of both groups, along with the fact that the greater opportunities afforded to African-Americans in the status quo have made them unaware of the possibility that they could still achieve more.

[anodyne]

Apparently the average African born immigrant in the US has a household income of $42,900 which is higher than the average African- American household income of $33,790 but below the national average of $49,075. $42, 900 is not bad at all. Generally, African immigrants tend to be more educated than immigrants from other regions which shows a flight of the better abled.

I was looking for information on Nigerian immigrants specifically but I guess I suck as a researcher. I did find this: iussp2005.princeton.edu/download.aspx?submissionId=51068 An interesting comparison study on the integration of Mexican and Nigerian immigrants in the dallas/fort worth area. Apparently Nigerian immigrants do very well economically (although there's a significant dip in household income of recent Nigerian immigrants) and of course that's related to their level of education and fluency in English.

Here's an article on teh conflcit between African immigrants and African- Americans: www.freep.com/features/blackhistory/2005/african24e_20050224.htm It's no surprise that there's conflcit consider both groups, as a whole, have conflicting values.

Buddy: I disagreee with you regarding the causes for African- Americans general inability to be successful in the USA. After WW2 African- Americans education level and household income were rising. Income and occupational advancement increased sharply in the 40s and 50s. Levels of employment were similar to whites and children born out of wedlock weren't even close to what it is today for African- Americans. It's currently 7 out of 10 babies. These children don't grow up with a father figure and therefore are more likely to be poor. Check out Thomas Sowell online articles or read his latest book "Black Rednecks and White Liberals." Here's link to Sowell explaining his book: www.townhall.com/opinion/columns/thomassowell/2005/05/05/15333.html It appears that the positive trend that was occuring during 40s and 50s for African- Americans stifled when irresponsibilty and playing the victim was pushed in the 60s but then again if this mentality changed in 2005 (very unlikely) Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton would have to find real jobs. I suppose used car salesmen would suite them well,

[aroundtheworld]

Anodyne, you bring up a very good point. Unfortunately society is set up to encourage single-mother black homes. Ya know, some families stay unmarried so they can get financial aid, and other benefits to make it but unfortunately it's a trap set up to make them fail.

I was telling a friend that the other day how blacks seemed to be on the up and up in the 50's with the 2parent homes and getting respect...now in 2005 it's like there's 2 black communities and the latter is doing horribly.

WTF happened? It's hurting this country as a whole b/c it encourages racism and crime and keep blacks down-even the ones who are trying hard.

[orion]

The good thing is that race in the United States is becoming less important. When everyone has equal opportunity economic competition is becoming the focus.

[anodyne]

If have to disagree with you with regards to race becoming less important. Those who live off racial grievances psuh it whenever they are able to and of course there is always a white back lash. I suspect that some major racial violence in the future if the course is maintained with an interesting twist. A latino/black conflict perhaps out in California, perhaps? Hopefully my prediction won't become a reality but I'm pessimistic.