Why Blacks do Poorly in School...

We often hear about studies which tend to be no surprise to us, that Blacks do poorly in school.  Yes there are rare examples of a few that excel, but for the most part, Black students do not perform academically. Why is this?  Some will suggest funding is the key!  More money for the poor Black kids!  I grew up a poor Black kid in the ghetto and I can tell you, we had enough books, enough classrooms, enough food, enough money going to our schools.  What was lacking was self-discipline of children to sit down, shut up and pay attention to the teachers who were trying to undo all of the disadvantages the kids came in with. What was also lacking was any effort by parents to intellectually stimulate their children.  This is not because they were too poor, this was because they were too lazy, and too selfish. 
Blacks need to abandon this self-defeating culture of theirs (I say theirs, because it certainly isn't mine) and either stop making babies if they are not resolved to care properly for them or start taking responsibility for the children they have.

What the Heck Should We Call Ourselves?

As an American who is of African descent, I admit to being at a loss for the most appropriate nomenclature for myself.  What we see as an archetype for African American's or Blacks on television doesn't often apply to myself, so I am doubly perplexed as I do not buy into the self-imposed stereotypes.  I call myself American.
Some blacks call one another "Nigga", which I'm certain would have made men like Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X beam with pride! But today's Blacks don't give a damn about the sacrifices made by courageous men and women.  They just want to cry racism at every name that someone could call them.  Heck, if a "non-Black" person called a Black person "Black" with an unsettling tone, you'd hear about it on the evening news. There'd be marches and protests a plenty, since so many will take any opportunity to take a day off from work (for those who do work) to whine about a lack of "respect"
Why not just rid all paperwork of the Race boxes and let us all be judged on our merits, or lack thereof?  Race isn't about identity anymore it's about employing a political gimmick to guilt people into destroying this great nation.