I don't know. I have read worse. Granted this shouldn't pass muster at an Ivy, but having attended one during the same period, I can't say that the Jewish American Princesses that attended Barnard and took Columbia courses did much better. However, I did find the thesis interesting as a window on Michelle's world view at the time..
p.2
My experiences at Princeton have made me far more aware of my "Blackness" than ever before. I have found that at Princeton, no matter how liberal and open-minded some of my white professors and classmates try to be toward me, I sometimes feel like a visitor on campus;as if I really didn't belong"
p.14
As a result of such biases, both academic and non-academic, it is often difficult for some Black Students to adjust to Princeton's environment; and unfortunately there are very few adequate support groups which provide some form of guidance and council for Black students having difficulty making the transition from their home environments to Princeton's environment. Most students are dependent upon their own faculties to carry them though Princeton
What? An Ivy league school assumed that you were old enough to attend classes and study on your own, and didn't provide any help on adjusting to an environment without gangs, street killings and a drug dealer on every corner? What, you needed someone to show you have to make drug connections on campus? To speak English well enough others could understand you? To make up for the fact that you admission was based on your skin color and that you lacked the attributes normally required of White Students admitted to Princeton?
pg. 54
When I first set out to examine the attitudes of the respondents towards Blacks and Whites, I believed that the extent to which a respondent identified with the Black community would determine that individual’s attitudes. In defining the concept of identification or the ability to identify with the Black community, I based my definition on the premise that there is a distinctive Black culture very different from White culture. Elements of Black culture which make it unique from White culture such as its music, its language, the struggles and a “consciousness” shared by its people may be attributed to the injustices and oppressions suffered by this race of people which are not comparable to the experiences of any other race of people through this country’s history. However, with the increasing integration of Blacks into the mainstream society, many “integrated Blacks” have lost touch with the Black culture in their attempts to become adjusted and comfortable in their new culture–the White culture. Some of these Blacks are no longer able to enjoy the qualities which make Black culture so unique or are unable to openly share their culture with other Blacks because they have become so far removed from these experiences and, in some instances, ashamed of them as a result of their integration.
You see, Black Culture is defined by Micheal Jackson, break dancing, , heavy use of slang, improper grammar, and a sense of victim-hood (even though you personally never experienced any oppression) , and if you loose those things, you might no longer be black.
pg.59
It is possible that Black individuals either chose to or felt pressured to come together with other Blacks on campus because of the belief that Blacks must join in solidarity to combat a White oppressor. As the few Blacks in a White environment it is understandable that respondents might have felt a need to look out for one another.
Yes, those awful white oppressors who gave you the opportunity to go to Princeton which you obviously did not deserve.
pg.54
However, with the increasing integration of Blacks into the mainstream society, many “integrated Blacks” have lost touch with the Black culture in their attempts to become adjusted and comfortable in their new culture–the White culture. Some of these Blacks are no longer able to enjoy the qualities which make Black culture so unique or are unable to openly share their culture with other Blacks because they have become so far removed from these experiences and, in some instances, ashamed of them as a result of their integration. There are other Blacks who, in being integrated have not lost touch. They have maintained an awareness and a sincere appreciation for the uniqueness of the Black culture. Unlike those who have lost touch, these Blacks have not become ashamed of Black culture. It is with these ideas that I formulated my conception of identifying with the Black community. Thus, I believe that a respondent who did not identify with the Black community would be less likely to spend time with Blacks and be less motivated to benefit the Black community. However I encountered several problems following this line of reasoning. I now believe it is incorrect to assume that just because a Black individual does not enjoy or choose to participate in the culture of his people, that that individual is not interested in benefiting that group of people. For example, a Black may not enjoy the music, or language of the Black community because his preferences lead him to other interests, but this same individual may actively work to improve employment for Blacks because of a sincere interest in ameliorating this condition. Therefore, the inability to identify with one aspect of the Black culture does not necessarily cause apathy towards Blacks in general. Also, a Black individual may be unable to understand or appreciate the Black culture because that individual was not raised in that culture, yet still be able to;identify as being a Black person. For example, a Black person may have all White friends and prefer these friends and their activities to those with Blacks without the individual believing that he/she is White. It is possible that the individual identifies with being a Black person and chooses to benefit the Black community because he/she is a Black person, but does not necessarily identify with the culture.
Emphasis mine. Really? A person can be culturally "white" and still have black skin AND be aware of it? Pretty damn deep.
Ann is right, Michelle's time at Princeton made it obvious to her that she was intellectually inferior - that should could not compete in the "White Culture" - otherwise knows as the "culture of success" and in the end decided instead to embrace her "blackness" - and demand that others give her benefits to make up for her inherent inferiority- an inferiority that comes not from her skin color but with her attitudes and beliefs.