@desertrain10 In response to the quoted below
lol
Slavery ended. And we don't live in segregated Jim Crow South
But we also don't live in this post racial society where color plays no role in social mobility
The continuing impact of redlining on American homeownership, debtor prisons like the city of Ferguson, the war on drugs and the retreat from desegregation in public education plays a huge role in perpetuating racial disparities in income and wealth
I don't think you'd necessarily disagree with the aforementioned, but i do believe you underestimate the impact of these practices and policies have psychologically on a ppl and the self loathing it produces
Same as with poverty, negative perceptions, stereotypes and discrimination condoned and practiced by the dominant culture can create severe stress which affects many brain functions, putting you at risk for many mood disorders and other mental issues
And while things are getting better, you cast too wide a net when you suggest current generations are using race as a crutch
Word. This is a long response, but fuck it. Reading is fundamental. The lack of it is what humanity suffers from.
Hmmm, how do i respond to this since i agree mostly. lol.
I guess just on this issue we will diverge. Im more of the, i dont think many of these young brothas are just victims of poverty and horrible schooling, but also victims of their own people/family setting them up to fail, and choosing to take the path less traveled of crime and violence.
I have that opinion because of my own life, and the lives of others ive experienced first hand, coupled with statistics in general.
About 45 million people are living under the poverty line in this country. Clearly the vast majority of them arent committing violent crime at the rate young black men are. It would be one thing if we were just stealing cars too much, doing identity theft too much, stealing food from grocery stores, or snatch poppin Macys for school clothes. We're involved in some of the most vicious violent acts of crime at an outstandingly disproportionate rate to each other and others over stupid shit.
My problem lies in being a black man in America, not currently allowed by my own people without going through a rigorous blackness test, to say i think we all know better, and you cant just blame racism, bad schools, and poverty for everything.
I know how to live poor. I grew up with lights going out (electricity not paid), clothes stinking because theyre isnt money to wash them, so i hand washed them on a washing board, cold showers, government cheese, roaches in your cereal that look like raisins. My nigga, I UNDERSTAND. This all the while being surrounded by white kids who were living like kings and queens in comparison. I dont doubt it affected me, but it didnt drive me to rob, steal, or murder. Just work and get my own.
I was doing summer jobs when i was fucking 14 through a local program.
With 10 dollars though, you can easily feed yourself for a week, and with a little flavor. It might just be ramen, chicken thighs, and jalapenos, but you can eat. Hell if you dont have any electricity or gas, build a fire pit with some rocks and bricks, get a pot from the salvation army, gather some fucking wood, and make your own stove. lol. So when dudes say niggas ribs is touchin out here, i question are they touchin for real because racist managers wont hire you for work, and you have no money at all because its impossible for you to have some, or are they touchin because youre feeling greedy, and you just simply want what someone else has.
I think the obsession with materialism in our community that isnt exactly the same in other non black poor communities is why poverty is driving young brothas and sistas into doing really stupid shit. I dont think its driving them insane though. America has a mental health problem, but cmon son.
Its 2016 too. Hell, the following has applied for a couple decades now minimum. If your schools suck, you can still teach them at home. There is still a library in your city, and many throughout the state. The problem isnt just underfunded schools though, its the culture of my people that are going there. The devaluing of education in general, the fear of failure and racism, the tribalness that leads to unnecessary violence. The abuse at home from aint shit parents.
The poverty argument is what liberals use to say about islamic terrorist from the middle east. Then people had to realize, poverty and lack of education are two parts, but there is a stronger force guiding this behavior that is hardwired into the cultures ideologies that need to change, and are hard to change.
Being poor, or not having great schools isnt a fate of drug abuse, murder, gang banging, self hate, and high teen pregnancy. Its what people have chosen it to be. This must change.
We're squandering away what our Aunts, Uncles, Grandparents, Great Grandparents, ect.. fought for. What they struggled to deal with when they felt like quitting.
