Morgan Freeman thinks income inequality has nothing to do with race.

[THOT PILGRIM]

I think there's a happy medium between both views in this thread.

I don't think anyone can negate the fact that systematic racism has devastated the black community forever and continues to do so. Yes, white people are fucking awful and it is in large part their fault that things are the way they are.

However, it is possible to overcome these ills if you set your mind to it, and I think that's the point that @Sion was making and to an extent Chemix. The problem is that it is sooooo easy to get caught up in poverty and never get out.

Black men choosing lives of crime and getting stuck in the prison system or with a criminal record.

Black women reproducing like cattle and perpetuating the cycle of poverty to kids they can't afford to raise.

Black folk in general being comfortable working like slaves until they die and not investing/making their money work for them.

All types of shit can get us caught up out here.

The key is to see these traps and dodge them like the plague. Teach your kids/relatives better. Invest your wealth back into your community. There's some truth to pulling yourself up by your bootstraps....it's significantly more difficult for minorities, but it can be done.

 

[desertrain10]

He's right...shit is a excuse...it's real if u let it be.

whats an excuse? "oohh well I was born in the ghetto, so I'll never change, fuck school, I'm gon trap cuz that's what niggas do" SMMFH or my personal favorite "Nigga you read and watch anime !?? You don't play basketball ?? You acting real white right now nigga" SMMFH

when did race become a non-factor? Race has nothing to do with wealth or if someone will be able to attain it

housing discrimination is still a thing. schools are segregated... the justice system is racially biased... Still has nothing to do with attaining wealth/financial success

ppl of color are openly systematically oppressed. This was suppose to be the idea but today blacks have as much of an opportunity to go for theirs and attain so much more (getting an education is a start or even just educating yourself and staying away from the streets), that at this point there really shouldn't be any excuses. There's far too many examples both famous and non-famous. It's tiring to have to hear.

is it true that all poor ppl are victims of the widening economic gap? yes. However, saying that race is no longer a factor demands some proof. there is none. Yes but it doesn't have to be the end result. As I've said a million times on here - what separates the rich and poor truly is education.

Overall, basically you tryna say that if you're born black or hispanic in North America then it's over for you and no point. That's not true man. The man don't give a fuck about you to "hold you back" I have friends that were born in the drudgery of the ghetto and today they drive Benz & Beamers and take care of their families. Never once did they believe that their race was going to bar them from going to school, getting an education or taking up trades and educating themselves to break the cycle.

In this day and age where the President of the United States is Black, countless successes across the nation big and small, we really can't be holding on to these excuses of how race is going to bar black people from attaining similar successes as whites. Yes there will be obstacles, there always are that's apart of life but those things don't have to be your end unless you let it. Don Lemon is GAY AND Black and he's fuckin PAID, on CNN, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Morgan Freeman, Barack Obama and other notable figures in society. He's not a celebrity or a businessman he's just a news anchor but lo and behold he's definitely not what yall talking about. Shits tiring man, niggas need to let go and start believing in themselves versus finding excuses for why they aren't where they wanna be. Yes there are obstacles but to say that poverty is synonymous with being Black to the point where it becomes a definition is ignorant.

The wealth gap between blks and whites here in america and the fact that the blk unemployment rate has been twice that of whites since they started keeping record in the 1950s is the result of what exactly?

You don't think race played a factor?

Yes we should all strive for excellence but that's besides the point

As for the rest of your post...acknowledging racial discrimination and the environment which it fosters where inequality persists isnt equating "black" with poverty

 

[desertrain10]

He's right...shit is a excuse...it's real if u let it be.

whats an excuse? "oohh well I was born in the ghetto, so I'll never change, fuck school, I'm gon trap cuz that's what niggas do" SMMFH or my personal favorite "Nigga you read and watch anime !?? You don't play basketball ?? You acting real white right now nigga" SMMFH

when did race become a non-factor? Race has nothing to do with wealth or if someone will be able to attain it

housing discrimination is still a thing. schools are segregated... the justice system is racially biased... Still has nothing to do with attaining wealth/financial success

ppl of color are openly systematically oppressed. This was suppose to be the idea but today blacks have as much of an opportunity to go for theirs and attain so much more (getting an education is a start or even just educating yourself and staying away from the streets), that at this point there really shouldn't be any excuses. There's far too many examples both famous and non-famous. It's tiring to have to hear.

is it true that all poor ppl are victims of the widening economic gap? yes. However, saying that race is no longer a factor demands some proof. there is none. Yes but it doesn't have to be the end result. As I've said a million times on here - what separates the rich and poor truly is education.

In this day and age where the President of the United States is Black, countless successes across the nation big and small, we really can't be holding on to these excuses of how race is going to bar black people from attaining similar successes as whites. Yes there will be obstacles, there always are that's apart of life but those things don't have to be your end unless you let it. Don Lemon is GAY AND Black and he's fuckin PAID, on CNN, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Morgan Freeman, Barack Obama and other notable figures in society. He's not a celebrity or a businessman he's just a news anchor but lo and behold he's definitely not what yall talking about. Shits tiring man, niggas need to let go and start believing in themselves versus finding excuses for why they aren't where they wanna be. Yes there are obstacles but to say that poverty is synonymous with being Black to the point where it becomes a definition is ignorant.

The wealth gap between blks and whites here in america and the fact that the blk unemployment rate has been twice that of whites since they started keeping record in the 1950s is the result of what exactly?

You don't think race played a factor?

Yes we should all strive for excellence but that's besides the point

As for the rest of your post...acknowledging racial discrimination and the environment which it fosters where inequality persists isnt equating "black" with poverty

I'm just gonna drop this post and leave this thread alone & I don't expect most ppl to agree....

If this was the 1800s or 1930s without a doubt I would use it as an excuse. If we were born then there really wouldn't be as many opportunities outside the military and shoe shining (no diss cuz my great great great grandfather was prolly one of the 2 I think the latter). We don't live in that timeline anymore, we live in a very different society from that point. Are there obstacles in society that black ppl WILL go thru ? Yes hell yeah that goes for everybody/group. Should it be an excuse as to WHY black ppl are lower on the income gap charts ? Will that be the last thing you choose to accept ? Hell no. It's not being black that's to blame for being poor. Socio-economic issues stemming from many aspects of history (& yes rooted from slavery) like the crack era, recessions, wars and portions of society not being able to enjoy the benefits of a booming economy (or a capitalist economy) all played a role. Poverty does not pay dividends. But it's not the end all be all.

Every race, from women to gays to blacks to mexicans, jews, natives you name it have their obstacles. There are 1000 Fortune companies women only account for 4.4% of them, natives have no representation on there unfortunately. You have to recognize those obstacles and avoid em. If you just choose to accept that shit you gonna die never breaking the cycle. You know what's the wealthiest place on Earth ? The graveyard fam, b/c what never was, what could have been, ideas that never materialized, dreams that died, ppl who gave up, that settled for less, came w/ excuses all took their best ideas with them to the grave. What about all the black ppl who invented/created things ? That was just the tip of the iceberg of what's possible given the restraints back then and there could/will be many more. I'm not going to get preachy but that's part of why I agree with Morgan Freeman. I acknowledge that there's issues but I don't choose to let those issues be an excuse why I shouldn't strive for more. I can acknowledge that yes if you're name is Tyrone or Duquan you prolly will have a tougher time getting hired but will it stop you from finding the job you want ? Hell nah man. Barack Hussein Obama with a name like that becomes president in an era where the war on terror is real, racism is still alive in America and we still aint recover from 9/11. We stop short b/c of the rejections of life, everyone has those rejections. No one is exempt from it but it doesn't have to define or stop you.

The real question is how much has oppression clouded our judgements and our confidence in ourselves as a race. Some of the posts in this thread were unconsciously equating black with poverty, that's why when Morgan says "you and I and living examples" to Don they're met with so much disdain (or at least that's how I felt). Like they aint feel what the common man today felt, like they never went thru it. No one is downplaying the harsh realities and difficulties of life that every group may encounter at some point, there's definitely a real issue there but I believe in my opinion (and many prolly wont agree) that there is a fundamental problem that starts in the mind before it goes anywhere else.

Smh

I'm not making excuses, just stating facts

With the exception of native americans no minority group living here in america has had to endure what blks have had and still have to endure

From the days of slavery and even today, we have been specifically targeted time and time again by racist practices such as redlining ...and there's tons of data to support that

Its slowly getting better, but we do not live in a post race society

just in 2009 loan officers at wells fargo were caught referring to blks as "mud people", today politicians actively trying to rob us of our right to vote, institutionalized racial profiling is common place, and even bank of america was recently ordered to pay millions to a group of blk applicants after they complain of discrimination

And yes confidence is an issue within the blk community...but it isnt a lack of self confidence or racial pride, it's a lack of confidence in a place where people were voluntarily willing to donate money to the legal fund of a man who killed an unarmed blk teenager walking home from the store, where even though more blks are graduating from college than ever before, many cannot find jobs or qualify for loans so they can create their own jobs...sure this can sap self confidence, but how is this solely a blk people problem

I'll end with this and I don't know if you'll respond but if the only answer for blks is to be the exception to the rule, why are you so unwilling to then looking at the rules themselves?