Thugs in Atlanta? Bad parenting, bad politics, what? (Jackson, Jefferson: sales, real estate)

[KeyserSoze]

Just viewing the Atlanta board, I get the feeling that there is a considerable amount of racial tension. It seems that there's a number of people here who are rather ignorant of others, and are satisfied with pointing fingers. Just my observation.

[YBF]

Originally Posted by otoatlanta

Actually KevK, BET is NOT run by blacks. When it was run by blacks, it was actually much more wholesome, but BET sold out big time. Since being bought by Viacomm, it has become a channel that celebrates crime and hypersexualization. There is actually an online petition concerning the BET turnover from black ownership to white ownership, and the results. Change BET*-*Online Petition

When BET was black owned, it had Teen Summit, Lead Story, and Tavis Smiley: all dealing with social issues in the so-called black community. Interesting, how Viacomm found these shows to be unimportant on the only popular black network. Interesting indeed. Can someone say censorship? What messages are the white owners trying to send to the world about blacks? I think the messages are clear, and loud. What messages are the white owners trying to send to blacks about themselves? I find it totally amazing that as rap went corporate(white owned), it went from "kill the establishment", to "kill each other". It's sad that so many black people literally buy into the crap which is corp. rap music. There is surely something strange going on in corp. rap world. Dan Proft: BET Racist Against Black People?

I love this statement its soooooooooo true!!!!! i loved teen summit and the other shows BET used to show.

[Georgia]

Originally Posted by atlantagreg30127

To address a couple of these then, "being real"...

First of all, poverty can't be blamed for any of these problems. I posted this elsewhere once, but I'll repeat it here. I grew up in West Virginia - literally THE poorest state in the country. My entire area, not just one neighborhood, was filled with families who ate potatoes several nights a week because they couldn't afford much else, and who had to shop at Goodwill for their children's clothes, or, make the clothes. Getting a cheap metal truck for Xmas was a big deal, forget video games or computers. Yet, you don't go up to that area and see it filled with carjackers, drug dealers, hookers, home invaders, or just literal vagrants in general. The people have too much pride and respect for themselves for that. Poverty does not create crime. Lifestyles create crime, and the lifestyles in Atlanta area obviously not the same, breeding criminal behavior generation after generation. No amount of counciling is going to help I'm afraid. Birth control, maybe, but what should you do - put it in the water supply in the projects to prevent future generations of criminals? OH yeah, that'll go over well.

Atlanta Greg, Kudo's to you!!!!
Let me second this comment in regard to the excuse of POVERTY in the big city. I to grew up in West By God Virginia. I have lived in Chicago, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and New Jersey. Sorry, cry if you must but get out and check for yourself. I don't care if you drive in the projects of Patterson to South Chicago. Don't care if you look anywhere in the City of Atlanta. You want the definition of POVERTY go to West Virginia, go to the rural outreaches and get your dose. I was up in WV last week and yes passed a home of true POVERTY. What was once a 1970's era school bus with wheels removed, tarp around the wells, a small propane unit sitting outside the rear door with a hose. I'm sure that person would enjoy a government paid project home with Cable TV etc., and Greg is right I could of parked my car in the area with the keys in it and walked around at night with no issue. As a matter of fact the poor folks would probably invite me in their Bus home and offer me whatever they had.

Want even worse, go to NE Africa, was stationed there. Starvation is rampant, Disease is rampant, AIDS galore. That is POVERTY.

I get so damn tired of these little thugs no matter the color of skin, their always crying foul with some tax paid liberal lawyer crying that POVERTY made him do it. Heck, my mother grew up in homemade dresses made from feedsacks in the 30's but crime was nothing.

Sorry, I get so sick of the damn excuses for criminals. President elect Obama said it right on his first news interview after the election in regard to youth striving for success. His answer, PULL YOUR PANT'S UP AND HAVE SOME SELF RESPECT!

Sorry, so one wonders why Atlanta has it's issues. Heck it ain't just Atlanta, it is just about every area that has some left wing leadership or dumbarse judge allowing the behavior. When you AWARD criminals with no consequence and punish the innocent, what do you expect?
Face it, there are BAD PEOPLE and POVERTY doesn't have a damn thing to do with it, just look at all the crap coming from the rich milk and cookie white bread communities, again BAD PEOPLE that are coddled instead of kicked

Ok, off my soapbox now Geez

[YBF]

Originally Posted by backfist

BET is owned by Viacom. Viacom is owned by shareholders, who--as far as I know--are NOT comprised of poor Black folks in the ghetto. What do Viacom's shareholders have to say about BET and the affect it has on these poor Black children?

Well, Viacom's stock is up 3%, so BET must be doing the job that the shareholders want.

Things the make you go hmmmmm

[luckysnap]

The African tribes paint thier faces and bodies in flamboyant ways just like african americans dress in "bling" and outlandish clothes,(like MR. T) not to mention "dubs" and "spinners" on thier "sleds".

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by Georgia

Atlanta Greg, Kudo's to you!!!!
Let me second this comment in regard to the excuse of POVERTY in the big city. I to grew up in West By God Virginia. I have lived in Chicago, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and New Jersey. Sorry, cry if you must but get out and check for yourself. I don't care if you drive in the projects of Patterson to South Chicago. Don't care if you look anywhere in the City of Atlanta. You want the definition of POVERTY go to West Virginia, go to the rural outreaches and get your dose. I was up in WV last week and yes passed a home of true POVERTY. What was once a 1970's era school bus with wheels removed, tarp around the wells, a small propane unit sitting outside the rear door with a hose. I'm sure that person would enjoy a government paid project home with Cable TV etc., and Greg is right I could of parked my car in the area with the keys in it and walked around at night with no issue. As a matter of fact the poor folks would probably invite me in their Bus home and offer me whatever they had.

Want even worse, go to NE Africa, was stationed there. Starvation is rampant, Disease is rampant, AIDS galore. That is POVERTY.

I get so damn tired of these little thugs no matter the color of skin, their always crying foul with some tax paid liberal lawyer crying that POVERTY made him do it. Heck, my mother grew up in homemade dresses made from feedsacks in the 30's but crime was nothing.

Sorry, I get so sick of the damn excuses for criminals. President elect Obama said it right on his first news interview after the election in regard to youth striving for success. His answer, PULL YOUR PANT'S UP AND HAVE SOME SELF RESPECT!

Sorry, so one wonders why Atlanta has it's issues. Heck it ain't just Atlanta, it is just about every area that has some left wing leadership or dumbarse judge allowing the behavior. When you AWARD criminals with no consequence and punish the innocent, what do you expect?
Face it, there are BAD PEOPLE and POVERTY doesn't have a damn thing to do with it, just look at all the crap coming from the rich milk and cookie white bread communities, again BAD PEOPLE that are coddled instead of kicked

Ok, off my soapbox now Geez

"West by God Virginia Poverty" is not in urban centers. Poverty when exposed to the "riches" of society manifests into crime, etc.

You should know this, brother-man! Not that hard to make out the "poverty difference/connection."

[runningncircles1]

my mother grew up in homemade dresses made from feedsacks in the 30's but crime was nothing.

Actually, crime was VERY high during the depression...


Anyway, pinning crime on just ONE grievence is inane. There are a multitude of factors that contribute.

Economics (and, not just poverty or lack of money) is one. Sure, you can use WV as an opposing example, but I can also say that they're "working poor" or that the cost of living there is MUCH less. I know in several small towns in Georgia that used to rely on textile mills, certain crimes like drug use has increased. Why? People don't have jobs to fill their time; it isn't just paying the bills that's an issue it's BOREDOM! Ask anyone who's unemployed: you come up with CRAZY ideas to pass the time. When employed, however, you productively use your time and become exhausted at the end of the day.

This lack of productive outlets (ie, jobs) is what is happening in inner cities like Detroit. Manufacturing and other low/no-skill jobs left during the civil rights transition, before many inner-city blacks were well educated. Now that dad couldn't get a well-paying job, son had to drop out of school and help with bill. That spiral continued. Then government decided to "help" by giving welfare that promoted dropping out of school instead of fixing school systems, giving temporary relief to those in school, or reforming economic policies that would make us more competitive and keep jobs that would fill people's time. So, yes, economics, not just being poor, has much to do with this. Looking past the 1970s, we will see that crime went DOWN as economic indicators improved, especially in areas with good economic policies. Also note that when JUVENILE crime went up first, during the 1950s, more labor laws were enacted preventing minors from working; also, we went from an agrarian society to an urban one much faster at that point. Plus the creation of suburbs. And kids starting to go off to college leading into the 60s. So many chances for boredom and negative productive capacity.

So, anyone who says that economics (again, it isn't just poverty, but also productive capacity being shifted to negative functions) has nothing to do with this is out of their mind.

[ArthursChoice]

Originally Posted by atlantagreg30127

I can't wait for a couple of key people to come in here and comment on this. Be ready - we're all racists if we agree to Atlanta's problem.

Well, here's what I think. It's an under-the-table secret told to restaurant owners in the city, that if you play country music in your restaurant, the gangsta-wannabe crowd will not eat there, as it's pretty much like fingernails on a chalkboard to those who have built-up so much aggression listening to Rap for so long. If you want to run the lawless Rappers out of town, we need 121 large speakers on top of the key buildings, all playing loud Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner songs 24/7.

Poof - end of problem. Charlotte can deal with it for a while.

ROTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's funny, though I rather like Dolly Parton. Then again I'm from an older generation (African American) and most of us hate the rap shyt too.

[ArthursChoice]

Originally Posted by backfist

Rather than critique you on ignorance of Black culture, I'm going to agree with you. Moreover, I'm going to ask that YOU speak as loudly as others regarding the dearth of positive Black depiction and representation.

Like you, lukeache, I'm also one who laments negative perceptions of my culture. Why? Well, because folks like yourself who don't know very many Black people take what is seen in media (as opposed to who you know personally and/or intimately) and draw the necessary conclusions. Perhaps one of the worst forms of perception occurs every evening on the local news. Now, I did a little research on all of the local networks and their news directors (the news directors/managers are primarily responsible for content). And I found that nearly all local news directors/managers in Atlanta were White. Now, maybe that's just a coincidence. But I'll bet you if those news directors/managers are ever challenged on their content--that is, the constant depiction of the Black Criminal--they'll say that they're simply giving the viewers what they want to see. I'm not suggesting that there aren't Black criminals in a predominantly Black city, any more than I'd suggest that there weren't White criminals in a predominantly White city. What I am saying that that somebody prefers to see the negative that I see, and what YOU see.

So when you complain about African American culture, from what perspective are you speaking? From an informed perspective based upon intimate, deep, generational and personal knowledge and interaction with Black people? Or are you speaking from the perspective of what you saw on TV?

You know we as BLACK PEOPLE are going to have to pull our heads out of the sand when we speak of AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURE. THERE IS SOME TRUTH TO WHAT HE IS SAYING ABOUT (AND I SHOULD SAY) MODERN, CONTEMPORARY AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURE...HIP HOP. IT IS the culture and the mindset of this culture which creates so many of our problems today. The African American Culture of the sixties and the seventies was something that we could totally be proud of AND IN FACT is what produced a President Barak Obama and a Michelle Obama. African American Culture consisted of voices such as James Baldwin, Lorraine Hansberry, Dr. Martin Luther King;

our business people we looked up to and represented us as a people were John H. Johnson, A.G Gaston, Our entertainers, OUR ENTERTAINERS that gave us pride, (on the screen) were Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee, Cicely Tyson, Paul Robeson, our music, on stage, Lena Horne, Alvin Ailey, the list goes on.

OUR MUSIC spoke to who we were as a creation of God; Listen to the lyrics of Earth Wind and Fire, Frankie Beverly, the list goes on! Look at our women who were out front during this time. You didn't see them rolling and sexual in the ground half ass dressed? They had class and style and carried themselves with dignity. A Diane Carrol, an Ella, a Mahalia, wouldn't be caught dead on a trash network like BET.

African American Culture was something we took pride in because of what it stood for and what it produced. I understand your concern for what looked like an attack against our Culture and yet (and I really can't speak for him) I am guessing it is not THE REAL African American Culture many are referring to, but this sick (AND YES IT IS SICK AND WARPED) modern day, young AA culture that many, including MANY African Americans have a problem with.

IT IS about lifestyles. IT IS about mindsets. And it is this "New" African American ( I hate to call it that cause it really isn't) HIP HOP culture (at least the negative aspect of it...which is about %90) that blankets Atlanta and makes the place...at times, undesirable to live.

We as a people are one day going to have to stop pointing the finger at every other excuse and take a look in the mirror have some national summit meetings or something and declare THIS is not acceptable. We are going to have to lift the standards. Because the truth of the matter is in this increasingly global way of life that is slowly becoming, we are not going to be able to thrive with this negative mindset that this recent culture has produced. WE need change.

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by runningncircles1

Actually, crime was VERY high during the depression...


Anyway, pinning crime on just ONE grievence is inane. There are a multitude of factors that contribute.

Economics (and, not just poverty or lack of money) is one. Sure, you can use WV as an opposing example, but I can also say that they're "working poor" or that the cost of living there is MUCH less. I know in several small towns in Georgia that used to rely on textile mills, certain crimes like drug use has increased. Why? People don't have jobs to fill their time; it isn't just paying the bills that's an issue it's BOREDOM! Ask anyone who's unemployed: you come up with CRAZY ideas to pass the time. When employed, however, you productively use your time and become exhausted at the end of the day.

This lack of productive outlets (ie, jobs) is what is happening in inner cities like Detroit. Manufacturing and other low/no-skill jobs left during the civil rights transition, before many inner-city blacks were well educated. Now that dad couldn't get a well-paying job, son had to drop out of school and help with bill. That spiral continued. Then government decided to "help" by giving welfare that promoted dropping out of school instead of fixing school systems, giving temporary relief to those in school, or reforming economic policies that would make us more competitive and keep jobs that would fill people's time. So, yes, economics, not just being poor, has much to do with this. Looking past the 1970s, we will see that crime went DOWN as economic indicators improved, especially in areas with good economic policies. Also note that when JUVENILE crime went up first, during the 1950s, more labor laws were enacted preventing minors from working; also, we went from an agrarian society to an urban one much faster at that point. Plus the creation of suburbs. And kids starting to go off to college leading into the 60s. So many chances for boredom and negative productive capacity.

So, anyone who says that economics (again, it isn't just poverty, but also productive capacity being shifted to negative functions) has nothing to do with this is out of their mind.

Another well written post from running circles...