Racial tension in Chicago? (Itasca, Humboldt: credit, unemployed, college)

[Lookout Kid]

Please do not blame black Americans as a singular group for draining the nation's tax dollars. If you want to blame a specific segment of black America for sitting on welfare checks, please preface your comments with "chronically unemployed urban poor black Americans". Otherwise you are simply being a racist.

Many poor black Americans are hard working people with strong morals (see the book Slim's Table for real examples of this in the Chicago area). I know this isn't the perception of black America perpetuated in the media, but it exists. It's ridiculous to assume that black people are either like the Huxtables or Ol' Dirty Bastard, with no middle ground. Black America is not a singularly unified group with shared characteristics.

[hsw]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

Please do not blame black Americans as a singular group for draining the nation's tax dollars. If you want to blame a specific segment of black America for sitting on welfare checks, please preface your comments with "chronically unemployed urban poor black Americans". Otherwise you are simply being a racist.

Many poor black Americans are hard working people with strong morals (see the book Slim's Table for real examples of this in the Chicago area). I know this isn't the perception of black America perpetuated in the media, but it exists. It's ridiculous to assume that black people are either like the Huxtables or Ol' Dirty Bastard, with no middle ground. Black America is not a singularly unified group with shared characteristics.

Well said...

A quick analysis of SF or LA or NYC reveals many underachieving Asian immigrants and second-generation Asians....some of whom are engaged in violent crime....and others who are either running small businesses that engage in tax avoidance, use illegal labor and/or are involved in criminal activities (e.g., motels w/one-stop shopping for drugs and prostitutes, etc)...or have various civil service "jobs" of dubious value vs pay....lots of wasted taxpayer dollars in any case....

Positive media image of Asians is often fed by the many, often Indian, engineers who have made major contributions to the US economy by founding valuable cos. in SiliconValley and have comprised more than 50% of the PhD grads at Stanford Engineering for past 25+yrs....and live in various rather affluent suburbs near PaloAlto, not in ethnic enclaves...

No group is monolithic....esp when some of these countries of origin each have 1Bn+ people...lots of criminals and lots of decent, hard-working people....and a few brilliant, high-achieving people...

But self-selection often prevails....those of any group who value education and economic achievement figure out when to have kids they can afford and how to escape the 3rdWorld or US' urban/rural slums....others don't......

[Humboldt1]

I have no problems with blacks who work and contribute to the system (even those who make less than $15K per year, at least they are trying). I do have a problem with people who are able and choose not to work, whether this be whites, hispanics, or blacks (I don't know many asians on public aid). I don't have problems with blacks as a whole. My boss is a black lady and she and I get along fine, though our politics differ bigtime (we don't discuss these things).

My boss is not the kind of black person (i.e., non-working ghetto black) that is being moved out of Humboldt Park and replaced by working class mexicans. All 3 of my former black renters worked but were very good at working the system, bouncing checks, not paying hospital bills, stiffing me on my rent and anyone they could get something over on. I always found it hilarious that these same people go to church every Sunday and talk about God. Though they were awful people, my former renters are still better than blacks or anyone race who is able but chooses not to work.

There are many ""chronically unemployed urban poor black Americans" that our society would be better off without. Anyone who is able should work, even if it is at Wal-Mart or McDonald's. At least these people are trying. I understand there are some in society who have mental problems or are mentally retarded or physically handicapped to the point of not being able to work and I believe we have to be sympathetic towards them and help them out. However, I know many people with down syndrome who work at McDonalds or Arbys doing menial jobs. I consider these people, regardless of their mental capacity to be contributing members of society (they are doing the best that they can).

I would also argue there are many chronically unemployed people of any race our society would be better off without. Regardless of race, people should work. Unfortunately, blacks represent a large percentage of those choosing not to work.

[potter]

I would also argue there are many chronically unemployed people of any race our society would be better off without. Regardless of race, people should work. Unfortunately, blacks represent a large percentage of those choosing not to work.[/quote]


Totally correct, no use in covering up the facts. Many ultra liberals will try to spin that statement, but the truth is the truth- and it often hurts.

[Lookout Kid]

Unemployment for white Americans has been hovering around 5% for many years now. Unemployment for black Americans has been hoving around 10%. And when you look at the poverty rates for each group, they are about 10% for whites and 20% for blacks. So, blacks have about twice the level of unemployment, but also twice the level of poverty. So a white person or black person IN POVERTY has about the same chance of being unemployed.

Do you also see how ridiculous it is to apply a trait to an entire race of people when only 10% of black Americans are unemployed? What about the other 90%? We do have a large concentration of poor, unemployed black Americans in Chicago, but that doesn't mean they are a good sample of the rest of black America. If you looked only at Appalachia you might come to the conclusion that white people were lazy and didn't want to work. The stereotypes displayed on this forum are really appalling.

[ajolotl]

I'll preface this by saying that I know nothing about racial issues, thus I typically don't participate in these conversations. One thing I anecdotally have noticed again and again over 25 years of conversations with south side blacks (mostly on Red Line and Metra Electric) is that 1) they as a group work incredibly hard, commuting often two hours on public transit, waking up at 4am, etc. so many stories that are hard to believe given my relatively relaxed work lifestyle and 2) most of the dads are absent from this equation and the single moms can't afford childcare, thus the kids grow up with little supervision and become total thugs that the moms are even scared of. This latter tendency might be more than an unfair stereotype -- not really sure though. Just my observation.

[Drover]

Wow. just.... wow. I wish the ignore function also blocked an ignored party's dreck when quoted by someone else so you don't have to see it in the quote either.

[Anjanette Williams]

I don't know to much about the race problems but in the educational and area problems I surly know about. Glowing up there give me great thoughts to carry on to my children and to others. Only in one area which is not so go at this time.In the school of Bryn Mawr now called something else on 72th and jeffery. Help me open my eyes to new things but as I grew older I saw things that I wouldn't want kids to see. Hate, murder, beatings,children falling down the wrong path. My kids saw so many things that damaged their minds mainly my oldest daughter and her mind is still their in chicago. I'm trying so hard to show her better but she wants worse.I will do everything in my power to bring her back to the child that every mother would love. With the lords strenght. Please don't trusth the schools to really help thats hopless they gave me more problems.

[lionelrich]

Originally Posted by noid_1985

Dude, you have to find a better choice of words- you sound very prejudice. "It is disturbing when an entire group as a whole is a drain on the system."

Dude, you know......it's post-judicial, OK? People who have lived in this city long enough are not "pre" judging anything. It's the exact opposite, that you deniers and bigots can't stomach.

Your term "prejudical" is just an over-used attack term that people with high IQs don't let bother them.

[lionelrich]

Originally Posted by Humboldt1

All 3 of my former black renters worked but were very good at working the system, bouncing checks, not paying hospital bills, stiffing me on my rent and anyone they could get something over on. I always found it hilarious that these same people go to church every Sunday and talk about God.

I appreciate your honesty. Tell it like it is, not like a TV script or an anti-white "office supply company commercial" where your tenant would be the boss, and you're in the cubicle.