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You raise a very good question. Being a black person myself, I wouldn't know how to answer that question since my perspective on it is probably different from a white person's perspective. But, I would think it has to do with whites having their poop together per se, being part of this priviledge group, who never had to struggle, in the sense of being overtly discriminated against because of their color and thus not being able to get certain jobs and or go to certain schools. Where as with my people, we were only limited to certain jobs and told where to go to school before all of that eventually changed. So by blacks being uneducated and poor as a result of overt racism, you can say it was expected of them whereas with whites it isn't.
What your people went through is now and has been quite the norm for the whites. They can not (the poor white) go to what ever school they want, and have to work 5x harder than most poor black kids for a scholorship. As the whites do not have an all white college fund, and the government feel the black, latino, kids and adults should get all help before any white should. Hopefully things will become equal for ALL races.
And is still a problem and will be for some time. While many have progressed not all have. The issues of the inner city are complex and the election of one man will not change the core issues. Inspiration is more likely to come from someone in their school then from the President on their TV. Remember much of their news from this point on will be critical and I can see a reaction other then what you are hoping for.
You are right the election of one man will not change all the core issues in the inner cities. Althought in the inner cities you can see come changes in peoples behavior, some good some not good at all. I can tell you being in an inner city many people are holding their breath and praying all works out for the best for everyone.
You would think this election would inspire black people to rise up. But all it has inspired them to do, so far is
1. Call ALL white people racist for not supporting the Messiah.
2. Condemn all white people as greedy and that they should give their money to poor people.
3. Make them bitter about what people who lived before them had to experience and not move on from something they have never gone through.
I dont think Obama's nomination will fuel much progress in the black community. The biggest problem I see is that most African Americans don't take personal responsibility for their collective failure to rise up from poverty even though they are given the opportunity to do so. Instead, they enjoy playing victim and pretending the world is out to get them....and with that mindset, nobody will change anything.
You would think this election would inspire black people to rise up. But all it has inspired them to do, so far is
1. Call ALL white people racist for not supporting the Messiah.
2. Condemn all white people as greedy and that they should give their money to poor people.
3. Make them bitter about what people who lived before them had to experience and not move on from something they have never gone through.
I dont think Obama's nomination will fuel much progress in the black community. The biggest problem I see is that most African Americans don't take personal responsibility for their collective failure to rise up from poverty even though they are given the opportunity to do so. Instead, they enjoy playing victim and pretending the world is out to get them....and with that mindset, nobody will change anything.
You make a good point. But until some of these people become EDUCATED and EMPOWERED to do something about their state, then they will remain bitter and disenfranchised. It may be a person like a Barrak Obama who can just at least INSPIRE THEM TO DO that. Obama aint no messiah as some would hope him to be. But he's pretty much the hope that many blacks were looking for just as a Ronald Reagan was the same for many conservative whites.
I think most of us are just glad that this chapter in American's history has finally come, and we can move forward as a nation.
Obama as President is not going to change the plight of blacks in the US overnight. For one, thanks to the bailouts, the deficits, the occupation of Iraq, and the tanking of the dollar, amongst other things, there is not going to be much, if any, money to put into programs targeting blacks and others living in or near poverty. But his election will show all Americans that being black is not in and of itself the handicap that many make it out to be. And the fact that Obama is completely outside of the Civil Rights-era black political process shows the limits of relying on this outmoded mindset to improve things for blacks.
I'm of the opinion that too many blacks got stuck in a Civil Rights era mindset where they continue to believe that they are victims of some natural order that is in place to repress them. While this may be the case in some remote areas, it is pretty much not the case in most/all metropolitan areas in the US.
The real problems of blacks today is poverty and the attendant problems (poor schools, crime, drugs) and not racial repression. But when you are black and poor this might be a bit hard to see. Poverty is a vicious cycle that can be very hard to break out of, but this is just as true for white West Virginians as it is for black Detroiters.
One of the first steps required to break the cycle is knowing that there is a better way. Until that recognition happens, the cycle will never be broken.
And it does not take handouts to break out of the cycle. I grew up and went to school in a primarily poor black town, Richmond, CA. While not poor by any means, my family was not particularly over-nurturing about the education process, and the school district I grew up in was not a good one. But I did graduate and knew that college was a possibility. No free ride though - no money from the family whatsoever for that. So it took me 10 years to get a degree, working full time (mostly in mind-numbingly crappy jobs) and going to school at night. Without that degree I would not have landed the job I have that pays for a lifestyle much more affluent than the one I grew up in.
So my sorta-rags to sorta-riches story tells me that others can do the same, but they have to know that it is possible. That is what I hope Obama's winning the Presidency does for some percentage of black kids across the US.
You would think this election would inspire black people to rise up. But all it has inspired them to do, so far is
1. Call ALL white people racist for not supporting the Messiah.
2. Condemn all white people as greedy and that they should give their money to poor people.
3. Make them bitter about what people who lived before them had to experience and not move on from something they have never gone through.
I dont think Obama's nomination will fuel much progress in the black community. The biggest problem I see is that most African Americans don't take personal responsibility for their collective failure to rise up from poverty even though they are given the opportunity to do so. Instead, they enjoy playing victim and pretending the world is out to get them....and with that mindset, nobody will change anything.
1-3 is a bunch of crap sure you can find a few black ppl who may do that. But you can find poor whites who blame blacks or hispanics for the state their in. And plus we know you don't have any black friends. Invite blacks over for christmas or other holidays. So plz stop with that nonsense. Also lol sorry to break the news to you. But most blacks or African americans in this country are not poor or in poverty only 20% of blacks are in poverty. So 80% the majority of blacks don't know anything about being in poverty or have to worry about rising up from being in poverty. Majority of the black population in america are middle class. Actually the black middle class has been increasing since 1970. There are over 1 million black owned businesses in this country. But since you are not black I wouldn't expect for you to know that. Overall though i have no problem with what most of what you said. About poor ppl no matter of their race to take personal responsibility. Giving them a job would be a nice start. But from reading several of your post on this site I can see that you definitely have a problem with black people. Might want to pray with god about the prejudice you have.
Obama as President is not going to change the plight of blacks in the US overnight. For one, thanks to the bailouts, the deficits, the occupation of Iraq, and the tanking of the dollar, amongst other things, there is not going to be much, if any, money to put into programs targeting blacks and others living in or near poverty. But his election will show all Americans that being black is not in and of itself the handicap that many make it out to be. And the fact that Obama is completely outside of the Civil Rights-era black political process shows the limits of relying on this outmoded mindset to improve things for blacks.
I'm of the opinion that too many blacks got stuck in a Civil Rights era mindset where they continue to believe that they are victims of some natural order that is in place to repress them. While this may be the case in some remote areas, it is pretty much not the case in most/all metropolitan areas in the US.
The real problems of blacks today is poverty and the attendant problems (poor schools, crime, drugs) and not racial repression. But when you are black and poor this might be a bit hard to see. Poverty is a vicious cycle that can be very hard to break out of, but this is just as true for white West Virginians as it is for black Detroiters.
One of the first steps required to break the cycle is knowing that there is a better way. Until that recognition happens, the cycle will never be broken.
And it does not take handouts to break out of the cycle. I grew up and went to school in a primarily poor black town, Richmond, CA. While not poor by any means, my family was not particularly over-nurturing about the education process, and the school district I grew up in was not a good one. But I did graduate and knew that college was a possibility. No free ride though - no money from the family whatsoever for that. So it took me 10 years to get a degree, working full time (mostly in mind-numbingly crappy jobs) and going to school at night. Without that degree I would not have landed the job I have that pays for a lifestyle much more affluent than the one I grew up in.
So my sorta-rags to sorta-riches story tells me that others can do the same, but they have to know that it is possible. That is what I hope Obama's winning the Presidency does for some percentage of black kids across the US.
Great post. You and I have very similar stories, and I shared that story earlier or on another thread. For me, my family's faith in God as well as having a very strong work ethic were what allowed me to become successful. My dad was a small business owner, and I watched him put in 16 hours a day and 7 day work weeks to keep his buisness going. He never told me that I was a victim, and that we as black people couldn't get ahead if we really wanted to get ahead.
With that said, no one, unless you are black and walked in OUR shoes, will understand why some of our people haven't progressed. We can blame it on poor education, lack of positive role models, lack of the black church to help EMPOWER our people, and just the lack to achieve period, but until one realizes that success is a matter of having the right attitude, and the drive with hard work to become successful, then the sad reality will remain the same--blame others (the government, white people, or just the system itself) and not yourself for being unsuccessful.
How has the election of Black mayors since the 70's in various cities inspired Black youth in those cities?
Good question. But let's not trivialize Obama's election which is the highest office in America that no black has ever obtained.
Until blacks get in real positions of power, no one really takes note. We are good enough to be mayors of large cities, when at one time we werent, we are good to be supervisors/upper managers of large corporations, when at one time we weren't, and we are good enough to be principals of large urban schools, when at one time we weren't; but let a black person run school districts, colleges, and large corporations, that gives him or her real power over people to make decisions that could affect lives, and then all of a sudden RACE BEGINS TO MATTER AGAIN. Why? Is fear of giving a black person that type of responsiblity and control because we have never been in those types of postions before? It's just something to ponder about.
My main point is until we see that black people can be just as crappy as whites by not having to be 110% better than whites to be even offered a position, and no one blinks an eye about our qualifications, then we know that we have true equality.
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