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That is the question, and why I brought up poverty. Why does the black population have such a larger percentage in the underclass? Just wondering what your thoughts are on that.
That is the question, and why I brought up poverty. Why does the black population have such a larger percentage in the underclass? Just wondering what your thoughts are on that.
Well, that is something I don't always think about. I never thought about it because I am a product of a Black middle class family. I was never really raised around a large Black underclass. I never had to think about this crap such as "Black underclass" until I ran into people who made it their business to complain about Blacks.
Truth is, there are a variety of reasons for a larger underclass within the Black population compared to other groups. I am not saying that only poverty is a big part. I am saying that the vast majority of the murders committed by Blacks, 99.9% of the time, it is in the underclass. My thoughts are this. Blacks have had it worse than most other groups for years upon years. Lack of jobs, poor education, lack of stable families, lack of proper role models to show a better way, on top of other issues.
Consider this. At the turn of WWI, Blacks from OH and PA scored higher on mental tests than Whites from KY and AL. Where did most Blacks live during this time? The South. Being in a region where things were very far behind did not help. There was a very large White underclass in the South during the early 20th century. Blacks who have been able to do well in school since the 1960s have been more likely to escape the underclass rot. Blacks are less likely to belong to the underclass and are more likely to be middle class. Those left behind were mired in it. Harder to get a job.
How much is committed by the average Black person?
88% of murders in 2015 were committed by men. Why doesn't anyone ever argue that something is wrong with American men culturally?
Because the vast majority of murders in urban areas are not committed by middle class American men of any race.
The people committing these murders are not a part of mainstream America at all. They are essentially a separate, isolated society or parallel society.
Being in a region where things were very far behind did not help. There was a very large White underclass in the South during the early 20th century. Blacks who have been able to do well in school since the 1960s have been more likely to escape the underclass rot. Blacks are less likely to belong to the underclass and are more likely to be middle class. Those left behind were mired in it. Harder to get a job.
Isabel Wilkerson has cited land ownership as a chief factor in Black success, or the lack thereof, after the Reconstruction era.
That was certainly true of my family. My great grandfather lived in a county that wasn't as racist as other parts of the state. He was allowed to purchase land and did well enough for himself to send all of his children to college.
But if you're an illiterate ex-slave with no path to land ownership, then what are your options exactly?
Because the vast majority of murders in urban areas are not committed by middle class American men of any race.
The people committing these murders are not a part of mainstream America at all. They are essentially a separate, isolated society or parallel society.
But whether you look at black or white perpetrators, in both cases close to 90% of murders are committed by men. This is even true in the most inner-city ghetto neighborhoods - 15-25 year old black teens/women simply don't get into deadly feuds with one another very often. Thus I think it's fair to say it's as much wrapped up in maleness as much, if not more so, as race.
Isabel Wilkerson has cited land ownership as a chief factor in Black success, or the lack thereof, after the Reconstruction era.
That was certainly true of my family. My great grandfather lived in a county that wasn't as racist as other parts of the state. He was allowed to purchase land and did well enough for himself to send all of his children to college.
But if you're an illiterate ex-slave with no path to land ownership, then what are your options exactly?
The Deep South was ran like a feudal system. Most Blacks in the South lived outside of the cities, and were in agriculture. However, like you said, lack of ownership is a factor. It doesn't matter who works the land, the owner gets rich. Sharecropping basically hurt those who were the workers. The workers got put into debt. Most were poor, and there was a very large gap in wealth. A few land owners and alot of the poor working the land. The Great Migration consisted of alot of rural Blacks leaving the plantations. Lack of opportunities combined with agriculture eventually being mechanized. And the Jim Crow system basically subjected Blacks to horrible treatment, relegating them to low positions.
Illiteracy was very bad in the Deep South for much of the late 19th/early 20th century. If you can't read, you can be taken advantage of. Northern Whites went to the South during the Reconstruction era to set up schools and educate Blacks. These were members of the American Missionary Association. There were those in South who didn't want Blacks being educated or voting.
I'm guessing by your username, you're of Barbadian background. Barbados has a near 100% literacy rate. The school system there is similar to that of the UK. The economy there is decent. The oil industry is taking place in St. Philip. Tourism,finance, informatics. Education helps alot. Owning land helps alot.
Keep in mind Maryland is also the richest state in the country.
Southern Maryland is the suburbs of DC. And alot of wealthy live in the suburbs of Baltimore. Baltimore City and Prince George's County(the part inside the Beltway) drives alot of the murders in Maryland. Alot of underclass types from DC have gone to PG County. That is why DC's murder rate has dropped.
Southern Maryland is the suburbs of DC. And alot of wealthy live in the suburbs of Baltimore. Baltimore City and Prince George's County(the part inside the Beltway) drives alot of the murders in Maryland. Alot of underclass types from DC have gone to PG County. That is why DC's murder rate has dropped.
Yeah the parts of PG bordering D.C can be rough, and obviously West Baltimore which is one of the most crime ridden sections of any major city.
My question wasn't rhetorical. What were the options for an illiterate ex-slave (or the child of an illiterate ex-slave) circa 1890?
(A) Apply for a job as a bank teller
(B) Open a widget factory
(C) Go to college to earn a degree in accounting
(D) Join the military
(E) Become a world-famous musician
What is the path from slavery to the middle class by 1960?
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