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Old 01-04-2010, 08:48 PM
 
Location: Austin, Texas
3,092 posts, read 4,953,509 times
Reputation: 3186

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Quote:
Originally Posted by flyingwriter View Post
When did I say I knew very little of black culture? I said it was not MY culture, not that I knew nothing of it. I have relatives on my dad's side who are culturally black. My grandmother, aunts, uncles, and even my dad (to an extent) are culturally black. In the past, I have also had friends who were culturally black.



Hip-hop, specifically mainstream hip-hop, is a negative thing because of its subject matter. Now, I know there are underground rappers and Christian rappers that talk about positive things, but the vast majority of rap deals with negative subjects. The main things discussed and glorified by (mainstream) rappers are violence, drugs, sex, disrespect for women (often with derogatory names I can't post here), money, material possessions, "baby mamas," etc. Rappers also use improper English (ebonics) and use the "N" word liberally, which is something that has NO place in today's world. The content of mainstream hip-hop is demeaning to all people, but especially African-Americans, where it fulfills the racist and negative stereotypes foisted upon them for centuries. Hip-hop is basically a modern-day minstrel show.



That's OK. I never said people who listen to rap are ghetto thugs or bad, but only that the music itself (and those who produce it) is. There is a difference.

Edit: If someone begins to dress in a ghetto, hip-hop way, speak ebonics, use the "N" word, treat women disrespectfully, have children out of wedlock, etc., then yes, I view that as a very negative thing. Really, it's that hip-hop lifestyle that sickens me, not just the music.



I never said that blacks had to reject all forms of black culture. What I did say is that I believe black people should broaden their horizons and make an effort to assimilate into mainstream American culture. Immigrants, and children of immigrants assimilate into American culture while retaining some aspects of their ancestral culture. Blacks can do the same.
The classic "I have had friends" response I see.

Why is it necessary to assimilate into "mainstream American culture"? If someone is minding their own business and not bothering anyone what's wrong with the way they're living? Why should blacks make attemps to "broaden their horizons" when there are many whites who refuse to do the same thing when it comes to black culture? And i'm not saying these whites are racist, i've met some very friendly whites but they still had no clue about what black culture was. Why should blacks try to assimilate into their culture if that haven't attempted to learn something about our's? Espescially when all things considered this country wasn't built with blacks in mind in the first place.

I enjoy expanding my horizons and I encourage others to do so as well but by no means is it a requirement.

Using ebonics has nothing to do with whether someone is a good or bad person or not. Because honestly, if you really listen and pay attention almost nobody speaks proper english these days. It's just certain types of english become the scapegoat.

What is dressing in a ghetto Hip-Hop way? I imagine if we all started shopping at American Eagle and Hollister that would make us better people?
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Old 01-04-2010, 09:04 PM
 
Location: Southern Minnesota
5,984 posts, read 13,382,486 times
Reputation: 3370
Quote:
Originally Posted by cordtwo View Post
Blacks are doing that everyday. You now have a black president, you have many CEOS, Business Leaders, project managers, and financial managers for major financing companies. You really are talking one-sided. Now we have ignorant blacks in the ghetto that don't want to accept American culture, but what about the whites who live in trailers and don't want to face the world. What about the Hispanics who are not trying to learn English. That's not fitting into the American culture either. You are trying to put blacks down when really every race fails in certain criteria. You are making it seems as if blacks are failing at everything. If you go to Barnes and Noble or any other book stores you can find many great books on sucessful black men and women. You are mainly talking about the people in ghetto areas. That is not fair, if you are going to talk about the good things white people do, then you better throw some good black people in that list too. Like you trying to move to the ghetto.
I didn't mean ALL blacks. Obviously there are many who are taking part in mainstream American society, and making a positive impact. However, they are not the majority and I can guarantee you that NONE of them are the stereotypical blacks the OP mentioned.

The problem of not assimilating does exist in all races, but it's most prevalent among black Americans. Most Hispanics learn English (or speak it natively), most whites don't live in trailers. The main issue is that the primary representatives of black culture, to the average American, are the ghetto people. Whether deserved or undeserved, justified or not, that is a fact.
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Old 01-04-2010, 09:13 PM
 
Location: Austin, Texas
3,092 posts, read 4,953,509 times
Reputation: 3186
Quote:
Originally Posted by flyingwriter View Post
I didn't mean ALL blacks. Obviously there are many who are taking part in mainstream American society, and making a positive impact. However, they are not the majority and I can guarantee you that NONE of them are the stereotypical blacks the OP mentioned.

The problem of not assimilating does exist in all races, but it's most prevalent among black Americans. Most Hispanics learn English (or speak it natively), most whites don't live in trailers. The main issue is that the primary representatives of black culture, to the average American, are the ghetto people. Whether deserved or undeserved, justified or not, that is a fact.
You still haven't replied to my above post
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Old 01-04-2010, 09:19 PM
 
Location: Southern Minnesota
5,984 posts, read 13,382,486 times
Reputation: 3370
Quote:
Originally Posted by UTHORNS96 View Post
The classic "I have had friends" response I see.

Why is it necessary to assimilate into "mainstream American culture"? If someone is minding their own business and not bothering anyone what's wrong with the way they're living? Why should blacks make attemps to "broaden their horizons" when there are many whites who refuse to do the same thing when it comes to black culture? And i'm not saying these whites are racist, i've met some very friendly whites but they still had no clue about what black culture was.
Blacks should assimilate because that's what's best in the long run. Like it or not, mainstream American culture dominates this country, and to be successful, you must be adept in it. It's not specific to blacks, it's the same for Mexicans who move here and don't speak English, or Chinese people who move here and refuse to accept our culture. Why should blacks hold out from mainstream American culture - which is not white culture by the way, but culture that is heavily influenced by whites, Native Americans, Hispanics, Asians, and yes, black Americans. Dr. King's dream was to see blacks take an equal place in American society, not continue to segregate themselves in their own little cultural enclaves while refusing to take their place in the broader American tapestry. Self-segregation is defeatist, it's what the racists wanted all along.

Quote:
Why should blacks try to assimilate into their culture if that haven't attempted to learn something about our's? Espescially when all things considered this country wasn't built with blacks in mind in the first place.
Because, like it or not, it's the majority culture, and the preeminent culture of this country. You wouldn't move to France and refuse to accept French culture, right? So why would you live in America and refuse to accept American culture? Also, as I said earlier, there is no such thing as "white culture." The majority culture of this country is influenced by many different ethnicities, including blacks. Whites have accepted many parts of black and other cultures in the formation of mainstream American cultural traditions. In fact, mainstream culture, especially music and sports, are HEAVILY influenced by black culture. Rock music, for instance, came out of black blues and jazz.


Quote:
Using ebonics has nothing to do with whether someone is a good or bad person or not. Because honestly, if you really listen and pay attention almost nobody speaks proper english these days. It's just certain types of english become the scapegoat.
Using ebonics is detrimental, because, whether it's true or not, people will perceive you as uneducated. Ebonics exists because in the past, white slave owners refused to allow blacks to learn, and the incorrect speech was passed down from generation to generation. It is an uneducated and incorrect way to speak.

Quote:
What is dressing in a ghetto Hip-Hop way? I imagine if we all started shopping at American Eagle and Hollister that would make us better people?
You know what it is. Pants below the knees, oversized t-shirts, flat-brimmed hats, gold chains, flat tennis shoes, large, fur-rimmed coats, skin-tight pants for women, Fubu, Phat Farm, etc. No, the clothes you wear won't make you a better person, but they WILL influence how you are perceived by others. If you dress like a thug, you will be seen as a thug, whether you are one or not.
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Old 01-04-2010, 09:24 PM
 
Location: metro ATL
8,180 posts, read 14,821,170 times
Reputation: 2698
Quote:
Originally Posted by flyingwriter View Post
I didn't mean ALL blacks. Obviously there are many who are taking part in mainstream American society, and making a positive impact. However, they are not the majority and I can guarantee you that NONE of them are the stereotypical blacks the OP mentioned.

The problem of not assimilating does exist in all races, but it's most prevalent among black Americans. Most Hispanics learn English (or speak it natively), most whites don't live in trailers. The main issue is that the primary representatives of black culture, to the average American, are the ghetto people. Whether deserved or undeserved, justified or not, that is a fact.
This lets me know that you really do know very little about Black culture and the Black community to have made truly ignorant statements like these. And because you have little to no firsthand experience with anything culturally Black, you wouldn't know this. You've confused media images with reality and have extrapolated the most negative elements to include most of the community. In short, you have absolutely no clue what you're talking about, but even worse, you think you do.

Oh, and if you want to talk about facts, hip hop is mainstream, whether you want to admit it or not.
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Old 01-04-2010, 09:38 PM
 
Location: NOVA
316 posts, read 653,363 times
Reputation: 339
Quote:
Originally Posted by flyingwriter View Post
I didn't mean ALL blacks. Obviously there are many who are taking part in mainstream American society, and making a positive impact. However, they are not the majority and I can guarantee you that NONE of them are the stereotypical blacks the OP mentioned.

The problem of not assimilating does exist in all races, but it's most prevalent among black Americans. Most Hispanics learn English (or speak it natively), most whites don't live in trailers. The main issue is that the primary representatives of black culture, to the average American, are the ghetto people. Whether deserved or undeserved, justified or not, that is a fact.
Why would we be the majority, when we are the minority
Most blacks don't live in the projects either...
All ghettos have been knock down in Atlanta. There is no more Public Housing Authority in Atlanta. Either you live in an Apartment or you live in a house of your own in Atlanta. If not that you are renting.
Atlanta is not called the Black Mecca for no reason. It is called that because we have numerous of successful blacks. Many are leaders, managers, CEOs, and quite a few are entrepreneurs.

I was also reading an article about successful blacks in the DC area. DC has some of the highest paying jobs in the country. There are plenty of African-Americans up there and I know the majority of them are not in projects... Out of all of my black classmates that I went to school with and graduated with, only one of them went to prison. Most are going to college, some are not. Most whites I know are going to college, some are not. The media wants you to think that we are failing that bad as a race but we are not. A lot of times it is not worth watching the 6PM news. It is pretty bad for a guy to post disgusting things about his race in front of the whole country. I don't see no other race putting their people down to that degree. When other races experience certain things they keep it to themselves and keep it out of the media. And to think that people of other races are not talking about your stupidity right, you are senseless. They probably are laughing at how you are making a idiot of yourself and your race in front of everyone. Do you really think white people get on blogs and bash their race for the black community to read??? Do you know how many Black people are college educated nowadays??? I think you should run to the bookstore as soon as possible and start reading on your own race. Like I said earlier I have had many problems with many people. I don't take that against them, I just pray for them. By facing these difficulties in life, it makes me a stronger and wiser person.
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Old 01-04-2010, 09:39 PM
 
Location: metro ATL
8,180 posts, read 14,821,170 times
Reputation: 2698
Quote:
Originally Posted by flyingwriter View Post
Blacks should assimilate because that's what's best in the long run. Like it or not, mainstream American culture dominates this country, and to be successful, you must be adept in it. It's not specific to blacks, it's the same for Mexicans who move here and don't speak English, or Chinese people who move here and refuse to accept our culture. Why should blacks hold out from mainstream American culture - which is not white culture by the way, but culture that is heavily influenced by whites, Native Americans, Hispanics, Asians, and yes, black Americans. Dr. King's dream was to see blacks take an equal place in American society, not continue to segregate themselves in their own little cultural enclaves while refusing to take their place in the broader American tapestry. Self-segregation is defeatist, it's what the racists wanted all along.
Let's talk about self-segregation in the most literal sense. Since the passage of civil rights laws in the 60's, what have Whites done whenever "too many" Blacks (or Hispanics or Asians) have moved into predominantly White neighborhoods? They move away. Never mind the fact that the Blacks that are moving there could also be middle-class families, once it gets "too Black," White folks bolt. So don't just pin that "self-segregationist" label on Blacks.
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Old 01-04-2010, 09:44 PM
 
Location: NOVA
316 posts, read 653,363 times
Reputation: 339
Quote:
Originally Posted by Akhenaton06 View Post
Let's talk about self-segregation in the most literal sense. Since the passage of civil rights laws in the 60's, what have Whites done whenever "too many" Blacks have moved into predominantly White neighborhoods? They move away. Never mind the fact that the Blacks that are moving there could also be middle-class families, once it gets "too Black," White folks bolt. So don't just pin that "self-segregationist" label on Blacks.
one example of that is Clayton County in Atlanta. It was pleasant. But once the middle class blacks started moving into the county, the whites left. Now the county is Predominately black. No projects are here either, no ghettos, nothing but houses and apartments.
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Old 01-04-2010, 09:44 PM
 
Location: Austin, Texas
3,092 posts, read 4,953,509 times
Reputation: 3186
Quote:
Originally Posted by flyingwriter View Post
Blacks should assimilate because that's what's best in the long run. Like it or not, mainstream American culture dominates this country, and to be successful, you must be adept in it. It's not specific to blacks, it's the same for Mexicans who move here and don't speak English, or Chinese people who move here and refuse to accept our culture. Why should blacks hold out from mainstream American culture - which is not white culture by the way, but culture that is heavily influenced by whites, Native Americans, Hispanics, Asians, and yes, black Americans. Dr. King's dream was to see blacks take an equal place in American society, not continue to segregate themselves in their own little cultural enclaves while refusing to take their place in the broader American tapestry. Self-segregation is defeatist, it's what the racists wanted all along.



Because, like it or not, it's the majority culture, and the preeminent culture of this country. You wouldn't move to France and refuse to accept French culture, right? So why would you live in America and refuse to accept American culture? Also, as I said earlier, there is no such thing as "white culture." The majority culture of this country is influenced by many different ethnicities, including blacks. Whites have accepted many parts of black and other cultures in the formation of mainstream American cultural traditions. In fact, mainstream culture, especially music and sports, are HEAVILY influenced by black culture. Rock music, for instance, came out of black blues and jazz.




Using ebonics is detrimental, because, whether it's true or not, people will perceive you as uneducated. Ebonics exists because in the past, white slave owners refused to allow blacks to learn, and the incorrect speech was passed down from generation to generation. It is an uneducated and incorrect way to speak.



You know what it is. Pants below the knees, oversized t-shirts, flat-brimmed hats, gold chains, flat tennis shoes, large, fur-rimmed coats, skin-tight pants for women, Fubu, Phat Farm, etc. No, the clothes you wear won't make you a better person, but they WILL influence how you are perceived by others. If you dress like a thug, you will be seen as a thug, whether you are one or not.
I don't see anything wrong if a person did where FUBU. And you're showing how much you know about black culture once again. I haven't seen anybody wearing FUBU in years. What does FUBU and fifty nine fifty caps have to do with being a thug? Absolutely nothing at all.

And white women don't wear skin tight pants?

And no I wouldn't move to France and not expect to be mostly partaking in French culture. But I didn't choose to move here, I was born here. And we were brought here years ago against our will and we developed our own culture seperate of the original African culture and "mainstream" American culture. Apples and oranges comparison.
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Old 01-04-2010, 09:53 PM
 
Location: NOVA
316 posts, read 653,363 times
Reputation: 339
All Hispanics do not learn how to speak English. My dad is a trucker and he talks about how dangerous trucking is now for the whole nation. He and plenty of other truckers had to show certain ones how to read a map. Not too long ago a Hispanic trucker got pulled over and he could not speak English to the DOT officer. They had to get a translator. There you go again running that mouth and giving more credit than what really should be done. The industry has taking a hard shot because on loads the Americans were taking the immigrants were under bidding because they don't know the value of an american dollar. When my dad use to get $1500, now the immigrants are taking the same loads for $800 with high fuel prices. Is that a person who knows AMERICAN CULTURE or are good at speaking English.
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