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Racism exists and always will to some degree (and has since human beings were first around) but America is not a systematically racist country. And no group of people are as racist as blacks are.
I know your post isn't directed at me but i'm gonna take the dive and say that I do truly believe that poor American citizens of any race are "idiots". Of course excluding the disabled, elderly and children.
There is no reason to be poor in America. Yes, I understand that minorities generally do have it somewhat harder in America but you should AT LEAST be "working class" and be able to support yourself and hold your own.
At least finish BASIC education, even if it's a GED. Regardless of what environment your from, you should know that a HS Diploma or equivalent is required for even the most basic jobs. AT LEAST learn a trade or go to Community College (it's free for low-income people). INVEST IN YOURSELF for goodness sake!!
There is no society that doesn't have poor people. And there are many poor people with high school diplomas. The problem with a high school diploma is that since everyone (well, most people) have one, it qualifies you to do very basic jobs that pay little. Jobs that pay more money do so because they filter out most CANDIDATES. Take being a doctor. Two degrees, medical internships, GPA requirements, standardized tests and licenses filter out the majority of people. So doctors earn much more than cashiers, a job that can be done by anyone out of high school.
NYC has a small segment of poor whites. The majority of whites who move to NYC are college educated (middle and upper income whites). The opposite is true for the black population in NYC. I realize that there are a number of working class Caribbeans in NYC, but truth be told, their children are exposed to the same issues as black American children. The only blacks that are shielded from poor schools and poor living conditions are those who are middle class (defined by incomes of six figures and up).
I was born in NYC and lived there until relocating. My family was looking for a better quality of life, so we relocated to Long Island (L.I.), shortly after I entered the 4th grade. After college, I returned to Manhattan and worked/ lived there, for close to a decade. Much of my family is still either in L.I. or NYC, therefore, I visit on a regular basis.
There's a huge chunk of whites in NYC that are not college educated. You clearly have not interacted with whites in NYC. There are a lot of whites in union jobs like construction, the fire department, etc., and yes you do indeed find white people working within retail.
I know your post isn't directed at me but i'm gonna take the dive and say that I do truly believe that poor American citizens of any race are "idiots". Of course excluding the disabled, elderly and children.
There is no reason to be poor in America. Yes, I understand that minorities generally do have it somewhat harder in America but you should AT LEAST be "working class" and be able to support yourself and hold your own.
At least finish BASIC education, even if it's a GED. Regardless of what environment your from, you should know that a HS Diploma or equivalent is required for even the most basic jobs. AT LEAST learn a trade or go to Community College (it's free for low-income people). INVEST IN YOURSELF for goodness sake!!
I agree with all that you are stating and I thought about all of that as I wrote that post. It would all work if it were a perfect world. However many are poor now that grew up in working middle class homes, with 2 parents. Many with experience and having had good paying jobs at one time are barely scraping by. The economy is not getting better and that is the biggest myth being told. Read other forums on this site to get an idea.
Many poor people that are in the condition that you are describing come from much less than ideal conditions, where the odds are stacked against them from birth. The family environment is violent and neglectful from day one. They are blessed if they can stay out of jail, keep a roof over their heads, and keep a dinky job most if the time. When they can't they must turn to the system for relief. But there are people that function on this level economically, that came up in terrible environments, but they are law abiding. Some attend various houses of worship and are active in their believe systems.
However it would take alot of time to learn social skills beyond survival mode to allow for one to get out of poverty. By the time many learn these things they are too old to advance a lot economically.
I think society should put more focus on improving the adults lives after a certain age, but with the focus on the children.
There are jobs upstate and most don't pay well. However many people are working the same in the city and live in low income housing, and the children are being poorly educated.
If the family also has a non working, retired grandmother, or one that never worked, as well as siblings with children all in the same condition, why not offer them all a relocation package to upstate NY. Siblings within a 10 year age span, having children would need family support regarding baby sitting and social/emotional health. With driving lessons for the adults after they get there, and a couple of donated usable cars. Give them subsidized housing, the subsidy part would be cheaper than here. They would keep medical benefits and SNAP.
The children would get a good eduacation and a chance at sports, arts, and music scholarships, as well as academic. There is a lot of space and unused land upstarts and schools have plenty off room for more students. All of this can be done with the help of the houses of worship if the families would like that social connection as well.
People should be spread out though because it would not be good to put too many poor from NYC on the same place, nor amongst the poor already there. The poor need to learn to function in different ways by learning and watching those in higher economic levels.
This would help both the city and state in terms off cutting back on foster care, shelters, the amount of money spent on subsidized housing. It would also improve the economy upstate because more people would live there and there would be more money put into the upstate economy.
Are you referring to black men who reside in poor/working class areas? To my knowledge, black working class/low income guys have the greatest number of run-ins with NYPD.
They wouldn't need section 8 in rural areas, and even if they did need it, their quality of life would be better, because they would have more green space, and less police harassment. If they work at KFC or Mcdonald's in NYC, I'm sure they won't have a problem finding a position or two working at Walmart or a fast food place in a rural community.
The point is, the cost of living and quality of life would still be better in a rural area.
I understand this point, but working class blacks (from all ethnic backgrounds) need to find a lower cost of living area which doesn't subject their children to the prison industrial complex.
To your knowledge. Yes, you know nothing about NYC. You're just trolling.
Btw, there is Section in rural areas. The poor people who live in housing projects (every county in the country has housing projects, even if they are in small towns) live in small brick houses with tiny yards. Truthfully, a lot of those people STILL GO to JAIL and you have a lot of single mothers and crackheads among the rural poor as well.
You also forgot to say that many of the people working the minimum wage in rural areas are living with FAMILY. A person moving in from a big city, unless they have family that let's them crash with them, won't be able to afford a car to DRIVE to WORK.
In order to move to a rural area like that, you'd need a family member or friend who is willing to let you stay with them while you reinvent yourself (get a driver's license, go back to school, etc.) If not, it just isn't going to work.
There has already been waves of poor/working class blacks moving from NYC,Chicago, etc. to ATL and the South because they believed a dream that they saw in a Tyler Perry movie. Black folk need to better themselves in the city they live at now.
To be fair some people were forced out of their housing and had no CHOICE. A lot of housing for poor people in big parts of NYC have been destroyed and replaced by luxury condos. And its not like the real estate industry is going to sit around while anyone betters themselves.
There isn't one grand solution for Black people. Each person will have to find out what works for themselves.
I think we know why poor anyone lives here...we have the best social services of anywhere in the country. If you are homeless the city is obligated to house you, at a rent you can afford, for life. That pretty much sums it up.
Now here is a better question: Why do the wealthy continue to live in NYC surrounded by so many poor people? The wealthy can live anywhere yet they are fighting over themselves to live next door to housing projects, homeless shelters, drug treatment programs, clinics, detention centers.....they are literally surrounded by the poor everywhere they go. Makes no sense. Riddle me that Batman.
True story.
At the same time, these topics just annoy me because OF COURSE, over the internet, no one can have a logical mature debate.
If you're poor, I hope you have a good working automobile because the car is king in 80% of America. Maintaining a car can be expensive. Truly poor people don't live any better in other locales..often the areas are equally full of crime and visually unappealing (though I must say the projects in the city I currently live in resemble "garden apartments" vs the ugly, depressing monolithic structures found in NYC...) Don't expect a lot of social services help either, especially in the South. They'd give you the bare minimum under federal law and that's about it.
The people who really benefit leaving NYC are those who are middle classed and possess employable skills.
There's a huge chunk of whites in NYC that are not college educated. You clearly have not interacted with whites in NYC. There are a lot of whites in union jobs like construction, the fire department, etc., and yes you do indeed find white people working within retail.
Most of my closest friends are middle/upper income black folks. I've always been very friendly and appreciate all races/cultures, but NYC and Long Island in particular, are very segregated places. Quite frankly, it's rare for people to have close friends or even associates (outside of work) that comprise of different racial backgrounds. Note that my definition of a friend is not someone who you simply exchange a few words with while at work gatherings.
I am well aware that there are a number of blue collar whites in NYC. They primarily work in construction, law enforcement and with the fire department. Although these people are blue collar and often lack bachelor and/or graduate level education, many of them earn salaries that are solidly middle class. Most of the white blue collar/union workers reside in Staten Island and Queens. However, the bulk of whites moving into NYC do not comprise of those with blue collar backgrounds or those who can only find work in retail/fast food. Most low income whites, without skills and employment connections tend to stay put in remote/rural communities. They know that they won't be able to afford decent housing and most certainly do not want to live in public housing alongside low income blacks and Latinos.
As you pointed out previously, there are many black ethnic groups in NYC. Many have immigrated from the Caribbean, Haiti, parts of Latin America and Africa. The low income women often work as live-in nannies for wealthy white families throughout Manhattan, or work in hair-braiding shops, while the low income men often drive cabs and/or work as street vendors. Keep in mind however that many "ethnic" black immigrants often face the same issues/problems in NYC as low income African Americans. Mostly because, they too have limited incomes and reside in impoverished heavily policed areas.
Last edited by Miranda231; 01-19-2014 at 01:11 PM..
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