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While you're right with your assessment, as a woman, I can't walk down the streets, either.
I can be harmed, and have been harmed, by white men.
I have been a victim of crimes perpetrated by white and black (theft from my porch, house break-in).
Is that fair?
No.
Life is not fair, for anyone.
I do believe black males have a tough row to hoe due to profiling and the media.
There were studies done since the 1960s illustrating the media's presentation of black crime as opposed to white crime.
With black violent crime, they show the criminal; the incidence of white violent crime, the criminal is not shown.
Here are some studies: http://www.uk.sagepub.com/stout/gree..._crime_soc.pdf The everyday experiences of black people as victims of crime and racial prejudice seldom make the
headlines.
For decades, black youth have been demonized in media discourses as the ‘criminal other’. Whether as pimps, rioters, muggers, Rastafarian drug dealers, gang members, or Yardies (Hall et al., 1978; Gilroy, 1987; Solomos, 1988; Alexander, 1996; Muncie, 2004), the association between race and crime has been forcefully established and remains resonant today.
Much more at link.
http://www.internetjournalofcriminol...0Reporting.pdf The intent of this study is to present an argument for or against the perception that black youths are portrayed negatively in the media and the moral panic surrounding black youth crime is exaggerated. Literature and qualitative research by way of four unstructured interviews regarding six sub factors which are, the media portrayal of black youths, negative role models amongst the black community, the underachievement of black youths in school, single parent families, social class and black culture, were analysed and discussed in order to reach a valid conclusion.
These are Brit studies, but apply in the US.
Will be able to present US studies later.
Thanks for sharing, and I get and understand your point. But now you are talking about another thread topic too.
You're right to be angry at the prolific violence committed by black males, disproportionate to other groups. But a very big problem with the perception comes from the media/entertainment world. I have never been the victim of a crime by a black person, and I'm sure the majority of white people haven't been either. I live in a very diverse community, so I know that most black males aren't criminals and that most black people are just trying to make a living, go to church, and raise a family (at least that's my experience). But there are a lot of white people whose only contact with black people is in the media, so they're inundated with videos of black people robbing gas stations, or gangsta rappers, or movies about the 'hood. So really, it's not the fault of the criminals, but the media/entertainment industry, and the lack of diversity in most communities.
I agree with you in that the media and videos etc are doing a big disservice for the image of black males. But again, people are watching it, and people are allowing that negative image to be exploited for ratings and profits.
You should be mad at the people who are so myopic and racist that they judge every black man by the actions of those who are criminals. There was endemic systemic bias against black men long before there were lots of black criminals.
I get your point, and unfortunately most biased people aren't looking at the systemic bias against black men before they became disproportionately counted for the crimes they have commited in the last 40-50 years.
I've committed many crimes, mostly being an accomplice, but never been convicted for them. I work in the health care industry and I'm protected!
The majority will say: No, those are not crimes! I say: They're crimes! And we should all be arrested!
Certain minority members will say: Hey, Bro'! Right on! At least you're honest! I served time for stealing $10 from a 7/11, and my old lady works in the health care industry, but she'd never be that honest, let alone admit she's an accomplice to crimes everyday!"
OP has never committed a crime. OP is a truck driver?
When looking at the reason Zimmerman was found not guilty, I came to the conclusion that I shouldn't be angry at Zimmerman for being found not guilty. I'm angry at the judicial system for allowing him to kill an unarmed innocent male (who happened to be black) over a basic fist fight that he was losing. In addition, I am angry at the fact that black males who are committing crimes have caused people to fear and be biased toward all black men.
Law abiding black males are, in a sense, victims too. Law abiding black males are victims of black males who commit crimes at an disproportionally higher rate than white males if that stat is accurate (even though there are reasons for their behavior which would need to be addressed in another forum) and this has resulted in BIAS and FEAR among white Americans as well as black Americans living in communities where they are reading about and seeing on the news crimes committed by black males.
Unfortunately, this is a problem for black males like me, who have never committed a crime, and basically can't walk down many streets in America without someone profiling us and asking what is this black guy up to or doing? This is my reality as a black man in 2013, and probably will continue to be as long as black males continue to commit crimes at high rates. I have already warned and told my two black sons that if they are confronted by anyone, try to be reasonable, courteous, and respectful or you may end up like Trayvon Martin.
What are your thoughts about this topic?
I teach my daughters to be courteous and respectful because that is how they would want to be treated. If someone confronts my daughters, they are simply to walk away. If they are prevented from leaving, they are to kick, fight, scream, bite and do everything they can to get away immediately.
While you are angry at the black males who commit crimes, I am angry at everyone who abides racism or any "them-isms", and anyone who would hurt others, or make an excuse for those who hurt others.
The blame for racism belongs with the racists. And I call into question the integrity of a person who claims they have never committed a crime.
I teach my daughters to be courteous and respectful because that is how they would want to be treated. If someone confronts my daughters, they are simply to walk away. If they are prevented from leaving, they are to kick, fight, scream, bite and do everything they can to get away immediately.
While you are angry at the black males who commit crimes, I am angry at everyone who abides racism or any "them-isms", and anyone who would hurt others, or make an excuse for those who hurt others.
The blame for racism belongs with the racists. And I call into question the integrity of a person who claims they have never committed a crime.
I get your point and I guess crimes or breaking the law are a play on semantics. When I say that I have never broken a crime, I meant I have never been arrested for a crime like robbery, murder, drug dealing, writing bad checks. Speeding is breaking the law, yes I have plenty of speeding tickets. But beyond that, I have no rap sheet or criminal record if that would help clarify my position. Now I feel like I have to defend myself for a thread that should be obvious for anyone who understands what I am saying
I get your point and I guess crimes or breaking the law are a play on semantics. When I say that I have never broken a crime, I meant I have never been arrested for a crime like robbery, murder, drug dealing, writing bad checks. Speeding is breaking the law, yes I have plenty of speeding tickets. But beyond that, I have no rap sheet or criminal record if that would help clarify my position. Now I feel like I have to defend myself for a thread that should be obvious for anyone who understands what I am saying
I understand that everyone seems to excuse themselves when it is convenient for them. Lets say you grow up poor, your mother doesn't teach you well and neither does you school. The only people around you are dealing drugs, fighting, cursing, going to jail, etc. Your dad is not around and that added income could have helped your mom spend more time with you teaching you, keeping you off the streets. Dad might have been a good role model, maybe not though because he is in prison. You turn out just like everyone else around growing up around you. Is it your fault? Hell yes it is. You're ignorant but that never makes it "ok". Do you blame slave owners for owning slaves? It was legal. And in your speeding if you accidentally kill someone. Well it was an accident, you were just speeding. I think your world view is a little simple for this world.
I agree with you in that the media and videos etc are doing a big disservice for the image of black males. But again, people are watching it, and people are allowing that negative image to be exploited for ratings and profits.
The same people are buying billions of dollars of unnecessary items because of advertisements.
People are swayed by the media.
That's why I rarely watch.
Carter G. Woodson also said something quite similar in his book The Mis-Education of the Negro. A book he wrote in the early 1900s, about 100 years ago, speaking of how the same system that was designed for the quote unquote white man is the same system that's failing the black man because it was never designed for the black man to be a full participant.
And that is a fat, steaming load of crap in a modern context.
The mere fact that Obama is POTUS, Holder is AG, and Thomas sits on the SCOTUS disproves that absurdity.
AAs are astronauts, are scientists, prolific writers, artists, engineers, businessmen, ...
For someone to suggest otherwise nowadays infers only they possess an insecurity that they are incapable of navigating, engaging, and accomplishing in society; which is bull**** and a cop out.
People need to step up to the plate and cut the victim crap. Anyone who sells the notion that life will always be fair and absent of adversity lies.
But in what does this preservation of African American culture consist? It can hardly consist in anything more than eating black-style food, listening to black-style music, wearing black-style clothing and going to a black-style church or mosque. In other words, it can express itself only in superficial matters. In all ESSENTIAL respects most leftists of the oversocialized type want to make the black man conform to white, middle-class ideals. They want to make him study technical subjects, become an executive or a scientist, spend his life climbing the status ladder to prove that black people are as good as white. They want to make black fathers "responsible," they want black gangs to become nonviolent, etc. But these are exactly the values of the industrial-technological system. The system couldn't care less what kind of music a man listens to, what kind of clothes he wears or what religion he believes in as long as he studies in school, holds a respectable job, climbs the status ladder, is a "responsible" parent, is nonviolent and so forth. In effect, however much he may deny it, the oversocialized leftist wants to integrate the black man into the system and make him adopt its values.
Yup, it's Ted Kaczynski who figured out TS' longings long, long time ago.
More by Ted, absolutely prophetic sentence.
The industrial-technological system may survive or it may break down. If it survives, it MAY eventually achieve a low level of physical and psychological suffering, but only after passing through a long and very painful period of adjustment and only at the cost of permanently reducing human beings and many other living organisms to engineered products and mere cogs in the social machine.
That's black problem #1, they are more resilient to transformation into an "engineered product", whites have no backbone for that whatsoever.
Tripe.
I have been around the world, and what you call "African American culture", is nothing more than an evolving lifestyle. 40 years ago, the culture you are talking about was totally different than it is today.
In most other societies and cultures, the norm is the norm for ALL, white AND black. It has nothing to do with backbone, it has everything to do with a societal norm.
BTW, studying Technical subjects, allows for a job in a technical field. Is there a problem with that? Asking that fathers be responsible, that shouldn't be a black or white thing, it should be a norm, and in most other cultures, it IS the norm. Would you like a really eye opening shocker? Ask a black south african, what he or she thinks of a black american...
As a divorced dad, who raised to wonderful children, I feel that being a responsible dad, is the right thing, no matter WHO you are, what color you are, or what religion you are.
The Social Machine as you call it, is different in each country. It's called a NORM.
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