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If I might be so bold to post since I’m an older white female, I’d have to concur with neekah18 that education is key. If you look at immigrant populations that are successful in the US, they embrace education.
When I hire young kids into my work environment, I look for people who speak proper English, don’t have attitude. That’s what I look for, race doesn’t play into it. I, as a white person, am not the enemy. I try my best to provide the same opportunities for all.
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Originally Posted by 414Milwaukee
there's nothing wrong with having kids before your married that shouldnt be a reason
You’re part of the problem. Who does this attitude benefit? The child? Are you saying that it’s okay for 15 year olds to have kids?
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Originally Posted by Bjones1976
You know, a lot of us still have a slave mentality. What I mean by that is that alot of us are still bound by the mental chains that at one point determined where who we, what our value was , where we were to live etc.
When you top that with the racism that still exists your "dead in the water".
Where are kids learning this? Why is this still a factor? It’s been well over 100 years since slavery was part of our culture?
I’m Irish. When my parents were young, there were signs saying “Irish need not apply,” my mother didn’t have a high school education; she had to go to work in 8th grade to support the family. She cleaned houses all of her life. I was told that education would help me out in my life. My parents let me know what it cost to have kids. I was trained a little in the economics of life.
Benicar, post 46: Although blacks comprise a disproportionate percentage of prison inmates, they are actually a small percentage of the total black population in this country (approx. 2%). The VAST MAJORITY are hard-working and decent. Sadly, black criminals receive the majority of the attention, and serve to perpetuate negative stereotypes.
I understand completely what you’re saying here. When I live in the states, my neighborhood is mixed with a significant amount of section 8 housing. There’s a lot of petty crime and vandalism caused by the kids in the neighborhood. So my judgment, even though I know the numbers, is based on the personal experience I have in my neighborhood. I know it’s incorrect, but it’s also what I see on a daily basis.
This is an interesting question posed in the second link: Myth: People on welfare are usually black, teenage mothers who stay on ten years at a time. Fact: Most welfare recipients are non-black, adult and on welfare less than two years at a time.
I am a firm believer in accountability, and although I truly believe that a lot of the suggestions are made with good intentions, I have to question how many of you have truly invested the time, or experience in understanding Black America?
I would be lying if I said that I didn't rush to judgement when I would see a woman/man doing something that's just ignorant. However I've learned that more likely than not there is more going on than what I see. It's easy to blame OOW's, lack of education, slavery, crime, ignorance etc, but you have to begin to truly understand what is at the core of those actions.
I don’t doubt your statement at all.
But, I will ask two questions: 1) what is OOW’s, and 2) what is at the core of those actions?
I have black friends, albeit most of them are gay and outcasts from their own social grouping, and most of them have master’s degrees, but in all of our discussions, they’ve never talked about a different “core” of their race/culture.
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Originally Posted by LoveMiiorHateMii
So where is your proof of the ridiculous statements that you just stated. Bring them out!
Bureau of Justice Statistics Homicide trends in the U.S.: Trends by race (http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/homicide/race.htm - broken link) and Bureau of Justice Statistics Homicide trends in the U.S.: Age, Gender, and Race (http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/homicide/ageracesex.htm - broken link)
Racial crimes by victim/offender and by race/age.
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Originally Posted by Seatown206
In all honesty if having so called "hood" names is holding black people back who should really be to blame? Black people for naming our kids such names or the people who see these names and automatically associate them with low lifes? In essence what is being said is that we are screwing ourselves over by making it obvious to people who read our names that we are black. I guess the only way to insure success in america is to name your child Tom or Ben. That way people won't know we are black until we physically are in their presence.
It doesn’t matter.
If you know this will cause your kids a problem later in life, why put it on them? It may not be fair, but life is not fair.
Why give racists a reason to dismiss your child before they meet them?
Give your kids a nickname, a term of endearment.
I think the black population in America is about 20%. If I were to come here from another country and look at TV I would think that there are about 50-60% blacks in the US. If I were to watch most sports I would think that 80-95% of all Americans are black. As an American when I go to almost any government agency, city, state, or federal I get the impression that most of America is being run by blacks. How much more do black people want? Always crying, McNabb, Phila Eagles Qback, cried that the press was picking on him because he was black. Phila fans are the most liberal in the world. They love you when you're hot and boo you when you're not so hot. It has nothing to do with race. Suck it up McNabb! (Many more examples too numerous to list here).
Black people today have it better and easier that any other race. The truth is that if you are not succeeding it is probably because you don't deserve to success. BTW, that 's pretty much how Bill Cosby sees it too.
Don
Black-Americans need a stronger emphasis on business ownership. Black-Americans spend around $700 billion a year yet only about 3% of that is spent with Black owned businesses because we don't own enough businesses to spend our dollars with especially within our own communities. This is affecting black wealth building and employment opportunities for Blacks.
In a quote taken from Mr. Bill Cosby himself
"These people are not parenting. They are buying things for their kids - $500 sneakers for what? And won't spend $200 for 'Hooked on Phonics.'...They're standing on the corner and they can't speak English. I can't even talk the way these people talk: Why you ain't,' Where you is'...And I blamed the kid until I heard the mother talk. And then I heard the father talk...Everybody knows it's important to speak English except these knuckleheads...You can't be a doctor with that kind of crap coming out of your mouth."
Was Mr. Cosby right about making those comments? Yes he was because sadly not enough black parents in America take the time out to educate themselves and their children. Too many of us are putting more of an emphasis on looking "fly" with the Gucci's and name brand outfits oppose to educating our children to save or even invest in your future, not someone else's children's future. Because in reality, the hundreds of dollars we spend on Gucci and Vittone is affording their children the kind of education that our children need themselves.
I think the black population in America is about 20%. If I were to come here from another country and look at TV I would think that there are about 50-60% blacks in the US. If I were to watch most sports I would think that 80-95% of all Americans are black. As an American when I go to almost any government agency, city, state, or federal I get the impression that most of America is being run by blacks. How much more do black people want? Always crying, McNabb, Phila Eagles Qback, cried that the press was picking on him because he was black. Phila fans are the most liberal in the world. They love you when you're hot and boo you when you're not so hot. It has nothing to do with race. Suck it up McNabb! (Many more examples too numerous to list here). Black people today have it better and easier that any other race. The truth is that if you are not succeeding it is probably because you don't deserve to success. BTW, that 's pretty much how Bill Cosby sees it too.
Don
I wouldn't exactly say they have it better than any race in America, they do have it better than other blacks in other countries because the benefits afforded to them are not available to those blacks in other countries. However, as an educated black woman myself with an MBA/TM and Graduate Certification in financial analysis, it is STILL not an easy road for me. Having recently finding out that the individual equal to me in position is paid much higher than I am, I was quite offended by it because this individual does not have the years experience that I have, does not have the education that I have and as a matter of fact I am training that individual as well as my superior because they do not have the knowledge and experience that I have in the field. Now having learned all this of course it was taken to the HR department who stumbled on their words. So I did the next best thing I could do for the company, taken into consideration that I have to train and teach others less experienced than I am as well as clean up the mess that they have done themselves, I found another company that will not look at my skin color as a deterrent to paying me what I am worth. Though I thought it would not have mattered to them if I left, it felt really good when after handing in my resignation, they wanted to increase my salary,they even called after I left to get me to come back on board, But sorry I don't play that and so I moved on.
Bottom line is yes my two co-workers were white, yes I am black and having experienced what I had experienced, I knew my color had a lot to do with the unfair difference in pay. could I have filed a complaint against the company? Yes I could have, but I think they learned a bigger lesson when they loss the most experienced manager they had as well as I had the satisfaction to refuse their subsequent offers.
There is still a lot of prejudice out there within the corporate world when it comes to pay and promotions, though not as bad as it was before, but when you are a darker skinned minority you are still viewed as insignificant to other races in many ways.
My disagreement with my counterparts is to stop griping about the unfairness and do something about it. Society expects failure from us but that doesn't mean that we have to prove them right.
In all honesty if having so called "hood" names is holding black people back who should really be to blame? Black people for naming our kids such names or the people who see these names and automatically associate them with low lifes? In essence what is being said is that we are screwing ourselves over by making it obvious to people who read our names that we are black. I guess the only way to insure success in america is to name your child Tom or Ben. That way people won't know we are black until we physically are in their presence.
I agree with what you are saying but the reality is this very thing does happen. Funny that the poster above mentioned a nickname. I see it at work all the time and its not just Blacks. Many of my Asian, Indian, and African co-workers have had to shorten their names to something more "easier/normal". I'm Black, born and raised in the US and have a traditionally Arabic name (which I don't shorten). Hmm, maybe I'll try running for president, LOL.
Actually I don't find that funny at all, that is the misperception of many non-blacks in this country, they seem to think that all blacks (especially young black male) are in one gang or the other.
This is why so many of our black males have a chip on their shoulders, they believe that society believes the worst of them and that they will never get any where, so they tend to do what society expects of them. THis is where we as parents need to partner with our children and teach them that t hey don't have to be what society is expecting of them. Sadly most parents don't either have the time to intervene or they just don't want to be bothered. What's even sadder are the parents who feed these negative views about the "white man" in the minds of their children. We often time talk things t hat is not intended for our children to hear, but kids do hear everything you say and they hang on to each and every word.
I sure do know lots of black people - some are successful, some struggle, some are flat out criminals. But the thing that the successful people have that the others dont is what I mentioned in my earlier post. Those who are not successful are overwhelmingly those who cannot speak CORRECT ENGLISH or as you call this extremely poor language - "a dialect that has a lot of history". The thing is, if you speak like that whether it be a home or at the office, IT IS STILL POOR LANGUAGE and makes one appear uneducated. If you say "Birfday" instead of "Birthday" or "Teef" instead of "Teeth" or "Ax" instead of "Ask", I can guarantee that you do not have a plaque on your wall that says "Doctorate" or have to go in to deliver someone's baby.
Those who are NOT successful are also the ones who didnt grow up in a household with both parents. They are also the ones who have kids with names like Shamekwa, Propecia, Urethra, Jamequa, or any name with a hyphen or that ends in "qua" "te" (as in Tay) or "quia". These are NOT names with African roots. The are names with "hood" roots and you can almost guarantee their parents are from some of the poorest sections of the country and are NOT college educated. Remember my post about parents doing whatever they can to give their children a fair chance in life? Parents who give their kids these made up weird a## names are unfortunately handicapping their kids' chance at a future.
Interesting that you should say that, my mother raised my sisters, my brother and myself as a single mother, none of us has "hood" names. Both my sister and I have our Masters, my other sister and my brother has their bachelors, my mother worked in the kitchen of a residential home after leaving a better life in Jamaica thinking that things would be even better here. My 3 sons (all from the same father while I was married) don't have ghetto names, two of my sons are in college (studying architectural Arts and Designs and Computer gaming and designs) and the last one is finishing high school next year. So hmmm I guess I do fit the typical steretype single black mother who is an unachiever, uneducated, on welfare with kids for different fathers who are on the streets selling drugs while I sit my lazy butt at home waiting for the government check to come right?
It is typical remark of someone with negative views of all blacks.
The key to success is always the future generation, teaching children to take responsability for their lives, a good education and hard work will get you there. It works with all races.
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