Thugs in Atlanta? Bad parenting, bad politics, what? (Fayetteville, Buckhead: middle-class, rentals)

[big daryle]

Atlanta is a city that is far, far, far more sophisticated and cosmopolitan than the surrounding area and the clash of cultures causes problems.

[Derrick_TheRiskTaker]

Originally Posted by NorthmeetsSouth

Chances are that Rudy Guiliani isn't going to become our next president, so after the election why don't we try to get him to come down here and become Mayor of Atlanta. He did and amazing job of cleaning up NY when he was the District Attorney and later the Mayor. He cared more about getting results than winning popularity thru political correctness.

The only think about Rudy Guiliani is that most of his anti-crime fighting tactics were illegal and specifically targeted minority groups which really caused a huge problem in New York. I don't think his tactics would work in the south and would cause more problems for the most part.

[backfist]

Originally Posted by lukeache

I am going to tell you what the problem is and I am not going to BS anybody. The problem is with this African American culture that not only accepts ignorance but celebrates ignorance. I am not a racist but everytime I try to watch BET(like tonight), I can get over how stupid these shows are and how negative these black movies are. I was watching parts of a movie today on BET and sure enough, I was just waiting for the part where someone pulls a gun and kills somebody else, TOO MUCH NEGATIVITY!!. Then, you have kids growing up with no fathers and very bad mothers, their minds are being polluted 24/7 with all this garbage, next thing you see a kid holding up a gas station or murdering people over a pair of shoes because he saw some idiotic rapper on TV talking about how many diamonds he has or how much money he makes. Where are the black people like Barrack Obama? Seriously, I want to see more people like him, people that are smart, intelligent and articulate. There is this idiotic show on BET called Hell Date where black people go out on a date, then something happens and one of the people get mad and start throwing food at the other person. I mean, do these people really think acting ghetto and having no class is FUNNY? Ignorance is the problem!

Rather than critique you on ignorance of Black culture, I'm going to agree with you. Moreover, I'm going to ask that YOU speak as loudly as others regarding the dearth of positive Black depiction and representation.

Like you, lukeache, I'm also one who laments negative perceptions of my culture. Why? Well, because folks like yourself who don't know very many Black people take what is seen in media (as opposed to who you know personally and/or intimately) and draw the necessary conclusions. Perhaps one of the worst forms of perception occurs every evening on the local news. Now, I did a little research on all of the local networks and their news directors (the news directors/managers are primarily responsible for content). And I found that nearly all local news directors/managers in Atlanta were White. Now, maybe that's just a coincidence. But I'll bet you if those news directors/managers are ever challenged on their content--that is, the constant depiction of the Black Criminal--they'll say that they're simply giving the viewers what they want to see. I'm not suggesting that there aren't Black criminals in a predominantly Black city, any more than I'd suggest that there weren't White criminals in a predominantly White city. What I am saying that that somebody prefers to see the negative that I see, and what YOU see.

So when you complain about African American culture, from what perspective are you speaking? From an informed perspective based upon intimate, deep, generational and personal knowledge and interaction with Black people? Or are you speaking from the perspective of what you saw on TV?

[Noc]

It's a number of things across the board

-Peoples upbringing and the lack of family values
-the environment in which one lives that heavily influences people
-parents not involved in their children's daily lives
-lack of education
-lack of priority
-the ease and accessibility of illegal guns and drugs
-PRIDE

Rap music is an avenue that makes these negatives seem cool. Keep up the support of not buying the junk music and it will change. It's already happening.

[south-to-west]

Originally Posted by lukeache

I am going to tell you what the problem is and I am not going to BS anybody. The problem is with this African American culture that not only accepts ignorance but celebrates ignorance. I am not a racist but everytime I try to watch BET(like tonight), I can get over how stupid these shows are and how negative these black movies are. I was watching parts of a movie today on BET and sure enough, I was just waiting for the part where someone pulls a gun and kills somebody else, TOO MUCH NEGATIVITY!!.

LOL! Yeah, because they don't show violence on any other network.

Originally Posted by lukeache

Then, you have kids growing up with no fathers and very bad mothers, their minds are being polluted 24/7 with all this garbage, next thing you see a kid holding up a gas station or murdering people over a pair of shoes because he saw some idiotic rapper on TV talking about how many diamonds he has or how much money he makes.

I won't argue with you about the importance of good parenting. Very true.

Originally Posted by lukeache

Where are the black people like Barrack Obama? Seriously, I want to see more people like him, people that are smart, intelligent and articulate.

You must not really know any black people, so I'll indulge you. Take a drive down Cascade Road in Southwest Atlanta and tell me what you see. After that, drive down Campbellton Road through Sandtown in South Fulton and then head south towards Fayetteville and notice the $500K-$1 million homes. Most of my friends from high school went on the college and became engineers, pharmacists, businessmen, etc.

Thank God for your sake that I don't get my perception of white folks from Jerry Springer or Larry the Cable Guy.

Originally Posted by lukeache

There is this idiotic show on BET called Hell Date where black people go out on a date, then something happens and one of the people get mad and start throwing food at the other person. I mean, do these people really think acting ghetto and having no class is FUNNY? Ignorance is the problem!

Yeah, and shows like Blind Date and other dating shows on MTV show erudite white folks on dates talking about their favorite works of 19th Century English literature whilst holding hands during a stroll through the park. LOL!

[atlantagreg30127]

Originally Posted by lukeache

Where are the black people like Barrack Obama? Seriously, I want to see more people like him, people that are smart, intelligent and articulate.

Well, you need to realize that Obama is only "half" black - his mother was white. Since his father was black technically people consider him black, but at least from comments I've overheard from black employees, they do not consider him to be a "real" black man (their words, not mine). Likewise, at first everyone considered Tiger Woods black when he first appeared out of nowhere in his early career. Then he did that interview a while back where he said he did not consider himself black since his mother was Asian and he just considered himself mixed-race. Some members of the black community shunned him for that on some message boards. He had a black father and "looked" black, so they thought he should call himself an African-American.

Just a FYI - at one point until not long ago, the U.S. census forms that were sent out basically said that if your father was black, YOU were black. If the mother was black and the father not, you were mixed or something. I guess it was a male/ego thing where only the father's race counted, but that was replaced with a simple mixed-race classification.

Regarding education: One of our local news stations did a story once about how a lot of black parents with smart kids were trying to get their kids into one of the few magnet schools around town and how some of them had waiting lists or simply could not take in more students due to funding. The reason being that the smart kids who WANTED to learn and do something with their lives were ridiculed like hell by black classmates in the public schools - even beat up. If they talked in proper English they were told they were "talking white". If they made As on their report cards they were likewise told they were called names, etc. Their peers would chastise them for doing well or even trying to do well. If a black parent isn't able to afford a private school or get their kids into a magnet school, that's the environment their kid has to endure, hence, why you have our new slogan, "Atlanta - the bigger New Orleans". This is another reason why *quietly*, SOME black parents will actually move out to nearly totally white suburban areas and place their kids in those schools - to get them out of the taunting atmosphere their kids would have to put up with in inner city public schools by black peers.

[atlantagreg30127]

Originally Posted by NorthmeetsSouth

Chances are that Rudy Guiliani isn't going to become our next president, so after the election why don't we try to get him to come down here and become Mayor of Atlanta. He did and amazing job of cleaning up NY when he was the District Attorney and later the Mayor. He cared more about getting results than winning popularity thru political correctness.

Actually, what hurt him more than anything is when it came out that he attended fund raising dinners for Ralph Reed. Once you affiliate yourself with the extreme and I mean *extreme* religious right, you're sunk. Well, unless you're running for office in Alabama, but we're not Alabama.

[DaddyO]

Geez these people are sure making me rethink my decision of moving my family to Atlanta. But then again, it is the south.

[DaddyO]

Originally Posted by atlantagreg30127

but we're not Alabama.

Couldn't tell

[south-to-west]

People forget that we live in the Deep South where up until 30-40 years ago, blacks did not have access to any schools they wanted and were shut out of many careers. There were actually laws that forbade whites from doing business with blacks and many unions and trade guilds completely excluded blacks. The lack of opportunities created large pockets of extreme poverty that still exist today.

Just think about it, when you are shut out and kept down time and time again, you begin to believe that you have no hope and no ability to achieve your dreams and better your life; thus you pass on this perception and outlook on life to your children. Although we have come a long way and a lot of barriers have been knocked down, this cycle of hopelessness continues and the mindset that America is not meant for poor African Americans persists.

What further aggrevates the situation is that there are large numbers of transplants arriving in your city every year with well-paying jobs. Those of the native population that are down and out and stuck in poverty see this and frustration builds resulting in robberies, carjackings, etc.

The situation won't change here until we all see oursevles as Atlantans instead of pointing fingers at "those people" or "these people"; and take control of the situation by demanding better from ourselves and our neighbors. Also, better enforcement of existing laws--no matter how minor--may lead to the prevention of worse crimes. Finally, creating more rec leagues, community centers, arts programs, and activities for youth is essential because it's better for kids anywhere to redirect their energies towards something constructive rather than having too much idle time.