Foreigners observations/opinion on AA’s in Atlanta (College Park, White: apartment, school)

[south-to-west]

Originally Posted by Drover

My guess is -- and maybe I'm reaching here -- because he's from Brazil and not America.

LOL! Sarcasm is one of your virtues. I was making the point that Brazil also has a sizeable population of people of African descent whose ancestors were enslaved. Also, most blacks in Brazil are disadvantaged.

[south-to-west]

Originally Posted by aries4118

Just to add...

Many people mistakenly believe that the "black experience" is discussed/acknowledged in Brazil...it is not.

If you truly know Brazilian society, you would understand that it is perfectly normal for a non-black (white) Brazilian to have the OP's viewpoint.

Brazil has its own deep racial problems/issues...and sadly, they are nowhere near being resolved...or acknowledged.

You're right, but why isn't he asking the same questions of black Brazilian society? Why hasn't he given us examples of race relations in Brazil? Why hasn't he offered comparisons between black and white Brazilians?

[Jpierpont]

Originally Posted by confusedatl

First off, I am sincere and not a troll!

Second, I am targeting this message to city of Atlanta AA. That's why I decided to post it in the Atlanta forum and not an entire US forum.

Third, I admit that I only know the basics of the Civil War. But I did work extensively with an MLK committee (and had to do quite a bit of research) and learned a lot about AA history in Atlanta and the south. I realize that MLK is not the only AA history, but it does give you a great idea on what AA's in the south had to go through.

So now my question to you is: What have AA's gone through that is so much more difficult to get over than lets say, what happened to Korean slavery by the Japanese? I choose this example because Korean's are visible minorities as well. Although Korean people understand and know about the past, I don't see many Korean people making excuses for their well being today. On the other hand, many AA's in the Atlanta area keep making excuses for their lack of success on events that happened long time ago. Should they not focus more on bettering themselves than complaining? Is there not a better way to make use of their time and efforts?

Actually Korean people in Japan do worse that the the natives and there is a good deal of tension between them. I think you are trolling are not well educated enough to really come to an enlightened conclusions.

[Carolina Blue]

Wow!! It’s hard for me to imagine anyone from Brazil being anything but impressed by the black population in Atlanta. I don’t understand what their point of reference would be considering Brazil has one of the largest populations of Blacks in the world, which is also one of the most uneducated, underemployed and poverty stricken. Worse, that country has a majority Black population but Blacks hold no significant positions of authority in any fields; not in politics, not in education, not in media, not in business, etc.

[StPaulEastSider]

Originally Posted by confusedatl

StPaulEastSider: Thanks for the thought that was put into the post. I really enjoyed reading your comments and references to scholarly work. One comment that you made, that AA must work 2-3 times harder vs a Caucasian - I agree with this comment. But to get rid of that problem, shouldn't AA's work 2-3 times harder so they get to the top, so racial glass ceilings are no longer an issue?

For example, if you husband works extremely hard and get to a CEO level. Then he will have the power to make sure racial glass ceilings do not exist. Now I know its difficult to actually get to that level, and that even with hard work it may not become a reality. But if the vast majority of AA's went into it with that mentality, wouldn't they be better off? I mean personally, I'd rather work 2-3 times harder than sitting around complaining that I'm being treated differently.

Obviously this view is narrowly approach (situation wise) but my point is that there needs to be a different way of thinking about issues and how you attack them to implement change.

I can tell you are young, because the suggestions you are making are not grounded in reality. I also suspect you come from an economically-advantaged family background.

My brother is climbing the corporate ladder of a major Florida insurance company. He lives in a 3/4 million dollar house in Weston, Florida. I personally would not want his life. He works 60-80 weeks, and he is white.

I love my husband and I want to grow old with him at my side... I do not want him working even 60-80 hours a week, never mind 2-3x that!

My husband had a 10-year career with a certain Georgia-based insurance company with an annoying white duck in their ads... he has step away from that lifestyle and we are happier as a result. Maybe not wealthier, but happier. He was constantly sabotaged in his years in the corporate world. Accounts he had worked hard to obtain would be inexplicably taken away from him. He would be subjected to racial slurs over the phone because the person he was talking to did not realize they had a black man on the other end of the phone line. When we were expecting our third child he was told, by a supervisor, "You need to decide if you want to make babies or make money." There is a lot of B.S. in the corporate world. We are glad to be out of that world for good. We are now laying the groundwork for a business of our own.

Pick up a copy of Malcolm Gladwell's "Outliers" - it makes a strong case for the idea it takes more than hard work alone to be successful in this life. Other factors include family backgrounds, timing and sometimes - plain old luck of the draw.

Also, you need to step back here and really read what I posted upthread about the realities of generational poverty. There is a lot of institutional and society changes which need to take place before the "vast majority" of "AA's born into generational poverty" will have the TOOLS they need to be successful. Most AAs born into generational poverty are light-years away from climbing the corporate ladder. It's just not a realistic expectation for them - unless they are still children.... the education system is where we need to focus our energies to stifle the curses of generational poverty.

I have a word of advise for you... simply try to live and let live. Not everyone will live their lives as you think they ought to.... nor should they.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by south-to-west

LOL! Sarcasm is one of your virtues. I was making the point that Brazil also has a sizeable population of people of African descent whose ancestors were enslaved. Also, most blacks in Brazil are disadvantaged.

While all that may be true, that doesn't mean the black experience in Brazil is identical to or even substantially similar to that of America. The fact that they have a legacy of slavery in common doesn't mean the experiences between blacks there and blacks here have been the same ever since, any more than it's been the same in Mexico, Haiti, Britain, France, Portugal, or anywhere else it was practiced. Thinking so is exactly the kind of generalization you chafed against upthread.

[portyhead24]

Why do these racial topics keep popping up? I'm sure there are other websites where these topics would be better suited.

[BringBackCobain]

You should not feel ashamed for having stereotypes, because they are an involuntary reaction within the human mind. They have an evolutionary benefit - allowing us to rapidly categorize people into groups with certian universal characteristics - which helped us avoid potential dangers.

The difference is being prejuidiced, which is acting upon those negative stereotpyes in a discriminatory manner.

So, you really shouldnt feel bad because stereotypes are natural, unavoidable, and everyone has them.

[DiderotsGhost]

Originally Posted by BringBackCobain

You should not feel ashamed for having stereotypes, because they are an involuntary reaction within the human mind. They have an evolutionary benefit - allowing us to rapidly categorize people into groups with certian universal characteristics - which helped us avoid potential dangers.

The difference is being prejuidiced, which is acting upon those negative stereotpyes in a discriminatory manner.

So, you really shouldnt feel bad because stereotypes are natural, unavoidable, and everyone has them.

That's true to some extent. I don't want to say stereotypes are "good", but I think they are the first stage in a learning process.

Children think in stereotypes because they have to learn things in simplified manners before gaining a deeper understanding. Likewise, when people are put in new situations, they try to make order out of the chaos via stereotypes. As you say --- they help protect them to a degree. If you read the article about 'riding the MARTA North to South' in another thread on this board, you see a lot of stereotypes there, too. Yet, the author is clearly intelligent for a high schooler.

At the same time, as you become more acclimated to an environment, you should gradually move beyond stereotypes and gain a richer understanding. I think that's the author's intention here.

[plessthanpointohfive]

Yes, like my stereotypes of Christians and Republicans (often one and the same), despite the fact there are people one, the other, or both, who I cherish. I have to shake off the stereotype so I won't lose out on knowing some really fantastic people!