Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Yesterday I talked to one of my long-time friends who is an African-American living in Chicago.
She expressed a lot of anger toward Obama for not doing enough to fix problems in the black community in his hometown, and she asked me if I am sure I want to move back up there because the violence is at an all-time high with the bodies of black people filling up the morgues. She also complained about CPS failing black children. My conversation with her is an example of what I was trying to get at. She also said a family member had a case against CPD in which a white cop planted drugs on him during a routine traffic stop. This family member is college-educated and has no history of crime or drug use at all.
There is this sentiment among Chicago blacks that it is someone's responsibility to fix the problems in the black community there instead of them changing their own behaviors. When blacks complain about CPS they talk about the issues with the system and the city government's failure to fix the schools but rarely ever mention parental responsibility.
Yes, Chicago has racism for sure, but when does personal accountability come into play? You can't say that the gang problem for example is solely based on lack of jobs (which she said) when you talk to some of these young men and when you asked them about getting an education and a job, they refuse to go to school and get a job. They say straight-up they don't want to. They gang bang and sell drugs for quick cash because they don't want to work, not because they went and applied for jobs and were refused employment.
I have talked to young black men in Chicago who look down on taking a fast food job yet they have no education or job skills. I have even heard some of them say they won't take a job unless they can come in as a manager, again with no job skills or education. They don't even look at the big picture that they could work fast food or retail, work their way up into management and get benefits or tuition reimbursement and can work their way into the corporate offices from there. They want fast cash without education or sacrifice or working their way up.
You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink.
It's time people take accountability for themselves. Regardless of skin color. It's not the president's job to single out a race and try to "fix" their problems. The government can't force someone to go to school, go to work, be a better parent, quit having so many kids to get government money, get a kid to stop gang banging. A person has to want to change for themselves. I occasionally watch those shows like Gangland and such where they interview some of these gang members. These kids don't know any better and they don't care to know anything outside of the life they live. They Just. Dont. Care. And thats the problem. Selling drugs and stealing is easy. They create this false sense of brotherhood that they think everyone else is out to get them so they try to take from those who they feel threatened by.
Why should Obama try to fix the black community specifically in his home town? Sure the crime rate is higher there. Higher than almost every other city in the country but that to me is why segregation is still fueled. Why not fix the American community? Only the black community can change themselves. Same for Hispanics, Whites, Asians, everyone.
According to this statement, the only ignorance I see is that being displayed by you. Can you prove that 80-90% of Blacks in Chicago behave as you say they do? Do you have any statistics to back this up?
Yeah. IMO, he lives a life where he doesn't associate with blacks. Many whites who share his view are insecure and are happy living in ignorance.
Atlanta without a doubt has a more educated Black community.
Once again I love my adopted home town but the mentality of some of the people hasn't left the block.
Atlanta is more transient and some people are more willing to leave their comfort zone.
Atlantabd, do you think leaving Chicago has helped you in any way or do you think you would've been better off living in Chicago or possibly the same neighborhood as you grew up.
Memphis,
You are right, the mentality among certain many blacks there is disheartening to say the least. And because I am not from the projects or the "low-end" and my parents raised me a certain way, I never had that block mentality you speak of. aI have always had an open mind that pushed me to explore things outside the norm even when other blacks thought I was weird or crazy for it. And though my parents weren't as open-minded as I would have like growing up, they still exposed my siblings and me to arts and culture, taking us to the museums and cultural events. I studied music and played an instrument, amade it a point to study French in high school, went out of my way to learn about other cultures and chose to go to high school in the burbs instead of the city so I could be around different types of people.
My mother taught my sis mand me to always carry ouselves with class, sophistication and to speak well, especially when looking for work or going to a job interviews. She taught us that as children.
I never stayed on the block, though I didn't come from a bad block. While Beverly is where I was born and continued to be my home base, I've lived in Hyde Park" South Shore, Evanston and Dolton and Calumet City before it went bad.. we also lived in Roseland before it became a complete hell and any place we lived that we saw turning bad, we moved from.
Atlanta has helped me in that I have been able to build a good resume, as I have have had the opportunity to work at some good organizations since living here. But as far as anything else, I think Atlanta is culturally backward and has a lot of growing to do to catch up with the likes of Chicago or NYC.
Having lived here many years I still haven't adapted to the fact that Atlanta lacks much and while many blacks have been able to make it here, it is not the world-class city the locals and Atlanta lovers tout it as being.
I left my neighborhood to hang out in and explore other parts of Chicago on a weekly basis. But because I am open-minded I would have left my neighborhood, not because it was a bad place to be, but so I could be closer to downtown and the lake. Had I stayed in Chicago I would have lived on the Northside, Hyde Park or Evanston.
I 100% agree with. However, how can you blame a transplant 80-90 of the black people here act ignorant and ghetto. There is very few to exception. There is just to much culture difference and divide. Now if most the black people in Chicago were like African Americans i.e most assimulated like in places like Seattle, L.A, Minneapolis then I you would have a valid point. It would not even make any sense. When I go to cities out there I end up meeting black people I can relate to and be friends with.
Quote:
Originally Posted by green_mariner
According to this statement, the only ignorance I see is that being displayed by you. Can you prove that 80-90% of Blacks in Chicago behave as you say they do? Do you have any statistics to back this up?
Quote:
Originally Posted by mjtinmemphis
Yeah. IMO, he lives a life where he doesn't associate with blacks. Many whites who share his view are insecure and are happy living in ignorance.
Wow, MjTinMemphis. What's up with that remark at the end of your post? Stephanie is a black woman not a white man. Read that long thread about interacial dating in Chicago..
Soo.. umm.. Why are there black women with Steaphei2000's attidude? I think this is the question at hand - not whites who live in white bubbles. Not that I don't agree with you.
Quote:
Originally Posted by stephei2000
This is actually some kind of truth to this in the black community. My sister and I were just discussing this the other day how men of our own race have been pre conditioned to European standards of beauty worse than men outside of the black community.
For example if I straighten my hair and it use to be to my butt. I just cut some off. I would have African American men in droves hit on me. But when I wear I my hair naturally curly I receive attention from mostly men of other races. It seems like it does not matter if I decide to go straight or curly.
Wow, MjTinMemphis. What's up with that remark at the end of your post? Stephanie is a black woman not a white man. Read that long thread about interacial dating in Chicago..
Soo.. umm.. Why are there black woman with Steaphei2000's attidude? I think this is the question at hand - not whites who live in white bubbles. Not that I don't agree with you.
That was strong statement considering I don't know her.
However, saying 90% of a group is like such and such just isn't right. Most Black people in Chicago from Chicago are great people. So maybe I was wrong about her being this white racist man, her statement in just as ignorant.
You are right, the mentality among certain many blacks there is disheartening to say the least. And because I am not from the projects or the "low-end" and my parents raised me a certain way, I never had that block mentality you speak of. aI have always had an open mind that pushed me to explore things outside the norm even when other blacks thought I was weird or crazy for it. And though my parents weren't as open-minded as I would have like growing up, they still exposed my siblings and me to arts and culture, taking us to the museums and cultural events. I studied music and played an instrument, amade it a point to study French in high school, went out of my way to learn about other cultures and chose to go to high school in the burbs instead of the city so I could be around different types of people.
My mother taught my sis mand me to always carry ouselves with class, sophistication and to speak well, especially when looking for work or going to a job interviews. She taught us that as children.
I never stayed on the block, though I didn't come from a bad block. While Beverly is where I was born and continued to be my home base, I've lived in Hyde Park" South Shore, Evanston and Dolton and Calumet City before it went bad.. we also lived in Roseland before it became a complete hell and any place we lived that we saw turning bad, we moved from.
Atlanta has helped me in that I have been able to build a good resume, as I have have had the opportunity to work at some good organizations since living here. But as far as anything else, I think Atlanta is culturally backward and has a lot of growing to do to catch up with the likes of Chicago or NYC.
Having lived here many years I still haven't adapted to the fact that Atlanta lacks much and while many blacks have been able to make it here, it is not the world-class city the locals and Atlanta lovers tout it as being.
I left my neighborhood to hang out in and explore other parts of Chicago on a weekly basis. But because I am open-minded I would have left my neighborhood, not because it was a bad place to be, but so I could be closer to downtown and the lake. Had I stayed in Chicago I would have lived on the Northside, Hyde Park or Evanston.
I've never thought Atlanta was on par with Chicago. I didn't think it was designed to be on par or even world class. I've always seen it as a southern suburban oriented city.
I've always laughed at some in Atlanta promoting it as world class. Some even think they live in the best city in the country.
Wow, MjTinMemphis. What's up with that remark at the end of your post? Stephanie is a black woman not a white man. Read that long thread about interacial dating in Chicago..
Soo.. umm.. Why are there black woman with Steaphei2000's attidude? I think this is the question at hand - not whites who live in white bubbles. Not that I don't agree with you.
That was strong statement considering I don't know her.
However, saying 90% of a group is like such and such just isn't right. Most Black people in Chicago from Chicago are great people. So maybe I was wrong about her being this white racist man, her statement in just as ignorant.
It was a ridiculous statement. And it came from the poster who said she spent a little time living in Chicago (in Lincoln Park, I think) and complained about how all the black men in the city sucked. Now she's saying 90 percent of black people in the city are ghetto. It's an ignorant statement and perhaps a tad whiney.. Maybe the problem is her not Chicago. But then again, I don't know her either.
Last edited by urza216; 10-22-2012 at 01:33 PM..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
