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Considering that Black people from the South worked in agriculture doing the same job that their slave grandparents until the 1960s or so, what do you expect from people? It will take generations, if not centuries for some families to shake these badly ingrained habits.
But why is that? Most of us as AAs have similar ancestry (as far as having ancestors who were once slaves). I never asked them but I assume that both my maternal and paternal grandparents only had a high school diploma (if that). All of my uncles on my mother's side attended college and created two parent households. Some of my male cousins are knuckleheads and didn't make better choices in life but for the most part, we all went to college (especially the female cousins). I just don't think there is an excuse. I feel that AAs are coddled and treated like children by society (and especially the Democratic Party). People expect us not to achieve much and become degenerates. Take the the crack epidemic of the eighties for example. If AAs had never taken the bait (which was planted by the CIA in AA communities) there never would have been a war on drugs and we wouldn't be dealing with the "crack babies" and heir offspring today.
How do you explain the black intellectuals and entrepreneurs of the Reconstruction Era? I'll admit that you have to be strong to resist the downward pull in the AA community but it can be done. AAs have to exercise more common sense as a whole and think about and plan for the future accordingly. The biggest change would be to for AA women to insist on marriage before bearing children and for AA men to commit to raising their children in two parent households.
Edit: Also, Whites worldwide are experiencing a population decline as a whole. This is not a bad thing as they are choosing to responsibly procreate so that their offspring can have greater opportunities. A few responsible generations could eradicate most of poverty. Remaining childless or only having 1 to 2 children is not a bad thing. It creates more economic opportunity for all due to smaller populations. With robotics growing in popularity, minimum wage jobs will become scarce as those positions will become automated and there will not be as much of a need for human workers.
But why is that? Most of us as AAs have similar ancestry (as far as having ancestors who were once slaves). I never asked them but I assume that both my maternal and paternal grandparents only had a high school diploma (if that). All of my uncles on my mother's side attended college and created two parent households. Some of my male cousins are knuckleheads and didn't make better choices in life but for the most part, we all went to college (especially the female cousins). I just don't think there is an excuse. I feel that AAs are coddled and treated like children by society (and especially the Democratic Party). People expect us not to achieve much and become degenerates. Take the the crack epidemic of the eighties for example. If AAs had never taken the bait (which was planted by the CIA in AA communities) there never would have been a war on drugs and we wouldn't be dealing with the "crack babies" and heir offspring today.
How do you explain the black intellectuals and entrepreneurs of the Reconstruction Era? I'll admit that you have to be strong to resist the downward pull in the AA community but it can be done. AAs have to exercise more common sense as a whole and think about and plan for the future accordingly. The biggest change would be to for AA women to insist on marriage before bearing children and for AA men to commit to raising their children in two parent households.
You and a couple of other Black people on this forum are using standard right wing rhetoric and applying it to Black people.
Which is sad.
Even if every Black woman saved herself for marriage, it would not change the prison to school pipeline. Before New York decriminalized marijuana, huge numbers of young Black men were arrested for drug possession (got caught up in stop and frisk). Particularly in neighborhoods the city of New York wanted to "clean" up.
Mind you in the wealthy part of town, where young, affluent, and educated WHITES did their drugs, the police almost never bothered anyone. I know because the times I did drugs I did it with affluent whites in part because in those parts of town you are far less likely to get in trouble with the cops.
There's a double standard from law enforcement, and huge numbers of Black men are locked up in prison, so what good would marriage do?
White people and people of other races do drugs, yet only Black people are supposed to resist the urge? That in and of itself is racist, and you have issues if you cannot confront this double standard.
Now I'm not advocating drug use as it definitely causes major long term physical and mental health issues. But it doesn't justify the disparity in sentences.
Lastly there are other issues as well. Education is not free, and wealth tends to be generation. I'm an Ivy League grad student in part because I got an inheritance from my aunt when she passed. When it is time to pay for college and related expenses they don't care whether your parents are married or not. You either have the resources to pay (or able to get them) or you don't get in PERIOD.
As someone from NYC you should also know until they start enforcing the fair housing laws, Blacks were not ALLOWED in MANY neighborhoods. They tended to live in the ****tiest neighborhoods. Not to mention that you had perfectly LEGAL discrimination in employment AND in education until the civil rights laws of the 60s and the 70s. Oh and there's lots of reports of BANKS discrimination against Blacks in MORTGAGES as well. All of this contributes to the lack of resources among Blacks today. It can take generations to build FAMILY wealthy.
Lastly many of the whites who are now wealthy did indeed use the government to become wealthy. I know many Ivy Leaguers who are former military members. Right after WW2, whites were able to use the GI bill to go to college, get loans for small businesses, mortgages for homes, etc. Blacks were unable to do so until well after the civil rights laws were passed and enforced.
LA has the most number blacks out of any western city in the U.S.
Las Vegas only has about 580,000 people living in city limits and about 2 million in the metro area. there are around 850,000 black people in LA County Alone. That doesn't count mixed race.
Yeah I phrased it wrong. I meant to say with the highest percentage, both LV and OAK I think oakland is 1/3rd black.
I'm not speaking of races. I'm speaking of individuals making wise choices with regards to becoming parents. If you know that you are badly situated in life and struggling to barely make it yourself, why would you willingly choose to bring another life(or several lives) into the world? It's just common sense to set yourself up financially first and then do all you can to ensure that your child will have a better life than you. There are too many ways to prevent unplanned pregnancies nowadays. As I'm sure we all have noticed, AAs are the only group that seem to stay dormant when it comes to climbing the ladder of success. First generation immigrants who come here may struggle for one generation but they usually set up a better life for their children and their children's children. This is especially the case for most Asian immigrants. They currently have the greatest education and wealth of all ethnicities, yet many are only 2nd or 3rd generation Americans. Most West Indian/African families (Black and other ethnicities) also place a HUGE emphasis on educational achievement as well. In many West Indian countries, children start school at three years old (rather than age five or six like over here). It is not that hard for AAs to follow suit and achieve success as well. Being Black can't be used as an excuse when Blacks from other countries are setting the bar higher and achieving their goals.
Asians are the POOREST group of all races in NYC, according to stats from the NYC government. Granted they are including recent Asian immigrants.
How many Fortune 500 CEOs are anything other than white? You don't have many African, West Indian, or Asian CEOs.
I've been in a number of high end places, and I can tell you where there's real money it will be mostly WHITE.
Asian Americans have written quite a bit about the discrimination against Asians in ANY HIGH PAYING private sector field.
I don't even know of any Asian American university presidents either.
I'm not speaking of races. I'm speaking of individuals making wise choices with regards to becoming parents. If you know that you are badly situated in life and struggling to barely make it yourself, why would you willingly choose to bring another life(or several lives) into the world? It's just common sense to set yourself up financially first and then do all you can to ensure that your child will have a better life than you. There are too many ways to prevent unplanned pregnancies nowadays. As I'm sure we all have noticed, AAs are the only group that seem to stay dormant when it comes to climbing the ladder of success. First generation immigrants who come here may struggle for one generation but they usually set up a better life for their children and their children's children. This is especially the case for most Asian immigrants. They currently have the greatest education and wealth of all ethnicities, yet many are only 2nd or 3rd generation Americans. Most West Indian/African families (Black and other ethnicities) also place a HUGE emphasis on educational achievement as well. In many West Indian countries, children start school at three years old (rather than age five or six like over here). It is not that hard for AAs to follow suit and achieve success as well. Being Black can't be used as an excuse when Blacks from other countries are setting the bar higher and achieving their goals.
Africa is the poorest continent in the world, and definitely not a major driver of the world economy.
So the conclusion of many white racists is that Black people are genetically unfit. You yourself spoke of the Black male cousins who didn't do well. Are you prepared to have them sterilized and have all the Black females in your family sterilized as well (since these women cannot raise worthwhile sons)?
Now of course I don't think that, but this is exactly where this argument will lead to.
It's not the government role to determine who can have children. And do you really trust Trump, Hillary, or Bernie to tell you what to do with your body?
Lastly and this is true of ALL races of people. Why are we pretending that everyone has the same intelligence?
Yes, Oprah Winfrey had a maid grandmother in the deep South and now she's a billionaire. How many people of ANY RACE have made this kind of transition, considering there is well over 6 billion people in the world. Very FEW. Taking a FEW EXTREMELY, EXCEPTIONAL people and saying this is going to be easily achievable (if achievable at all) for most people (of any race) is ridiculous.
And as for actual intelligence, either you have it or you don't. Of course you can study to get the credentials, but there are people whose parents had money, send them to good private k-12 schools and the kid could not do well. Some people are just DUMB.
You and a couple of other Black people on this forum are using standard right wing rhetoric and applying it to Black people.
Which is sad.
Even if every Black woman saved herself for marriage, it would not change the prison to school pipeline. Before New York decriminalized marijuana, huge numbers of young Black men were arrested for drug possession (got caught up in stop and frisk). Particularly in neighborhoods the city of New York wanted to "clean" up.
Mind you in the wealthy part of town, where young, affluent, and educated WHITES did their drugs, the police almost never bothered anyone. I know because the times I did drugs I did it with affluent whites in part because in those parts of town you are far less likely to get in trouble with the cops.
There's a double standard from law enforcement, and huge numbers of Black men are locked up in prison, so what good would marriage do?
White people and people of other races do drugs, yet only Black people are supposed to resist the urge? That in and of itself is racist, and you have issues if you cannot confront this double standard.
Now I'm not advocating drug use as it definitely causes major long term physical and mental health issues. But it doesn't justify the disparity in sentences.
Lastly there are other issues as well. Education is not free, and wealth tends to be generation. I'm an Ivy League grad student in part because I got an inheritance from my aunt when she passed. When it is time to pay for college and related expenses they don't care whether your parents are married or not. You either have the resources to pay (or able to get them) or you don't get in PERIOD.
As someone from NYC you should also know until they start enforcing the fair housing laws, Blacks were not ALLOWED in MANY neighborhoods. They tended to live in the ****tiest neighborhoods. Not to mention that you had perfectly LEGAL discrimination in employment AND in education until the civil rights laws of the 60s and the 70s. Oh and there's lots of reports of BANKS discrimination against Blacks in MORTGAGES as well. All of this contributes to the lack of resources among Blacks today. It can take generations to build FAMILY wealthy.
Lastly many of the whites who are now wealthy did indeed use the government to become wealthy. I know many Ivy Leaguers who are former military members. Right after WW2, whites were able to use the GI bill to go to college, get loans for small businesses, mortgages for homes, etc. Blacks were unable to do so until well after the civil rights laws were passed and enforced.
We all know that we live in a system designed to target minorities, most notably, AAs. So WHY do something illegal knowing that it can get you locked up? Obviously, it is an unfair world and AAs cannot act out in the same ways as Whites. You have to work the system to get by. This is what I'm saying. I don't fear the police because there is nothing they can pin on me. I pay their salary with my tax dollars and they are supposed to serve my community and keep it safe. AA males should adhere to this ESPECIALLY because you are targeted. It is ironic that we are speaking in this topic because I literally JUST saw a young AA male wearing a hoodie and baggy clothes walking along the highway shoulder and the state trooper immediately put on his lights and pulled over to confront him. Even "preppy" AA kids get harassed by police as noted by @green_mariner. This is why we have to work twice as hard to get the same opportunities and live the lifestyles we want to live.
It is fortunate that you had a kind Aunt that looked out for you in that way. Generational wealth would be more of a norm in the AA community if we all responsibly planned our families and our children's educational goals BEFORE they are born. AAs as a whole should model themselves after successful minorities. I know I do. Networking and learning from other races/cultures has helped me greatly.
Also, our neighborhoods would not be so horrible if people started to care about their community instead of only themselves. The projects started out as low income housing for two parent households. They were designed for people to save up and then move onto single-family homes. AAs themselves chose to destroy their own neighborhoods, most notably, in the MLk riots. It makes no sense. We, as a group, tend to think on an individual basis. Other ethnic groups make moves with the entire community in mind. Look at the Lubavitchers on Eastern Parkway for example. They loan each other money to assist in entrepreneurial efforts and create voting blocs to get their political goals accomplished. Obviously we face discrimination but discrimination does not force any of us to sell drugs to one another or rob each other out of jealousy. Those are choices that some of us make and it brings down the community as a whole.
With regards to the housing situation, you'll notice that many immigrants pool resources, such as housing until everyone can get on their feet. AAs could do the same. I never understood why many parents push their children out at 18 when they may not be economically sound enough to make it on their own. Parents and extended family in the AA community should also pool heir resources together to make sure the children are successful in life. This is why it makes sense to either abstain from having kids if you are broke or limit childbearing to two children per couple, max. It makes perfect sense until the community as a whole obtains greater wealth as a whole. I know that my way of thinking is unrealistic though and will never happen, unfortunately.
Asians DOMINATE (right after Whites) in the tech industry. Of course, they face discrimination but they are relentless in their pursuit of education and wealth. The Chinese, iin particular, are buying up American real estate and land right now as we speak.They also work together in school. I remember when I was in college, all of the Asian kids would get together and share information and their old tests so that they could all do well in their classes. I had a Filipina friend in middle school and she pushed me academically as well. We used to compete to see who would get the highest grades. She was the one who even told me about testing into the Science and Tech HS program (which, fortunately I did because my HS's General Ed program sucked!)
We have to create our own economic opportunities when it comes to creating wealth. There is really no reason why we have to keep asking for handouts. This is why I am studying entrepreneurship now and gaining more tech knowledge. I'm planning my life accordingly to create passive income, invest and build generational wealth so that my future descendants can go even furher than me (hopefully).
Lastly and this is true of ALL races of people. Why are we pretending that everyone has the same intelligence?
Yes, Oprah Winfrey had a maid grandmother in the deep South and now she's a billionaire. How many people of ANY RACE have made this kind of transition, considering there is well over 6 billion people in the world. Very FEW. Taking a FEW EXTREMELY, EXCEPTIONAL people and saying this is going to be easily achievable (if achievable at all) for most people (of any race) is ridiculous.
And as for actual intelligence, either you have it or you don't. Of course you can study to get the credentials, but there are people whose parents had money, send them to good private k-12 schools and the kid could not do well. Some people are just DUMB.
Obviously, this is an issue. I also think that AAs purposely underachieve though, as well. If you look at the culture of AA households and, especially, AA adolescent culture, it is frowned upon to be smart and do well in school. Most intelligent AAs are made fun of and mocked. This is what destroys us. I find it hard to believe that if we are genetically related to West Africans (e.g. Nigerians), that they can come over here and become engineers and doctors and we can't. It makes no sense. Take Ben Carson for example. He made it because his mother emphasized education and stressed it throughout his childhood. Therefore, there is a cultural dissonance between AA culture and West African culture. AAs should take notes from what the Nigerian households are doing and follow suit to obtain the same level of success. Lack of discipline is also a huge issue in the AA community. I saw it everyday when I was teaching in the urban schools. The AA children displayed the most attitude and were the most unruly out of all the kids. Parents need to work on their children's manners and teach them to have respect for authority and their peers. I blame it on pop culture as well. Honestly, gangsta rap was one of the worst things that could happen to us. But again, as the celebrities say themselves, they are not here to parent nor are they role models for other people's children. If parents turned off the tv and made their kids open a book, we wouldn't see AA teen boys trying to be the next Lil Wayne or Lebron instead of the next Ben Carson.
this is turning into a group therapy session lol Nothing wrong with that, but we as AA face many struggles and I'm glad this has been mostly a mature conversation.
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