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I have said this before, but I do not mind repeating myself. Yes, the Black community can improve a lot when it comes to our internal values. But it needs to be reinforced by the majority (White) culture. And it is not. No where near it.
I am Black. I got an education (AS, BA...and I'm currently in graduate school). I have had my abilities and my intelligence questioned...constantly. I worked as an escrow accountant for a title insurance company and my boss used ask questions to the company controller who used to call me in for my input (the controller was also a Black man). Our boss (a White man) used to tell me "Wow, I didn't know that you were so good a presenting and talking about numbers!" (I was hired for my position before he came into the company). On another occasion I was hired by an accountant who was also baffled that someone who didn't major in accounting (me) was able to learn so quickly. However he also had a White woman there who never went to college and she did similar work...but that was not so 'amazing'.
A lot of men are surprised that women can do things well. It doesn't necessarily mean he thought you were amazing due to your skin color...unless there have been other things that led you to this conclusion. Further, men are always amazed when a woman can learn quickly, and even more amazed when it's something outside her field.
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When White people ask me about my personal life, their mouths drop open when I tell them that I do not have any children. They also tend to say something along the lines of "Oh, you talk so well" which they might as well add "for a Black person" to the end of. I've had White people try to set me up with their random Black male friends; with no consideration given whatsoever as to whether or not we have anything else in common besides the color of our skin. I've answered too many ignorant questions about my hair, my family background, and my sexual history to count.
I know it happens often that people of all skin colors openly express shock or surprise when they meet someone who doesn't fit a stereotype. People do and say stupid things.
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So what does this have to do with Black under achievement? Well the stereotype of under achievement is perpetuated by the majority (White people) in regards to what Black people are. I am currently dating a White man who works in an early childhood center. He says that without a doubt, most of the teachers set lower standards for Black children than they do for non-Black children. And these are 2-4 year olds! Think about it. This society has (does?) perpetuate a strong stereotype about women a femininity. Women are meant to feel less like women if they do not do certain things. Therefore asking a question like "How do we cure Black underachievement?" is pretty similar to asking "How do we cure self-image problems among women?". You can just pin that on Black people/Women and say "They have to deal with that and work on that themselves". No. I am a woman too, and the fact that men break their necks running after the women with the 28" waists and 38" bust (usually enlarged from silicone) is a big part of the problem.
No, we all have to wake up and start looking at reality. Why is skin color such a big deal when a good number of us have been in this country for hundreds of years already. Start looking at me as a person....and not as a 'Black person'. Do you think I look at a red-head...and start conjuring up all of these ideas about that person's personality, intelligence, and personal life? Most definitely not. Is it too much to ask for the same?
I agree with much of what you are saying but where does the responsibility lie in making skin color a big deal?
How many people do you know that see Obama as a "man" rather than a "Black man"? I've asked this question many times, but never received a response. Remember when Chris Matthews said he forgot Obama was Black for an hour? Wow, that was quite telling, no?
Who keeps harping on his skin color? Who uses skin color for political advantage and gain? Who goes along with this ideology and allows it to be used?
To say that you want to be seen as a person and not a Black person first...well, you are confusing the hell out of many white liberals, and some Black ones. All of the "Black" organizations suggest otherwise. All of the self-identification by skin color suggests otherwise also.
Recently a white liberal posted that Jesse Jackson is Black before he is liberal. I objected because to me, that is judging him on skin color first. Not suprising that no liberals agreed with me. I know this is a relatively mild example...that it's much worse than this. But, be honest about which political and social groups make the biggest deal about skin color.
Go back in a time capsule to the 1960's and don't institutionalize dependancy by use of welfare programs. They were an insult to black people, who, before this time had intact families, and an expectation that they were just as capable as white people, but had been prevented from success by segregation and discrimination.
Location: New Albany, Indiana (Greater Louisville)
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Eat healthy, get a college degree, buy a large house in a nice neighborhood, marry a pretty woman, have children who all go to college and make alot of money....
DIE ANYWAY
Are Black ppl underachievers **or** do they understand that all the grad school stuff is fool's gold? By being rich you might add 10 years to your life. Why not just enjoy life as it comes?
I read that someone just posted that it was a white guy who started this thread posing as a black guy??
I think right in that statement is where we start to improving "black underachievment"
first we all must accept the reality of the situation... it the statement true??
My guess is if someone was a real racist it wouldn't be called "underachievment"
and that is my point. White people are afraid of addressing the issue because they are afraid of being called out as a racist. Black people are in a position of feeling threateneed by the issue because of the american history of inferiority placd on them... which is racist..
Black's and whites alike want to see everyone have an opportunity in this country to be successfull. I think most black people would be hard to accept the notion that the very whites you are accusing of racism and turning away are th whites you should be embracing and are truly the honest ones who want to see situations improve..
It is the white politicians who placate to you and feed you what you want to hear but after 30 years have not made your lives any better who are the ones to watch out for.
It's easy to bring politics into this because it IS political. Blacks are political chattel and now the mexican is being used by politics. The whole premises of liberalism is to have people beholden to government and the only way to do this is to devise a system that limits your opportunities. remember the quote about the devil and a face of virtue??
So when you hear whites commenting on these things and some of it may seem insulting.. and yes some are racist's and using this forum to hide behind a computer screen and spew hatred... but please take a 2nd look and think about what people are saying..
once we all agree there IS a problem.. we can start finding why there is a problem... and then work towards a solution!
As usual, I have a slightly skewed observation to contribute:
I consider myself to be very observant. One of the lesser egregious observations i've made is that of black people and telephone conversations. Aside from the fact that there's generally no respect for anyone in earshot of the conversation, i've noticed that 9 times out of 10 the conversation is highly-dramatic, full of he said-she said-ain't-gonna-happen-they crazy-they lie-blah blah blah. In noticing this, I can't help but to wonder how much time drama consumes the black community? Don't get me wrong, i'm not a proponent of any type of censorship nor do I think its my business to judge black individuals' affairs. But my goodness. If 1/100th of my life was consumed with the amount of drama that I hear coming from simple telephone conversations, i'd have myself committed to an insane asylum for drama overload.
How much drama can one person handle without it interfering in their everyday pursuit of dreams and goals?
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