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I know. He most certainly does not appeal to the poor black contingency. They need to break out of their cultural hindrances. I really wish that there were more successful black role models who tried to change the ghetto attitudes and culture.
I wish that everyone who ever wrote a column about what's wrong with the inner city black community decided to volunteer in the inner city black community instead. I bet if that guy in the picture (he was the author of the column) decided to head down to a West Philadelphia elementary school, or to an afterschool program, and spend some time with the kids showing them the internet and where they can find useful sites -- the kids would respond to him. They would think he was "corny", but if he were sincere, they'd know it and appreciate him and even look up to him. (Sad but true, they'd admire him more if he made a point of flaunting his material assets a bit.) If he drilled into them what it takes to have a good life in America, some of them would respond to that too.
If that guy showed up smiling like that as my "big brother" I'd be worried that he was a Penn State alum if you catch my drift.
That's just sad, Math. I get your drift. Adult males can't have an interest in children anymore without people thinking they are predators. Damn Sandusky and his ilk.
Oh boy considering by just about every socioeconomic indicator poor Blacks fare worse than poor Whites what do you expect? Here we go with the denials and deflection from the usual suspects.
Also among the 600+ comments that accompany the articles there are several from folks who claim to have grown up poor and White. Some agree with him others do not. Why does everything have to be an attack on Blacks? Why can't things be analyzed on their face value?
when you post the same material again and again people get tired of it. are you going for the guiness book of world records, most race bait threads in a year award?
I wish that everyone who ever wrote a column about what's wrong with the inner city black community decided to volunteer in the inner city black community instead. I bet if that guy in the picture (he was the author of the column) decided to head down to a West Philadelphia elementary school, or to an afterschool program, and spend some time with the kids showing them the internet and where they can find useful sites -- the kids would respond to him. They would think he was "corny", but if he were sincere, they'd know it and appreciate him and even look up to him. (Sad but true, they'd admire him more if he made a point of flaunting his material assets a bit.) If he drilled into them what it takes to have a good life in America, some of them would respond to that too.
I agree, but you cannot deny that successful black role models would be more accepted and have a better chance at getting through the cultural barriers.
when you post the same material again and again people get tired of it. are you going for the guiness book of world records, most race bait threads in a year award?
This article is generating a lot of buzz on Black blogs. Have a nice day.
This is very interesting to say the least! The writer is right and wrong and also a bit off base. The title "Poor Black Kid" comes with so many intangibles and outside factors that it is difficult to create a one size fits all antidote. Prime example: I grew up fairly middle class but was surrounded by poor Hispanic and black kids in school, all of my life.
Honestly, I do not believe that I could have or would have handled their challenges to become the successful person I am today had I been in their situation. My best friend from childhood is a great example. At the age of 8 or 9, he had to take care of two younger sisters. That meant, he had to get them ready for school in the morning (bath, clothes, cereal and walk to school.)
At that age, I had a care free existence and did basically what any 8 year old would do. His father was absent for the most part and his mother was on drugs. She would give him food stamps to go shopping. I usually tagged along with him. He went to store every morning at 6 a.m. to get breakfast for his sisters. School was the least of his priorities but he was very intelligent. As we got older, he developed a survivalist mentality, always trying to get over or play an angle. I undertood where this came from but he alienated everyone around him.
There were times where we both worked fast food and he would steal just to make sure his sisters ate. From a moral standpoint it is wrong, but how could I tell him not to do it when they needed something to eat? I had a curfew in high school and if I broke it, my pops was there to straighten me out. My friend had no one to correct him. At the age of 15 or 16, he started to sell drugs to pay the rent and other necessities because by now his mother was no longer a functional drug addict. She fell into a deep dark place. Social services and other agencies tried to help but it was too late.
I agree that some of these kids have a convenient copout but a lot of them are doomed from the start. My best friend was eventually arrested and did 10 years in jail. My point being, it is easy to say what people should do but you never know anyone's circumstances and how those circumstances affect their choices. No one wants to grow up to be a prostitute or drug dealer.
I agree, but you cannot deny that successful black role models would be more accepted and have a better chance at getting through the cultural barriers.
Black role models are good, but any role model will do. If someone genuinely cares about kids, they can tell that. If every person who likes to stand back and criticize the inner city decided to volunteer there instead, things would turn around. Black, white, brown, asian, africans like Edward, whoever -- they all could have a huge impact on black inner city youth if they took the time to interact with them.
Lots of black kids would like to have the life they see on t.v. and in the movies. They just have no clue how to get there. If someone took the time to show them the way, some would respond.
Why is a "Middle aged guy" thinking in depth about race and customs of a so called social undesirable (poverty-index) boy or young man (since he is a man one time in his life so he was a boy that grew up into a young man.)
Is this what a mid-life crisis is for middle aged educated men in America nowadays?
What happen to your calling?
I see. I too will admit the title of this post intrigue me.
But since he is listing all the things that made life easy is he saying to Forbes magazine readers the philosophical saying "Easy come, easy goes."
Is there really an philosophical end to race and being at ease?
Philosophically speaking is he saying "your days are numbered."
I admitI'm a short, balding and mediocre certified public accountant (biggest downfall: if it's close enough it's good enough). I write Quicker Better Wiser and Quicker Better Tech columns/blogs for Forbes.com. I was a former senior manager at KPMG and since 1994 the owner of the Marks Group PC, a 10-member customer relationship management consulting firm based outside Philadelphia. I've written five small-business management books, most recently, “In God We Trust, Everyone Else Pays Cash: Simple Lessons From Smart Business People.” I also write The Dashboard, a weekly online column for The New York Times as well as twice-monthly column for Bloomberg BusinessWeek and American City Business Journals. You can follow me at twitter.com/genemarks.
Another philosophical phrase I hear in this piece is that the "The sky is falling"
or "is it time to be humble?"
For who?
Coming soon.
Thanks.
My only concern is that race is no longer an weighty issue in and on this one Earth.
But in the middle aged guy glance point, race also carries the notion or stigmatization of class, so for me I get a two for one deal.
I love a great deal.
That my thoughts on this matter.
Last edited by Pup Eli; 12-14-2011 at 10:47 AM..
Reason: Tags did not connect
This is very interesting to say the least! The writer is right and wrong and also a bit off base. The title "Poor Black Kid" comes with so many intangibles and outside factors that it is difficult to create a one size fits all antidote. Prime example: I grew up fairly middle class but was surrounded by poor Hispanic and black kids in school, all of my life.
Honestly, I do not believe that I could have or would have handled their challenges to become the successful person I am today had I been in their situation. My best friend from childhood is a great example. At the age of 8 or 9, he had to take care of two younger sisters. That meant, he had to get them ready for school in the morning (bath, clothes, cereal and walk to school.)
At that age, I had a care free existence and did basically what any 8 year old would do. His father was absent for the most part and his mother was on drugs. She would give him food stamps to go shopping. I usually tagged along with him. He went to store every morning at 6 a.m. to get breakfast for his sisters. School was the least of his priorities but he was very intelligent. As we got older, he developed a survivalist mentality, always trying to get over or play an angle. I undertood where this came from but he alienated everyone around him.
There were times where we both worked fast food and he would steal just to make sure his sisters ate. From a moral standpoint it is wrong, but how could I tell him not to do it when they needed something to eat? I had a curfew in high school and if I broke it, my pops was there to straighten me out. My friend had no one to correct him. At the age of 15 or 16, he started to sell drugs to pay the rent and other necessities because by now his mother was no longer a functional drug addict. She fell into a deep dark place. Social services and other agencies tried to help but it was too late.
I agree that some of these kids have a convenient copout but a lot of them are doomed from the start. My best friend was eventually arrested and did 10 years in jail. My point being, it is easy to say what people should do but you never know anyone's circumstances and how those circumstances affect their choices. No one wants to grow up to be a prostitute or drug dealer.
Exactly.
These issues are complex and multi-layered, but it seems like there is always someone trying to make them sound simple. The article just boiled down to "work hard at school and get a scholarship". That is a great strategy but it won't work for everyone, for a lot of reasons. His heart is in the right place so I'm not mad at him, but it just contributes to the idea that all a child has to do is "pull themselves up by their bootstraps" and help will magically appear from all directions to get them out of their situations.
Requiring children to make a series of level-headed decisions from an early age when lots of of them are not likely to come across much outside help is not realistic.
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The words from a man of sorrows.
I too will admit the title of this post intrigue me.
