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The truth is that there are some noticeable deficiencies in the black community and sometimes there aren't enough blacks to offset the perceptions generated by those who perpetually validate the stereotypes. I live in Baltimore, and sometimes I think of those whites whose primary experiences with blacks are the ones they see when they drive into and out of the city. As much as some of us try to convince them that the majority of blacks aren't like the ones they see loitering, sagging their pants, being rude and ignorant, this is the real life example they get, further validated by (if they chose to tune in) most programs aired on the affectionately named Black Entertainment Television.
We can clamor on about the unfairness of being stereotyped, but there are far too many blacks perpetuating the stereotype constantly. Likewise, there are a strong segment of whites who perpetuate the stereotype that they are racist and elitist. I guess every group has its cross to bear.
The irony of your statement is that you live in Maryland, which has the highest per capita income for Blacks in the USA. The way I see it, you go into Baltimore, which has large amounts of blight. There is a big difference between Baltimore(poor, and having alot of blight), and Bowie(wealthy, predominantly Black area).
Your "it is what it is" mentality towards unfairness of being stereotyped is trouble, and angering for me, because it is me, a Black man who doesn't live to any of those stereotypes,who has to deal with it. It is almost like you don't even care. I care alot because I'm affected by it. Maybe if you got away from Baltimore you would see a different side of things. Maybe if you quit basing your experiences on Baltimore, you would see something different.
The problem is that not that there aren't enough Blacks to offset those who are doing the loitering, being rude, etc. The problem is the ones who do that tend to do it openly, and have no shame in attracting attention to themselves.
Oh now it's hatred. Why don't you answer my question, is there anything else to talk about? What do you like to do? What are your hobbies. Do you work, going to school. Children? Or are you so focused on being black that you can't see past your skin color?
So what else is there about you to talk about? What do you dream about doing? What will you do to achieve your dream?
Why else would you say "If you weren't black what would you have to talk about?" You are saying that because you assuming that because Chicago South Side is black, said person doesn't have anything else to talk about. You are the one making assumptions.
The irony of your statement is that you live in Maryland, which has the highest per capita income for Blacks in the USA. The way I see it, you go into Baltimore, which has large amounts of blight. There is a big difference between Baltimore(poor, and having alot of blight), and Bowie(wealthy, predominantly Black area).
Your "it is what it is" mentality towards unfairness of being stereotyped is trouble, and angering for me, because it is me, a Black man who doesn't live to any of those stereotypes,who has to deal with it. It is almost like you don't even care. I care alot because I'm affected by it. Maybe if you got away from Baltimore you would see a different side of things. Maybe if you quit basing your experiences on Baltimore, you would see something different.
The problem is that not that there aren't enough Blacks to offset those who are doing the loitering, being rude, etc. The problem is the ones who do that tend to do it openly, and have no shame in attracting attention to themselves.
Nope. I grew up in Bowie and these stereotypes still hold true in Bowie. PG isn't some black utopia. It's highly dysfunctional. The leadership is corrupt and has some of the worst public schools in the nation despite some of the highest spending per student, there are Section 8 vouchers and group homes for the mentally ill, sex offenders, halfway houses for addicts, etc all sprinkled in to upscale (Bowie) neighborhoods that bring the quality of life down for everyone. Property taxes are outrageously high despite lower home prices than some areas of MD, because there is so much crime PG can't attract much retail so all of that burden falls on the homeowner. They can't even get a decent upscale mall to stay occupied because of all of the violent crime after dark and shoplifting. I'd recommend spending some time in 'affluent' PG County before using it as a shining example of a functional black community. It's pretty much a glorified welfare state with most of the employment being from the federal government. It's a false illusion of a middle class society.
Nope. I grew up in Bowie and these stereotypes still hold true in Bowie. PG isn't some black utopia, it's highly dysfunctional, the leadership is corrupt and has some of the worst public schools in the nation despite some of the highest spending per student. I'd recommend spending some time in 'affluent' PG County before using it as a shining example of a functional community.
I never said it was a utopia. However, with an household income of over $98,000 per year, and a 2011 crime index of 123.6, it is better than Baltimore.
I never said it was a utopia. However, with an household income of over $98,000 per year, and a 2011 crime index of 123.6, it is better than Baltimore.
The irony of your statement is that you live in Maryland, which has the highest per capita income for Blacks in the USA. The way I see it, you go into Baltimore, which has large amounts of blight. There is a big difference between Baltimore(poor, and having alot of blight), and Bowie(wealthy, predominantly Black area).
Your "it is what it is" mentality towards unfairness of being stereotyped is trouble, and angering for me, because it is me, a Black man who doesn't live to any of those stereotypes,who has to deal with it. It is almost like you don't even care. I care alot because I'm affected by it. Maybe if you got away from Baltimore you would see a different side of things. Maybe if you quit basing your experiences on Baltimore, you would see something different.
The problem is that not that there aren't enough Blacks to offset those who are doing the loitering, being rude, etc. The problem is the ones who do that tend to do it openly, and have no shame in attracting attention to themselves.
There is no irony; I am in PG County regularly and I see some of the same things there that I see here in Baltimore. Maybe without so much of the urban blight and violence, but I still see blacks behaving similarly in the county with the "highest per capita income for Blacks". As far as caring, you're absolutely wrong. I'm an educated, professional black male who, like you, isn't living and perpetuating the stereotypes. I care about how those stereotypes affect me; I just approach it differently than you.
Furthermore, I'm not basing my experience solely on Baltimore. I'm not even from Baltimore originally. I've been all over the country and I see a lot of the same bad behaviors from an alarming number of us. That is cause for concern. This doesn't mean that I don't regularly encounter educated, productive, respectable black men and women like myself; the troubling part is that I just as often, perhaps even more often, encounter those who are the opposite.
There is no irony; I am in PG County regularly and I see some of the same things there that I see here in Baltimore. Maybe without so much of the urban blight and violence, but I still see blacks behaving similarly in the county with the "highest per capita income for Blacks". As far as caring, you're absolutely wrong. I'm an educated, professional black male who, like you, isn't living and perpetuating the stereotypes. I care about how those stereotypes affect me; I just approach it differently than you.
Furthermore, I'm not basing my experience solely on Baltimore. I'm not even from Baltimore originally. I've been all over the country and I see a lot of the same bad behaviors from an alarming number of us. That is cause for concern. This doesn't mean that I don't regularly encounter educated, productive, respectable black men and women like myself; the troubling part is that I just as often, perhaps even more often, encounter those who are the opposite.
I look at PG's geography. It borders the worst parts of DC. You have the ugly parts around the beltway, and there is there are the wealthy areas of PG County.
I have a question. How do you approach the situation compared to me?
I look at the bad behavior like this. The worst behavior from Black people is often done out in the open, with no sense of shame. I've noticed that alot of Black people who don't perpetuate the stereotypes often don't live around those that do(at least where I live). I went to California, I hung around the decent areas. The Black people I met, none of them fulfilled the ugly stereotypes. In the Atlanta area, where I'm currently living, I've seen the best and the worst. I've ridden the buses and have seem some of the stereotypes fulfilled. However, in my university, I saw alot of professional Black people. I didn't see much loitering and rude behavior from Blacks in the suburbs. I saw a greater deal in the city of Atlanta, specifically in the poorest areas. It depended on where I went.
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