Black people, stop embarrassing yourselves!

[MD]

I'd have to agree with Frank on this one again. The black culture has problems in America and I blame hip hop for this more than anything else. It seems to have progressed in a retrograde fashion. I have worked in many inner city facilities and I see many people abusing the system, not going to college, etc. The absence of fathers is despicable as well as the lack of health care, which is why I wasn't totally against Obamacare. This is where I support Islam for blacks in America, because it's one of the few things which helps them.

I grew up in a ghetto Toronto neighborhood, with kids from everywhere. In poor neighborhoods there are gangs, where I was it was mostly Tamil Sri Lankans (who came from war zones) Afghan gangs (also war zone) and an assortment of 'black' gangs who were mostly Jamaican and West African. There were also East Africans who were part of the black gangs

Most of the Tamil and Afghan kids who were in gangs were either deported or straightened out (after a lengthy jail terms). But most of the black (male) youth are still on the streets, slinging coke or crack. The good ones, like a friend of mine, were killed. Very few straightened out. I think it has to do with the general culture, while the Tamils and Afghans stayed with their original culture, the black youth abandoned their original culture for the American hip hop gangsta culture. Except for the East African Muslim blacks, who also straightened out due to the strength of their culture.

There needs to be another Malcolm X or MLK. There needs to be responsibility for the lack of fathers in the community and the lack of family structure. There needs to be a massive campaign to recognize the damage hip hop has, from gangstaness to clubbing to objectifying women fully. There needs to be an emphasis on education more than sports. Statistically sports can't save an entire community. Liberals can talk about dismantling the family all they want, but families are necessary in poverty stricken areas especially. And the cops need to stop shooting innocent black people, they are as much at fault. However I can understand their fear, although I don't condone it.

Obama takes the black community two steps forward, but Lil Wayne takes them 5 steps back.

 

[suncowiam]

I'd have to agree with Frank on this one again. The black culture is backwards in America and I blame hip hop for this more than anything else. It seems to have progressed in a retrograde fashion. I have worked in many inner city facilities and I see many people abusing the system, not going to college, etc. This is where I support Islam for blacks in America, because it's one of the few things which helps them.

I grew up in a ghetto Toronto neighborhood, with kids from everywhere. In poor neighborhoods there are gangs, where I was it was mostly Tamil Sri Lankans (who came from war zones) Afghan gangs (also war zone) and an assortment of 'black' gangs who were mostly Jamaican and African.

Most of the Tamil and Afghan kids who were in gangs were either deported or straightened out (after a lengthy jail terms). But most of the black (male) youth are still on the streets, slinging coke or crack. The good ones, like a friend of mine, were killed. Very few straightened out. I think it has to do with the general culture, while the Tamils and Afghans stayed with their original culture, the black youth abandoned their original culture for the American hip hop gangsta culture.

There needs to be another Malcolm X or MLK. There needs to be responsibility for the lack of fathers in the community and the lack of family structure. There needs to be a massive campaign to recognize the damage hip hop has, from gangstaness to clubbing to objectifying women fully. There needs to be an emphasis on education more rather than sports. Statistically sports can't save an entire community. Liberals can talk about dismantling the family all they want, but families are necessary in poverty stricken areas especially. And the cops need to stop shooting innocent black people, they are as much at fault. However I can understand their fear, although I don't condone it.

I'm going to agree that the hip hop and rap culture is pretty backwards.

I used to be heavily rooted in this culture growing up in a poor neighborhood believing certain things about authority. I'm not black but am a minority of immigration.

I grew up and still listen to some music but more of the pop variety. I definitely will monitor this music and culture with my kids.

My point is, there are correlations beyond race. In my case, it was a poor environment because things changed for the better when we got out of that neighborhood and because my parents were making more income. That was my case alone, of course. Can't the say the same for everyone else.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

Pretty much. To whit, women can be misogynist, gays can be homophobic, and yes, blacks can be racist. People are more than capable of internalizing their hatred for marginalized groups.



It's all kinds of things IMO. Mostly it panders to an austerity mindset. I'm not surprised, tbh.

He's on ignore and I recall letting him know he's going on ignore before I put him there. So of course I'm not going to reply to him.

And this has nothing to do with internalized self-hatred or whatever. I went through a period of hating myself for being mixed when I was younger and you can scroll up towards the top of page 3 and read my response to Wirey for why I felt that way. I've largely gotten over it and take pride in all of my heritage.

 

[MD]

I'm going to agree that the hip hop and rap culture is pretty backwords.

I used to be heavily rooted in this culture growing up in a poor neighborhood believing certain things about authority. I'm not black but am a minority of immigration.

I grew up and still listen to some music but more of the pop variety. I definitely will monitor this music and culture with my kids.

My point is, there are correlations beyond race. In my case, it was a poor environment because things changed for the better when we got out of that neighborhood and because my parents were making more income. That was my case alone, of course. Can't the say the same for everyone else.

We criticize religions and we must criticize cultures. I loved hip hop growing up, but back when i was a kid Tupac and social hip hop was a lot more prevalent. Even Eminem made you think sometimes, and Tupac was a poet.

Now it's so empty and vapid, the entire genre has made a generation mindless.

We didn't get out until I was an adult, but I'm glad we got out. I have bad memories of that place everytime I pass by there.

 

[MysticSang'ha]

He's on ignore and I recall letting him know he's going on ignore before I put him there. So of course I'm not going to reply to him.

Fair enough.

And this has nothing to do with internalized self-hatred or whatever. I went through a period of hating myself for being mixed when I was younger and you can scroll up towards the top of the page and read my response to Wirey for why I felt that way. I've largely gotten over it and take pride in all of my heritage.

I'm responding to your contention that white people shouldn't be calling your thread racist. By that logic, no straight man should ever call me or my opinions sexist or biphobic. And you should never tell me what feminism really is or is not because you just don't "qualify" simply because of your manhood. If we follow that logic to its conclusion in other areas, that is.

Now THAT is PC, Frank.

Oh, and earlier I had to teach a class. That's why I didn't respond right away, but please feel free to claim a small victory if it makes you sleep better at night.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

We criticize religions and we must criticize cultures. I loved hip hop growing up, but back when i was a kid Tupac and social hip hop was a lot more prevalent. Even Eminem made you think sometimes, and Tupac was a poet.

Now it's so empty and vapid, the entire genre has made a generation mindless.

We didn't get out until I was an adult, but I'm glad we got out. I have bad memories of that place everytime I pass by there.

Yeah, rap in the '80s and early to mid-'90s was mostly different from how mainstream rap is usually now. Even hardcore rap and gangsta rap like Ice Cube (I posted a song of his in this thread) had an angry political and social message about how screwed up things are in the hood.

Rap songs like this aren't the type that get popular these days:

"I think that all the silence is worse than all the violence
Fear is such a weak emotion that's why I despise it
We scared of almost everything, afraid to even tell the truth
So scared of what you think of me, I’m scared of even telling you
Sometimes I’m like the only person I feel safe to tell it to
I’m locked inside a cell in me, I know that there’s a jail in you
Consider this your bailing out, so take a breath, inhale a few
My screams is finally getting free, my thoughts is finally yelling through"

^One of my favorite verses of any song.

 

[suncowiam]

We criticize religions and we must criticize cultures. I loved hip hop growing up, but back when i was a kid Tupac and social hip hop was a lot more prevalent. Even Eminem made you think sometimes, and Tupac was a poet.

Now it's so empty and vapid, the entire genre has made a generation mindless.

We didn't get out until I was an adult, but I'm glad we got out. I have bad memories of that place everytime I pass by there.

I agree with you that we should criticize culture. Hip hop and rap are very black in its origin, but other poor demographics go through similar phases. It just happens that blacks were here first as a minority.

Hip hop and rap now expands beyond black culture and into other countries. It's very popular in any poor social environments.

Go on you tube and you will find hip hop and rap varieties across the world. But the trend I would assert is with poor communities and not necessarily race.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

Fair enough.



I'm responding to your contention that white people shouldn't be calling your thread racist. By that logic, no straight man should ever call me or my opinions sexist or biphobic. And you should never tell me what feminism really is or is not because you just don't "qualify" simply because of your manhood. If we follow that logic to its conclusion in other areas, that is.

Now THAT is PC, Frank.

Oh, and earlier I had to teach a class. That's why I didn't respond right away, but please feel free to claim a small victory if it makes you sleep better at night.

Lol. You know I love you, Heather. I just disagree with you.

 

[MD]

I agree with you that we should criticize culture. Hip hop and rap are very black in its origin, but other poor demographics go through similar phases. It just happens that blacks were here first as a minority.

Hip hop and rap now expands beyond black culture and into other countries. It's very popular in any poor social environments.

Go on you tube and you will find hip hop and rap varieties across the world. But the trend I would assert is with poor communities and not necessarily race.

I never mentioned race. If you read my example you will see the clear distinction I made between East African Muslim blacks and West African/Jamaican blacks. How the former held onto theirs, while the latter adopted hip hop.

It's culture, 100%. And trust me, this is probably one of the only times ever where I think Islam would be beneficial to a community. Look at how it transformed Malcolm X.

A culture needs discipline, order and family. The money will follow through after. These are the foundations for any society, imo.

 

[suncowiam]

I never mentioned race. If you read my example you will see the clear distinction I made between East African Muslim blacks and West African/Jamaican blacks.

It's culture, 100%. And trust me, this is probably one of the only times ever where I think Islam would be beneficial to a community. Look at how it transformed Malcolm X.

A culture needs discipline, order and family. The money will follow through after. These are the foundations for any society, imo.

Then we're in agreement. Although, I would say money helps with many social aspects like education, child care, security, and health-care.

However, the title of this thread and OP strongly suggested race but then later extended to culture within the posts.

The title is unfair so folks will have to sift through all these posts to get a bit better distinction beyond race.

 

[MysticSang'ha]

Lol. You know I love you, Heather. I just disagree with you.

Same here, babe. All is fair in love and war. xoxo

 

[MD]

Then we're in agreement. Although, I would say money helps with many social aspects like education, child care, security, and community.

However, the title of this thread and OP strongly suggested race but then later extended to culture within the posts.

The title is unfair so folks will have to sift through all these posts to get a bit better distinction beyond race.

I do not believe any race has inherent differences in socialization or intelligence. Well maybe Asians (I kid )

Many Nigerians are intelligent, polished, highly educated and of the same genetic stock as African Americans.

Although I do empathize with the fact that many AAs are the descendants of slaves and have been **** on for the last 200+ years, change must come from within.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

@Mazdaian

I largely agree with you except on Obama. Obama has done nothing for the black community, to be honest. He's just another puppet. Yes, black people were very excited and proud and voted in droves for him. But he hasn't returned the favor. It's just business as usual.
9 Facts Shatter Obama’s Claim that Black America Is Better Off Since He Took Office
Blacks Are in Denial About President Barack Obama

As for religion, there's churches on pretty much every block in the hood, at least the hood here. Sometimes there's multiple churches on one block. We don't need mosques. We need to get the black youth back into the churches and doing good for their communities.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

Same here, babe. All is fair in love and war. xoxo

I'm still waiting for you to come pay me a visit. My Birthday's in September, just to remind you.

 

[suncowiam]

I do not believe any race has inherent differences in socialization or intelligence. Well maybe Asians (I kid )

Many Nigerians are intelligent, polished, highly educated and of the same genetic stock as African Americans.

Although I do empathize with the fact that many AAs are the descendants of slaves and have been **** on for the last 200+ years, change must come from within.

Yeah, that's why we look into other social factors when distinguishing issues. If one believes he root caused something but the root cause was wrong, then he's not really solving anything. He's just making it more complicated.

Just to bring this back to the OP. There are two negative sides of the riot. The cause is an unjust killing. The reaction is unjust looting and destruction of property.

All sides have to deal with their respective issues. Focusing on one side is a bit unfair to the whole problem.

 

[suncowiam]

He's on ignore and I recall letting him know he's going on ignore before I put him there. So of course I'm not going to reply to him.

And this has nothing to do with internalized self-hatred or whatever. I went through a period of hating myself for being mixed when I was younger and you can scroll up towards the top of page 3 and read my response to Wirey for why I felt that way. I've largely gotten over it and take pride in all of my heritage.

You and I are behaving immaturely about this subject. I welcome your PM to help resolve this.

I would PM you but you know...

 

[psychoslice]

Where's the thread "White people, stop embarrassing yourselves!"?

Yes where does it end ?.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

Although I do empathize with the fact that many AAs are the descendants of slaves and have been **** on for the last 200+ years, change must come from within.

I came across a very interesting article about this: Articles: The Decline of the African-American family

And there's also books like this: Please Stop Helping Us: How Liberals Make It Harder for Blacks to Succeed: Jason L. Riley: 8601401258346: Amazon.com: Books

 

[Smart_Guy]

No one is 'half-black'. Ask any cop.

Um, half white?

 

[Flankerl]

There are actually half-white/black Americans in Germany.

And you can even eat them.

The old world wins again.