If Obama wins... will the "the man" excuses stop?
- Thread starter wutamess
- Start date
Those are mutually exclusive arguments. "The man" holding us down doesn't just exist in Washington. It exists in hiring, housing, promotion etc and it's those responsible for holding us down who use the legal system to get away with these activities. What you are largely referring to when you say this are people who give up easy whenever opposition to their growth hits a wall.
No, that won't ever end.
On the other hand, you are correct that the benefits to Obama's ascension to the white house will be enormous.
-VG
the fact that black people think obama has a chance of winning is disturbing.....shows why the black community is in shambles.
We might stop using that explanation if "the man" stops fucking with us and shares the wealth. We want our 40 acres, the mule, plus interest.
Nailed it in every way.
There will always be people around to "blame" someone. Just think ahead to all the under-educated "hill folk" in West Virginia and Kentucky that will be QUICK to blame Obama for their economic ills when he's in office. (while completely omitting the trillions in debt that "their" President will leave the country in when HE leaves office)
But I hope on all I have that the "benefits" that VG mentioned come to fruition. Renewed belief in the acquisition of our goals through education and hard work. Belief that there are REALLY more white people out there that truly want to help make changes that are all-incompassing. Belief that we can be successful two parent homes without "selling-out".
And that's just the short list.
It means ALOT of excuses will have to come to an end.
D-Nice 1 (The Nice One)
That's the attitude I'm referring to right there.
We as minorities have every opportunity to succeed. We have Affirmative Action (although it's not perfect) & Equal Opportunity shops in almost everything we apply for. In my hometown (KCMO), some high school students are even granted full ride scholarships to college just for graduating.
The time and place has come to where we have to stop using the excuses and wanting our 40 acres & yada yada yada.
It does nothing but make us look like we're asking for a handout. Sure the country was built on the backs of our people but it WAS our people. That was over 400 years ago. Things surely aren't perfect but at this point, we have no one to blame but ourselves.
Like Chris Rock says, that's not Ted Koppel (the media) robbing me at my ATM machine... "That's a nigga". That aint Wolf Blitzer bringing 76% off black babies into the world out of wedlock... "That's a nigga". The trend goes on & on.
EVERYONE has an opportunity to invest in themselves. Those that chose not to seek excuses.
Excuses are tools that build monuments of nothingness.
~Just sayin
40 acres is worth a lot of money in any state today. I own 25 acres in a southern state and it's worth a nice piece of change. Our people wouldn't need affirmative action or equal opportunity if the government paid us for our ancestor's labor. Everyone does not have the opportunity to invest in themselves. There are 2 million people in America's penal system most of them never had a chance they were destined for prison.
Another excuse.
Millions of people have made it happen despite the odds and not asking for handouts. I can understand experiencing physical/mental abuse but haven't we all at some point?
EO & AA is the white man's 40 acres to you/us. Take advantage of it.
Besides, lets say we do get our 40 acres... Why do you think the "give me something for free" people will responsibly take care of it or the $ it'd bring to them? As Chris Rock and D ave Chapelle says... "GM/cadillac's stock would skyrocket". Hell the millions of us on public assistance don't take advantage of opportunities it can create. Why in the hell would I give that same person 40 acres?
First of all it wouldn't be giving anyone anything. It would payment for 300yrs of unpaid slave labor. It would be a drop in the bucket for what Blacks contributed to this country. Every year this government gives billions to people who don't even need it but when it comes to minorities the game changes and it becomes a handout. If Warren Buffet can get 400 million every year I don't see why I can't get a million. The only reason we don't get it is some black people don't want whites to be mad at us they would rather forgive and forget.
NO!... It's because we can't blame slavery 100-500 years ago on our inability to succeed today. We want to be equals but we want a handout. You can't have it both ways.
The Indians should get more than any of us. Of course we were stripped of our families, etc. But they were stripped of EVERYTHING.
If Whites aren't giving Africans 40 acres in Africa what makes you think USA should be different. For you or any other minority group to even entertain the idea that you're owed something because your ancestors built this place 400 years ago is literally stupid.
If roles were reversed... I wouldn't give you /my black ass something for something that I had no control over that happened 400 years ago. I doubt you'd do any different (if roles were reversed).
Well I would say we're entitled to reparations, it will just never happen given the massive logistical difficulties in deciding who gets what.
Now the problem we have in this country is that psychologically collectively we still have too much baggage from what was done to us and as a result we can't see the US as immigrants see it, which is why African immigrants do so much better than us, and even other immigrant groups.
They don't live in countries where they're a small minority embedded in a majority white population, also they haven't been filled with centuries of hatred of whites because of what was done to them, along with internalized self-hatred, and generalized digust with the way the country they live in is run because their own people run their countries.
Now as a result of this they can see the racism that exists against Blacks in this country, but it doesn't limit them, because psychologically they're not as limited so they don't believe they can't achieve anything they want and/or they don't believe that they're limited in their aspirations because of racism as many of us do because we've been here since day one, and given that it's almost impossible for us to imagine our condition as better than it is, because it's difficult for someone to see outside their condition.
So I would say that for us to finally be able to psychologically not be limited by what was done to us and to see this country as immigrants do might take about 75-100 years, but eventually it will happen.
Great points.
Let's not get this twisted. They have the status, money & power.
So what! It's always been a white mans world in our modern society. We have to adapt... We're so used to hustling and adapting... don't know why this is any different.
If this was 50-100 years ago when civil rights were being brought up... you might have a point, but this is '08. We have just as many rights (maybe more) as the typical all american white male. Of course there's the good 'ol boy that still exists but that doesn't necessarily limit our opportunities as to where we can't be more responsible than we currently AREN'T.
There's some, but virtually no excuses as to why we can't succeed without placing blame other than where it actually lays...
Ourselves!
To suggest that YOU or I are owed something because our ancestors built this place is still stupid to me. Are they owed something for getting the place built? Are the egyptian people owed something because their people built the pyramids? Are the Chinese people owed something for building the railroads? Are the japanese owed something for being put in concentration camps during WW II? See the trend?
Slavery is nothing new and I don't see why we should be the exception as to getting something in return from the backs of our ancestors.
Step up your game black people.
Nothing will change the way black ppl are treated in this country. If anything it'll make things worse because a lot of ppl will take it on themselves "to put us in our place". No matter whos running this country(world) racism/hate will still be in the hearts of many. Cops will still get away with murder(literally), we'll still get pulled ova for bullshit, and the hood will still be home.
p.s.
not a pesimist, just a realist
I guess it would depend upon Obama's performance in office, wouldn't it?
Are you asking this in an effort to help or to attack blacks for not being born with the privaleges of whites?.....anyhow.....If your point is to say that by virtue of him being the President 'all should be well' in racial relations, I'd suggest that you must be a very limited thinker.
Shortly after reconstruction blacks were allowed to vote and run for office, it changed nothing in regards to the social status of African Americans. The ploy was seen by many to be what it was, and was soon reversed, enter Jim Crow. "The man" used by blacks and whites alike, represents not only the figureheads who wield positions of power over the masses but that term also speaks generally to the interest of the powerful.
As long as America maintains racial & class issues, as long as American blacks reside primarily at the lower rungs of that socio economic ladder through systematic good ole boy networks, "The man" will remain the villain.
Obama is helping to mend the fences which have divided Americans for so long, but please don't be under the impression that generations of unequality could or should be nullified because a blackman got a good job.
WOW!
Great points...
I was asking because I'm sick of seeing "the man" used as an excuse for the lazy to not get off their asses. I'm sick of people booing Bill Cosby because the truth is hurting them when it comes to THEIR kids. I'm sick of everyone jumping down the neck of some white person when they make a generalization/double standardish comment (yes Imus took it too far) while the black person gets the pass because ti's accepted as ok.
Hoping we can get to a point to where we can start looking at the content instead of the deliverer (no matter what the subject).
Overall I guess I'm sick of racisms and all that goes along with it. If we were all one color I'm sure it'd be the social class as the new "the man".
Oh well.
Here's where you've missed the mark.
- High unemployment rates among Black Americans don't exist because of laziness, to the contrary, the reason Affirmative Action-esque programs were mandated in America, is because the powers that be, AKA "The Man", refused to retain the help of American Blacks in large measure. The idea was for many American companies to have at the very minimum, one minority on the books, be it a janitor or assistant of some kind. But don't get it twisted, if you were he, you would be well aware that your presence wasn't welcomed. And that acceptance in your working environment depended upon your complete assimilation and abandonment of your cultural identity. meaning that any display of your ethnicity, beyond the obvious would be frowned upon (this is changing).
For the past 30 or so years these programs have guaranteed blacks, women of all hues, and minorities in general jobs in America, but this doesn't mean that blacks aren't hard workers, well educated, or experienced in the field enough to deserve the job without this boost. It only means that many American companies have proven track records which suggest that they won't give blacks a shot unless they are forced to.
-Large portions of the black American population booed Bill Cosby, because a majority felt he was (1) out of place in his remarks, (2) ignorant of the current first person perspective, & (3) A turncoat.
Do you contend that because the booers were black and that the issue at hand related to a debate among blacks, that their opinions on that situation weren't valid? Do not blacks have a right just as all Americans do, to disagree or to develop an collective opinion based on common cultural experiences?
-Imus verbally attacked a predominantly black female basketball team because that is his niche, its his thing (verbally attacking others) he called them "nappy headed hoes". Many commentators entertainers, comedians, radio hosts, make disparaging remarks about people, in good fun. Sometimes they are frowned upon for crossing the line. As it happens a large majority of the nation AND the black community felt that Imus' behavior in this scenario was uncalled for. Many felt as though these girls are out of bounds, and therefore they were defended.
Is it your contention that blacks don't have the right if not the moral obligation to at least protest against a wrong done, even when the offender is proven to be habitual?
(see Gwen Ifill, Contessa Brewer, and a slew of other victims of Imus' on air rants)
Watches this with very keen interest..... 
co-sign...
What white people as a whole..the "majority" just doesn't get or refuses to understand is the fact that we have to ask, beg, scream, threaten and be killed just for the same rights and privileges they take for granted. They think that just because we've gotten SOME of something we should have had 100 years earlier that we should be grateful and pat them on the shoulder.
Until they acknowledge not just the acts of injustice but the attitudes that feed the acts we'll never come to an agreement.
I'm understanding his points but today the playing fields are more even. Why do we have to rely on "acknowledging" what we've had to do to get here? We're HERE... keeping "the movement" alive does nothing but perpetuate the, "hate the man" mentality.
Of course what was done BACK THEN was wrong and shouldn't be forgotten but at the same time we shouldn't hold it around our necks because it was a horrible crime committed upon our ancestors.
Another question... If I'm "the man" (and I run everything) why in the hell would I just give someone something if they hate me? Why would I make them an equal just because they feel I owe them something? It (logically) doesn't make sense.
Have you ever realized that maybe the sacrifices your ancestors made back then for you is (kinda) payment enough? I know this won't be of the popular majority in sentiment but my ass has no business in Africa with dress shoes & sweatpants on. I know it's (relatively) developed over there but you get my point.
So basically my point is this... I have 4 kids. I'd be a slave for most of my life in order to make sure my legacy/family is better off. We're (every race) basically "slaves" now in corporate America to accomplish that very same thing. Isn't slavery somewhat the same? Of course they had no choice but you & I are better off because of it. Lets move on and think about how we can better ourselves instead of bringing up the past as a redundant excuse & relying on someone else to do it for us.
Last edited:
Now you're adding a 1 out of a 1,000 scenario. that's not the norm. Maybe 30-40 years ago or whenever but I find it hard to believe that anyone knows when AA is actively taking place in todays market/workplace.
He's a turncoat for speaking the truth? That's what I have problems with. PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY is what we lack as a people. Instead of throwing a college graduation party... we'll throw a coming home party for a family member that's been locked up. In my family I've been to 2-3 coming home mixers and NOT ONE college graduation party. On my dad's side, I'm the first and (so far) only person to graduate college. I didn't get shit (don't care about it) and those are the facts. On that same side of the family I've had 2 people come home from jail within the last 3 years and have had 2 mixers.
You read the transcript and tell me where he is/was wrong? I'm sick of all the points he addressed that exists within the black community. For anyone to attack the messenger instead of the message shows that 1) He's stepped on their toes or 2) The truth hurts.
See first response to your quoted post. They have the right but it was a wrong DONE. It's been over with for hundreds of years so lets not use it as an excuse as to why we can't better ourselves. Too many people have experienced success as a black person for ANY OF US to use it at all.
the playing fields are more even...than what??
and why does the fact that the playing field had to be evened out between races exist in the first place not a question?
look at that part and ask yourself why does AA exist?
the horrible crimes I'm talking about have nothing to do with slavery..STOP TALKING ABOUT SLAVERY..THE ISSUES AND ATTITUDES OF BLACKS HAS LITTLE TO DO WITH SLAVERY AND MUCH TO DO WITH HOW BLACKS WERE/ARE TREATED FROM 1900-2008..The time period that your grandfather, father and yourself live in...I don't care about slavery that's done and gone...as far as I'm concerned the 13th amendment was the did away with that. The issue is how blacks were treated AFTER after when we were supposed "full citizens".
because in america there is a document that guarantees the full RIGHTS of all of it citizens.
because in america you as a black AMERICAN are supposed to pledge allegiance to a symbol of the country that stands for FREEDOM.
Because america loves to boast how no other country on the face of this planet makes the same promises to its citizens.
Yet for the better part of the existence of this country it DENIED a portion of its citizens those rights and privileges it promised.
Its called HYPOCRISY
no I don't get your point.
My ancestors made sacrifices above and beyond what was calld for. They help build this country and couldn't partake in the spoils of their labor nor could my grandparents or parents and just because I can or my children can doesn't mean I should thank God for the country that demanded blood and taxes from me people while denying them their right to participate fully as a citizen.
And africa has been UNDERdeveloped and basically fucked up specifically because of the european rule...so the idea that I should be glad that I'm here rather than there makes no sense to me..
then you completely miss obadiahs point. And again slavery is not the issue...
and working for a corporation and having the opportunity as upward mobility is not a form of slavery. At least not the kind practiced in america. If anything what you are talking about is the kind of slavery that was practiced in parts of africa..were an indentured servant could work their way not only out of slavery but high up into society as well.
There's too many variables involved to realistically discuss slavery and it's ramifications on Blacks today. When speaking of reparations we can't even determine what life was worth 100yrs ago much less the life of someone consider 3/5 human. If this country wasn't founded on principals of Freedom and Democracy we wouldn't even be discussing this but it was founded on Freedom and Democracy and those rights where denied us and this country prospered because of it. The only way to put this issue to rest is to pay Black people for slavery. The average working class white guy shouldn't be liable because he's a average working class whiteguy his family didn't own slaves. Wealth has been passed down through the generations we can fnd the families that directly benefited from slavery, we can find the companies, and we know the govt did.
No,
I'm giving background to the discussion, instead of allowing it to be presented out of context. I'm also attempting to explain why these programs are indeed still necessary. If one is a decider as apposed to a general worker, one would be aware of the quotas that companies use in its hiring practices.
In urban communities today, not 30-40 years ago Cities, States, Counties, and Federal regulations sometimes legislate that contractors hire locally or even certain demographies, its often written into their contracts. Which in essence affirms that blacks and other minorities will be hired on a construction crew for example, in their own communities. When to most involved its apparent that without those mandatory clauses, many contractors would come into a minority community, importing workers from elsewhere and neglecting the talent right in front of them. This was demonstrated in the wake of the Katrina disaster when many of the largest contracts given AND the contractor hires were from abroad, in some cases other countries.
Encouraging local hires insurers that not only will the money being made by local tax-payers remain in that very community for at least one more cycle, but that their own citizenry are employed in order to afford to remain off the states tit. This is but one example of why the programs are necessary.
In annual documents filed by Corporations large and small the break down of the gender and racial make up of employees is recorded . Tax breaks are given to companies that support goals of integration (for lack of a better word).
What you must understand is that personal experiences create these attitudes and opinions of life in America. Opportunities afforded to some aren't, to all, no matter how much we want them to be. Different parts of the nation have very different racial makeups, different tax bases, different education levels, industries, etc and therefore different tolerances. While you're telling me its not one way, real life says it is.
Understand that most folks I've listened to, read, and discussed the issue with don't doubt Cosby's good intent in his speeches. But when he comes to inner city communities satcheled with facts and statistics to support his brewing anger at Blacks for not achieving the American dream at the pace at which most would have wanted, he's neglected to realize that most don't even know how to spell satchel. He's talking at instead of to.
Although, "Don't attack me I'm only the messenger" sounds great, in truth, it is the messengers message - the person - who sells the product or idea. That fact must be lost on Mr. Cosby. Whenever a message is presented, the audiences demographics are considered, before the messenger is selected.
Bill Cosby is a very very very very........wealthy Black entertainer, who transcends race in the eyes of most Americans asked. Folks have always been proud of and supported his endeavors. But he's also seen as one that has enveloped his ethnicity in favor of acceptance and financial well being - nobody was mad at him. This means to America that Bill Cosby isn't black, in the majority traditional sense. He's an outsider, from a different class, with different experiences, and just as any other outsider descends on a population in order to chastise them and remind them of their faults, he was rebuked. What would happen if a wealthy white member of the establishment turned up in a local Veterans hall demonizing the neighborhoods efforts to achieve, he'd be run out of town.
On the other hand had that message come from a local respected representative of that community, a minister or even a politician it wouldn't have been lost in the translation.
Sure his ilk supports his attempts, but the majority see his good intentions as a slap in the face from one they've created. More than a pep talk.
Protesting is an American right (1st Amendment), if ones interest are being unfairly violated you have the right and obligation to stand up for yourself, this is what America is based upon, its why a semblance of freedom does exist here. Without these rights, Freedom of speech, right to assemble peaceably etc you nor any non-descendant of a landowning white male of 1776 would be free to do to much of anything.
Just as those words (constitution) were paramount to the success of Americans in past class wars, it is today just as important that we as Americans not allow corporate, prejudicial, or anti-Democratic values to dominate the discussion.
Anyone encouraging Blacks to bite their collective tongues and accept the verbal abuses of a practiced slanderer like Imus, is clearly only promoting defeatist ideals.
Last edited:
Plainman
Let me first say I appreciate you having the patience to share this information and to repeatedly respond to this topic.
With that said I agree with most or your responses accept the angle on Cosby. I think that we have made this a class issue and overlooked a lot of the truths in his points and the fact that Cosby has for years monetarily and through the media supported in his way the uplifting of our people. I liken his statement to a grandparent telling a child to pull their pants up from around their thighs back to where they were intended to be.
Did he use harsh language and generalization, yes he did. This however is clearly a case where if it doesn't apply to you then don't be offended.
Now on to the topic that the OP laid out. First one has to not confuse slavery with the lingering effects of slavery which are two different things. Like it was pointed out the 13th Amendment effectively ended slavery but did not stop the racial or economic inequalities that exist in our society. I firmly do not believe in using race as an excuse to not achieve but American society has not reached a point where our racially divided past can be overlooked.
The fact the that the Civil Rights and the Voters Right Acts (which was renewed in 2007) exist should tell you that we are not living in an age of full equality and even with these laws in place there are still issues (i.e. the 2000 election).
I do not believe that we will ever be offered reparations and honestly I don't care if we are but you cannot deny that the wealthiest nation in the world became that way in large part by the cruel and inhumane treatment of our ancestors. To say we need to let slavery "go" is a slap in the face to our roots and culture both here and relating to the African Diaspora. Our people were done a grave injustice that had and still has far reaching effects and implications. Only in the past 2-3 generations have we seen some sort of equality and we are at a precipice where we dare not let the "movement" die when there are nooses still being hung as a tool of hate, fear and intimidation.
When our schools and neighborhoods are no longer underfunded and economically crippled, when we have true equal opportunity to achieve and succeed, when I can go anywhere in this country and not be prejudged (or attacked or racially profiled or arrested) based solely on my ethnicity, then and only then can we stop being worried about "the man".
As for being slaves to corporate America, again, please do not trivialize the slavery suffered by our ancestors with the droning of the mass populace by corporate Americas profit driven greed. If you apply for a job you did so by choice, you were not dragged from your homeland, shackled, beaten, killed, raped, or split up from your family to get a memo out by 8AM.
I hope that Obama's presidency can bring forth a lot of positive change, but what you are envisioning does not yet exist and will not be changed solely by Obama becoming president.
Let me first say I appreciate you having the patience to share this information and to repeatedly respond to this topic.
With that said I agree with most or your responses accept the angle on Cosby. I think that we have made this a class issue and overlooked a lot of the truths in his points and the fact that Cosby has for years monetarily and through the media supported in his way the uplifting of our people. I liken his statement to a grandparent telling a child to pull their pants up from around their thighs back to where they were intended to be.
Did he use harsh language and generalization, yes he did. This however is clearly a case where if it doesn't apply to you then don't be offended.
Now on to the topic that the OP laid out. First one has to not confuse slavery with the lingering effects of slavery which are two different things. Like it was pointed out the 13th Amendment effectively ended slavery but did not stop the racial or economic inequalities that exist in our society. I firmly do not believe in using race as an excuse to not achieve but American society has not reached a point where our racially divided past can be overlooked.
The fact the that the Civil Rights and the Voters Right Acts (which was renewed in 2007) exist should tell you that we are not living in an age of full equality and even with these laws in place there are still issues (i.e. the 2000 election).
I do not believe that we will ever be offered reparations and honestly I don't care if we are but you cannot deny that the wealthiest nation in the world became that way in large part by the cruel and inhumane treatment of our ancestors. To say we need to let slavery "go" is a slap in the face to our roots and culture both here and relating to the African Diaspora. Our people were done a grave injustice that had and still has far reaching effects and implications. Only in the past 2-3 generations have we seen some sort of equality and we are at a precipice where we dare not let the "movement" die when there are nooses still being hung as a tool of hate, fear and intimidation.
When our schools and neighborhoods are no longer underfunded and economically crippled, when we have true equal opportunity to achieve and succeed, when I can go anywhere in this country and not be prejudged (or attacked or racially profiled or arrested) based solely on my ethnicity, then and only then can we stop being worried about "the man".
As for being slaves to corporate America, again, please do not trivialize the slavery suffered by our ancestors with the droning of the mass populace by corporate Americas profit driven greed. If you apply for a job you did so by choice, you were not dragged from your homeland, shackled, beaten, killed, raped, or split up from your family to get a memo out by 8AM.
I hope that Obama's presidency can bring forth a lot of positive change, but what you are envisioning does not yet exist and will not be changed solely by Obama becoming president.
Thanks for the response...
1) I'm not trivializing slavery.
- It was a horrible atrocity committed by whites & blacks upon our people. Even as recently as the 60's & 70's we've been dealt a hard hand to work with. We're still unequal (for lack of a better term) but were making great strides to where we need to be.
2) Even though slavery was a horrific act committed by white ancestors all I ask for current whites or "the man" is the opportunity to have a somewhat level playing field.
- If AA is needed to make things level then I'm all for it... It could be nothing.
- If the black vote law of 2007 is needed to level the playing field then I'm all for it... It could be nothing.
We're all saying the same thing but you guys are asking why are these laws even needed while I'm asking what's wrong with them if they're going to level the field. I'd much rather get that handout than a 40 acres I didn't earn myself. That allows me to better myself instead of irresponsibly accepting what I feel is owed to me.
Furhetmore, we all know we have to talk, write & act better than the typical W person if we want to get ahead in our positions.
Having said those 2 points... I don't know how old you are but I've noticed that my father uses "the man" a lot in our discussion. My father took care of his responsibility but he's used to his "the man" views because of his era.
I'm 31 years old. He's 51 and he grew up in the civil rights movement. I feel that more and more people will start seeing it the way I see things when most of this... "we must not forget" attitude dies away with the people that harbor it.
Not saying that we must forget... but we shouldn't rely on it (slavery or civil rights movement) as a crutch.
Background... I was born and raised in the hood until 5th grade... In 6th grade I was 1 of 3 black people in my entire 6th grade school. I had to fight virtually every day for being discriminated against.
What I've come to realize is... White people/ "the man" owe me nothing just as I owe them nothing. I understand that there's different racial makeups in different parts of the country & maybe I'm being ignorant to the facts based on my experiences here in KCMO.
However, I refuse to use anything that I've never experienced as an excuse for my downfall is all I'm saying.
Last edited:
I take extreme exception at this post..
How DARE you as a black man say all I ask for current whites or "the man" is the opportunity to have a somewhat level playing field...thats fucking WEAK
As an AMERICAN CITIZEN you have the RIGHT to have AS MANY opportunites as they do.
and AA isn't a handout...its just a trickle of opportunity and a move to placate the victims of racism...its an insult..especially coming from the people who are constantly harping about the value of merit..
Its NOT a crutch thats the reverse psychological bullshit white people want you to beleive so that they can divert attention away from the real issues that systemic and cultural racism has created.
sooo..you've been the victim of prejudice and discrimation but then you say you never experienced it...which is it...
I'm 38 and I DO NOT feel the same way you do on this matter at all.
I see your point but, I can't quite agree with you. The inner city school systems are a mess. You can not tell me in good conscience that the quality of education is equal across the board. Not when you have children that graduate from school who can't even read. I'm not saying all but, even one is too many. The playing board is not level yet. It's better but, it's not level. And yes, yes, yes. parents DO have something to do with it but, it's a teachers job to teach. We pay taxes so that teachers can teach our children. many inner city schools don't even have computers. How can a child compete in the information age when they don't have ANY computer skills. I'm not trying to tear your comment down but, IMHO, the playing board is not level.
"He who does not learn from the past, is doomed to repeat it". Bruh, I'm your Dad's age. I lived through it too. DON'T EVER FORGET. You can forget it when it's dead. It's not dead. Not when you have Black men gunned down in the streets by white police officers and nothing happens to them. They shot that Brother up in New York 43 times. 43 times. You don't have to shoot a bear 43 times to kill him. Not yet, a human being. Racism is more subtle than it was when I grew up. But don't you dare think that it's not there. We fell asleep and let this fool that's in office now get in. Yeah he stole the election but, it shouldn't have been close enough for him to steal it. I don't want no dam forty acres and a mule. And neither does the Brother who said it earlier. it's symbolic. What he meant is he doesn't want racial profiling. he wants to be able to hail a cab in NYC at night. he doesn't want to be followed around in a "high end' store like he's gonna steal something. ya feel me?
If Blacks want an idea of what happens when people forget the past all we have to do is look at what's happening to working class whites. They forgot during slavery rich white men owned everything poor whites owned nothing they were so poor they had to take what was given to them. Now they are seeing the wealth gap higher than it's ever been. They forgot their forefathers fought and died for a 40 hr work week now they are working an average of 48hrs a week and their wages are going down. They forgot their kids were sent to fight wars while rich kids got a pass now their children are dying in a war of choice. If that happens to them imagine what this system will do to us if we forget. We got to keep fighting.
I take extreme exception at this post..
How DARE you as a black man say all I ask for current whites or "the man" is the opportunity to have a somewhat level playing field...thats fucking WEAK
As an AMERICAN CITIZEN you have the RIGHT to have AS MANY opportunites as they do.
I don't think you're being fair in your assessments... You're not talking real world. You're talking perfect world scenario. Let's pretend this isn't a perfect world and that whites actually have the say so in all of this (which they do). Of course you can sit there and talk about how you'll burn this muthafugga down yada yada yada but you or our people have NO REAL power in all of this. We have the right (of course) but it's a right that's somewhat loaned or given to us by those in power. Like it or not it's the truth.
Not understanding your argument here... You referring to AA being a crutch?
sooo..you've been the victim of prejudice and discrimation but then you say you never experienced it...which is it...
I'm 38 and I DO NOT feel the same way you do on this matter at all.
I'm talking about racism from the stance of the poster above me. I've personally not dealt with being victimized by the police or not being able to catch a cab. So I admit I'm ignorant because I just haven't experienced much racism in that regard sense I'm older.
Here's another statement you guys aren't going to like... But first let me say... 43 times is really cruel and shouldn't have happened.
At the same time... These policemen aren't just picking random people off of the streets and letting random bullets loose. I know and accept my stance will not be well accepted but I'm sick of people playing victim when they were in the wrong in the first place. I'm sure it wasn't a simple traffic violation he was stopped and being sought for.
Simple but found concept: Don't give the police a reason to have to draw a gun.
If it was... I apologize for my ignorance once again. I'm just sick of everyone playing victim. Own up and take responsibility for your actions.
That right there hits kinda close to home also. I own a rental property and I'll be damned if some fuggers haven't broke into it 3 times to steel the copper and other stuff. I wish they asses were riddled with 43 bullets. I kinda have a zero tolerance for thieves and people that aren't morally productive to society.
Excellent topic. My family often debates this very topic.
Do you think the teacher salary difference is that much different from urban & suburban schools systems?
Let's assume they're very close in range.
With that assumption in mind why is it in Detroit only 25% of people are graduating from high school? We all know that if you just show up to class you get a D. With those numbers in mind... why in the hell would I put state of the art equipment into something when only less than 25% of the people are genuinely interested (not all 25 are probably passing with flying colors)? Even though it's a school, it's still a business. Think as if it's YOUR $.
Here's another finger pointing directly at our people instead of at "the man". My sister lives in a middle class suburb of Kansas City (Lee's Summit (mostly white)). 2 years ago she used to frequent some of my daughters functions in elementary. This year her daughter started kindergarten.
She's been to all of her daughters functions and REALLY notices the difference in support that the kids receives from the family. On PTA days... Both parents are usually there. On grandparents day... you couldn't find a place to park. At my daughters grandparents day (suburban but lower middle class (half black half white)) there wasn't near as much participation.
You want to blame that on teachers?
Not the fact that there's no family structure (with 76% of blacks born out of wedlock)? Not the fact that there's more single mothers and babies raising babies in these urban areas? Not the fact that the tired grandparents are the ones raising these kids? Not the fact that these babies raising babies are immature and think "Superman" & pants sagging is cute? Not the fact that these single parents and /or grandparents probably didn't graduate themselves?
You only help those that help themselves.
See how everything points back to invest in yourself?
Side Note: As I'm typing this (well thought out rebuttal) I'm watching Hard to Kill. Steven Segal flicks are horrible.
About to turn on this CoD4 on the 360.
Last edited:
Similar threads
