Seattle
Valued Senior Member
I read a recent article in Slate called "Why I Am Optimistic About The Future of Race Relations In America". Here is the link:
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_...ons_why_i_am_optimistic_despite_ferguson.html
The conclusion was basically that racial relations between white and black society has improved but that institutional factors have caused actual economic benefits to not have shown much improvement (for blacks) over the years.
That was my interpretation of the article anyway.
I would agree with much of the article but it seems to me that something was missing. Institutional reasons may still be a lingering factor that will take several more generations to result in large improvements but it seems to me that personal responsibility is what would result in the fastest and greatest improvements over the short-term.
Some of the problems in the black communitie currently aren't even things that have been around since segregation. Babies without a father present is a relatively "new" thing that can't really be attributed to institutional disadvantages resulting from segregation.
All white police departments and city government in mostly black communities isn't caused by anything other than black people not voting.
Violence in black lower class communities is largely black on black crime.
Burning, looting, violence in ones own community isn't caused by outside factors.
Black owned businesses (or rather a lack of them) isn't due to outside influences.
There are many black professionals but they are rarely portrayed in the media and rap or athletics is portrayed as the only way to get out of the "hood". Education, speaking correctly is referred to as "acting white".
Leadership in black communities seems to be largely done by "Reverends" and not by black professionals.
There is a trend (greater than for other groups) for even black middle class successful people to move back to the ghetto rather than leaving and taking their extended families with them. The result is that even when someone has made it into upper middle class you still have their children (at rates greater than for other groups) with police records because of the people they are hanging out with.
This problem seems to be the elephant in the room that is rarely talked about. The lower class black community seems to have much in common with the Palestinians in that they are their own worst enemy.
Speaking correctly, dressing appropriately for a job interview, and moving out of violent areas (not always a more expensive choice) are the choices that most other people would intuitively make I would think.
Does anyone have any comments as to why this goes on and why more isn't done about it? Or point out where my comments are just not well informed?
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_...ons_why_i_am_optimistic_despite_ferguson.html
The conclusion was basically that racial relations between white and black society has improved but that institutional factors have caused actual economic benefits to not have shown much improvement (for blacks) over the years.
That was my interpretation of the article anyway.
I would agree with much of the article but it seems to me that something was missing. Institutional reasons may still be a lingering factor that will take several more generations to result in large improvements but it seems to me that personal responsibility is what would result in the fastest and greatest improvements over the short-term.
Some of the problems in the black communitie currently aren't even things that have been around since segregation. Babies without a father present is a relatively "new" thing that can't really be attributed to institutional disadvantages resulting from segregation.
All white police departments and city government in mostly black communities isn't caused by anything other than black people not voting.
Violence in black lower class communities is largely black on black crime.
Burning, looting, violence in ones own community isn't caused by outside factors.
Black owned businesses (or rather a lack of them) isn't due to outside influences.
There are many black professionals but they are rarely portrayed in the media and rap or athletics is portrayed as the only way to get out of the "hood". Education, speaking correctly is referred to as "acting white".
Leadership in black communities seems to be largely done by "Reverends" and not by black professionals.
There is a trend (greater than for other groups) for even black middle class successful people to move back to the ghetto rather than leaving and taking their extended families with them. The result is that even when someone has made it into upper middle class you still have their children (at rates greater than for other groups) with police records because of the people they are hanging out with.
This problem seems to be the elephant in the room that is rarely talked about. The lower class black community seems to have much in common with the Palestinians in that they are their own worst enemy.
Speaking correctly, dressing appropriately for a job interview, and moving out of violent areas (not always a more expensive choice) are the choices that most other people would intuitively make I would think.
Does anyone have any comments as to why this goes on and why more isn't done about it? Or point out where my comments are just not well informed?
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