Believe those who are seeking the truth. Doubt those who find it.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
T, 5:40pm
19 comments:
Carlos Arbucias
said...
About Young Black Male.
Even though this topic talks about Young black males, it can also apply to young Latino males. I personally think that they get singled out for various reasons. Such exclusions can come from some influences that can be considered negative which can affect a person’s opportunity to thrive on education. This kind of issue can come from severe family issues or someone in the family has died that can affect their way of thriving in education when they don’t have that person’s encouraging influence or when someone close to them dies that can cause to change erratically. Another factor can be that the family can be way too poor on an extreme degree to afford for education that children or young men have to resort to either working to further their education or not seize it at all. One more factor (That I know) can be drug addiction. Even though some people claim it to calm them down, it can severely affect them in the long run. Then again, there might be more factors I might not know of or I could be wrong in some aspects.
African American’s society has a history of discrimination that is still affecting their women and men when it comes to the way they function in society. I think many factors are responsible for the high percentage of black males who have been in prison compare with white males; we have for example low family income, lack of education, high levels of drug abuse, a high level of teenagers who became parents without being ready to raise a family in a proper way. The lack of family guidance is a big issue that affects African Americans young males. Parents don’t reinforce to their children the importance of getting a correct education. They don’t teach their children that stealing, consuming drugs, and breaking the law will sooner or later will affect their life and future. Therefore, society gets as a result of all these bad habits are those black young males who face their future in prison as the only way to go.
Speaking from the perspective of a young black female, I would have to disagree. Instead of worrying about stigmas, we need to improve the foundation in which these black males are being brought up. It all starts with a strong home. The article states he remembers families in his neighborhood where the mothers and fathers were doctors, lawyers, and teachers. We need to bring ourselves back to that time. Yes, nowadays many African American families have their mothers or fathers in jail or on probation. We should concentrate on activities that encourage children to stay off the streets be an example to their peers and the success of getting a good education. Drugs are not legal for a reason, so why should we lower are standards because black males are continuously getting arrested. This is not a problem with only black males; it is with minorities in general. I do not encourage the distribution nor the consumption of drugs and neither should the government. It seems as the years pass we are slowly losing our values as a society. If we're looking for a change in society for how black males are perceived, we must examine the big picture, not just a quick fix.
Speaking from the perspective of a young black female, I would have to disagree. Instead of worrying about stigmas, we need to improve the foundation in which these black males are being brought up. It all starts with a strong home. The article states he remembers families in his neighborhood where the mothers and fathers were doctors, lawyers, and teachers. We need to bring ourselves back to that time. Yes, nowadays many African American families have their mothers or fathers in jail or on probation. We should concentrate on activities that encourage children to stay off the streets be an example to their peers and the success of getting a good education. Drugs are not legal for a reason, so why should we lower are standards because black males are continuously getting arrested. This is not a problem with only black males; it is with minorities in general. I do not encourage the distribution nor the consumption of drugs and neither should the government. It seems as the years pass we are slowly losing our values as a society. If we're looking for a change in society for how black males are perceived, we must examine the big picture, not just a quick fix.
I believe that no one is singled out unless they do something to stand out. A lot of different factors come into play when you talk about young teens not only black males. I also believe everything is what you make out of every situation. If you live in the ghetto, you make your own choices whether you want to be a drug dealer or hang out with thugs. I also don’t think that legalizing marijuana will help any situation. Your family environment also has a huge impact on the way kids live nowadays. If you come home to your mother and father screaming everyday they are going to come home thinking that it is okay for them to do the same in their home or in a friend’s home and last but not least schooling, if you are striving to succeed in life you will regards if you go to the worse school in your neighborhood. At the end of the day it is what you make of it.
The war on drugs over the last 30 years, which usually focus in communities of color, is the reason for the economic and social disenfranchisement of black men. Draconian drug laws or legalizing any drug is not the answer to help fix an imbalance in the criminal justice system. Currently there are more than 2 million people incarcerated in the United States. The major reason behind this injustice is the sentencing guideline associated with certain drugs that destroys certain communities. These laws are intended on punishing the low level drug dealers as oppose to the cartel kingpins that have members of the criminal justice system on their payroll, for example you have to have at least 500,000 dollars worth of Cocaine to be convicted equally time wise to a crack dealer that has 500 dollars worth of crack, that’s where the disadvantage starts. Although, studies have shown that whites use drugs at a rate equal or greater than their black counterparts, ¾ of black youths will and can expect to be incarcerated in their lifetime. New laws need to be implemented to eliminate this disparity to ensure a level playing in our justice system; however, we need to be more proactive in preventing young men from getting involved in those behaviors.
I actually share part of the views of some of the debaters for this topic. I believe that this issue is a problem that arises due to multiple factors that actually affect some people more than others. As Peter Moskos said, much of this disproportion is simply a reflection of the violence in poor African-American communities. One of the leading causes of this concerning disproportion is due to the environment in which African-American people grow in. But–emphasizing my disagreement with Heather Mac Donald–I do not believe that having a perfectly functional traditional family is a necessary nor sufficient condition for being a “well-raised”, educated African-American. I believe that we will find the root of the problem in the role that the education is playing in these communities. The existing bar for the standard quality of educational programs must be raised.
On the other hand, I do believe that the draconian drug laws and the legal banning for marihuana plays a role in this issue. Even if the majority of the incarcerations are not directly related to drug possession but to violence, I believe that Neill Franklin has a good point. The war on drugs is not really having a transcendental effect on drug consumption among the population. But it is having a huge impact on where does the money is being spent. That’s why I agree on that part of Neill Franklin’s perspective.
I also believe that Craig Deroche has a very important point that is not being taken into consideration by the other debaters. The high percentage of failure that the justice system holds nowadays (as opposed to earlier days, it is not just a number) is a very concerning part of the topic.
By reading what these debaters had to add to the issue, I realized that this is a very complicated issue. But it goes way beyond a single issue. And I believe that it will take way too much time to solve it. Especially if things continue to stay the way they currently are.
I think race in this country is still a huge issue, and while not as open as it was in the 50’s and 60’s it still looms in our societies psyche. While this country has made tremendous progress in race relations, no more “white only” for restaurants or drinking fountains, we do associate negative stereotypes towards other races, in particular young black men. This couldn't be more evident by what happen in Sanford, FL just under a month ago when a young black teenager, Trayvon Martin, who was unarmed, was shot and killed while walking home from the store by a neighborhood watchman, who claimed self defense. No arrests have yet been made as of this date. If the shooter was black and the victim was white, would there have been an arrest yet? I think the problem on a very basic level is peoples willingness to place stereotypes onto other people by the color of their skin or from their appearance. This is usually associated negatively when referring to young black men.
I think ending the war on drugs and getting rid of draconian drug laws could be a start in the right direction, but I feel this would be like putting a band aid on a machine gun wound. The only real way to tackle this problem is through education. Education at its most basic levels is absent in many of the poorer black neighborhoods, there is barely a chance for young kids to excel and achieve when there is no emphasis on education. I think increased education in America’s poorest neighborhoods is the only way to start to reverse the effects of decades, if not centuries of non educated generations for a slightly better chance at a more productive future. I say slightly because even though kids from black neighborhoods would benefit greatly from a better education at a younger age, they still will be viewed as “black”, which with a lot of people in society automatically means criminal. More education could mean less teenage pregnancies, less single parent homes, and more opportunity or desire for productive jobs in society, as opposed to a life of crime.
I think more education about race is needed for everyone, white people especially, many people don’t even realize that how they act or view other people in some ways is racist. They think just because they don’t use derogatory terms or know someone of a different race that they are not racist, but deep down their views are those of the misinformed or uneducated. I think it’s in our nature to discriminate against other people that we see as inferior to our own kind. It has been going on since the beginning of time, people are fearful of anything different until they learn that there is nothing to fear.
When people talk about young black males being in prison i agree with some of the people from the article. The influence that someone has on a kids life can make an impact on their future. Some kids grow up with no role model without someone to guide them in the right direction. Their part of society is dumbing them down. Some of them being in highschool reading at a 6th grade level. They didnt develop good study skills when they were younger so they dont even know where to begin. Forget about trying to change or save them its too late. Getting an education from the books is not cool for them and is just too hard. Learning is not in there vocabulary. They rather learn on the streets and from their friends how to sell drugs, kill, hustle their way of surviving. I think it all comes down to the parents and the environment they live in. If the school is rated a D school and the neighborhood is filled with gangbangin, violence activities, parents with no education, friends with no morals, then it is hard for someone to get by versus one who has it made with their parents buying them tutors, books, sending them to expensive private schools. Not only that, the parents are talking to them in an educated way because they most likely have their degree and are intelligent.They are not speaking slang to them. Some children with a better lifestyle are also well rounded, instead of prowling the streets at night their parents place them in after school activities that teach them how to play an instrument, they join clubs in school, they get private lesson with certain things. They dont have time to run the streets they are too busy learning about philosophy.
Let’s go back to the prohibition era when liquor was illegal what happen? Organized crime got a major boost from prohibition. This in conclusion did not solve the problem with alcohol. Making the drugs legal in my opinion would help in controlling the drug movement. Making drugs legal would give total control to the government, and therefore it would stop organize crime, because this epidemic is not only happening in the African American community, it also happening with Hispanics. I think this situation is something that has to be controlled from child hood. If we have good influence from our parents at a young age, and they set good examples most likely this African Americans won’t end up in jail. One should really read the lyrics of the rap genre and the message this type of music promotes. It seems like it is a badge of honor to ending up in jail. Like in the article the value of mom and dad drugs is not the major issue of African Americans ending up in jail, it is violence. The questions is what can leaders do to stop violence in this minority group? I think politicians should have more debates on these types of issues. A statement that really worried me is when republican mitt Romney said he’s not concerned about the plight of the country’s very poor because there are social safety nets that take care of them. This statement is very worrying because most minorities are poor.
We live off of traditions, well the majority of the United States does and perhaps the rest of the world. All these years being taught about racism and yet at times do you find yourself putting the locks in the car when a black man is walking towards you or when Im driving through a neighborhood that looks suspicious? I' am not a racist but I am guilty of a few things, which is judgmental on my part. Just watch how someone helps out a white person in the streets that faints and a black person that faints as well and count how manny people go help which the most... The term "black person" was always said to be a criminal or theft or drug dealer or drug addict, nevertheless a dark skin shouldn't be treated differently. After analyzing these discussions, the core reason in my opinion for racism is at home- where we are taught. A man and woman who have a child/or guardian should teach their child morals, what is right and wrong, treat every human being equally. What ever happened to the Equal Rights Amendment?
Young black males at some point in their childhood suffered from some type of trauma leading them to disrespect the authority or anyone who is in their way. Schools should talk more about black, hispanics, and white race and how important it is for kids to understand that judging someone based on their skin only results in crimes-drug use-jail, and even death.
It is sad to see that the majority of prisoners are African Americans and the majority of crimes are also from African Americans. Maybe theses prisoners never had someone to tell them they love them, to acknowledge there good work in school, to let them know you're there and they can count on you. It must be tough having people look at you differently because your dark or tan-not white. People don't give other people the benefit of the doubt- they don't give others a chance to do good and study and be somebody instead of a bum or a criminal. Deep down we all have feelings and want to be accepted in the world-there is no reason why racism should even exist after all those years African-Americans fought for their freedom and yet there still not free.
Then again, are el all free in this country? Maybe were all in a jail- some of us are lucky enough to have a door or window to step out- some unfortunately only have peep holes.
The reason why so many young black males go to jail is because most of them have been raised in crime ridden cities, poverty, and/or problem-dwelling households. First of all, most people who end up in jail are likely to have been poor. Having desperate situations lead to desperate actions and some of them may have just done so with no money to provide for themselves or others. Many young black males are poor because throughout our history, there have been more than a handful of better job-offerings for non-African Americans. Because these people didn’t have the same opportunities as others, some turned to the easy way out, making easy money, illegally. These actions were brought to justice and were put to jail. The black men who went to jail, nonetheless, have families- cousins, brothers, sons- people who look up to them and follow their steps. Now just because some family members went to jail doesn’t mean that the young ones look forward to being stripped searched before they enter the jailhouse. No. It’s because of the lack of people in the household working that keep the families in poverty. Leading the offspring to bad-decision making; skipping school to sell drugs, or learning the street-life from others who also had it tough, when it just repeats this go-to-jail cycle all over again. It’s no surprise either, that even if some families are a very healthy well-composed network, that some of them still end up making the wrong choices and going to jail. That’s because there’s still social pressure among peers and friends. Even if some do have loving-households with enough of everything to go around the table, some still feel the need to blend in, to be accepted, to be “cool” and popular. Thus, doing things that ruin them, and their families. The only solution to all this is education. With education, these individuals have the knowledge and power to do better for themselves and their community. Placing them in career-opportunities where the color of your skin doesn’t matter but your brain and intelligence are put to the test, instead.
This problem is not due to only one reason, it is a combination of different factors. To be more to the point in my opinion the problem starts first at the home. Parents must teach their kids respect and must be supportive of them. Kids need to be disciplined enough to want a better future and to be successful in life. School and lack of education are next to be blamed. Life is not easy but without a good level of education it only becomes more difficult. Another factor that needs to be mentioned is that our movie stars and singers make it seem wonderful to be a bad or a dilinquent. Young black men or anyone without strong values and discipline can be to weak minded to want to fight to be better. Last there always will be some discrimination but as an individual we have to choose to fight through it and become better people.
An important percentage of young black males population end up either in prison, unemployed, or in minimum wages job. I think the reason why this happens might have to do with the popular belief that a life of crime is a fast an much easier way of making a living. Also, many of them (Latinos are not too far away from this situation) drop out from school and some don't even think of going to college/university. Left with just few options. Further more; black males are not only stereotype by others but also for themselves. This makes them feel alienated, discriminated and angry. An example of being stereotype by others is the different treatment they receive from the police. They are more often question, detain, and also put in jail.
When discussing issues like: racial profiling, unjust laws, inadequate education, discrimination, unstable families, and drug prohibition; we’re faced with a large milestone; one that requires the general perception of how an issue occurs—any issue—before causes are assumed.
When analyzing an issue, one will find a process, or sequence, precedes. Let’s take, for example, something most people are familiar with—relationships. When initiating a relationship with a person, there are typically no significant existent issues—they’re may be a few minor things, but nothing major relating to the influence of the opening issues; if there are existing issues, that’s an issue! And say, one of the persons becomes frustrated with the other due to lack of attention. No… Let’s use dirty-dishes as an example and keep things simple. Let’s also add that the frustrated individual doesn’t address the cause in hopes it will not become an issue. Now, 4-months pass and the person still neglects to wash the dirty-dishes; 15 total moments of frustration accumulate for the other individual. The frustrated person reaches their breaking point and begins an argument, does something or says something spitefully rude and the other person now falls victim to a persons 4 months of frustration—in this case, a victim is someone subject to an unaware issue. Now, what was at one point a minor flaw has become an issue. And this issue developed through a process—mainly involving poor communication.
I used the example above to show a common process from which issues develop. It is understood racial profiling, unjust laws, inadequate education, discrimination, unstable families, and drug prohibition is more serious of issues, compared to dirty-dishes. But I think it’s safe to say the issues young-black men are facing are the accumulation of every flaw within these issues. Resulting in the astronomical ratio of 1 in every 3 black-males experiencing incarceration. I can’t say communication/assertion (or lack of) is the leading cause of these issues—like in the dirty-dishwater issue. But I can say the lack of assertion and communication cause issues. Can one voice change this injustice? I think not. But I think things are on their way to changing the more individuals are educated about these issues—particularly the subjects; including educated and/or successful young-black American men.
19 comments:
About Young Black Male.
Even though this topic talks about Young black males, it can also apply to young Latino males. I personally think that they get singled out for various reasons. Such exclusions can come from some influences that can be considered negative which can affect a person’s opportunity to thrive on education. This kind of issue can come from severe family issues or someone in the family has died that can affect their way of thriving in education when they don’t have that person’s encouraging influence or when someone close to them dies that can cause to change erratically. Another factor can be that the family can be way too poor on an extreme degree to afford for education that children or young men have to resort to either working to further their education or not seize it at all. One more factor (That I know) can be drug addiction. Even though some people claim it to calm them down, it can severely affect them in the long run. Then again, there might be more factors I might not know of or I could be wrong in some aspects.
African American’s society has a history of discrimination that is still affecting their women and men when it comes to the way they function in society. I think many factors are responsible for the high percentage of black males who have been in prison compare with white males; we have for example low family income, lack of education, high levels of drug abuse, a high level of teenagers who became parents without being ready to raise a family in a proper way. The lack of family guidance is a big issue that affects African Americans young males. Parents don’t reinforce to their children the importance of getting a correct education. They don’t teach their children that stealing, consuming drugs, and breaking the law will sooner or later will affect their life and future. Therefore, society gets as a result of all these bad habits are those black young males who face their future in prison as the only way to go.
Speaking from the perspective of a young black female, I would have to disagree. Instead of worrying about stigmas, we need to improve the foundation in which these black males are being brought up. It all starts with a strong home. The article states he remembers families in his neighborhood where the mothers and fathers were doctors, lawyers, and teachers. We need to bring ourselves back to that time. Yes, nowadays many African American families have their mothers or fathers in jail or on probation. We should concentrate on activities that encourage children to stay off the streets be an example to their peers and the success of getting a good education. Drugs are not legal for a reason, so why should we lower are standards because black males are continuously getting arrested. This is not a problem with only black males; it is with minorities in general. I do not encourage the distribution nor the consumption of drugs and neither should the government. It seems as the years pass we are slowly losing our values as a society. If we're looking for a change in society for how black males are perceived, we must examine the big picture, not just a quick fix.
Speaking from the perspective of a young black female, I would have to disagree. Instead of worrying about stigmas, we need to improve the foundation in which these black males are being brought up. It all starts with a strong home. The article states he remembers families in his neighborhood where the mothers and fathers were doctors, lawyers, and teachers. We need to bring ourselves back to that time. Yes, nowadays many African American families have their mothers or fathers in jail or on probation. We should concentrate on activities that encourage children to stay off the streets be an example to their peers and the success of getting a good education. Drugs are not legal for a reason, so why should we lower are standards because black males are continuously getting arrested. This is not a problem with only black males; it is with minorities in general. I do not encourage the distribution nor the consumption of drugs and neither should the government. It seems as the years pass we are slowly losing our values as a society. If we're looking for a change in society for how black males are perceived, we must examine the big picture, not just a quick fix.
I believe that no one is singled out unless they do something to stand out. A lot of different factors come into play when you talk about young teens not only black males. I also believe everything is what you make out of every situation. If you live in the ghetto, you make your own choices whether you want to be a drug dealer or hang out with thugs. I also don’t think that legalizing marijuana will help any situation. Your family environment also has a huge impact on the way kids live nowadays. If you come home to your mother and father screaming everyday they are going to come home thinking that it is okay for them to do the same in their home or in a friend’s home and last but not least schooling, if you are striving to succeed in life you will regards if you go to the worse school in your neighborhood. At the end of the day it is what you make of it.
The war on drugs over the last 30 years, which usually focus in communities of color, is the reason for the economic and social disenfranchisement of black men. Draconian drug laws or legalizing any drug is not the answer to help fix an imbalance in the criminal justice system. Currently there are more than 2 million people incarcerated in the United States. The major reason behind this injustice is the sentencing guideline associated with certain drugs that destroys certain communities. These laws are intended on punishing the low level drug dealers as oppose to the cartel kingpins that have members of the criminal justice system on their payroll, for example you have to have at least 500,000 dollars worth of Cocaine to be convicted equally time wise to a crack dealer that has 500 dollars worth of crack, that’s where the disadvantage starts. Although, studies have shown that whites use drugs at a rate equal or greater than their black counterparts, ¾ of black youths will and can expect to be incarcerated in their lifetime. New laws need to be implemented to eliminate this disparity to ensure a level playing in our justice system; however, we need to be more proactive in preventing young men from getting involved in those behaviors.
I actually share part of the views of some of the debaters for this topic. I believe that this issue is a problem that arises due to multiple factors that actually affect some people more than others. As Peter Moskos said, much of this disproportion is simply a reflection of the violence in poor African-American communities. One of the leading causes of this concerning disproportion is due to the environment in which African-American people grow in. But–emphasizing my disagreement with Heather Mac Donald–I do not believe that having a perfectly functional traditional family is a necessary nor sufficient condition for being a “well-raised”, educated African-American. I believe that we will find the root of the problem in the role that the education is playing in these communities. The existing bar for the standard quality of educational programs must be raised.
On the other hand, I do believe that the draconian drug laws and the legal banning for marihuana plays a role in this issue. Even if the majority of the incarcerations are not directly related to drug possession but to violence, I believe that Neill Franklin has a good point. The war on drugs is not really having a transcendental effect on drug consumption among the population. But it is having a huge impact on where does the money is being spent. That’s why I agree on that part of Neill Franklin’s perspective.
I also believe that Craig Deroche has a very important point that is not being taken into consideration by the other debaters. The high percentage of failure that the justice system holds nowadays (as opposed to earlier days, it is not just a number) is a very concerning part of the topic.
By reading what these debaters had to add to the issue, I realized that this is a very complicated issue. But it goes way beyond a single issue. And I believe that it will take way too much time to solve it. Especially if things continue to stay the way they currently are.
I think race in this country is still a huge issue, and while not as open as it was in the 50’s and 60’s it still looms in our societies psyche. While this country has made tremendous progress in race relations, no more “white only” for restaurants or drinking fountains, we do associate negative stereotypes towards other races, in particular young black men. This couldn't be more evident by what happen in Sanford, FL just under a month ago when a young black teenager, Trayvon Martin, who was unarmed, was shot and killed while walking home from the store by a neighborhood watchman, who claimed self defense. No arrests have yet been made as of this date. If the shooter was black and the victim was white, would there have been an arrest yet? I think the problem on a very basic level is peoples willingness to place stereotypes onto other people by the color of their skin or from their appearance. This is usually associated negatively when referring to young black men.
I think ending the war on drugs and getting rid of draconian drug laws could be a start in the right direction, but I feel this would be like putting a band aid on a machine gun wound. The only real way to tackle this problem is through education. Education at its most basic levels is absent in many of the poorer black neighborhoods, there is barely a chance for young kids to excel and achieve when there is no emphasis on education. I think increased education in America’s poorest neighborhoods is the only way to start to reverse the effects of decades, if not centuries of non educated generations for a slightly better chance at a more productive future. I say slightly because even though kids from black neighborhoods would benefit greatly from a better education at a younger age, they still will be viewed as “black”, which with a lot of people in society automatically means criminal. More education could mean less teenage pregnancies, less single parent homes, and more opportunity or desire for productive jobs in society, as opposed to a life of crime.
I think more education about race is needed for everyone, white people especially, many people don’t even realize that how they act or view other people in some ways is racist. They think just because they don’t use derogatory terms or know someone of a different race that they are not racist, but deep down their views are those of the misinformed or uneducated. I think it’s in our nature to discriminate against other people that we see as inferior to our own kind. It has been going on since the beginning of time, people are fearful of anything different until they learn that there is nothing to fear.
When people talk about young black males being in prison i agree with some of the people from the article. The influence that someone has on a kids life can make an impact on their future. Some kids grow up with no role model without someone to guide them in the right direction. Their part of society is dumbing them down. Some of them being in highschool reading at a 6th grade level. They didnt develop good study skills when they were younger so they dont even know where to begin. Forget about trying to change or save them its too late. Getting an education from the books is not cool for them and is just too hard. Learning is not in there vocabulary. They rather learn on the streets and from their friends how to sell drugs, kill, hustle their way of surviving. I think it all comes down to the parents and the environment they live in. If the school is rated a D school and the neighborhood is filled with gangbangin, violence activities, parents with no education, friends with no morals, then it is hard for someone to get by versus one who has it made with their parents buying them tutors, books, sending them to expensive private schools. Not only that, the parents are talking to them in an educated way because they most likely have their degree and are intelligent.They are not speaking slang to them. Some children with a better lifestyle are also well rounded, instead of prowling the streets at night their parents place them in after school activities that teach them how to play an instrument, they join clubs in school, they get private lesson with certain things. They dont have time to run the streets they are too busy learning about philosophy.
Let’s go back to the prohibition era when liquor was illegal what happen? Organized crime got a major boost from prohibition. This in conclusion did not solve the problem with alcohol. Making the drugs legal in my opinion would help in controlling the drug movement. Making drugs legal would give total control to the government, and therefore it would stop organize crime, because this epidemic is not only happening in the African American community, it also happening with Hispanics. I think this situation is something that has to be controlled from child hood. If we have good influence from our parents at a young age, and they set good examples most likely this African Americans won’t end up in jail. One should really read the lyrics of the rap genre and the message this type of music promotes. It seems like it is a badge of honor to ending up in jail.
Like in the article the value of mom and dad drugs is not the major issue of African Americans ending up in jail, it is violence. The questions is what can leaders do to stop violence in this minority group? I think politicians should have more debates on these types of issues. A statement that really worried me is when republican mitt Romney said he’s not concerned about the plight of the country’s very poor because there are social safety nets that take care of them. This statement is very worrying because most minorities are poor.
We live off of traditions, well the majority of the United States does and perhaps the rest of the world. All these years being taught about racism and yet at times do you find yourself putting the locks in the car when a black man is walking towards you or when Im driving through a neighborhood that looks suspicious? I' am not a racist but I am guilty of a few things, which is judgmental on my part. Just watch how someone helps out a white person in the streets that faints and a black person that faints as well and count how manny people go help which the most... The term "black person" was always said to be a criminal or theft or drug dealer or drug addict, nevertheless a dark skin shouldn't be treated differently. After analyzing these discussions, the core reason in my opinion for racism is at home- where we are taught. A man and woman who have a child/or guardian should teach their child morals, what is right and wrong, treat every human being equally. What ever happened to the Equal Rights Amendment?
Young black males at some point in their childhood suffered from some type of trauma leading them to disrespect the authority or anyone who is in their way. Schools should talk more about black, hispanics, and white race and how important it is for kids to understand that judging someone based on their skin only results in crimes-drug use-jail, and even death.
It is sad to see that the majority of prisoners are African Americans and the majority of crimes are also from African Americans. Maybe theses prisoners never had someone to tell them they love them, to acknowledge there good work in school, to let them know you're there and they can count on you. It must be tough having people look at you differently because your dark or tan-not white. People don't give other people the benefit of the doubt- they don't give others a chance to do good and study and be somebody instead of a bum or a criminal. Deep down we all have feelings and want to be accepted in the world-there is no reason why racism should even exist after all those years African-Americans fought for their freedom and yet there still not free.
Then again, are el all free in this country? Maybe were all in a jail- some of us are lucky enough to have a door or window to step out- some unfortunately only have peep holes.
The reason why so many young black males go to jail is because most of them have been raised in crime ridden cities, poverty, and/or problem-dwelling households. First of all, most people who end up in jail are likely to have been poor. Having desperate situations lead to desperate actions and some of them may have just done so with no money to provide for themselves or others. Many young black males are poor because throughout our history, there have been more than a handful of better job-offerings for non-African Americans. Because these people didn’t have the same opportunities as others, some turned to the easy way out, making easy money, illegally. These actions were brought to justice and were put to jail.
The black men who went to jail, nonetheless, have families- cousins, brothers, sons- people who look up to them and follow their steps. Now just because some family members went to jail doesn’t mean that the young ones look forward to being stripped searched before they enter the jailhouse. No. It’s because of the lack of people in the household working that keep the families in poverty. Leading the offspring to bad-decision making; skipping school to sell drugs, or learning the street-life from others who also had it tough, when it just repeats this go-to-jail cycle all over again.
It’s no surprise either, that even if some families are a very healthy well-composed network, that some of them still end up making the wrong choices and going to jail. That’s because there’s still social pressure among peers and friends. Even if some do have loving-households with enough of everything to go around the table, some still feel the need to blend in, to be accepted, to be “cool” and popular. Thus, doing things that ruin them, and their families.
The only solution to all this is education. With education, these individuals have the knowledge and power to do better for themselves and their community. Placing them in career-opportunities where the color of your skin doesn’t matter but your brain and intelligence are put to the test, instead.
This problem is not due to only one reason, it is a combination of different factors. To be more to the point in my opinion the problem starts first at the home. Parents must teach their kids respect and must be supportive of them. Kids need to be disciplined enough to want a better future and to be successful in life. School and lack of education are next to be blamed. Life is not easy but without a good level of education it only becomes more difficult. Another factor that needs to be mentioned is that our movie stars and singers make it seem wonderful to be a bad or a dilinquent. Young black men or anyone without strong values and discipline can be to weak minded to want to fight to be better. Last there always will be some discrimination but as an individual we have to choose to fight through it and become better people.
An important percentage of young black males population end up either in prison, unemployed, or in minimum wages job. I think the reason why this happens might have to do with the popular belief that a life of crime is a fast an much easier way of making a living. Also, many of them (Latinos are not too far away from this situation) drop out from school and some don't even think of going to college/university. Left with just few options. Further more; black males are not only stereotype by others but also for themselves. This makes them feel alienated, discriminated and angry. An example of being stereotype by others is the different treatment they receive from the police. They are more often question, detain, and also put in jail.
When discussing issues like: racial profiling, unjust laws, inadequate education, discrimination, unstable families, and drug prohibition; we’re faced with a large milestone; one that requires the general perception of how an issue occurs—any issue—before causes are assumed.
When analyzing an issue, one will find a process, or sequence, precedes. Let’s take, for example, something most people are familiar with—relationships. When initiating a relationship with a person, there are typically no significant existent issues—they’re may be a few minor things, but nothing major relating to the influence of the opening issues; if there are existing issues, that’s an issue! And say, one of the persons becomes frustrated with the other due to lack of attention. No… Let’s use dirty-dishes as an example and keep things simple. Let’s also add that the frustrated individual doesn’t address the cause in hopes it will not become an issue. Now, 4-months pass and the person still neglects to wash the dirty-dishes; 15 total moments of frustration accumulate for the other individual. The frustrated person reaches their breaking point and begins an argument, does something or says something spitefully rude and the other person now falls victim to a persons 4 months of frustration—in this case, a victim is someone subject to an unaware issue. Now, what was at one point a minor flaw has become an issue. And this issue developed through a process—mainly involving poor communication.
I used the example above to show a common process from which issues develop. It is understood racial profiling, unjust laws, inadequate education, discrimination, unstable families, and drug prohibition is more serious of issues, compared to dirty-dishes. But I think it’s safe to say the issues young-black men are facing are the accumulation of every flaw within these issues. Resulting in the astronomical ratio of 1 in every 3 black-males experiencing incarceration. I can’t say communication/assertion (or lack of) is the leading cause of these issues—like in the dirty-dishwater issue. But I can say the lack of assertion and communication cause issues. Can one voice change this injustice? I think not. But I think things are on their way to changing the more individuals are educated about these issues—particularly the subjects; including educated and/or successful young-black American men.
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