1. It's a dialogue that, 9 times out of 10, doesn't happen, especially because the "ghetto pass" is so quickly revoked in many cases, especially when white people are involved. And the way you associate the "ghetto pass" with the ability to talk about Black issues is another common fallacy - you associate Blackness with poverty. Shelby Stelle talks alot about this in "Content of our Character"; the way poverty is associated with being "truly black", and the way the mentalities of poor Black people are seen as "the Blackest" possible persepctive one could have on Black issues.
2. Because it's a way for me to vent frustations about the whole issue. I don't believe that racism by white people is 100 percent of the Black problem. Whether or not my post affects the actions of Black folk in general or whether it has any socially redeeming value is irrelevant. This board is about discussion, plain and simple. Oftentimes I see this perception that racism is the Alpha and Omega and everything inbetween when it comes to the Black community. I don't believe it is. This is my attempt to put a spin on the discussion that hasn't existed yetr, at least in a significant way on this board.
3. Because I care. I believe there is a huge untapped resource in Black America that continues to be wasted. Black people in America are literally starving and dying as we speak, and I believe those are needless deaths and often wasted lives. The idea held among many Black people is that only white people raised in the hood, who have a ghetto pass or a "Black pass", give a shit about Black people and the Black situation. While I was raised in a low-income, predominately Black/Mexican area, you have apparently took my ghetto pass, so I suppose now that idea is faulty. But in the end I, and many other white people, even rich motherfuckers who don't have black friends, give a shit.
4. Because I believe Spike Lee, Jesse Jackson, Farahkkan, and others who are prominent in the Black community are telling Black people to essentially shoot themselves in the foot: by ignoring the personal habits aspect, taking personal responsibility from Black people in the situation, and telling them that political action, reperations, or the end of white racism will be the solution to their problem, they are essentially not addressing the problem and enhacning and increasing Black misery.
Once again, do I think I am doing good for the Black community with this thread? DO I think I am changing the world by posting in GOM hell naw. This, however, is a place of opinions, and I am simply telling mine.
I've seen Black fathers with jobs and families get taken to jail and killed over matters of personal pride; matters that could have been simply left alone, but because Black men are encouraged to be loud, strong, physical manisfestations of manhood, could not be left alone. I've seen Black mothers buyin Newports, Doritos, and beer with food stamps that should have been feeding their families.
Worst of all, I, you, Heresy, and anyone on here who udnerstands the reality of poverty have seen Black folk so depressed by their situation, and so depressed by their lives, that they stopped caring about themselves, their kids, basically anything.
When I grew up my family lived in a shitty ass slum with roaches, fights, crackheads, and everything. My parents had to do all they could to keep us fed and clothed and under a roof. Over time, through the way that my family lived, and the way that my parents saved, we came to be able to do alright. Not because we had a "white people safety net", not because we had a "skin advantage", simply because my parents fully understood what needed to get done financially to get ahead.
I saw that the difference between my poor white family and other poor black families was simply our outlook and attitude, and not our skin; my parents never let our situation get the best of them, and they both kept their heads above water. I've never seen my Dad get hella mad or get in a fight with nobody, my parents didn't spend money on anything that wasn't essential. My pops worked two jobs and my mom worked one while they both concentrated on moving up in their jobs or getting the skills to find better jobs. We drove the worst ass bucket ever. It was a Maverick that would fill up with water when it rained, and me and my sister put goldfish in it for awhile because they had their own little puddle in the backseat and shit. My pops used to go fishin and bring us home some dinner that he caught. We used to dress so broke and bummy it was ridiculous. I got clowned hella hard in school. And so on and so on...
I believe that no one in the Black community today is telling Black people "You can do this. It is possible." I believe Black leadership has just given up; in my opinion there is no Black leadership today.
Once in awhile a rap or r&b song or whatever comes out like 2pac "Changes" etc. talkin about "We need to do this, we need to get things right, look at all the problems we got, etc". The Million Man March is another example of this pehnomenon of empty action.
Alot of grand ideas are put out, but no one ever states that yo, it starts at home and it starts in the community. Furthermore, no specifics are given as to what to do. Promising to just "make things better" without a real plan is useless. Most Black leadership today tells Black folks day in and day out that "Once we get ours, things will change. Once we stop racism, things will change."
That is like saying "Once I get rich, I won't have to worry about being poor anymore, so I don't worry about the fact that I'm poor right now." That is the dream dope dealers on the street have. That is the dream the thousands or even millions of aspiring Black musicians have. The reality is that there can only be one Jay-Z per project. There can only be one Pharrell, Quincy Jones, or P.Diddy per block. Sports is another dead end. Setting yourself up to be used like a tool by white folk until they decide you've lost your share as a workhorse is no path to economic freedom.
The unfortunate part about the Black American Dream is that being rich is not an objective; being rich is a mentality. And it doesn't mean "Hustle more, put out more records, sell more CDs" or "Sharpen my rhymes, my keyboard, my ball skills" or "Sell dope, rob folks, and grind on the block". None of those lead to riches.
Getting rich means no eating out, no nice clothes, no unaffordable cars, no children you can't afford, no unessential items, over a long ass period of time. Most young Black kids talkin bout how they gon blow up in this or blow up in that and just get rich will never see money. They won't even see enough money to get them by in their lives with their expenses. That's what needs to change.
How many dope dealers have u known who pulled in bread? Just mad, off the hook money? Some of my homeboys used to clock like 10 g's a month or more. Yet somehow, they couldn't hang on to it. People who made in a week what I would make in 6 months now, and could have been set for life, never end up out of the hood. Even if they make it for awhile, it all comes down eventually.
Why? Because a vast majority of Black people do not know how to manage their money, how to spend their money, and what to put their money towards. If you disagree with this, I really don't know what to tell you, but I seen that shit firsthand a million times. And whether or not you think the the Frisco hood is so much more different than Denver or Lousiana or anywhere else, I really don't think it is. The slang a motherfucker use changes, the weather changes, but the hood stays the same.
And I don't believe economics is all of it. Even if the "Black dollar" issue were removed entirely, the community would still face huge, almost impossible obstacles. I'm not ignorant of that. I don't believe that one could simply fix all of the problems out there with a mentality change or a spending habits change. But that is at least a start in my opinion. That is my attempt at presenting a small part of the solution.
And once again, like I've stated before, this message board will change nobody's life. I'm not on a campaign, or tryin to preach about some shit. This is just an issue that matters to me, and this is my opinion on it. If you don't believe I don't got a right to speak or you disagree with everything I say, that's really secondary to me. I go through these lengths to explain simply because I'd rather not lose somebody to discuss shit with than have the door be closed to that possibility. But that's on you.
2. Because it's a way for me to vent frustations about the whole issue. I don't believe that racism by white people is 100 percent of the Black problem. Whether or not my post affects the actions of Black folk in general or whether it has any socially redeeming value is irrelevant. This board is about discussion, plain and simple. Oftentimes I see this perception that racism is the Alpha and Omega and everything inbetween when it comes to the Black community. I don't believe it is. This is my attempt to put a spin on the discussion that hasn't existed yetr, at least in a significant way on this board.
3. Because I care. I believe there is a huge untapped resource in Black America that continues to be wasted. Black people in America are literally starving and dying as we speak, and I believe those are needless deaths and often wasted lives. The idea held among many Black people is that only white people raised in the hood, who have a ghetto pass or a "Black pass", give a shit about Black people and the Black situation. While I was raised in a low-income, predominately Black/Mexican area, you have apparently took my ghetto pass, so I suppose now that idea is faulty. But in the end I, and many other white people, even rich motherfuckers who don't have black friends, give a shit.
4. Because I believe Spike Lee, Jesse Jackson, Farahkkan, and others who are prominent in the Black community are telling Black people to essentially shoot themselves in the foot: by ignoring the personal habits aspect, taking personal responsibility from Black people in the situation, and telling them that political action, reperations, or the end of white racism will be the solution to their problem, they are essentially not addressing the problem and enhacning and increasing Black misery.
Once again, do I think I am doing good for the Black community with this thread? DO I think I am changing the world by posting in GOM hell naw. This, however, is a place of opinions, and I am simply telling mine.
I've seen Black fathers with jobs and families get taken to jail and killed over matters of personal pride; matters that could have been simply left alone, but because Black men are encouraged to be loud, strong, physical manisfestations of manhood, could not be left alone. I've seen Black mothers buyin Newports, Doritos, and beer with food stamps that should have been feeding their families.
Worst of all, I, you, Heresy, and anyone on here who udnerstands the reality of poverty have seen Black folk so depressed by their situation, and so depressed by their lives, that they stopped caring about themselves, their kids, basically anything.
When I grew up my family lived in a shitty ass slum with roaches, fights, crackheads, and everything. My parents had to do all they could to keep us fed and clothed and under a roof. Over time, through the way that my family lived, and the way that my parents saved, we came to be able to do alright. Not because we had a "white people safety net", not because we had a "skin advantage", simply because my parents fully understood what needed to get done financially to get ahead.
I saw that the difference between my poor white family and other poor black families was simply our outlook and attitude, and not our skin; my parents never let our situation get the best of them, and they both kept their heads above water. I've never seen my Dad get hella mad or get in a fight with nobody, my parents didn't spend money on anything that wasn't essential. My pops worked two jobs and my mom worked one while they both concentrated on moving up in their jobs or getting the skills to find better jobs. We drove the worst ass bucket ever. It was a Maverick that would fill up with water when it rained, and me and my sister put goldfish in it for awhile because they had their own little puddle in the backseat and shit. My pops used to go fishin and bring us home some dinner that he caught. We used to dress so broke and bummy it was ridiculous. I got clowned hella hard in school. And so on and so on...
I believe that no one in the Black community today is telling Black people "You can do this. It is possible." I believe Black leadership has just given up; in my opinion there is no Black leadership today.
Once in awhile a rap or r&b song or whatever comes out like 2pac "Changes" etc. talkin about "We need to do this, we need to get things right, look at all the problems we got, etc". The Million Man March is another example of this pehnomenon of empty action.
Alot of grand ideas are put out, but no one ever states that yo, it starts at home and it starts in the community. Furthermore, no specifics are given as to what to do. Promising to just "make things better" without a real plan is useless. Most Black leadership today tells Black folks day in and day out that "Once we get ours, things will change. Once we stop racism, things will change."
That is like saying "Once I get rich, I won't have to worry about being poor anymore, so I don't worry about the fact that I'm poor right now." That is the dream dope dealers on the street have. That is the dream the thousands or even millions of aspiring Black musicians have. The reality is that there can only be one Jay-Z per project. There can only be one Pharrell, Quincy Jones, or P.Diddy per block. Sports is another dead end. Setting yourself up to be used like a tool by white folk until they decide you've lost your share as a workhorse is no path to economic freedom.
The unfortunate part about the Black American Dream is that being rich is not an objective; being rich is a mentality. And it doesn't mean "Hustle more, put out more records, sell more CDs" or "Sharpen my rhymes, my keyboard, my ball skills" or "Sell dope, rob folks, and grind on the block". None of those lead to riches.
Getting rich means no eating out, no nice clothes, no unaffordable cars, no children you can't afford, no unessential items, over a long ass period of time. Most young Black kids talkin bout how they gon blow up in this or blow up in that and just get rich will never see money. They won't even see enough money to get them by in their lives with their expenses. That's what needs to change.
How many dope dealers have u known who pulled in bread? Just mad, off the hook money? Some of my homeboys used to clock like 10 g's a month or more. Yet somehow, they couldn't hang on to it. People who made in a week what I would make in 6 months now, and could have been set for life, never end up out of the hood. Even if they make it for awhile, it all comes down eventually.
Why? Because a vast majority of Black people do not know how to manage their money, how to spend their money, and what to put their money towards. If you disagree with this, I really don't know what to tell you, but I seen that shit firsthand a million times. And whether or not you think the the Frisco hood is so much more different than Denver or Lousiana or anywhere else, I really don't think it is. The slang a motherfucker use changes, the weather changes, but the hood stays the same.
And I don't believe economics is all of it. Even if the "Black dollar" issue were removed entirely, the community would still face huge, almost impossible obstacles. I'm not ignorant of that. I don't believe that one could simply fix all of the problems out there with a mentality change or a spending habits change. But that is at least a start in my opinion. That is my attempt at presenting a small part of the solution.
And once again, like I've stated before, this message board will change nobody's life. I'm not on a campaign, or tryin to preach about some shit. This is just an issue that matters to me, and this is my opinion on it. If you don't believe I don't got a right to speak or you disagree with everything I say, that's really secondary to me. I go through these lengths to explain simply because I'd rather not lose somebody to discuss shit with than have the door be closed to that possibility. But that's on you.
