The Elephant in The Room - The Culture of Minority Violence

originally posted by: Daedal
a reply to: imod02

I'm not trying to place blame. I'm trying to look at the picture and figure out what has happened. Sure you'll have the few who benefit from tradegy and scapegoat the situation for profit, shame on them.

However, the few don't often speak for the many. Regardless, those who still find themselves stuck in aftermath deserve equality, as does everyone else.

The gap between not just the poor, but everyone increases daily. And for the ones who still live the struggle of opportunity and equality are burdened even more. The playing field is uneven, and soon we may find ourselves just the same if we don't address this issue of income inequality and opportunity.

Does growth even matter anymore at this point, how can it, when even if there is all the earnings go to the one percent. Something has to be done so common people have a chance to succeed, even if they are poor.

As long as there are people like you there is hope

A lot of constructive responses in here, although I wish some folks would've actually read the entire OP to the end.

My 2 cents... It's not about race and it's not about poverty, it's about a perpetually glorified violent culture. Race just happens to be the most telling statistical denominator in regards to violence. Any instances of racial profiling or said bias in the judicial system would alter the cumulative data only fractionally, if at all. In an era of meaningless violence, not born of protest or a righteous cause, not in defense of peace or reason, there is no excuse.

Quit fighting ghosts.

originally posted by: Edumakated
You cannot divorce the social dysfunction from the 73% out of wedlock birth rate in the black community. Black men have been marginalized and replaced by the government which has resulted in basically hordes of young black men basically turning into feral thugs. It is a literal Lord of the Flies situation in many of these communities.

You cannot argue that the criminality is a result of poverty and racism. The black community was no where near as dysfunctional as it is today during the height of racism prior to the 1960s. In fact, any many years we had higher marriage rates, higher educational rates, etc than white folks in that period. So if one is to believe this tripe that it is poverty and racism as the cause, you'd expect to see even more dysfunction prior to 1960s than you do now, but you don't.

I'm an a black male. I spent my share of time living in the hood and can attest to the sheer social dysfunction that has become normalized in the black community. You have a lack of male role models, aggressive behaviors, a culture that doesn't value education, glorification of thug life, etc.

originally posted by: SlapMonkey
I think the real driver of the problem is an unwillingness for cultures to change. There really is no "American culture," because so many microcultures exist in this nation. But many do not want to change because they feel as though they will lose their identity--and this goes for all races and cultures, not just black or Hispanic. But no one wants to really take the time to look in the mirror and actually make a change that starts from within, and that's the only way it will ever get better. Right now, most people expect others to lead the change...we have too many cooks in the kitchen without a chef, and nothing is getting accomplished of substance.

...Again the problem is culture or lack there of, we as a nation and as a society have to come to the realization that we no longer have culture. It doesn't exist anymore, it's been replaced by trends. Trends that have been bought, sold, marketed, advertized, rinsed and repeated. Pushed through the memes of lifestyle and entertainment, just as the trend question. Identifying with poverty while not necessarily being poor is apart of that trend, identifying with oppression while not necessarily being oppressed is apart of that trend, identifying with drugs is apart of that trend, committing and promoting pointless violence because it's apart of that trend... is apart of that trend, it's a fad, a meme, a contagious idea and one that's lasted far too long.

It's just not cool anymore.

So lets discuss, what in the hell is going on? Why is violence perceived as "cool" amongst our youth? Why is violence respected? Is it purely impoverishment and economics? Or is it simply the power principle in action? Let us not forget, this world is mostly run buy wealthy white war pigs who love nothing more than causing and perpetuating violent conflict.

a reply to: rexsblues


Do you want the truth or what you want to hear? If it is the truth you want then I have an answer.

Because the government and those behind the government wants it this way. It skyrocketed the moment the music buisness began using hip-hop to promote violence, gang wars. Its not just with hip hop, don't forget television, and video games have a huge factor to program kids into being apathetic.

But it is not isolated only to hip hop culture (music wise). Hip hop targets the majority of people in the black community. Music (mainstream) like pop targets whites into being more "narcissistic". So you have the perfect recipe to play both blacks and whites like chess pieces against one another. How else to control peoples minds than through the very thing we enjoy? Its a divide and conquer tactic and most are unaware of it.


This in itself is a very deep topic that I wont go deep into, but if you know where to look, you will find heaps of traces and evidences that point out exactly what is going on.

a reply to: rexsblues

I do agree with that to some extent. The propaganda used to glorify violence is used in certain cultures where the poor and less fortunate identify with its meaning, the targeted audience.

This however circles back around to the core problems. Access to opportunity amongst other issues in these communities.

To work to eliminate the gangster culture of socially dysfunctional ghetto culture is very desirable. I totally disagree with the black politicians who don’t add this to the list of black cultural ailments and merely ignore it.

Iv'e always wondered why both, institutional racism and institutional and socially conditioned violence in the ghetto couldn’t both be fought against as an effort to raise the condition of the black poor.

The truth of the matter is that black activists, who I support philosophically in their fight against institutional and social racism, neglect fighting the pernicious crime in the hood as vociferously as they fight racism.


They condemn a white cop that murders one black man, as we all should, but are quiet as black communities are destroying themselves with massive criminal gangs plaguing the community.


These issues are not mutually exclusive one could fight them both.


The problem is that there is no quick or easy solution to this problem of massive crime in the hood.


And I challenge anyone to come up with such a solution that will work in practical reality.

a reply to: SoulSurfer

Spot on man, what better way to control the mob (a challenge to authority) than to turn it against itself.


a reply to: Daedal

Sadly this is in fact true here in America, however there are far more impoverished people in the world who actually live very peaceful lives, mostly due to their culture. Again, we don't have culture in America, we have marketed trends that serve and promote the grandiose of the individual, who will rarely betray that trend no matter how successful they become. There's plenty high profile examples of this 'street cred' capitalism.

originally posted by: mikecheque
I find it ironic that a lot of people want school acceptance to be more fair than "actual" day to day life. What I mean is that some people want to eliminate "Affirmative Action" in choosing those who are accepted in school. They want people to succeed on their own individual merits. Yet, I am judged more harshly because people who share similar melanin content as mine happen to more heavily populate crime statistics. In life, I am often NOT allowed to succeed on my own individual merits. Crime is relatively low, even if Black people are committing a lot of it.

I have to wonder how on earth a school knows what the melanin content of your skin is when it comes to admissions? Unless they are specifically asking what your ethnicity is, it's all anonymous. They never meet with you, so how could they know. You are at most a set of statistics and numbers, an essay, and a set of activities you did or didn't do in high school along with a name.

Now the name might be a potential giveaway, but not always. One of my friends was named Chantay. You'd think maybe she was African-American/black, but she wasn't. Her folks just like the name of the mountains they visited before she was born.

a reply to: Willtell

End the war on drugs. Legalize small quantities of certain illegal drugs which are profitable. Raise the minium wage so it's desirable to be employed. Make education accessable to everyone for free, not just those who can afford it.

Start a massive infrastructure rebuild, regardless of cost. We're in debt anyways. Hire everyone willing to work, regardless of history. If we're gonna go in debt, why not add another trillion to better our lives instead of the top, if it crashes at least we're ready for the next step.

a reply to: Daedal

Here's part of the problem. You have large parts of the sub-culture who may say they're willing to work, but they don't even have the most basic of job skills. They can't show up on time. They don't understand the concept of work ethic when they're on the job. They have no respect for authority on the job site or with coworkers. They may or may not show up to work alert and unimpaired.

a reply to: ketsuko

Then they're not willing to work. If someone desires to work and be employed, regardless of who they are or what they've done and do the job, your hired.

I'm afraid the whole tear down anything Confederate movement is designed to increase crimes directed in a racially-biased manner. Blacks see this as an opportunity to vent on inanimate objects and Whites feel it's an attack on their ancestry and race. Stealing flags and defacing monuments is going to lead to violence, somewhere.

It's pretty heinous to go over this all again. Bringing up history from 150 years ago and using that as a way to attack the character of Conservative Southern Whites and Whites in general. Just today some guy pushed a woman in front of traffic saying "I hate white people". This misplaced anger runs awfully deep and it's understandable but dangerous all the same - for everyone. It seems like were still headed on the upward curve with this so it may reach cathartic levels. I very much dislike riots and fear we have yet to see many more before this summer is over.

a reply to: Daedal

I think you make some great points but some cultural values are not shared fully between races.
Those are the sticky points hat have to be resolved.
Those capable of working should be required to work to receive any benefits,
Infrastructure projects are perfect for that.

originally posted by: Daedal
a reply to: ketsuko

Then they're not willing to work. If someone desires to work and be employed, regardless of who they are or what they've done and do the job, your hired.

And then we're back to having two classes - the haves and the have nots and people willing to make excuses for the ones who aren't willing to work and give them stuff because it would be cruel to do otherwise. So nothing will really change.

a reply to: Asktheanimals

You see that's the problem. If we look at it as you described, it's not an attack on Whites, it's not an attack on Blacks, it's an attack on everyone.

As long as we hold that belief and don't see the picture as a whole, we'll continue to believe we are separated.

originally posted by: ketsuko

originally posted by: Daedal
a reply to: ketsuko

Then they're not willing to work. If someone desires to work and be employed, regardless of who they are or what they've done and do the job, your hired.

And then we're back to having two classes - the haves and the have nots and people willing to make excuses for the ones who aren't willing to work and give them stuff because it would be cruel to do otherwise. So nothing will really change.

Believing nothing will change already admits defeat.

a reply to: SoulSurfer

And heavy metal is for violence I HAVE heard that song before.
It doesn't free ANYONE from the choices they make in their own actions.

originally posted by: ketsuko

Here's part of the problem. You have large parts of the sub-culture who may say they're willing to work, but they don't even have the most basic of job skills. They can't show up on time. They don't understand the concept of work ethic when they're on the job. They have no respect for authority on the job site or with coworkers. They may or may not show up to work alert and unimpaired.

Exactly my friend, that is a very good point. If we look into the root of this mentality, it brings us back to the emergence of gangster rap which flooded black culture back in the early 90's, it may as well as been a plague.

Then, All of a sudden overnight it was considered hip to carry a gun, sell drugs, wear baggy pants and be a member of a gang.

Just imagine how many young black males that are in prison are there because of the propaganda that they were fed by the thug life producers inside the music industry?

The early usual suspects even covered their behinds well by allowing the millionaire artists like Dre and others to create their own music labels later on.

That is the inconvenient truth of the matter. ~$heopleNation

a reply to: reldra

Like Beretta said Don't do The Crime If You Can't do The Time.

Keep Your Eye On the Sparrow.

originally posted by: reldra
Since we all know now...the graph presented in the OP is correct. However how the graph gets to that state is horrible.
The 'elephant in the room' is racial profiling and how our justice system works. Both are not good.

So we should not even discuss this situation due to the fact that we would be racial profiling ?

I suppose we should Just Stick our Heads in the Sand and it will all get better Without even bringing any
of this up at all.

If we all think this way i'm Almost positive that the world as we know it will not Improve.