Are Blacks Being Oppressed in America? - A Critical Analysis

a reply to: conspiracy nut

That's the problem - you sincerely doubt what's right in front of your face. Blacks are in jails at such high rates because they are that much more likely to commit crimes. All these bleeding-heart defenders are doing nothing to improve that situation. I can give you countless of examples where people have raised themselves up.

Hey, here's an example of a people that was oppressed but instead of criminal activity, came together to build a strong nation:

Jews

Yea for another daily scorpio thread about blm and african americans, Only blind people pretend that blacks and whites are equal in 2015.

Why is there more african americans in jail than in college, must be cause they feel entitled to free stuff right.

a reply to: scorpio84

Then white people are 20 times smarter than Black people since the average white person has 100,000 dollars of wealth and the average black 5000 and Latino about 5 also.

That’s apparently the case


What you don’t consider is the degree that past racism still has on the reality of people’s lives.

It’s like the big bang


As you could see the radiation still today from it; the pernicious racism that pervaded America still has reverberations even today, even though the racial climate has improved


But not nearly enough

a reply to: Gryphon66

how is it you think that by looking at ONE data source you can make the sweeping statements you do about your topic?

I've look at several data sources, but just give one per topic. I do cross-check any data that I post. Sometimes things are obvious. When you have nearly half of the population thinking their poverty is caused by slavery, which ended nearly two centuries ago, it becomes apparent that we have a case of self-entitlement. I do think other areas would be interesting to explore, namely welfare.

Do you realize that there are thousands of folks studying and working with, in and around the REALITIES of this topic every day ... and some have been doing so for decades ... that don't make the broad-based statements that you have???

Of course I realize that. I also realize that I'm not constrained by the same political correctness that is necessary to keep my job as those who earn their living by studying this problem and others like it.

What's your actual knowledge base? Are you involved in academic sociology, crime research, social work, community development, law enforcement, the judicial system ... or any other area that would give you the knowledge base to make these kinds of statements?

Besides the statistics - none of the above. I grew up in the hood - so I'd say my anecdotal knowledge base would be growing up and seeing things first-hand.

That's what I'm inviting you to do, even though it's a much, much bigger topic than we can really do justice to in this forum.

Invitation accepted. People will think this and that is racist - but strong reactions are expected with such topics. The sad truth is that poverty in general is caused by lack of personal motivation. Yes, there are obstacles in the way, but they are not insurmountable.

a reply to: steamiron

"black community" - blacks on average/most blacks/the average black person

I think you understand English - don't question simple terms just for the sake of argument. Petty crap like that holds the discussion back.

a reply to: dukeofjive696969

Entitlement is a reason for a lack of motivation. I'll make this easy for you to understand:

entitlement
lack of motivation
poor grades in school
drop out
end up on the streets during school hours
crime
prison

a reply to: Willtell

Regarding the intelligence gap, read this.

a reply to: scorpio84

Your funny, thats how many threads your posting on this subject, and when people dont agree with you, you insult them, it proves that your either thin skinned or full of it.

So again thanks for proving us right.

a reply to: dukeofjive696969

Canadian west coast, eh? While I'm sure the black population is incredibly high in Vancouver and you aren't just talking out of your ass, I still require facts not conjecture from your side.

The oppression is a direct result of the Obama administration and his state controlled media propaganda agenda to make sure racism remains a burr under everyone's bonnet. They tell the lies until most believe it.
People are being trained into hating others so that there is a much greater issue that government then uses to fulfill those agendas and the media cooperates wholeheartedly to keep racism a blazing fire.

a reply to: scorpio84

Hehe more excuses and insults my friend, keep it up, it proves me right again. You have no clue what your talking about, my god mother is Haitian, i am the proud godfather of two beautiful twin girls that come from a Haitian mother and my french canadian cousin.

Your lame attempts at personal attacks is making my day.

originally posted by: Willtell


What you don’t consider is the degree that past racism still has on the reality of people’s lives.

It’s like the big bang


As you could see the radiation still today from it; the pernicious racism that pervaded America still has reverberations even today, even though the racial climate has improved

The trouble is while you live in the past you can have no future.


One of my favourite sayings is ...

The beauty of life is, while we cant undo what is done,

We can see it, understand it, and learn from it.... and change.

a reply to: Benevolent Heretic

Like many who take your position, you have chosen to ignore the MANY REASONS that black people have been relegated to the poor inner cities, prisons and gangs in this country. You have totally forgotten the WHY. That's totally DISHONEST and very derogatory.

Right.

There's greater incidence of criminal activity among the poor. There are disproportionately more poor "black people" because that's where our society has relegated them. Hundreds of years of chattel slavery followed by another century of discrimination born of prejudice and preserved through disenfranchisement and let's not forget the simply logistical considerations of elevating

Start with 1900.

In 1900, over 90% of black people lived in the South, where only a generation and a half prior, they'd been slaves. School attendance for black males (aged 6-13) was 37.8% versus 72.2% for white males in the same age range. 53.5% were farmers/farm workers versus 35% of white males. Another 25.5% were in some sort of manual labor occupation versus 14% for white males. 44% of blacks over the age of 14 were illiterate versus 4.6% of native born whites (6.2% of all whites).

The average black male made 45 cents to his white male counterparts dollar.

Starting in the late mid-late 1910's black folks started moving (escaping) the South and following WWI and later the shift in immigration policy cutting off the immigration of poor Europeans, northern employers still needing more laborers to meet increasing demands were happy to turn to (and pay less than their white counterparts) black people even if the northern unions weren't (The 1920's version of "They're taking our jobs!").

Then the Great Depression happened and these trends ground to a halt. By 1940, the average black male was making 48 cents to his white male counterpart's dollar — a modest improvement — but then came the preparation for WWII and once more factories needed workers and once more black people were migrating to fill this demand. Consider that in 1930, 79% of black folks were still living in the South and through the decade this number fell only 2 percentage points to 77% in 1940 but in the next decade, the percentage living in the South fell 9% to 68% in 1950. Minimum wage was also re-established in 1938 and raised in 1945. By 1950, black males were making nearly 60 cents to the white male's dollar.

Then the Civil Rights movement brought about the desegregation of schools and laws against employment discrimination. Understand that prior to the mid-60's, it was perfectly legal to openly base wages on race. The result was that by the end of the 70's, black males were making about 70% as much as white males and black females and white females had almost no wage gap at all.

Unfortunately, something else was going on in the 1970's, the beginning of deindustrialization which gutted the blue collar employment. In the 80's the wage gap stopped narrowing and black folks actually lost some of the ground they'd made in previous decades.

Conservative political correctness in this country is so fanatically focused on being "anti-White Guilt" that it's essentially suppressed discourse on the very real and very comprehensible reasons for the economic disparity that exists to this day.

In this vacuum left by disallowing consideration of the objective truth and historical fact, people are forced to adopt insanely stupid theories and positions like black people discovered welfare and decided to lay around smoking crack and killing one another.

some sources:

EH.net (Economic History Assoc) - African Americans in the Twentieth Century by Thomas N. Maloney, University of Utah
Cliometric Society (economic history non-profit) - Employment Segregation in the Early Twentieth Century
National Center for Education Statistics - 120 Years of Literacy

The OPs analysis is spot on imho.

There is racism and even institutionalized racism. There is even white privileged. However, none of these things really are responsible for the current conditions of the black community today as a whole.

The black community is kind of like a dog trapped behind an invisible fence. They've been so conditioned to believe that racism is holding them down (fence) that when the fence has been turned off, they still won't go past the barrier.

My theory is that the civil rights movement was too successful. So successful that a large part of the black community cannot accept that white people by in large are not racist and aren't out to get us anymore. It is kind of like white people quickly accepted that racism was wrong and moved on while black people have not accepted that white people aren't racist.

As for the current state of failures of the black community, it can be traced back to the war on poverty which has caused the 75% out of wedlock birthrate to become socially acceptable. All the crime, mayhem, and cultural dysfunction stems from this fact. It is the root cause. It will never be honestly talked about because to do so means examining progressive policies for their effectiveness which would expose their utter failure.

I also believe that black leadership failed the community by pushing for political power instead of economic power. WEB DuBois vs Booker T Washington. Looking back on it, Booker T was right. Blacks have tremendous political power, but little to no economic power beyond spending money. So despite having blacks in political positions of power in every major city since the 70s, we have nothing to show for it but urban ghettos by in large.

originally posted by: Edumakated

There is racism and even institutionalized racism. There is even white privileged. However, none of these things really are responsible for the current conditions of the black community today as a whole.

Every black friend I have can tell me emotional personal stores, but everyone of them are successful and do not follow the path as you put forth. Life can suck at times but that doesn't mean game over and just roll over and wait to die.

As for the current state of failures of the black community, it can be traced back to the war on poverty which has caused the 75% out of wedlock birthrate to become socially acceptable. All the crime, mayhem, and cultural dysfunction stems from this fact. It is the root cause. It will never be honestly talked about because to do so means examining progressive policies for their effectiveness which would expose their utter failure.

Inter city life has got to be horrid. I see very little good come out of it, and unfortunately a large percentage of blacks live in poorer inner cities, and I can tell you those that do are a totally different person than those who don't.

I also believe that black leadership failed the community by pushing for political power instead of economic power.

Look at Chicago..holy crap

originally posted by: OhOkYeah
Love these statistics.

They always point out race and never look at the economic factors.

How gullible do you have to be to believe that it's about race?

Blacks aren't more likely to be shot by police. Poor people are.

No.
Criminals are more likely to be shot, by police or even other criminals if you look at FBI stats.

So, stop engaging in criminality and you won't get shot.

Obvious.

originally posted by: eletheia

originally posted by: Willtell


What you don’t consider is the degree that past racism still has on the reality of people’s lives.

It’s like the big bang


As you could see the radiation still today from it; the pernicious racism that pervaded America still has reverberations even today, even though the racial climate has improved

The trouble is while you live in the past you can have no future.


One of my favourite sayings is ...

The beauty of life is, while we cant undo what is done,

We can see it, understand it, and learn from it.... and change.

I didn’t say people live in the past

I didn’t say or suggest that people do or should live in the past

I said the past affects the future.

That’s axiomatic

For instance...
Many white people because of their forbears inherit wealth that a particular black person will never have access to because their forbears( having nothing to do with what today’s blacks do) were discriminated against and that caused them NOT to have the material possessions they could have left to their grandchildren.


If you count all that up it comes to trillions of dollars

That's existential reality that cant be changed and cant be affected by anyone's attitude, its already been done.

a reply to: scorpio84

"Sometimes things are obvious ..." Yes, sometimes they are ... like your unmitigated bias on this subject. You've looked at one or two sets of statistics and confirmed your biased beliefs, not to mention, your appeals to your own authority.

So much for "analysis" ... but you nailed critical ... just not in the way you initially implied.

a reply to: Gryphon66

I didn't look for stats to go with some sort of preconceived notion. I found statistics first then analyzed. If you have more stats and a counter-analysis, it would be most welcome here. I've just kicked off what I hope will be a productive discussion. I do not think that much will be achieved by focusing on something that, while perhaps a problem in isolated instances, is not a pervading issue.

You can call me biased all you want - but provide something more concrete than thinly-veiled ad hominem.

a reply to: Willtell

My forebears were discriminated against (Irish and German). Does that mean any of my failings can be blamed on things that happened in the 19th century and during WW2?