John Edwards: Young Black Males Will Be Gone Soon.

Headline: EDWARDS PREDICTS DOOM FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN MALES.
Source: www.foxnews.com... dtd 9/28/2007

"Pretty soon we’re not going to have a young African-American male
population in America. They’re all going to be in prison or dead. One of
the two.” -John Edwards

Does this statement by Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards
seem way too extreme?

"Pretty Soon"? You'd think he's talking about in a year or two. John is
a likeable guy, but I feel that he's becoming too emotional as of late.
Could be because of the family stress. Having to campaign knowing
that your dear spouse is suffering back home with advanced cancer
has to be very tough on him. -cwm

i doubt that would happen. he is just being alarmist. african americans are among the highest rates of teen pregancies. they are having babies like crazy. edwards is an idiot.


kind regards,
Digitalgrl

That is one heck of a thing to say! Maybe he knows of plans underway of some kind?
He definatly needs to explain this one.

Camps?

reply to post by carewemust


Breck Boy Edwards is a freakin ambulance chasing lawyer that will always be out of touch with the American people.
Check out the actual video here

Of course the Main Stream Media are playing double standards, if this had been someone from the other side of the political fence all hell would break loose.

And where the hell are the POVERTY PIMPS of Jesse HiJackson and Revemup Sharpton?
Oh that's right, Sharpton finally got a victory under his belt from a story that didn't turn out to be FALSE.
He must be too busy celebrating to even think about Edwards.

Oh boy. By "pretty soon" he just meant "the way things are going" in an exaggerated way, like "the way things are going, there won't be a middle class in America." I agree he could have said it better, but of course Fox is going to jump on it.

BTW Alxandro, calling him an ambulance chaser is just a republican sound bite disparagement and is contrary to his record and the way he's used his legal skills to help people, but I know you're not interested in hearing about anything good he's done. "Breck boy," oh ouch. I guess John Kennedy was a breck boy too, eh? Yeah, that's relevant political commentary there. I'm not even a supporter, but at least I don't take the usual regurgitated, unimaginative cheap shots.

Originally posted by DigitalGrl
african americans are among the highest rates of teen pregancies. they are having babies like crazy.

While I agree that Edward's statement is more than a bit on the "alarmist" side; how is your statement disproving his? In fact, your statement of teens "having babies like crazy" is actually a major part of the problem. These babies rarely have a "stable" home life, and often lack positive role models (factors that can easily lead to criminal behavior later in life).

"Children having children" is not the way to propagate a responsible & productive future generation. :shk:

[edit on 9/29/07 by redmage]

Originally posted by DigitalGrl african americans are among the highest rates of teen pregancies. they are having babies like crazy.

Really? I thought the statistics showed they were aborting more of their children than carrying them to birth.

I imagine John Edwards was trying in part to take steam away from Obama's campaign, but he is no dummy. Eugenecists have run amock in the USA from Margaret Sanger on with a goal of eliminating "the dark races". But he may want to be careful in what he says so he doesn't run afoul of the high and the mighty who want their transhuman super race the way a vampire wants blood.

He could be right, since there's so much black-on-black violence going on in places, like it's cool.

But again, the statement he gave could be the perfect form of propaganda to get his votes up.

Thanks for your post.

Originally posted by redmage
These babies rarely have a "stable" home life, and often lack positive role models (factors that can easily lead to criminal behavior later in life).

I really think that is an unfair cultural smear against African-Americans.

Their social structure may not look like the Caucasian one, but there is a strong matriarchal element that anchors families -- with the Grandmother often raising the children of the daughter with this pattern being repeated across generations.

There are mighty and strong role models in the African American community, and I think the implication in your statement is that they are all some sort of sub-standard sub-class of human beings who should be barred from reproducing except according to norms "their betters" find acceptable. That kind of thinking is utterly reprehensible to me.

I do agree his statement was over the top. However, it's a well know fact if you are young and black in this country you run a much higher risk than other groups - statistically - of spending time in prison or dying young.

Essentially Edwards is getting to issues of race and class. Let's remember the question, from a young black women reading off a cell phone, was about young people, violence and the "inner-city."

A good question, but I also wonder if it was a set up?

Nonetheless, Edwards makes a good point when he says the answer is a long one, and not soundbite friendly. Ironically, his response was truncated and probably lost to the screaming headline. For what it's worth, even if he or someone else set the whole thing up, I admire him for having the courage to address one of our nation's dirty little secrets, i.e. exploitation of the poor and disenfranchised, the prison industrial complex, as some call it.

One reason the answer is long; it goes back to slavery and the very foundation and conflicts of our economic and social systems.

However, the immediate concern are the young people, the violence, and as the questioner put it, in the "inner-city."

This violence is reflected in recently reported increases of violent crime in major urban areas around the nation. Homicide reports are increasingly grim. In the past, most murder was between people who "loved" each other, or at least knew each other. Then well over 90% of all such cases were solved within 6 months. Today most of the killing is anounymous, between strangers. I recently read somewhere that today less than 50% of reported homicides are even actively investigated. There just isn't the manpower or money.

My theroy, in a nutshell, is that more important than race, or class, or age, we have grown to disrespect the good laws, "Thou shall not kill, steal, lie, etc..." because those who are so admired and held to high esteem are the biggest killers, theifs and liars on the planet. They act like false gods, and the people are continually betrayed and mislead.

Historians have long pointed out the consequence of widespread lawlessness; it breads equally widespread disrespect among the people. Both for authority and each other. The "mob mentality" takes over. Gangs and police shooting it out on the street in communities with already high rates of poverty and unemployment (and a stark absence of adult males) are destined to collapse.

If you are poor and a young man or woman from a broken home, living in a community at war with the gangs and criminals and the police; what would you do? Where are you going to go in that situation? Most likely with those who think and feel like you. Hence gangs form to create a sort of virtual community that operates under it's own laws and protects its members and its physical turf against all comers. An environment of steadily increasing urban warfare exists in every major city of this country. It's getting worse all the time. While it isn't as bad as Bhagdad, I wonder if it's just a matter of time? What if the Crips or the Bloods or some other gang suddenly embraced Islam and/or decided to pick up from where the Black Panthers left off?

Of course it's not limited to the "inner-city," murder, violence and crime plague poor people everywhere (most victims of violent crime are poor).

See ... how long I'm running, sorry I'll wrap it up, thank you for your endurance. Yet I've hardly scratched the surface.

Originally posted by Pellevoisin
I really think that is an unfair cultural smear against African-Americans.

Quite frankly, you thought wrong.

My comment was not a "cultural smear against African-Americans" at all. It was a comment regarding teens having children. This trend has certainly crossed racial boundaries and the fact of the matter is that, when teens have children, they are rarely mature enough to be entirely responsible for their own lives (let alone taking on the responsibility of providing for an even younger child's life).

There certainly are "mighty and strong role models in the African American community"; however, I think it's fair to say that the majority of "gang bangers" (regardless of their race) have lacked positive male role models in their daily lives and upbringings.

Again, "children having children" is not the way to propagate a responsible & productive future generation.

[edit on 9/29/07 by redmage]

i like this guy... thinking ahead. for the future and all.
the way things are going?
down hill with a tail wind!

bang. your dead gang banger. bang bang bang.

this is what's he's getting at no? maybe he's just fed up with his country being eaten by the festering co-drug gang boil that is eating at the kidneys of your country.

nothing he can do about it. not until... you know. they are all gone.

Originally posted by redmage

Originally posted by Pellevoisin
I really think that is an unfair cultural smear against African-Americans.

Quite frankly, you thought wrong.

My comment was not a "cultural smear against African-Americans" at all. It was a comment regarding teens having children.

No, I'm quite certain I understood you loud and clear.

As far as your comment about "gangbangers" and role models, I won't touch that with a ten-foot barge pole.

i absolutely cannot believe half this malarkey is being said. -smh

Originally posted by DigitalGrl
i doubt that would happen. he is just being alarmist. african americans are among the highest rates of teen pregancies. they are having babies like crazy. edwards is an idiot.


kind regards,
Digitalgrl

I wonder if there are recent statistics showing how many African American
males are BORN vs how many DIE or GO TO PRISON prior to age 21?

I'm African American. My mom (at age 14 in 1959) wanted to Abort me
but it was illegal then. Thank goodness! My wife and I adopted two
African American baby boys in 1997. They're good students and we're
trying our best to keep them on the right track to becoming well-rounded,
responsible adults who will contribute to society. So far, so good!
-CareWeMust

Originally posted by Pellevoisin
No, I'm quite certain I understood you loud and clear.

That's too bad, because you're sadly mistaken in your "understanding".

Originally posted by Pellevoisin
As far as your comment about "gangbangers" and role models, I won't touch that with a ten-foot barge pole.

I appreciate it. It's probably better that way since you seem to be having a difficult time getting past your preconceived notions. Ironically, by pre-judging my comments without care for my actual words, or intent, you're falling victim to your own prejudice.

Thats a pretty radical statement!! As I agreed with DigitalGrl, he's just being an alarmist...

Man, everytime when I hear the name "John Edward", I always think of that phony psychic and medium, and I always get confuse, and at time told myself, when did he start running for president.

I seriously doubt Edwards cares if black men have social clout. This is just pandering and it is very obvious what he is trying to do.
Babies having babies is how it has been done for Millenia. When a girl has reached the age of "availability", she is paired with a mate.
Black Americans are not going to disappear unless the mothership comes to get them in 2012.

Has it occurred to anyone that our current crop of Presidential hopefuls is even more piss-poor than usual? GWB, thank you so very much for lowering the standards for the rest of us...

I don't know if he is being mean or anything. The statement sounds kind of brutal, but I remember when researching for doing a speech on drugs, it said that half of all black males will be in prison during some point in their life time. Maybe he is trying to raise awareness and/or try to help the problem?