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AALBC.com's Thumper's Corner Discussion Board » Culture, Race & Economy - Archive 2007 » Racism is alive and well black youth say...... « Previous Next »

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Libralind2
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Posted on Tuesday, February 06, 2007 - 01:47 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Racism is alive and well, black youth say in national survey
http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/493831p-415875c.html


BY ADAM NICHOLS
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Many young blacks believe they are treated as third-class citizens in the U.S., ignored by a government that considers them the lowest of the low, researchers said yesterday. The most comprehensive survey of black youth for years has found a community that sees itself as ravaged by poverty, crime and poor education - and kept down by leaders who represent only white America.
The University of Chicago survey found 48% thought even new immigrants are treated with more respect than blacks are. Their sense of marginalization is so strong that the overwhelming majority believes the government sidelined the struggle against AIDS because it affected more blacks that whites.

"The most disheartening thing about this is that these are young people who have this feeling of isolation and secondary status," said Cathy Cohen, who led the research. "What shocked me was the matter-of-fact way that young people, in what's supposed to be the post-civil rights period, just expect that the government will not respond to their needs," she said.

The nationwide survey questioned 1,590 blacks, whites and Hispanics between 15 and 25.

The findings included:


Most young black people believe racial discrimination stands in the way of success.

They think they get an inferior education to whites, they live in greater poverty, are more likely to be involved in crime and face police discrimination.

They believe the government is run by big interest groups and powerful people who care only about serving themselves and people like them.

Most put faith in their own communities uniting to deal with their own problems.

Only 11% believe they'll seean end to racism in their lifetime.

Many believe their own role models put down their communities. Though most said they listened to rap music regularly, they considered it violent, sexist and degrading.
"I don't think anything new is being said here," Sonya Jonson, a hairdresser from the Bronx, said yesterday.

"Why is anybody surprised we feel alienated? Do they remember what happened in New Orleans?"

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Chrishayden
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Posted on Tuesday, February 06, 2007 - 02:30 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Half the job is done.

Now that they know the truth they got to know how to deal with it.
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Troy
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Posted on Tuesday, February 06, 2007 - 04:36 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Chris do you seriously think anyone under 40 really knows what racism is?

People can say and believe anything. The problem here is believing the wrong thing. These young people will NEVER reach their full potential if they continue to believe the ominous, ever-present, beast of racism will contantly hold them down.

The job was "half done" and half a century ago. It seems a segment of your population has refused to progress -- actually has chosen to regress.

I would much rather young people believe that there was absolutely no racism. That attitude would serve these young people better today than believing what they apparently believe today.

Chris as long as there are people of different so called "races", there will be racism. If people were the same race, they'd find someother characteristic to distinquish and kill each other over.

The trick is learning to deal with racism and preventing the worst practitioners from gaining too much power.

I find the article very sad. Young people believing "racial discrimination stands in the way of success." This attitude is hobbling.

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Ntfs_encryption
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Posted on Tuesday, February 06, 2007 - 04:44 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

"Chris do you seriously think anyone under 40 really knows what racism is?

People can say and believe anything. The problem here is believing the wrong thing. These young people will NEVER reach...........

I find the article very sad. Young people believing "racial discrimination stands in the way of success." This attitude is hobbling."


Bro Troy, that was brilliant. Thank you........



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Cynique
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Posted on Tuesday, February 06, 2007 - 04:58 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Those insightful comments will curl chrishayden's toes, Troy, because to his way of thinking, remarks like yours are better left unsaid, presumably because they give "aid and comfort to the enemy." But to fall back on an old cliche, as far as I'm concerned, "the truth will set us free."
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Yukio
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Posted on Tuesday, February 06, 2007 - 06:45 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Well, I find Troy's comments problematic. On the one hand, I can appreciate what he is saying. That if young folk believe all possibilities are closed, then they are apt to do nothing, and regress. But that is problematic thinking, in fact, regressive thinking.

The problem here is believing the wrong thing. These young people will NEVER reach their full potential if they continue to believe the ominous, ever-present, beast of racism will contantly hold them down.

This way of thinking is regressive, because it dissuades our youth from identifying the problem. If you say that, “I would much rather young people believe that there was absolutely no racism,” you are contributing to the very isolation that the article highlights. In other words, if you say, “ignore it….work your ass off and you will succeed,” you are ignoring the real barriers they may confront [ie: do you seriously think anyone under 40 really knows what racism is?] and you erroneously assume that to believe that racism is “ominous, ever-present,” is to believe that you should not do your best in school and such, and that it can not be destroyed . In other words, racism will always be around, but work really, really hard at your job and hope that you will be able to overcome it. Why not work hard and challenge racism?

Furthermore, this way of thinking is regressive because it simplifies the problem and makes it an issue of assiduity.

Some people don't do well because they are lazy, less intelligent than others, and/or do not take the opportunities that are presented to them. This is a human question.

But Black people, as a group, don't do well because of racism. The first pertains to all of humanity and individual choices and aptitude, and the latter, group and societal dynamics that are structured by a system that we call racism. They are related, but considerably different.


The history of the civil rights movement was identifying that there was a problem in the first place. How do you "deal" with racism if you "believe that there was absolutely no racism"?

There is a real difference between dealing with racism and believing that it doesn't exist.

Believing that "that there was absolutely no racism" is being ignorant, and bumping into racial barriers and blaming yourself for failure. Since there could be no other reason for you not getting that promotion, interview, loan....there has to be a balance.
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Abm
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Posted on Tuesday, February 06, 2007 - 07:14 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Does racism exist? And if it does, HOW do you pretend it doesn't? Especially when it influences every aspect of your life?

Moveover, HOW much of the effects of racism can/should we be expect to ignore before we're made infirm by such?

And how much BETTER are Black foks suppose to be than everyone else? How much more chaste, pure, moral/ethical, wise and cautious must we be BEFORE we ulimately say Fuhk that. I'm just go do what I can to get by and enjoy my life?
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Abm
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Posted on Tuesday, February 06, 2007 - 07:17 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

When you're Black, there's much LESS room for mediocrity.

A lazy White student becomes a corporate middle manager (or President of the United States).

A lazy Black student does prison time.
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Yukio
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Posted on Tuesday, February 06, 2007 - 07:41 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

ABM: right!
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Cynique
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Posted on Tuesday, February 06, 2007 - 10:14 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Well, certain black/white pardigms make for good sound bites, and the problematic rebuttal concentrates on the gallery without focusing on the little pictures that are show cased in it, which is to say that in a racist society variables abound. Not all lazy white people end up in high positions; a lot of black ones do too, especially when it comes to political patrongage jobs that involve party loyalties and family connections, something that is blatantly borne out in big cities and little towns all over America. This exception to the rule is also wide-spread in the Postal system because this pillar of America's labor force is almost like a black monopoly, especially in the urban areas. Yes, this is anecdotal. But inasmuch as institutionalized racism does exist, theoretically it should not be refutable that all white kids can be told that they will have it made because they are white and racism rules and that when they grow up they will beat out black folks and can then sit back and bask in their whiteness. But this is not true. What's problematic is telling your children that anything is guaranteed whether it be success or failure. No child should be supplied with excuses to fail. America is also a capitalistic nation and although not everybody will end up being a CEO, ambition and ability do pay off or are circumstances to be lightly dismissed in a society that is becoming more and more about class than race.
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Libralind2
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Posted on Tuesday, February 06, 2007 - 10:29 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

When is the last time any of you who diss black kids, been in a low performing school that the kids who attend have no choice but to attend that school and see teachers who dont give a shyet. There are zillions of teacher who do care and Im not talking about them. Im talking about teachers who are not untilizing the tools they have to make our children be the best they can be in spite of their circumstances. THIS is why or who I should say are the youth they interviewed. They are not getting the love and encouragement needed from home OR school. While folks say we shouldnt leave to the schools, I totally disagree. OUR kids are in the schools all dam day. The adults in these schools are suppose to set an example and they are passing off their responsibility by using the attitude of kids, money whatever not to plant seeds in our kids. Frankly Im sick of it. Some of the parents need to be smacked up side the head as well as the educaters. Some of us remember back when we went to school we had both, the teacher who patted us on the head and the one who patted us on the backside..and it was all good. Im thinking what needs to happen is BLACK MEN need to start volunteering in these schools and MAKE these kids sit they azz down and learn. I've done that very thing. I went to school with my grandaughter because she was acting up and stayed 3-4 classes. By the second period, I couldnt take it anymore and I was telling kids to "sit your butts down..I KNOW you heard your teacher telling you to sit". Of course they looked at me like I was crazy and my grandaughter was too through, but did I care...?? HAIL NO. In fact to this day when I go over there..well I cant now since Im in Houston, but those same kids I told to sit your butt down..ran up to me and hugged me. They need LOVE I tell you. Whats this got to do with racism..?? EVERYTHING. They cant overcome it if they dont believe in themselves.
LiLi
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Cynique
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Posted on Tuesday, February 06, 2007 - 10:54 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

So are you contending that racism can be overcome if a child's parents teach him to believe in himself, Li-Li? I agree, which is why I said that no child should be provided with an excuse to fail by his parents. It's a matter of thinking positively and being inspired by examples of those who have managed to circumvent racial barriers.
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Yukio
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Posted on Tuesday, February 06, 2007 - 11:46 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Cynique: black people are only in large numbers in the urban areas, so what you say makes sense. but in reality, mexicans, puerto ricans, and others are now the people dominating these lower level government jobs not black people. So this exception to the rule you speak of is becoming less significant.

The rule is what I'm interested in in the first place. This is what we are talking about, isn't it? If we are talking bout institutional racism we are talkin bout us as a group, as a "community."

Even LiLi's response is limited because role models do not create more resources, do not attack the disproportion of resources.

And Cynique, it was always about class and race. The presence of wealthy blacks makes it seem like it is more about class than race when it is not. Slaves were workers, free labor, right? Thats a class issue! Jim Crow was about class, was it not? Black people were not only prohibited from public accommodations, but they were excluded from entire segments of the labor force for generation, after generation; excluded from unions for generation, after generation....it has always been both. Voting too is about clas is it not?

So when Troy says that the job was "half done," I dont know what he is talking about. None of the legislation touched institutional racism and it did not touch the economic component either....so what 50% is he really talkin about?

Some of us may think we are doing well because we have a nice car, a house, some stocks and bonds, etc...but most of us in the black middle-class only have alright salaries, and as a group we are poor! We feel good because we have jobs, and we feel like we can point fingers because we work hard as shit, and are angry at those who work less hard, do not standard english, etc...I bare margin of success indicates to some that the others "regress" because we have be able to garner a measure of stability or success. This is all very nice, but we are delusional.

We have confused occupational mobility, need I say it again, OCCUPATIONAL MOBILITY, with SOCIAL CLASS MOBILITY....there is a difference!
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Libralind2
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Posted on Wednesday, February 07, 2007 - 12:11 am:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Yukio..we have to start somewhere..as I agree with your points. We are not getting anywhere in terms of what "we" have been doing as a people. Folks who came after "us" me being 57 almost 60..headed that way..you get my point, should have planted the seed so "our" children and their children..well you know what Im saying. We have to make change. I hope I planted that seed in my daughter, grands and ALL children I have come in contact with and all Im saying it takes a village..to make change..??
LiLi
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Cynique
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Posted on Wednesday, February 07, 2007 - 12:13 am:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Well, Yukio, we were discussing black kids not being able to win for losing because of their preconceived notions about racism. We were further speculating about whether racism should be regarded as an obstacle or an incentive. If it is an obstacle it was suggested that it can retard ambitions and if it is an incentive it was concluded that its reward could offer a chance to lanquish in the decadence of the black middleclass. There are worse fates in life. I guess.
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Libralind2
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Posted on Wednesday, February 07, 2007 - 12:16 am:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

I meant to add by telling them open a business, be sucessful and that is by being the "leader" etc. But we also have to realize not everyone can lead. I was in the military and our motto was
"LEAD, FOLLOW..OR GET THE HELL OUT THE WAY" I have tried to live that way. My child just purchased a home so..I hope she is on her way...
LiLi
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Yukio
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Posted on Wednesday, February 07, 2007 - 12:58 am:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Libralind2: right...that seed of self-improvement needs to be implanted, but if what I say is true, AND it is, there has always been a segment of the population that could be characterized as "regressive." In other words, there have always been poor, ambitionless, low achieving blacks....during slavery, jim crow, and until the end of time. It is strange to me when people look at the Civil Rights Movement with the belief that it was suppose to or did change our economic status, or that is somehow could change the fact of inequality in skill, intelligence, motivation, ambition, etc.. among people, naturally.

Cynique: Was it preconceived notion or was it one from experience? I'm not sure, the use of the word "believe" is ambiguous. Racism has always been viewed as both an obstacle and an incentive. It is only recently that black people have begun to "believe" that identifying racism was the same as embracing self-victimization that the connection between incentive and obstacle have been uncoupled.

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Doberman23
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Posted on Wednesday, February 07, 2007 - 05:46 am:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

i agree with lili. i think it starts with parenting, some people shouldn't even be having kids because they can't even take care of themselves. you aren't supposed to rely on the school to teach your kids every damn thing. what those kids believe is the truth, but they should also know that they can overcome inequality. knowing this information should serve as a benefit, that should let them know that they need to rely on one person and that's themselves. the katrina issue is a hard lesson, but a lesson none the least.
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Schakspir
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Posted on Wednesday, February 07, 2007 - 04:14 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

The youth were simply telling the truth, unfortunately. Troy says that if you just make believe racism is not a reality, then you will get farther ahead in this country. This doesn't always work. There were many blacks(and come to think of it, many immigrants, even Italians and Jews)who have had and still have the same attitude. Too many black men, like, for instance, myself, have been pounding the pavements of American cities for month after month, turning up nothing but shit jobs, getting crap-ass housing(if at all), etc. In fact, this shit is happening to white boys. We need to stop pretending that we live in a land of opportunity. We DON'T. The only reason why some blacks are making it is because of a quota system in place in the American workforce. A certain number of blacks(preferably women, or light-skinned, or decidedly non-threatening black men, or possibly even gays or foreign black men)get hired, and that's that: just enough to make the company look non-racist. And even then, your troubles don't end. You will run up against employees who may resent your presence because you are black. Off-color "n*gg*r" jokes, nooses being left on your desk, hate stares and other bullshit will almost certainly greet you once you make it into white corporate America(or some variation of the above). My point is that if you can't find racism as a black person(regardless of age, sex or sexual orientation), it will find you--trying to catch a cab to get to your job, people snatching briefcases and purses away, car-windows rolling up, salesmen and security officers in clothing stores following you around, watching your every move, policemen pulling you over "insisting" that your car was "reported stolen," and of course cities such as D.C., my home town, where black men are stopped and questioned at a rate far higher than any other(which is why I haven't been to Georgetown in nearly twenty years, and it isn't but 15-20 miles away)--I can go on and on. The point is, IF YOU DON'T LOOK FOR RACISM, RACISM WILL FIND YOU, ANYWAY!!
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Cynique
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Posted on Wednesday, February 07, 2007 - 05:52 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Yes, "if you don't look for racism it will find you", and presumably, there is no hope because blacks can't expect The White Man to reform a system that his kind benefits from. So what next? Who knows? Setting realistic goals and focusing on the possible rather than looking for excuses to fail? Survival is the law of the jungle and the way of the world. America is not Utopia.
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Yukio
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Posted on Wednesday, February 07, 2007 - 06:04 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

there is a problem, here. its not about relying on the government, its about the government doing its job and being just. the lack of resources in schools is an issue of government, whether it is federal or local, its still government. to argue this is not to claim that one should not be self-sufficient and responsible, either!
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Schakspir
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Posted on Wednesday, February 07, 2007 - 06:17 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Actually, we do need to reform America. It needs radical reforms, but it can't reform itself; we need to take action.
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Cynique
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Posted on Wednesday, February 07, 2007 - 08:42 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

You are an incurable "patriot", Yukio, who thinks this country is going to live up to what it is supposed to stand for. If America is inured in institionalized racism then this extends to the government, - puts racism along with corruption at the root of the red tape and bureacracy and greed that shackle the government. The government can't even balance the budget or stop the madman in the white house from taking us down the road to ruination. That's why I keep stressing individual achievement cuz the government ain't gonna do shit especially since Blacks don't really have a bargaining chip. A person has to try and create his own universe and be in control of it. That's what many blacks do to thrive and don't even realize it.
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Yukio
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Posted on Wednesday, February 07, 2007 - 09:33 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Cynique: If I have to pay my taxes on time, follow laws, etc...then I can make demands on the government, and its officers--legislators, judges, and militia--to be responsible.

It has nothing to do with being patriot, Cynique, as I stated, it a question of my rights, simple and plain. Furthermore, I'm also talking about the need for people to see racism and challenge it! And to challenge it goes beyond governmental action! I'm talkin about equipping our children with the right tools to challenge racism.

If we go back to LiLi's point about parental responsibility, well we need more than encouraging our students to behavior. What about teaching our parents about their rights as parents, the responsibilities of the schools, and basic services in their community. This is what SNCC did in the South, and it was these rural black people who challenged jim and jane crow as much as MLK. But these rural folk were equipped with a basic understanding of the law--what they used to call civics. If we teach our parents and children this, as well as their rights as consumers, etc...things would be better. The quetion is, how do we get beyond the simple position that we need to be better students. Of course, our children do, but having a good job doesn't equip you to deal with racism.

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Cynique
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Posted on Wednesday, February 07, 2007 - 10:03 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

I would challenge your statement that having a good job doesn't help you deal with racism, Yukio. Having acquired a good job in a racist system is a form of dealing with racism. The ultimate cure for racism is to dismantle the government and destroy those who practice and enforce it. Do blacks have the right or the wherewithal to do this??? All of your assertions should be prefaced with "in a perfect world".
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Libralind2
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Posted on Wednesday, February 07, 2007 - 10:30 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

I am so down with Yukio's idea. That's what Im talkin bout..solutions.
LiLi
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Yukio
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Posted on Thursday, February 08, 2007 - 12:47 am:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Cynique, please be serious! I'm talking bout us as a group, not as individuals. Much can be done as individuals. Dealing with racist "colleagues," stereotypes, etc....is laudable. But the objective of this assidious imperturable person, at the end of the day, is to obtain a well paying job not to eradicate racism. So yes, they are dealing with racism but off for individual and familial mobility. This form of "dealing with racism" leaves the system untouched, in tact.

To adress racism, is to identify it, and directly challenge it...

Of course blacks have the right to challenge racism! What kind of question is that? When we were under a more overt system of racial subordination, we used those rights and there was some change. We took folk to court, changed laws etc...you were alive and kicking then, so I don't need to tell you this. Now, this didn't address the insidious nature of instituional racism, but it is something [this struggle began during the American Revolution]...and we need to continue this very old struggle and tradition of protest, going beyond marches, but returning to local issues



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Tonya
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Posted on Thursday, February 08, 2007 - 09:59 am:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Guys, this study was MUCH MORE comprehensive than just their outlook on race:


Cathy Cohen

Empirical data show complex beliefs, attitudes and character of black youth
By William Harms
News Office

Although African-American youth are just as politically motivated as Hispanic and white youth, believing that they have the skills to participate and can make a difference, they are skeptical of the political process, asserting that, “leaders in government care little about people like me.”

This conclusion is the result of a new comprehensive national study of youth opinions, which also shows that black youth are more likely than Hispanics and whites to use protection during sex, are critical consumers of rap music and videos, and are more conservative in their social attitudes than other youth.

The study, titled the Black Youth Project, was launched to provide a more comprehensive and complex perspective of African-American youth, said Cathy Cohen, leader of the project and Professor in Political Science and the College. “There has been a lot of talk about African-American youth from people like Bill Cosby. Unfortunately, most of these comments are not grounded in any type of empirical reality. Similarly, there have been a number of other studies of African-American young people, largely focused on the outcomes of their behaviors that do not include the voices and views of young black people.

“The Black Youth Project is committed to making the ideas and attitudes of young people our central focus. By asking young people themselves about important issues like sex education, police discrimination, abortion or same-sex marriage, the Black Youth Project is able to provide data that will help build effective policies that can significantly improve the lives and prospects of young black people. This study is about research, not ranting,” said Cohen.

The team surveyed 1,590 black, white and Hispanic youth nationwide between the ages of 15 and 25 to ask them about their sexual behaviors and attitudes, about their views on social and cultural issues, and their opinions on government and politics, as well as other topics. The researchers also conducted in-depth interviews with about 40 young black people who completed the survey.

On political issues, the team found both hopeful and discouraging signs of political engagement among black youth. For example, the study found that 79 percent of young blacks feel that participating in politics can make a difference, a figure similar to that of Hispanics and whites. At the same time, a majority of young blacks and Hispanics agreed that leaders in government care very little about people like them.

Similarly, nearly half (48 percent) of black young adults and adolescents agreed with the following statement: “The government treats most immigrants better than it treats most black people in this country;” while only 29 percent of white youth and 18 percent of Hispanic youth agreed.

“Black young people are trying to reconcile two conflicting perspectives. One perspective is based in the rhetoric of the government and other institutions, which suggests that we now exist in a color-blind society where everyone is judged merely on merit. The other perspective is rooted in the reality of discrimination that confronts far too many young black people. Given their reality, it is not surprising that a majority of black respondents also said that it is hard for young black people to get ahead because they face so much discrimination,” said Cohen.

The study also found young people embracing newer forms of political involvement. A quarter of black youth, nearly the same amount as those in the other groups, reported “buycotting” during the last 12-months (buying a product because of the company’s social or political values). Smaller but significant percentages of all young people reported signing either paper or e-mail petitions, and sending an e-mail or posting on a political blog.

When asked about their sexual attitudes and behaviors, the team found that most young people have positive attitudes toward sex and feel relatively in control of their sexual activities. Consistent with previous studies, the overwhelming majority of young people ages 18 to 25 in each racial/ethnic group reported having had sexual intercourse. About one third of the young people ages 15 to 17 reported having sex. Among all black youth, 77 percent reported using protection every time or almost every time they had intercourse, compared with 64 percent for Hispanics and 66 percent for whites.

A majority of young people, mostly young African Americans (76 percent), reported feeling very sure they could tell their partners what they felt comfortable doing sexually. Nearly 90 percent of young people in each ethnic and racial group felt they could convince their partners to use protection before having sex, the survey showed. More than 90 percent of all young people surveyed agreed that sex education should be mandatory in high schools.

Young people also reported confidence in their ability to pick up on negative messages in rap music, which is listened to daily by 58 percent of black youth, compared with 45 percent of Hispanic youth and 23 percent of white youth.

“The overwhelming majority of young people agree with the statement: ÔRap music videos contain too many references to sex,’” Cohen said. The study found that 72 percent of black and Hispanic youth agreed with the statement, which was supported by 68 percent of white youth. Similarly, the majority of all youth agree that, “rap music videos portray black women in negative and offensive ways, with black women and girls more likely to strongly agree with this statement. The study showed that 62 percent of black youth, 54 percent of Hispanic youth and 62 percent of white youth think rap music videos are degrading to black women.

On social issues, the surveys found that African-American young people are more likely to agree that homosexuality is always wrong (55 percent for blacks, 36 percent for Hispanics and 35 percent for whites). A majority of African-American youth also opposed legalizing same-sex marriages, (58 percent for blacks, 36 percent for Hispanics and 35 percent for whites).

More information about the survey is available at http://blackyouthproject.com.

The Ford Foundation financed the Black Youth Project. The data was gathered by the National Opinion Research Center.


http://chronicle.uchicago.edu/070201/youthstudy.shtml


Related article - very, very interesting, worth reading:

http://www.spokesman-recorder.com/News/Article/Article.asp?NewsID=75960&sID=13
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Yvettep
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Posted on Thursday, February 08, 2007 - 10:08 am:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Thanks, LiLi and Tonya for highlighting this study. On a related note, check out the amazing young people involved on the research team as graduate and undergraduate students:

http://blackyouthproject.uchicago.edu/project/researchers.shtml

I wish young folks like these got as much media attention as those who are up to no good.
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Tonya
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Posted on Thursday, February 08, 2007 - 10:11 am:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

And it seems young white youths are not that far behind in their perspective as far as politics are concerned:

February 4, 2007
Op-Ed Columnist

Children of Polarization



By DAVID BROOKS

Last fall, I taught a political theory course at Duke University, as part of my lifelong quest to teach at every college I never could have gotten into out of high school. I asked my students to write a paper defining their political philosophy, because I thought it would be useful for them to organize their views into a coherent statement.

When I look back on those papers (which the students have given me permission to write about), I’m struck by the universal tone of postboomer pragmatism.

Today’s college students, remember, were born around 1987. They were 2 or 3 when the Berlin Wall fell. They have come into political consciousness amid impeachment, jihad, polarization and Iraq. Many of them seem to have reacted to these hothouse clashes not by becoming embroiled in the zealotry but by quietly drifting away from that whole political mode.

In general, their writing is calm, optimistic and ironical. Most students in my class showed an aversion to broad philosophical arguments and valued the readings that were concrete and even wonky. Many wrote that they had moved lately toward the center.

Remington Kendall, for example, grew up on a struggling ranch in Idaho. His father died when he was young and his family was poor enough at times to qualify for welfare, though his mother refused it. Duke, with its affluence and its liberal attitudes, was a different universe.

Kendall arrived deeply conservative and remains offended by people who won’t work hard to support themselves. But he now finds himself, as he says, cursed by centrism — trapped between the Pat Robertsons on the right and the Democratic elites on the left, many of whom he finds personally distasteful.

He has come to admire the prairie pragmatists, like Montana’s Jon Tester and Brian Schweitzer. In a long conversation with his brother Sage, who works on the ranch, Kendall decided that what the country needs is a party led by “entrepreneurial cowboy politicians” with a global perspective.

Jared Mueller grew up in a liberal enclave in Portland, Ore., and like Kendall is able to afford Duke thanks to financial aid.

He came to Duke with many conventional liberal attitudes, but he’d seen the failures of the schools in his neighborhood, where many of his smartest friends never made it to college. He’s a big fan of school vouchers and now considers himself a moderate Democrat: “I’m a Democrat because I think the Democratic Party is a better vehicle for the issues I care about: balancing the budget, checking President Bush’s foreign policy and curtailing global warming. However, I’ll switch to the Republicans in a heartbeat if I believe my ideas are better received in the G.O.P.”

For many students, the main axis of their politics is not between left and right but between idealism and realism. They have developed a suspicion of sweepingly idealistic political ventures, and are now a fascinating mixture of youthful hopefulness and antiutopian modesty.

They’ve been affected by the failures in Iraq (though interestingly, not a single one of them wrote about Iraq explicitly, or even wanted to grapple with the Middle East or Islamic extremism). But they’ve also seen government fail to deliver at home. A number wrote about the mediocrity of their local public schools. Several gave the back of their hand to the politics of multicultural grievance.

Many showed a visceral distaste for people who are overly certain or unable to see some truth in the other side. One student, Meng Zhou, quoted one of our readings from Reinhold Niebuhr: “A too confident sense of justice always leads to injustice.” Another, Kevin Troy, cited a passage from Max Weber’s essay “Politics as a Vocation”: “Politics means slow, powerful drilling through hard boards, with a mixture of passion and sense of proportion.”

If my Duke students are representative, then the U.S. is about to see a generation that is practical, anti-ideological, modest and centrist (maybe to a fault).

That’s probably good news for presidential candidates like Rudy Giuliani and Hillary Clinton, whose main selling point is their nuts-and-bolts ability to get things done.

But over all it’s bad news for Republicans. While the G.O.P. was once thought of as the practical, businesslike party, now most of my students see the Republicans as the impractical, ideological party — on social and science issues as well as foreign and domestic policy.

That’s not the way to win the children of polarization.



Copyright 2007 The New York Times Company
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Yukio
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Posted on Thursday, February 08, 2007 - 11:19 am:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

interesting...the study is limited, as most are, but it does tell us that while black kids may believe that racism is a "ominous, ever-present, beast of racism will contantly hold[ing] them down," they are still politically actively. This is a direct way of protest, rathre than acting like it doesn't exist...it seems many of us, or should I say you, that as soon as you hear someone shout racism, you think of the conservatives' self-victimization ploy!
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Cynique
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Posted on Thursday, February 08, 2007 - 12:25 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Well, Yukio, as I have consistently stated, what you propose is nothing new because it's so obvious, but the fact remains that good intentions don't always result in group results; and ultimately it always comes down to the individual. Your generation sneers when you are told that your elders struggled for the rights you are not upholding, and implicit in your attitude is that nothing has really changed, that racism has just become subtle. Troy Johnson spoke from his perspective and he has both street credentials and corporate ones so what he says should not be dismissed lightly. The black experience is not monolithic which is why what works for one person may not work for another, so everybody has to construct their own way of coping. The civil rights movement has come and gone and racism remains a constant and that's because it's inherent in the system and the only way to eliminate it is to topple the white power structure. That is a radical solution and implementing it would result in chaos and defeat the whole purpose. Back to square one. Of course, everybody is seeking solutions but the problem has to realistically identified in order to produce results.
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Troy
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Posted on Thursday, February 08, 2007 - 01:40 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Man, interesting thread! When I opened this up I thought I could quickly fire off a response, but I see there is too much for me to absorb to respond in detail right now.

However I will say this in clarification of my original post. I believe racism exists. I also believe it has a negative impact on Black folks today – though not NEARLY has much of an impact as in the past. I do know there are people who believe racism is far worse today than ever before. I think this belief is insane. Far more than insane, it is crippling our youth and adults.

Some of the rationalization I heard all through my childhood was that “the racism is much more subtle, not so blatant – but much worse”. This is BS.

Again, I also believe that if we looked at the two extremes of; (1) believing racism is the cause of all of our problems or; (2) believing racism does not exist (i.e. the cause of no problems) we would be better off. I’m not saying #2 is the way one SHOULD live; I just think that across the spectrum of beliefs, this attitude it far better than #1.

If is like the teenage boy “A” at a party, who does not ask a single girl to dance because he believes all the girls will all say, “No” versus boy “B” who asks everyone. Boy “B” gets rejected 90% of the time and is less attractive the boy “A”, but boy “B” gets to slow drag at the end of the dance because he eventually found a willing girl; while boy “A” is standing around complaining that all the girls at the party are stuck up.

We live in a society where our boys are constantly being told the girls are all stuck up. Boy A buys into this hook, line and sinker and never tries – he is done before he can get started. Even potential boy “B’s” efforts are thwarted; because even through they starts out asking girls to dance; boy A is in his ear telling him how stuck up the girls are. Boy B is less able brush off the rejections now that he is constantly hearing the girls are snooty. His initial rejections “appears” to support boy A’s claims.

Look we live an upside down world: Black boys who try to do well in school are STILL the subject of ridicule or worse. Not by “the Man”, but by each other.

Was I the only one who saw the PBS special on Percy Julian? Sure Julian was a genius, but he was also a man you never gave up despite living during Jim Crow and battling blatant racism throughout his career. This was also a man you took his brains and used them to create jobs for other Black and white despite living in an environment far more hostile, due to racism, than anyone under 40 has.

Julian recognized that there was racism, but did not allow it to hold him down, in fact it seemed to make him MORE determined. We should draw inspiration and mimic the attitude of Dr. Julian.

We should also spend more time focusing on bettering ourselves rather than trying to fight “so called” racism. I submit that bettering ourselves is the best way to fight racism. By bettering ourselves, and creating out OWN institutions – white racism, while it would continue to exist, but would become inconsequential in our daily lives.

We are free if we choose to be.

...So much for a short post I’ll print this out now and read it this evening.
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Yukio
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Posted on Thursday, February 08, 2007 - 01:50 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Cynique, nothings new under the sun...I get it, but that point itself is quite banal too, so lets move on here!

Again, speak to me and not my "generation." No one would describe me as a youth, except for you...LOL!

Dismiss Troy? Never! I just disagree, adamantly. I'm not worried about Troy and he, I'm sure, is not worried about me. Both of us are employed, and are doing well[I'm doin ight!], so lets move on to talkin about black people NOT Troy and I, two men from Harlem, both doing what they do....two success stories, so what?

The question is, who's analysis of the issue is most representative of the problem. So I'm trying to "topple the white power structure," you certainly dont do that by getting a good job or acting like racism doesn't exist!

Chaos is part of the proces...this is what Malcolm was talkin about when he said black people don't want revolution, because revolution requires war, violence, etc....
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Libralind2
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Posted on Thursday, February 08, 2007 - 01:54 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

There is a friend of mine who has an Institute on Race and the study these problems. check it out

http://www.kirwaninstitute.org/research/structracism.html
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Abm
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Posted on Thursday, February 08, 2007 - 01:56 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Yukio,

There will never be a revolution because Black foks don't want to end the system that currently exists. They just want to enjoy a bigger cut of it.
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Libralind2
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Posted on Thursday, February 08, 2007 - 02:04 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Funny ya'll raised this as I was wondering earlier, what it would take for folks to raise up like we used to do back in the day..
LiLi
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Yukio
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Posted on Thursday, February 08, 2007 - 02:16 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Troy:

Some of the rationalization I heard all through my childhood was that “the racism is much more subtle, not so blatant – but much worse”. This is BS.

I would disagree. It is not as violent and overt. And I wouldn't say it is "worse." BUT, it is terrible in that its subtley creates the illusion that it doesn't exist, and this illusion makes it more difficult to put one's hand on it. This then allows foolishness like reverse racism, self-victimization, etc...to flourish in politics.


Also, your points address the plight of the individual NOT a people. I think you are misrepresenting our youth. And this is what is really "regressive," because you have virtually said that our youth just have no ambition and this is why they fail...but then at the same time, you claim racism exists....illogical!

All of these kids trying to get a record deal are working hard at their craft...thats ambition! Kids working hard at getting into the professional sports, thats ambition, there are thousands of our men in HBCUs....thats ambition!

Personally, I go back to LiLi's comments, because it is at the local level where we can see these issues best.

One: parents need to do their part! They have to be involved in their child's schooling. We need more male teachers, principals, etc...[this is the individualist route that you and cynique promulgate]

Two: Parents need to be more civic minded. They need to learn how to challenge schools, the city in general [this is the structural route that I am talkin about].


Just to do the first leaves the structural and institutional aspects of racism untouched!





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Yukio
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Posted on Thursday, February 08, 2007 - 02:17 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

LiLi: are you in ohio, i'm bout to move there soon...
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Abm
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Posted on Thursday, February 08, 2007 - 02:18 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

LiLi,

Different day/time, babe:

@ Racism is much less overt.

@ We've been largely convinced to believe that, inspite of how hard and productively we work, if we fail it's OUR, not the mans, fault.

@ Many of us who would have caused/led prior kneegrow insurrections are now HANDSOMELY benefitting from the status quo.

@ And, oh...Black GANGSTA rappers have become cultural icons (Okay. I'm not entirely sure of how this relates to this particular subject. But don't you just KNOW it does?).
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Yukio
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Posted on Thursday, February 08, 2007 - 02:20 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

abm: right...its interesting, because those you know about the civil rights movement also know that at its higher levels of leadership it was quite conversative and really interested in getting a piece of the pie. This was, in fact, the conflict between the CR elite and the black powerites.

Once you get past the slogans, the violence, and white women and get to what the BP movement was about, it was about getting power at the political, economic, and cultural levels.
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Abm
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Posted on Thursday, February 08, 2007 - 02:23 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Yukio,

Come on now, play. It IS more subtle.

Look, bruh, there was a times when if a Black person took a piss in the wrong rest room, his (her) a$$ could be locked up.

And there was a time when White foks can drag you out of your home, string you up and roast marshmallows and hot dogs to a fire that included YOU as it primary kindling.

It's DIFFERENT.


Not saying there is no racism. And I might even agree certain aspects of today's racism are very bit as potent as what preceeded them.

Still...it AIN'T the same, mayne.
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Abm
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Posted on Thursday, February 08, 2007 - 02:26 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Yukio,

Were there ever to be a TRUE kneegrow revolution, amongst the very first mofos who'd have to be killed off are LOTS of Black business people, civic leaders, teachers and preachers.

THEN...perhaps some true progress might occur.
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Yukio
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Posted on Thursday, February 08, 2007 - 02:27 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Elder ABM:

I agree. I have said the same thing above:

It is not as violent and overt. And I wouldn't say it is "worse." BUT, it is terrible in that its subtley creates the illusion that it doesn't exist, and this illusion makes it more difficult to put one's hand on it. This then allows foolishness like reverse racism, self-victimization, etc...to flourish in politics.
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Abm
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Posted on Thursday, February 08, 2007 - 02:32 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

The greatest triumph of racism is the defeat of the mind. The notion that any/everything we aspire to must conform to or be judge upon the paradigm of the very foks that enslave us.

Thus, I think a lot of the despair, real and imagine, that's being expressed by young Black people is a - perhaps unconscious - lamentation of our transgenerational defeat.


Even many of us who succeed - Hell...ESPECIALLY many of us who succeed - feel defeated. We dare not admit such. But, when we HONESTLY look at the grand scope of the world, across this global plane, it's history and it current trajectory, how can we possibily think and feel otherwise?
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Yukio
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Posted on Thursday, February 08, 2007 - 02:32 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

LOL! Well, not everyone is a life soldier or leader. And our plight is complicated, right?! We have issues of authenticity [some times its color or heritage], such as the Obama question or even the Kathleen Cleaver example...then we have some of us embracing black folk who are not part of our team, such as Rice, Powell, etc...because they are successful. And then we have those who see successful blacks and believe that racism doesn't exist, and then we have intra-black problems, including class differences, as well as cultural differences, such as that between African Americans, Africans, and West Indians, etc....

It is rought for us...aint it!
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Yukio
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Posted on Thursday, February 08, 2007 - 02:34 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

The greatest triumph of racism is the defeat of the mind. The notion that any/everything we aspire to must conform to or be judge upon the paradigm of the very foks that enslave us.

Thus, I think a lot of the despair, real and imagine, that's being expressed by young Black people is a - perhaps unconscious - lamentation of our transgenerational defeat.


Even many of us who succeed - Hell...ESPECIALLY many of us who succeed - feel defeated. We dare not admit such. But, when we HONESTLY look at the grand scope of the world, across this global plane, it's history and it current trajectory, how can we possibily think and feel otherwise?


Thats deep!

This is why I do not fight with you anymore, just respectfully disagree! LOL!
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Cynique
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Posted on Thursday, February 08, 2007 - 02:40 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

As I say, you guys are very good at verbalizing the problem but talk is cheap. You somehow think that that because there is structure to society that life is not a state of flux. I remain convinced that it's all about the individual. And since as you all suggest that racism is abstraction so are the solutions because in a way blackness is also an abstraction. And to me it remains, to each his own, in his own way.
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Abm
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Posted on Thursday, February 08, 2007 - 02:40 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Yukio,

How can there be only ONE person of African descent in the US Senate and there be no racism?

How can there be NO non-White male to have ever been president and there be no racism?

How can a Russell Simmons (who's arguably the most potent impresario of culture of our age) NOT be one of the world's 10 richest men and there be no racism?


Look. All one has to do is look at who owns/runs what, who's owned and controlled and it's clearer than spring water that racism still exists, in MOST of it's ignoble glory.

Because, really, it's either that. OR we Black foks as a whole genuinely are inferior to Whites (and others) and, thus, deserve our subordinant place in the world.

There's really only those TWO options to consider.
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Yukio
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Posted on Thursday, February 08, 2007 - 02:51 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

ABM: not sure why you're asking me these questions. I haven't disagreed with you yet...LOL!
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Libralind2
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Posted on Thursday, February 08, 2007 - 02:59 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Yukio..Im in Houston for about a year..then perhaps I will return back to Columbus, Ohio
LiLi
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Yukio
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Posted on Thursday, February 08, 2007 - 03:04 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

ok...holla at cha boy...let me know, and we can have coffee...i may be livin in oberlin, ohio.
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Abm
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Posted on Thursday, February 08, 2007 - 03:05 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Yukio,

Often, I post rhetorical questions, which, as I'm sure you already know, are intended less to solicit answers and more to drive home a point.
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Libralind2
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Posted on Thursday, February 08, 2007 - 03:06 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Excellent..I'll take you to meet my friend..
LiLi
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Yukio
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Posted on Thursday, February 08, 2007 - 03:11 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

yes, elder...
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Cynique
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Posted on Thursday, February 08, 2007 - 03:15 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Li-Li is a female and Yukio, who is a male who has been mistaken for being a female, now calls Li-Li a "boy" LMAO.
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Libralind2
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Posted on Thursday, February 08, 2007 - 03:23 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

I need one of them Muzri little animated peoples that jump up and down LOLLOL
LiLi
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Jackie
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Posted on Thursday, February 08, 2007 - 03:41 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

LOL. Cynique Yukio is referring to himself.
Holla at cha boy means "call me/contact me" when you get a chance.
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Abm
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Posted on Thursday, February 08, 2007 - 04:05 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

LiLi,

Just remember, since I'M the one who named you "LiLi", if there are any royalties associated with any animated LiLi's, I'm due a righteous cut.

Hahahahaha!!!
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Cynique
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Posted on Thursday, February 08, 2007 - 04:21 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Strange that it takes a girl to "clarify" Yukio's
slang expression rather than him...
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Libralind2
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Posted on Thursday, February 08, 2007 - 04:28 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

roflll Ooops see..I thought Kola did that...I remember now..LOL
LiLi
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Jackie
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Posted on Thursday, February 08, 2007 - 05:12 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

"Holla at cha girl" Happy early Birthday Li li!
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Libralind2
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Posted on Thursday, February 08, 2007 - 05:29 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Well..seeing we have the thread about Anna not making it to 40..I'll TAKE that early birthday greeting LOL
LiLi
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Yukio
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Posted on Thursday, February 08, 2007 - 08:36 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

elder cynique, my dearest...i was reading. Yes, jackie is correct. i was referring to myself!

when i move to midwest, i'm gonna visit some of you guys......cynique, we can go to a play or something cultural...LOL, and abm, well....we can go to the gentleman's club...LOL!

happy b-day LiLi!
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Troy
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Posted on Thursday, February 08, 2007 - 10:00 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Still have not read the entire thread. But I did grab a few bits:

ABM had me laughing out loud, again.

Yukio, before you leave the 'hood lets hook up.

Yeah and happy early Birthday Lili!

I gotta place some ads. I'll get wit y'all later...

But 'fore I go; did anyone see Bastards of the Party? http://reviews.aalbc.com/bastards_of_the_party.htm It was pretty powerful.

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Yukio
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Posted on Friday, February 09, 2007 - 12:33 am:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Troy...i've already left the hood...i'm on the west coast, but I'll be home for part of the summer, and I'll holla!
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Jackie
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Posted on Friday, February 09, 2007 - 03:47 am:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Yukio...on the west coast ? Where ?
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Yukio
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Posted on Friday, February 09, 2007 - 01:55 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Excuse me, the pacific northwest...and thats all I'm tellin...LOL!
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Cynique
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Posted on Friday, February 09, 2007 - 02:12 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

I do hope you forgive me Yukio for having you in mind when I extol the triumph of individual accomplishment amidst an atmosphere of racism. :-)
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Yukio
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Posted on Friday, February 09, 2007 - 04:12 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

aghast! Cynique, it was alot of luck and hard work, alot of back door mentoring, and alot of encouragement...if I had to pick one of the above variables, I would say luck is the one that has ushered me forth most...to what? I'm not sure...I am employed, and sufficiently educated, but thats about it...this racist ass society as not changed with my employment...
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Cynique
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Posted on Friday, February 09, 2007 - 05:44 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

OK, babe, I'll stop giving you your props.
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Jackie
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Posted on Saturday, February 10, 2007 - 11:59 am:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Yukio: "Excuse me, the pacific northwest...and thats all I'm tellin...LOL!"

Aight !
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Yukio
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Posted on Monday, February 12, 2007 - 04:33 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Jackie...where are you? I NEED to see some black folk, hear some black music, and eat some soul food!
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Jackie
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Posted on Tuesday, February 13, 2007 - 12:48 am:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Yukio- I can't help ya mayne...once you mentioned Pacific Northwest chances of locating some black folk, music, and soul food are LOW. Sorry. LOL ! But you're moving soon to the midwest right ? I'm in Long Beach, CA.
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Yukio
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Posted on Tuesday, February 13, 2007 - 10:41 am:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

you gonna have to fly me some food then....

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