Plight Deepens for Black Men, Studies Warn

Bisabee · Apr 11, 2006

NNQueen said:

A Black man is not equal to a white man in a society dominated by white people. The white man is the Black man's enemy, and the Black man is the white man's nemesis. They clash and often at the expense of the Black man. To refer to Black men as dysfunctional is a subjective opinion. If Black men are being called this because they either refuse or have a difficult time assimilating to a culture that has a history of raping, robbing and enslaving them, I would hardly call this dysfunctional. True, not to "go along, just to get along" creates problems for Black men, but why is it wrong for Black men to consciously reject the any notion or cultural mores' of their oppressors...and aren't Black men still oppressed?

Where do you draw the line? Black women that love and protect Black men even when he's wrong may be ultimately problemmatic, but it's also not easy for some Black women to turn a Black man over to their mutual oppressors when the police come knocking. It's not that we condone their wrong doing, but we know that one more Black man in the system does more harm to the Black community....than good. Is it a catch 22?

Why should a Black man listen to brothers like Jesse or Al? Where does listening to either of them make matters better for Black men overall. All it seems to be doing is getting them more attention.

Did you see the movie, "Crash" and the scene where the upscale brother and sister got pulled over by the cops and the confrontation that ensued? It's like that, that we're still experiencing. First the confrontation with the law and the realization that you're without power but you have choices. The choice made is different between the Black man and his woman. Then the confrontations between the Black man and his woman which highlights both of their humiliation. Then comes the pent up rage that explodes between the upscale brother and the brother who makes a living as a thief and ultimately the law again. It becomes a vicious cycle.

Black men are targets no matter what. It doesn't matter where you live or what you drive. You can be the man in the suit with a high paying job or you can be a thief...you're still viewed the same by your oppressors. Worst, you blame each other for the choices you make...the upscale brother looks down on the brother who refuses to assimilate into the system. Each looks at each other as sell-outs. The Cosby's versus Good Times.

It's not a simple situation to resolve, and more and more of our brothers are being incarcerated, fewer are attending college, some are "making it" while others are working for wages that can't support their families. But they all want their dignity and self-respect.

Queenie

I agree with what you're saying and I agree with what the columnist is saying, at least some parts.

From reading some of the threads here, I think I'm an older person here, so my perspective is different. The thing is that we have got to go along to get along UNTIL we can get our own. What other choice do we have at this point? We have to be be smarter and more strategic than we're acting like we are. It's important though not to lose who we are in the process. Our ancestors worked for white people, bowed down to white people but they didn't lose who they were in the process. It's only been in the last few decades that Black people have lost their identity.

I know it's not completely their faults, but the Blacks who don't try to assimilate and OVERCOME are the real sellouts because they have sold out what our ancestors suffered and died for. Our ancestors did not make those life and death sacrifices for Blacks to make a conscious decision to stay at the bottom and go to jail. When Blacks make a conscious decision to not care about getting good grades, not speak the best English they can, not get married, not behave well, not save money and so on, it makes me grieve for my ancestors. I don't know about anybody else, but that's how I feel.

dustyelbow · Apr 11, 2006

Bisabee said:

From reading some of the threads here, I think I'm an older person here, so my perspective is different. The thing is that we have got to go along to get along UNTIL we can get our own. What other choice do we have at this point? We have to be be smarter and more strategic than we're acting like we are. It's important though not to lose who we are in the process. Our ancestors worked for white people, bowed down to white people but they didn't lose who they were in the process. It's only been in the last few decades that Black people have lost their identity.

I know it's not completely their faults, but the Blacks who don't try to assimilate and OVERCOME are the real sellouts because they have sold out what our ancestors suffered and died for. Our ancestors did not make those life and death sacrifices for Blacks to make a conscious decision to stay at the bottom and go to jail. When Blacks make a conscious decision to not care about getting good grades, not speak the best English they can, not get married, not behave well, not save money and so on, it makes me grieve for my ancestors. I don't know about anybody else, but that's how I feel.

This is refreshing. It does not have to be that deep, but simply appreciate those around you and wish to do good. Even if it is not easy to with very little or feeling completely rejected by greater society or even our local situation.

Like you mention our ancestors went through so much but still held good thoughts and actions about our development. Having hope in the living is what our ancestors esteemed towards but many of us have toss this aside for want.

Oh well, this talk has become like our ancestors story book talk. We will have to deal with consequences at whatever level we are in life. Our ancestors did not get swallowed up by confusion and disappointment around them and there was plenty of things to let our hopes and good fall by the wayside.

panafrica · Apr 11, 2006

Bisabee said:

Blacks who don't try to assimilate and OVERCOME are the real sellouts because they have sold out what our ancestors suffered and died for. Our ancestors did not make those life and death sacrifices for Blacks to make a conscious decision to stay at the bottom and go to jail. When Blacks make a conscious decision to not care about getting good grades, not speak the best English they can, not get married, not behave well, not save money and so on, it makes me grieve for my ancestors. I don't know about anybody else, but that's how I feel.

I don't view getting an education, marriage, being law abiding, and having good financial sense as being equivilent to assimilating. All those can be done, and have been done when blacks controlled their own neighborhoods. It is a fatal mistake to equate assimilation with economic or social improvement for black people. As any who truly studies the social-economic status of the black community pre and post segregation (and doesn't get blinded by a handful of individuals that have done extremely well) will clearly see, that is not the case.

Bisabee · Apr 11, 2006

panafrica said:

I don't view getting an education, marriage, being law abiding, and having good financial sense as being equivilent to assimilating. All those can be done, and have been done when blacks controlled their own neighborhoods. It is a fatal mistake to equate assimilation with overcoming, as any who truly studies the economic status of the black community pre and post segregation will clearly see, that is not the case.

Okay, I didn't mean that assimilation means overcoming to me, but some younger Blacks "think" they're assimilating if they work hard to get an education, speak and behave well and so on. The main thing is to hang onto who we are and use that to move ahead. Of the two, knowing who you are is way more important because it's a tragedy to "arrive" without knowing who you are. It was assumed by my parents generation that we could do both and even by some in my generation. Many younger people have not "arrived" and also don't know who they are.

panafrica · Apr 11, 2006

Bisabee said:

The main thing is to hang onto who we are and use that to move ahead. Of the two, knowing who you are is way more important because it's a tragedy to "arrive" without knowing who you are. It was assumed by my parents generation that we could do both and even by some in my generation. Many younger people have not "arrived" and also don't know who they are.

I agree with this; however, we must also recognize that the reason many younger people don't know who they are is because they've been abandoned (figuratively and in far too many cases literally) by those who are suppose to be teaching them.