A Pastoral Letter to White Americans

[Zaac]

I think a lot has to do with generational stuff. It is the same in black and white. Oftentimes if you grow up in poverty, you will stay in poverty. Yes, there are ways out and it takes hard work. Unfortunately, many who have generational poverty have not been taught hard work.

To keep the unemployment rate of Blacks at twice or more what it is amongst their white counterparts for 60 years IS some generational stuff too. But it doesn't have anything to do with not being taught hard work.

 

[ShagNappy]

Someone needs a life. What standards do I hold for others that I don't hold for myself ?

I need to get a life, yet you keep stirring the pot? Perhaps thou should'st practice what thou preacheth.

Perhaps I should put you in the same kill-file you put Zaac in... oh, wait... ooops! :wavey:

 

[Bro. Curtis]

I'm stirring the pot. Just me ?

Yeah, you're crazy.

 

[ShagNappy]

I'm stirring the pot. Just me ?

Yeah, you're crazy.

Quote me where I said any such thing... You are, however, the one claiming innocence while neck deep in it. There are your higher standards. You wallow in the mud while screaming about the people in the mud. Geez, you aren't bright are you?

 

[Bro. Curtis]

I claim innocence ? Hah ! I'm as bad as anyone else here. Including you, BTW.

 

[Zaac]

Why do you think economic disadvantage spawns violence? And is this true across the board? Does it require the entirety of the community to be disadvantaged?

It just traditionally has Tony. If you look back through Biblical history, often times the ones who didn't have had to take things by force.

Shoot, it's the way we got this country.

I ask this because, I am white, and I grew up poor. In many ways, I'm still fairly low on the income scale. Much of that is due to my own choices, though.

I worked hard in school, graduated high school, my parents sacrificed so I could go to college, I got a degree and landed a pretty nice job. Never once, during my impoverished upbringing, was violence a consideration.

And I'd say again, because you are white, just looking at the unemployment numbers alone says that you stood a better chance of pulling yourself up than probably would a young black man in your position. You haven't systemically had the same things working against your success as does the average young black man.

Back in June of this year, the unemployment rate for black teenagers was close to 40% as compared to a little over 20% for white teenagers. Blacks aged 20 to 24, had an unemployment rate around 19% whereas whites in the same age group were around 9%.

And I think people just get frustrated. When people want to work but can't find jobs or no one will hire them, people get frustrated and often in the language of the young people, "have to do what they gotta do" to survive. Unfortunately that often means some type of violence or getting involved with gangs or selling drugs or in the case of young ladies, prostitution.

Hard work doesn't always "work" when the system is working against you.

 

[carpro]

Seriously ..... how many black men are killed each year by cops?

How many black men have gunds or knifes when killed by cops?

Doesn't really matter all that much. According to crime statistics, blacks are shot by police far less than the actual percentage of them that commit crimes.

If a black criminal resists arrest, he might end up dead. Same goes for a white one. Since blacks commit far more crime than any other race, it is to be expected that more of them will be shot by police than other races.