Memo to Young Black Men

[EmperorPenguin]

Memo to young black men: Please grow up





Last week, I was in a studio in midtown where a popular program for black youths was being filmed. I found myself surrounded by black men, ages 18 to 35, and I was appalled.

As a father with a daughter nearly 30 years old who has never been close to marrying anyone, I was once more struck by what my offspring describes as "a lack of suitable men." She has complained often about the adolescent tendencies of young black men, as will just about any young black woman when the subject comes up.

Those who believe that America is perpetually adolescent will point at the dominance of frat-boy attitudes among successful white men and will say of the black hip-hop generation, "So what? How could they not be adolescent? They are not surrounded by examples of celebrated maturity. The society worships movie stars, wealthy athletes and talk show hosts. These are not the wisest and most mature of people."

There is more than a little bit right about that. Our culture has been overwhelmed by the adolescent cult of rebellion that emerges in a particularly stunted way from the world of rock 'n' roll. That simpleminded sense of rebelling against authority descended even further when hip hop fell upon us from the bottom of the cultural slop bucket in which punk rock curdled.

Hip hop began as some sort of Afro protest doggerel and was very quickly taken over by the gangster rappers, who emphasized the crudest materialism in which the ultimate goal was money and it did not matter how one got it. The street thug, the gang member, the drug dealer and the pimp became icons of sensibility and success. Then the attitudes of pimps took a high position and the pornographic version of hip hop in which women become indistinguishable bitches and hos made a full-court press on the rap "aesthetic."

At the television studio, as I watched and listened to those young men, each of whom seemed to be auditioning for a lifelong part as a "man-child," I discussed this phenomenon with a black woman in her 40s who is a writer.

She had worked for rap magazines, magazines that had focused on black women and in black television. Her analysis was quite direct and could be profoundly true. Her profession and being the mother of a teenage daughter has made her pay close attention and forced her to give these issues a good deal of thought.

The way she understood it was that these young black men do not see growing up as having any advantages to it. One is either current or old-fashioned and outdated. The only success they think they can believe in is had by either athletes or rappers. Young black men. So they hold on to adolescence and adolescent ways as long as they can.

The writer also said, "I am sure many knew of Ed Bradley but they did not identify with him. He was too sophisticated. They identify with the overgrown boy, who is everywhere and who is getting over. He's got a lot of cash, plenty of girls, lots of jewelry, an expensive car. To them, that's the world. Or it's the world they want to be a part of."

So what can be done to make adulthood seem attractive to these young black men?

Good question.

From one end of the country to the other, adults sleep in the street for nights on end as though they are homeless in order to have choice places in line when PlayStations go on sale. That alone gives us more than an indication of how great a problem we find ourselves facing.

Originally published on November 20, 2006


Found http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/473178p-397971c.html


I found this article today and I was wondering how others felt about it. I don't think there's a problem with young black men so much as there seems to be a problem with the younger generation PERIOD. Any thoughts?

[SniperSVD]

they don't have daddys so they end up never growing up,, and they fuck their friends to fill a void that not having a father figure created. so they have this physical sense of love, but never knowing what love really is they turn out all messed up and continue to perpetuate the cycle and beliefe that the only way out is by some heroic miricle, sports star, rapper or drug dealer.

[johnnny]

Out in a Blaze of glory lol, you can put white youth up there too

[madmiddle]

Rampant Discrimination in the job market and housing/renting fields make black men seeminly crippled from full ''adulthood''.Black women are able to get better paying jobs (or jobs period) and renters are not wary of allowing them to rent homes/apartments.While the brothers are living with either thier mothers or girlfriends, unemployed,or barely making enough through working to even support themselves.

[SniperSVD]

Rampant Discrimination in the job market and housing/renting fields make black men seeminly crippled from full ''adulthood''.Black women are able to get better paying jobs (or jobs period) and renters are not wary of allowing them to rent homes/apartments.While the brothers are living with either thier mothers or girlfriends, unemployed,or barely making enough through working to even support themselves.

it always helps to try

[WIP]

This is what they want you to see. TV and Movies only depict black man as dummys. The person who wrote the article sounds like a typical sheep who gets their culture from television. They wouldnt ever know the black male living in a jacked up neighborhood. Cleaning businesses to pay tuition to junior college. A brother with a bus pass really aint appealing to some. But they will throw the gold grill gangsta in bright a$$ colors in your face all day. Ice Cube said it best "this is what they think about you." Blacks men are depicted one dimentional and maybe thats a good thing. So that they dont exploit the ones who are truly tryin to get out the funk.

[BlaKK]

I don't need nobody tryin to school me fuck no...

[johnnny]

This is what they want you to see. TV and Movies only depict black man as dummys. The person who wrote the article sounds like a typical sheep who gets their culture from television. They wouldnt ever know the black male living in a jacked up neighborhood. Cleaning businesses to pay tuition to junior college. A brother with a bus pass really aint appealing to some. But they will throw the gold grill gangsta in bright a$$ colors in your face all day. Ice Cube said it best "this is what they think about you." Blacks men are depicted one dimentional and maybe thats a good thing. So that they dont exploit the ones who are truly tryin to get out the funk.

-i have a bus pass
-i payed for my own tuiton and braces out of my own pocket, my folks didnt help shit, if i was working part time i had two part time jobs - now i just have a full time job and school
-but i get no sympathy cause im white, but what doesnt kill you makes you stronger

[Invincible]

Rampant Discrimination in the job market and housing/renting fields make black men seeminly crippled from full ''adulthood''.Black women are able to get better paying jobs (or jobs period) and renters are not wary of allowing them to rent homes/apartments.While the brothers are living with either thier mothers or girlfriends, unemployed,or barely making enough through working to even support themselves.

Funny I was watvhing a documentary on court tv channel called "Inside" which was on Utah max security prisons, and this one tatood up guy (who was in that one clip someone uploaded here about prison tatoos and the one with glasses) said he wa sin this his whole life and when he get sout and flushed into society hes got nothing but a bunch of tatoos and a prison record. His chances of succeding are slim to none, and this is a whit eugy tlaking. basically this shows he will be a white " nigga" once he hits the streets and even stand out more than a black guy because of those prioson tatoos. So how can you say what u just wrote only applies to blacks?

[Invincible]

you also have to look at blue colalr workers and people who work hard for little money, alot of them are white not just mexican.

[perongregory]

You don't study or read do you, you just look at shit and guess hmm, looks this way must end up like this then.

[EmperorPenguin]

Rampant Discrimination in the job market and housing/renting fields make black men seeminly crippled from full ''adulthood''.Black women are able to get better paying jobs (or jobs period) and renters are not wary of allowing them to rent homes/apartments.While the brothers are living with either thier mothers or girlfriends, unemployed,or barely making enough through working to even support themselves.

Funny I was watvhing a documentary on court tv channel called "Inside" which was on Utah max security prisons, and this one tatood up guy (who was in that one clip someone uploaded here about prison tatoos and the one with glasses) said he wa sin this his whole life and when he get sout and flushed into society hes got nothing but a bunch of tatoos and a prison record. His chances of succeding are slim to none, and this is a whit eugy tlaking. basically this shows he will be a white " nigga" once he hits the streets and even stand out more than a black guy because of those prioson tatoos. So how can you say what u just wrote only applies to blacks?

That's a choice a white guy made. He chose to get tat'd up and make him self stand out. Even the average person can tell the difference between someone covered in prison tattoo's and someone with just a bunch of normal tattoo's. I have noticeable tattoo's, yet I don't have a problem getting a job or being a part of society. That stupid white guy made a choice to make himself stand out, black people don't have that choice.

[TwoGlockz]

All i got to say is us yung black men keep it real to the fullest we do our thing to survive so f*ck what the dem peoples b talking about folklore end of discussion bih.

[SniperSVD]

i was talking to my mexican immigrant co worker about some shit today,, and the hot question is "if we did deport all the mexicans, would all these broke ass jobless black men, run out and snatch up the free jobs?"
as well as keeping it real doesn't mean be a jag bag, deal drugs and try to rap yourself into success.... as we all know for ever 1 that makes it there is 10,000 who end up in jail.

[Invincible]

Rampant Discrimination in the job market and housing/renting fields make black men seeminly crippled from full ''adulthood''.Black women are able to get better paying jobs (or jobs period) and renters are not wary of allowing them to rent homes/apartments.While the brothers are living with either thier mothers or girlfriends, unemployed,or barely making enough through working to even support themselves.

Funny I was watvhing a documentary on court tv channel called "Inside" which was on Utah max security prisons, and this one tatood up guy (who was in that one clip someone uploaded here about prison tatoos and the one with glasses) said he wa sin this his whole life and when he get sout and flushed into society hes got nothing but a bunch of tatoos and a prison record. His chances of succeding are slim to none, and this is a whit eugy tlaking. basically this shows he will be a white " nigga" once he hits the streets and even stand out more than a black guy because of those prioson tatoos. So how can you say what u just wrote only applies to blacks?

That's a choice a white guy made. He chose to get tat'd up and make him self stand out. Even the average person can tell the difference between someone covered in prison tattoo's and someone with just a bunch of normal tattoo's. I have noticeable tattoo's, yet I don't have a problem getting a job or being a part of society. That stupid white guy made a choice to make himself stand out, black people don't have that choice.

well alot of mexicans get those tatoos to stand out as well, heck on this very forum a mexican (or it might have been a black blood) was occusing cops of being racist because they question him evertime he goes out with his cholo/gangsta clothes and has many facial tatoos. Reminds me of the same mentality of this asian guy I knew who said he was friske dby racist white cops in Monterey park and later told me he was wearing a trenchcoat and some bandana and some gangsta clothes. How is that any different? alot of minorities choose to stand out as well but when friske dby cops they never blame themselves for it.

[Christina Marie]

This is what they want you to see. TV and Movies only depict black man as dummys. The person who wrote the article sounds like a typical sheep who gets their culture from television. They wouldnt ever know the black male living in a jacked up neighborhood. Cleaning businesses to pay tuition to junior college. A brother with a bus pass really aint appealing to some. But they will throw the gold grill gangsta in bright a$$ colors in your face all day. Ice Cube said it best "this is what they think about you." Blacks men are depicted one dimentional and maybe thats a good thing. So that they dont exploit the ones who are truly tryin to get out the funk.

-i have a bus pass
-i payed for my own tuiton and braces out of my own pocket, my folks didnt help shit, if i was working part time i had two part time jobs - now i just have a full time job and school
-but i get no sympathy cause im white, but what doesnt kill you makes you stronger

I hear THAT

[madmiddle]

Rampant Discrimination in the job market and housing/renting fields make black men seeminly crippled from full ''adulthood''.Black women are able to get better paying jobs (or jobs period) and renters are not wary of allowing them to rent homes/apartments.While the brothers are living with either thier mothers or girlfriends, unemployed,or barely making enough through working to even support themselves.

Funny I was watvhing a documentary on court tv channel called "Inside" which was on Utah max security prisons, and this one tatood up guy (who was in that one clip someone uploaded here about prison tatoos and the one with glasses) said he wa sin this his whole life and when he get sout and flushed into society hes got nothing but a bunch of tatoos and a prison record. His chances of succeding are slim to none, and this is a whit eugy tlaking. basically this shows he will be a white " nigga" once he hits the streets and even stand out more than a black guy because of those prioson tatoos. So how can you say what u just wrote only applies to blacks?

That white felon can still get hired easier than a black man with no record.



October 8, 2003

Yet another study finds that racial discrimination is alive and well in the hiring process, and it's keeping black men in metro Milwaukee on the unemployment rolls.

The study offers this fictional scenario:

A young, white, male high school graduate with a felony conviction applies in person for entry level jobs as a driver, a dishwasher, a laborer, warehouse worker and production worker that are advertised in the newspaper and admits to employers that he served 18 months in prison for possession of cocaine with intent to sell.

A young black man with similar education, work history and style of presentation, but with no criminal record, applies for the same jobs.

Who do you think is more likely to be called back?

If you picked the white man with the felony conviction, you guessed right.

This study offers evidence that discrimination remains a major factor in the economic lives of black men, and highlights the fear and misunderstanding of black males that permeate the local job market.

Devah Pager, a sociologist at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., sent equally matched pairs of testers - two black and two white - to apply for low-skilled jobs at 350 places of employment in the Milwaukee area and found that white ex-offenders were more likely to be called back for an interview than black applicants who had no criminal record.

Students test employers

In this detailed study, bright, articulate, college students posed as job applicants. Even though the results were strikingly close, black men without criminal records were called back only 14% of the time, while whites with criminal records were called back 17% of the time.

The study, titled "The Mark of a Criminal Record," was conducted in Milwaukee between June and December 2001, and the results were released last month.

"It shows there's a great deal of work that has to be done in the education of employers and working on attitudes," says Julia Taylor, president of the Greater Milwaukee Committee. "This type of racial disparity in employment practices really impacts us as a region. It impacts our work force, and it really impacts how the inner-city moves forward."

Pager chose Milwaukee for her experiment because it is representative of most large metropolitan areas in its size, racial demographics and industrial base, she says.

The study's findings would surprise few African-Americans in this city, who know from experience that this kind of discrimination exists in the job market. Research shows that white Americans, however, have been led to think that direct, racial discrimination of this nature has become less of a problem in our society.

It was even surprising to Pager, a young white woman.

"I expected that there would be an effect of race. I thought the effect of a criminal record would swamp other effects," Pager says. "That assumption was clearly wrong. It really suggests that stereotypes and assumptions about black males are very much a factor in hiring decisions."

Facing tougher odds

The study demonstrates the increased odds black male ex-offenders face in finding employment and successfully reintegrating into the economic mainstream, says Lenard Wells, chairman of the Milwaukee Parole Commission and a former Milwaukee police officer.

"It's as if there's a concerted effort to keep black men from getting employment, to keep them oppressed," says Wells, former president of the League of Martin, an organization of black Milwaukee police officers.

"We say we want to reintegrate individuals into the community. We say that we want to do something about unemployment in the black community, yet we want to pretend that it's a criminal record that prevents blacks from getting jobs. It's blatant, undisputed, racism," he says.

Combine the effects of race and a criminal record, and the problem becomes worse. For instance, only 5% of black men with criminal records received callbacks from employers, the study found.

White men without criminal records fared the best in the Milwaukee-area job market, with 34% receiving callbacks from employers.

Keep in mind that it's illegal to discriminate against applicants with criminal records unless the circumstances of the crime correspond closely to the requirements of the job, says Phoebe Weaver Williams, an associate professor of law at Marquette University who specializes in employment discrimination.

"What's frustrating is that, after so many years of having laws in place, the laws haven't corrected the problem," Weaver Williams says.

Clearly, the study's findings demonstrate that a criminal record closes doors on employment.

Still, employers are averse to taking risks on black applicants, whom they perceive to have criminal tendencies, the study says. For example, black testers were more likely to be asked by employers whether they had any convictions, yet none of the white testers were asked about their criminal histories up front.

Image problems

A couple of factors that work against young black men is their portrayal in the media as gangsters, thugs and rappers on the fringes of society, and the fact that more black men are going to prison than college, according to a report by the U.S. Justice Department.

The sad reality is that the majority of those inmates will be released back into communities where they have little opportunity to obtain legitimate work. Research shows that one of the factors for recidivism is employment.

Black felons face a hostile job market in Milwaukee, says Wendell Hruska, associate director of Project Return, a Milwaukee agency that helps felons and people convicted of misdemeanors find employment.

"Discrimination is very much a problem. That's what we've been hearing from our clients," Hruska says. "A lot of people get discouraged. Unfortunately, many of them give up. You really can't blame people when you've been out there for months putting in applications and you hear nothing back."

This research helps us measure the degree of discrimination that exists in the hiring process.

But the question remains: How do we attack a problem that so affects the economic lives of black men in Milwaukee, where many employers still make hiring decisions colored by fear and misunderstanding?

[madmiddle]

^^^^I'm sure you will ignore this post,or absolutely refuse to believe its true.Its the American way.

[Invincible]

"That white felon can still get hired easier than a black man with no record. "

the article you posted is just one example of liberal media, there are plenty of articles I could dig up that say its easier for black to get hired and they steal spots from white folk because of affirmative action, heck on some forums I linke dto before like 90 percent of the whites there were argueing against it and how blacks get a free pass, and even in one class I had in my college (live in a conservative town) had people argeing this.

[Invincible]

heck I even had a Mexican professor of sociology who said she got in because of affirmative action to I think i was harvard, not because of her own merit exactly.

[Invincible]

this is kinda funny btw read it:
http://www.mma.tv/tuf/index.cfm?ac=List ... ID=2&pc=21

[Invincible]

"Still, employers are averse to taking risks on black applicants, whom they perceive to have criminal tendencies, the study says. "

Just a perception? So Blacks don't commit more crimes per capita than whites?

A couple of factors that work against young black men is their portrayal in the media as gangsters, thugs and rappers on the fringes of society, "

So the media creates the perception that blacks commit more crimes...

"...and the fact that more black men are going to prison than college, according to a report by the U.S. Justice Department."

So, they do commit more crimes? I am confused. Sorry.

[madmiddle]

the article you posted is just one example of liberal media, there are plenty of articles I could dig up that say its easier for black to get hired

Find one that proves it through studies done by sociologists.

[Invincible]

I already did awhile back showed an article how blacks commit more crimes showing whites of the same class and wealth (poor whites less likely to commit crimes), as well as ones were posted blacks commit more hate crimes on whites than vice versa. And there were documentarie sona ffirmative action interviewing university commities responsible for picking students.

[Invincible]

that guy in 12 seconds into the clip is who I was talking about sayigng he wont have a chance when he gets parolled:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Db8Vdj4PCH8

he looks alot worse once he stands up and his whole body is int atoosincluding sides of his face/neck.

[Invincible]

the threa don that site was removed but it was hell of funny, some guy said hes afraid of black people because when they rob you you never know if theyll kill u or not like white people who when they rob you generally will leave u alone. he said if you have too littl emoney on u or too much it could be ur doom.

[looneytunes1]

doom

I dont know why, but that made me laff

[Invincible]

"Why black people scare me

Because if they rob me for a quarter, I never know if they're going to shoot me or not.

That's the scary factor.

White guy robs you, chances are that you'll live through the ordeal.

Black guys are too unpredictable. They may shoot you...they may not. Who fucking knows. It could be based on money...like if you only have 10 bucks, they might shoot you for not having enough money.

Or if you have too much, like 500, they might shoot you too for having too much (not wanting to get caught for a greater offense). So it's like best to have the right amount of money in your wallet, like maybe 80 bucks. Enough to make them happy enough not to shoot you, but not enough for it to be too serious a crime. "

[Invincible]

"true story: one of my dad's friends, a local teamsters official, walked into a gas station during a robbery in progress, the robber, who was black, looked at him, said, "So long white MF..." then shot him and left. The guy is fine now but he still has the bullet in him."

[Invincible]

oh and it was actually a mexican who wrote the first quote.

[johnnny]

This is what they want you to see. TV and Movies only depict black man as dummys. The person who wrote the article sounds like a typical sheep who gets their culture from television. They wouldnt ever know the black male living in a jacked up neighborhood. Cleaning businesses to pay tuition to junior college. A brother with a bus pass really aint appealing to some. But they will throw the gold grill gangsta in bright a$$ colors in your face all day. Ice Cube said it best "this is what they think about you." Blacks men are depicted one dimentional and maybe thats a good thing. So that they dont exploit the ones who are truly tryin to get out the funk.

-i have a bus pass
-i payed for my own tuiton and braces out of my own pocket, my folks didnt help shit, if i was working part time i had two part time jobs - now i just have a full time job and school
-but i get no sympathy cause im white, but what doesnt kill you makes you stronger

I hear THAT

[madmiddle]

This is what they want you to see. TV and Movies only depict black man as dummys. The person who wrote the article sounds like a typical sheep who gets their culture from television. They wouldnt ever know the black male living in a jacked up neighborhood. Cleaning businesses to pay tuition to junior college. A brother with a bus pass really aint appealing to some. But they will throw the gold grill gangsta in bright a$$ colors in your face all day. Ice Cube said it best "this is what they think about you." Blacks men are depicted one dimentional and maybe thats a good thing. So that they dont exploit the ones who are truly tryin to get out the funk.

-i have a bus pass
-i payed for my own tuiton and braces out of my own pocket, my folks didnt help shit, if i was working part time i had two part time jobs - now i just have a full time job and school
-but i get no sympathy cause im white, but what doesnt kill you makes you stronger

I hear THAT

They dont seem to understand having a job and ''struggling'' versus living in a society that seeks to keep you unemployed,giving the minority that do have jobs (mostly) unlivable wages.Its a pretty bleak future for black men unless some drastic shit happens,its pretty clear that white folks cant/dont want to see that there is seriously something evil and wrong with the current system.