Sir Charles: 'Unintelligent' blacks 'brainwashed' to choose street cred over success

[sirkeelma]

https://tv.yahoo.com/news/charles-barkley-slams-unintelligent-brainwashed-black-people-holding-211400408.html

Charles Barkley recently expressed deep concern and anger; giving his opinion on a divisive Black Community.

[Imtheman]

He's right. Black men are brainwashed. What can you say, it happens when you grow up without a male figure in the house.

Im black dont shoot or ban me

[retaxis]

Still beats a pale loner trying to get internet cred

[SuperCereal]

If a hard-working white man said this he would be labeled as a racist.

[#number6ix#]

I agree with chuck 100%... I'm glad I had a dad to keep me in check and to support me

[Laker4Lyfe]

Charles Barkley is an idiot. :no:

[Laker4Lyfe]

He's right. Black men are brainwashed. What can you say, it happens when you grow up without a male figure in the house.

Im black dont shoot or ban me

No offense but you sound just as dumb as Barkley. :facepalm

[morbius]

When you listen how Barkley is talking, you think he is am idiot. When you listen to what he is actually saying, you realise he is actually much smarter than he looks.

[senelcoolidge]

Barkley is right. It's odd how in the Black community success is not celebrated. Becoming a doctor, a scientist, etc is not encouraged. If you are doing the right thing than you are not "black enough", it's really sad. Black people need to get their act together. They won't get ahead and will always be looked down on with these attitudes.
Now don't ban me. I'm not a racist..:D

[tmacattack33]

He is very much correct.

But what sucks about this is that it is Charles Barkley who said it...so I'm sure when he said it he was barely comprehendable and used incorrect grammar and so some people might just laugh it off.

But the message and meaning behind it is correct.

[stanlove1111]

No offense but you sound just as dumb as Barkley. :facepalm

Your correct there isn't a problem of Unintelligent blacks choosing street cred over success. Eyes rolling..

[Mure]

He's totally right.

[FireDavidKahn]

He's right.

[Shade8780]

When you listen how Barkley is talking, you think he is am idiot. When you listen to what he is actually saying, you realise he is actually much smarter than he looks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGaotz8d6Hw

:lol

[Bigsmoke]

Chief Keef has more money than 99% of all the white people in the USA.

I agree. Barkley is stupid

[HiphopRelated]

He's right. Black men are brainwashed. What can you say, it happens when you grow up without a male figure in the house.

Im black dont shoot or ban me
No black man has ever felt the need to type "I'm black" while making a point

[tmacattack33]

Chief Keef has more money than 99% of all the white people in the USA.

I agree. Barley is f*coming stpid

Not sure if serious.


But if you are, for every Chief Keef, there's about 1,000 (and possibly 10,000) street corner rappers who will never get more than $100 for their "music" and will never earn more than $30,000 annually.

I would also like you to bookmark this thread, come back in five years, and see how much money Cheif Keef has then. I would bet it won't be much.

[kuniva_dAMiGhTy]

Chief Keef has more money than 99% of all the white people in the USA.

I agree. Barkley is stupid
:roll:

[Inactive]

I think there's clearly something to what he said.

It seems that some segment of the African American population has embraced stereotypes which were originally used to denigrate them. They've come to see violence, promiscuity, impoliteness, and lack of education as part of the black identity. They see people who fail to exhibit those characteristics as "fake", "not black", or even "Uncle Tom"; as if by becoming disciplined, intelligent, and well mannered, one is conforming to the standards of the white man, and thus betraying his/her own culture.

[EllEffEll]

Chief Keef has more money than 99% of all the white people in the USA.

I agree. Barkley is stupid

Since you brought up Chief Keef:

Yes, a fine young role model. . . . . And such a superb quality of life that money has brought to him, and his family.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chief_Keef

"Cozart dropped out of high school at age 15."

"While under house arrest for a previous weapons charge. . . . . ."

"On March 13, 2014, Chief Keef would release the first official single from Bang 3 entitled "**** Rehab" featuring his fellow Glo Gang artist and cousin Mario "Blood Money" Hess, which would mark for Hess's final appearance on a song before his death on April 9, 2014."

"On January 27, 2011, Cozart was apprehended on charges of heroin manufacture and distribution. He was found delinquent and served time on house arrest."

"In December 2011, Cozart left his grandmother's home holding a coat over his hands in front of his waistband. A policeman stopped to question the rapper, who dropped the coat, flashed a handgun and ran away. Officers chased then 16-year-old Cozart, who turned around several times and pointed the gun at them. The policemen "discharged their weapons," but missed. They caught him a half-block later and recovered the pistol, which was loaded. Cozart was charged with three counts of aggravated assault with a firearm on a police officer and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon. He was also given a misdemeanor charge for resisting arrest. He was held in the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center until a judge sentenced him to home confinement at his grandmother’s house."

"On September 5, 2012, Chicago Police disclosed to the Chicago Sun-Times that Cozart is being investigated for a possible connection in the shooting death of fellow rapper and Englewood resident, Joseph 'Lil JoJo' Coleman.[32] This came after Keef had mocked his death on Twitter,[33] which he later claimed was the result of his account being hacked.[34] Coleman's mother has openly claimed that Chief Keef paid to have her son killed."

There's more to his criminal record, but I think the point has been made.

"At the age of 16, Cozart had his first child - a daughter, called Kay Kay, born Kayden Kash Cozart.[1] Cozart was served with a request for child support by the child's mother."

"According to his lawyer, Cozart is estranged from his biological father. "

"Cozart's stepbrother was shot dead on January 2, 2013."

"Cozart's cousin, Mario Hess, a rapper known as Big Glo who performed as Blood Money, was shot and killed in Chicago's Englewood neighborhood on April 9, 2014. Hess had been signed to Interscope Records just two weeks prior to his killing."

[MostHated305]

You don't speak to a white man about black issues.

He is correct in what he is saying but he's speaking to the wrong audience.

[f0und]

he's right. take a little thing like talking for example. if you talk in proper english, other black people will see it as talking like a white person. thats why most black people sound black. now apply that to nearly everything. its like they defiantly want to stick to their ways, whether its ignorant or not.

[RoundMoundOfReb]

He's 100% right

[RoundMoundOfReb]

Chief Keef has more money than 99% of all the white people in the USA.

I agree. Barkley is stupid
:roll: :roll:

[Dro]

He's exactly right and I'm about as black as can be...Its just our culture, we were taught this materialistic nonsense by the society that we grow up in and as a people, we were held down and never had anything. So now, when dudes get in this culture, they want to flash what they have and we're used to fighting back, fighting against the dominant society, fighting against the government, the police and eventually even each other.

I have to say it is important in this culture to not appear to be a sellout, uncle tom, whatever...And its for reasons that you may not understand if you're not part of the culture. Now people have different definitions of sellout and uncle tom, coon, etc...I'm very much into the black struggle, learning our history, not just my history, I'm big on history PERIOD. So I know black folks weren't the only ones held down and had their history hidden from them...

We just have to grow out of that....But trust me, just because how things are, that aspect will NOT change...Its less about keeping street cred vs being seen as an uncle tom/sellout...And no, an uncle tom is not just someone who "acts" white, thats ridiculous...Its more to do with a black person can't identify with their race/history/ancestry, etc....And again, all of those are interpreted differently by different people....

But its always been like, when I was in elementary, if you got good grades, you were "acting white", or if you speak well, you're "acting white". But you know where that perception came from? Because I went to public school and I'm not sure how it is other places but here, ever since I was in 1st grade, they had an "accelerated class", it was for the "smart" people. They were ALL white kids...ALL of them...There was one mixed girl in that class and if you're ever in Indiana and watch Pacer games, etc...she does the Hoosier Lotto commercials, she's a former Pacemate, etc..You'll know what I can switch it up, I'm well versed in both..I'm the blackest dude, you'll meet, got dreadlocks and all that and at the same time, I can get along with anybody and fit in with anybody, a room full of old white men, or a room full of young black dudes...You have to be aware of your surrounding..I don't use the same terms and words in public that I use when I'm around my own people...

[AirFederer]

How many times did he say "dirty dark secret"? Lol:lol

It's his "practise" :lol

[chosen_one6]

Wow, bigsmoke is an idiot and the exact type of people that Barkley is talking about. Y'all place value in shit that inevitably isn't valuable. My fellow young black folk care about nothing else but "money over bitches" but fail to realize that it's not about being rich, it's about being WEALTHY. Jay-Z understands it, and it's why he's such a great business man. There are other famous black people that have done the same, Jay-Z is just one of the most prominent so I used him as an example.

[rmt]

I'm from Jamaica where the population is 95% black. When I came to the US, I was surprised at the entitlement attitude that the blacks here have - seems like everything is blamed on race. This is definitely not the attitude in Jamaica where most were descendants of slaves also.

I'll give an example. I was the leader of my daughter's Girl Scout Brownie troop. There was an event arranged by another troop that I had announced vocally and sent email several times requesting a head count so that the other troop could prepare the arts and crafts materials. The night before the event we had a meeting and 2 black moms virtually attacked me verbally (they hadn't signed up) claiming it was because their daughters were black that they couldn't go to the event. I was so stunned - after the meeting several sympathetic moms came up to console me. Their daughters did end up going, but the other troop was short and had to ask 2 of their members not to do the craft to enable my 2 to participate.

From my observation, many problems would be fixed in this country if people would just take responsibility for their actions.

[Dro]

Wow, bigsmoke is an idiot and the exact type of people that Barkley is talking about. Y'all place value in shit that inevitably isn't valuable. My fellow young black folk care about nothing else but "money over bitches" but fail to realize that it's not about being rich, it's about being WEALTHY. Jay-Z understands it, and it's why he's such a great business man. There are other famous black people that have done the same, Jay-Z is just one of the most prominent so I used him as an example.
This..Jay is one of the best examples..maintains his street cred and is able to fit in, in the corporate world...To be fair though, he was able to start Rockafella records with hustle money.....him and Dame..

[Imtheman]

No offense but you sound just as dumb as Barkley. :facepalm
Oh shut up. Barkley is 100% correct. You think these thugs would be on the streets if they had proper guidance throughout childhood? No they wouldn't.

That's why they decide to join gangs, so they can feel loved or cared for.

[Dro]

I'm from Jamaica where the population is 95% black. When I came to the US, I was surprised at the entitlement attitude that the blacks here have - seems like everything is blamed on race. This is definitely not the attitude in Jamaica where most were descendants of slaves also.

I'll give an example. I was the leader of my daughter's Girl Scout Brownie troop. There was an event arranged by another troop that I had announced vocally and sent email several times requesting a head count so that the other troop could prepare the arts and crafts materials. The night before the event we had a meeting and 2 black moms virtually attacked me verbally (they hadn't signed up) claiming it was because their daughters were black that they couldn't go to the event. I was so stunned - after the meeting several sympathetic moms came up to console me. Their daughters did end up going, but the other troop was short and had to ask 2 of their members not to do the craft to enable my 2 to participate.

From my observation, many problems would be fixed in this country if people would just take responsibility for their actions.
I hear you. The problem is racism does very much exist still in this country, but its not overly blatant....Its pretty subtle to those who pay attention...Just look at your TV. Every face you see is white, every show you see is white...Racism isn't really about disliking a person because of their race anymore, its more about who owns and controls everything...The problem is blacks still focus on the race instead of focusing on the big picture and that is we need to make something of ourselves so we can own something and then we can make the changes we want to make...And stop crying racism every time something messed up happens to a black person at the hands of a white person...Black people are too busy killing themselves and robbing each other, exactly what the people who are actually racist want us to do..That just sets us back more....

[Imtheman]

No black man has ever felt the need to type "I'm black" while making a point
I just did. :lol

[Myth]

Brainwashed in the wrong term, but culture, particularly in certain neighborhoods, certainly does emphasize street cred over academic success, much in part due to distrust (rightfully so) in the system.

[Imtheman]

I hear you. The problem is racism does very much exist still in this country, but its not overly blatant....Its pretty subtle to those who pay attention...Just look at your TV. Every face you see is white, every show you see is white...Racism isn't really about disliking a person because of their race anymore, its more about who owns and controls everything...The problem is blacks still focus on the race instead of focusing on the big picture and that is we need to make something of ourselves so we can own something and then we can make the changes we want to make...And stop crying racism every time something messed up happens to a black person at the hands of a white person...Black people are too busy killing themselves and robbing each other, exactly what the people who are actually racist want us to do..That just sets us back more....

You're right. I also dislike how some black people bring up slavery and what we "been through" for 400 years whenever they feel offended or troubled.

Seems like whenever black people get done wrong they pull the racist card.

[kuniva_dAMiGhTy]

I hear you. The problem is racism does very much exist still in this country, but its not overly blatant....Its pretty subtle to those who pay attention...Just look at your TV. Every face you see is white, every show you see is white....

Disagree. It honestly just depends on what you're tuning into. Channels that I watch have a multitude of people from different ethnic backgrounds.

Who owns those channels and networks is a different story, though.

[Dro]

Disagree. It honestly just depends on what you're tuning into. Channels that I watch have a multitude of people from different ethnic backgrounds.

Who owns those channels and networks is a different story, though.
Actually, you're exactly right....

[DukeDelonte13]

Brainwashed in the wrong term, but culture, particularly in certain neighborhoods, certainly does emphasize street cred over academic success, much in part due to distrust (rightfully so) in the system.


i don't think it's necessarily a rightful distrust but I do think public school is immensely more difficult in the inner city. But it doesn't matter if you are black or white, you graduate high school you can go to college and so on.

I'm white, but i spent a while living in an all black neighborhood as a young adult. Out of all my neighbors and friends that were around my age I was the only young guy that graduated high school. The stories from their school were crazy.

I got the impression kids did whatever the f*ck they wanted in school. New teachers every few months, Kids acting up like crazy. Just walking in and out of class as they pleased, not doing homework, etc. A young kid is not going to succeed in an environment like that, especially when they don't always have the parents to crack down on them at home.

[Dro]

For anybody who really wants to know about more on this subject..check out the Hidden Colors series...

[Inactive]

For anybody who really wants to know about more on this subject..check out the Hidden Colors series...Seriously?

It claims that Africans were the first to circumnavigate the globe and that there was "pre-European settlement in the United States", that Africans created the first Asian dynasties
I'd have to agree with:

A review in The Village Voice stated that Nasheed "has a seeming total inability to separate gibble-gabble from revealed truth, vital social concern from talk about Chemtrails and digressive subchapters with titles like "The Hidden Truth About Santa Claus." The reviewer praised one contributor, Michelle Alexander, saying that "Her well-reasoned discussion of the American penal system is compelling, but it's an embarrassment that she should be placed alongside the likes of Dr. Phil Valentine, a metaphysician whose malarkey about AIDS ("the so-called immunity system of the homosexual") is a low point, as is Umar Johnson's lionization of the late, unlamented Gaddafi and the odd nostalgia for segregation that runs throughout."

[T_L_P]

He's exactly right and I'm about as black as can be...Its just our culture, we were taught this materialistic nonsense by the society that we grow up in and as a people, we were held down and never had anything. So now, when dudes get in this culture, they want to flash what they have and we're used to fighting back, fighting against the dominant society, fighting against the government, the police and eventually even each other.

I have to say it is important in this culture to not appear to be a sellout, uncle tom, whatever...And its for reasons that you may not understand if you're not part of the culture. Now people have different definitions of sellout and uncle tom, coon, etc...I'm very much into the black struggle, learning our history, not just my history, I'm big on history PERIOD. So I know black folks weren't the only ones held down and had their history hidden from them...

We just have to grow out of that....But trust me, just because how things are, that aspect will NOT change...Its less about keeping street cred vs being seen as an uncle tom/sellout...And no, an uncle tom is not just someone who "acts" white, thats ridiculous...Its more to do with a black person can't identify with their race/history/ancestry, etc....And again, all of those are interpreted differently by different people....

But its always been like, when I was in elementary, if you got good grades, you were "acting white", or if you speak well, you're "acting white". But you know where that perception came from? Because I went to public school and I'm not sure how it is other places but here, ever since I was in 1st grade, they had an "accelerated class", it was for the "smart" people. They were ALL white kids...ALL of them...There was one mixed girl in that class and if you're ever in Indiana and watch Pacer games, etc...she does the Hoosier Lotto commercials, she's a former Pacemate, etc..You'll know what I can switch it up, I'm well versed in both..I'm the blackest dude, you'll meet, got dreadlocks and all that and at the same time, I can get along with anybody and fit in with anybody, a room full of old white men, or a room full of young black dudes...You have to be aware of your surrounding..I don't use the same terms and words in public that I use when I'm around my own people...

I don't know the struggle personally. But I went to one of the worst secondary schools in my country, and there was so much hate for high achieving blacks kids. And I'm not even from the US, where I hear (and you're saying) it's much worse.

[Rolando]

The truth about life is this: It is a frikken jungle out there. If you want to succeed and bring home an average or above salary, you got to know how to compete. Many young people think "being cool" is more important than getting serious and preparing yourself to be a successful adult.

Young whites and blacks suffer from the same thing. However, in the end, it is easier for a white person to get back on track and play catch up when they find themselves 28yrs old and got a child on the way. A black man in the same situation has a steep hill to climb without an education and the ability to present themselves as a serious adult.

Being cool is great when you are a kid. But you you got to grow up sometime when sh!t gets real. "Street cred" is just being stupid.

[Dro]

i don't think it's necessarily a rightful distrust but I do think public school is immensely more difficult in the inner city. But it doesn't matter if you are black or white, you graduate high school you can go to college and so on.

I'm white, but i spent a while living in an all black neighborhood as a young adult. Out of all my neighbors and friends that were around my age I was the only young guy that graduated high school. The stories from their school were crazy.

I got the impression kids did whatever the f*ck they wanted in school. New teachers every few months, Kids acting up like crazy. Just walking in and out of class as they pleased, not doing homework, etc. A young kid is not going to succeed in an environment like that, especially when they don't always have the parents to crack down on them at home.
This is exactly how it is..I went to Broad Ripple High School..same school as George Hill and Roosevelt Colvin....When I was in school, I was able to leave as I please, skip class, go to lunch 3-4 times...Half of my classes we were able to play spades in class the entire time. And I was always an excellent student till I got to high school then I kinda stopped caring..You get tired of learning all the same old BS, the same for figures for black history month as if no other great black figures ever existed in history. Its just a wash, rinse, and repeat situation. The same Christopher Columbus discovered America bs...Many black folks by the time we get to high school are aware of the bs and we know the schools don't teach us anything about our OWN history..they teach us European history for the most part because those are the roots of what we call the United States...They only start from the 1700's basically because thats when this republic was established..

So basically, we don't relate to public school whatsoever..Even the IQ test is geared towards those who are not minorities....

And like I said, I got close to straight A's all through elementary but I was never in the "advanced class" even though I have always done just as well in school as many of those kids..Many of them I became cool with and some I still know to this day because we all went to the same elementary, junior high and high school...But they were somehow deemed as smarter than I was from age 6, as if they already knew all the white kids were smarter...This is how public school is folks if you didn't already know...Not sure if its still like that, from everything I know, it is...If you want to know more about the public school system and how messed up it is, watch the "Waiting for Superman" documentary....

The only reason it didn't cause us to hate all the kids in the program is because kids don't know any better and as far as I was concerned, I was smart too...We still all got along with each other.....

[Dro]

I don't know the struggle personally. But I went to one of the worst secondary schools in my country, and there was so much hate for high achieving blacks kids. And I'm not even from the US, where I hear (and you're saying) it's much worse.
Yeah, unfortunately, the backlash here is much more..You can attribute it to parents who don't have any education, who don't explain this stuff to their children and tell them that its ok to be intelligent...Seriously...

[Dro]

Seriously?

I'd have to agree with:
You know like with any documentary, every piece of info may not be accurate, I'm not denying that. But this series does as good a job as any at trying to convey to black folks what they're up against and why things are the way there are today. Instead of just blanket statements like "black people are this way because they're lazy, or black people think like this because, etc, etc, blah blah". It helps put things into perspective, but I'd also have a hard time watching that series as anybody other than a black person because the way it comes off is like they hate white people and anything to do with them, lol..In other words, its pretty raw and in your face and takes a person with some general understanding of the topic already to grasp it..(Not saying you don't,just saying in general).

[sammichoffate]

Barkley is 100% right. The sad part is that it's not just blacks who go through this type of thing. People from Mainland China sometimes look down on Chinese Americans because they weren't raised in the same area with them, they treat them like 2nd class Chinese. Hell, they even have a word to identify them with :(

[DukeDelonte13]

Barkley is 100% right. The sad part is that it's not just blacks who go through this type of thing. People from Mainland China sometimes look down on Chinese Americans because they weren't raised in the same area with them, they treat them like 2nd class Chinese. Hell, they even have a word to identify them with :(


that's like every ethnic group. The word is "americanized" :oldlol:

[sammichoffate]

that's like every ethnic group. The word is "americanized" :oldlol:Yeah it's literally every ethnic group in America. It's not like i subscribe to American culture though, I find it really shallow at times and would rather live life knowing traits from a bunch of different ones.

[ralph_i_el]

It's odd how some people derive so much of their identity from their skin color.

If you think about it, that doesn't make much sense.

[Dro]

that's like every ethnic group. The word is "americanized" :oldlol:
Yes, that's the word I was trying to think of...and yes, people in this country suffer from it...Foreign women come over here and get corrupted, turn materialistic and all kinds of other issues...

[2LeTTeRS]

I'm a black man that went to and graduated law school and articles like this bother me. Are teenagers choosing "street cred" over success? Definitely. But adults? Not by a long shot. Most of the people I know who did not succeed either got caught up in alcohol/drugs/crime and stopped caring, or had kids too early and had to stop pursuing their dreams to support them.

[oarabbus]

Of course this is a problem. Just a few weeks ago there was an article about how there are problems in the Seahawks locker room; there's a faction who thinks Russell Wilson is "too white".

If you get a 3.5 GPA and are shamed, ridiculed, and ostracized because you did well in school, that's a huge ****ing problem.

[kuniva_dAMiGhTy]

Just a few weeks ago there was an article about how there are problems in the Seahawks locker room; there's a faction who thinks Russell Wilson is "too white"..[/B]

Read and heard about that. What a complete joke. I think the Seawhawks just recently asked him to stop making commericals, too. :oldlol:

[Dro]

The truth about life is this: It is a frikken jungle out there. If you want to succeed and bring home an average or above salary, you got to know how to compete. Many young people think "being cool" is more important than getting serious and preparing yourself to be a successful adult.

Young whites and blacks suffer from the same thing. However, in the end, it is easier for a white person to get back on track and play catch up when they find themselves 28yrs old and got a child on the way. A black man in the same situation has a steep hill to climb without an education and the ability to present themselves as a serious adult.

Being cool is great when you are a kid. But you you got to grow up sometime when sh!t gets real. "Street cred" is just being stupid.
I agree completely....good post...

[Dro]

Barkley is 100% right. The sad part is that it's not just blacks who go through this type of thing. People from Mainland China sometimes look down on Chinese Americans because they weren't raised in the same area with them, they treat them like 2nd class Chinese. Hell, they even have a word to identify them with :(
What's the word?

[Dro]

Of course this is a problem. Just a few weeks ago there was an article about how there are problems in the Seahawks locker room; there's a faction who thinks Russell Wilson is "too white".

If you get a 3.5 GPA and are shamed, ridiculed, and ostracized because you did well in school, that's a huge ****ing problem.
Yeah, that's pretty ignorant...Now I'm not gonna lie, preppy dudes get hated on by the black community all the time until they prove themselves in some fashion..Sad I know...

[Dro]

I'm a black man that went to and graduated law school and articles like this bother me. Are teenagers choosing "street cred" over success? Definitely. But adults? Not by a long shot. Most of the people I know who did not succeed either got caught up in alcohol/drugs/crime and stopped caring, or had kids too early and had to stop pursuing their dreams to support them.
Yeah, thats true but even that is kind've the point....All that stuff is brought into our communities and naturally people who are prone to addiction or are down, stressed or whatever are more likely to get caught up in that crap. Just like when crack was introduced in the 80's...Now we know people of all races get addicted to crack, meth, heroine, pills, etc...but back then, that stuff was planted in our neighborhoods and people with a lack of opportunities, guidance, or intelligence can easily get caught up in it.

I just happened to be blessed with intelligence when I was younger, my mom wasn't particularly around much when I was younger and I've never met my father in my life, don't even know his name. But luckily I had a grandmother, who had no high school diploma but she was very intelligent, caring and was always there for me. Other than that, I might've gotten caught up like the next man. I know all my old friends from back in the day did. I don't have the strongest work ethic either, I just happen to be pretty book smart and street smart and have a strong awareness of what's going on around me at all times.....

And what's crazy as far as drug's go, black people get locked up at a much higher rate for drug crimes, but whites and Native Americans are actually more prone to abuse them and get addicted. Native Americans are at the top of those most likely to abuse drugs.

[DMV2]

I think the reason for that is that blacks(both successful, educated and gang/street life) tend to segregate themselves from others and the masses. Generally speaking of course. So that's where the "is he black enough?," "is he one of us?" comes from. I watch vladtv interviews and once in awhile there's an idiot saying something like, "white rappers are quests," "so and so(Jews, rich white guy) is making money off our culture."

Even if true, why even want to segregate your product or culture like that? You don't hear the Japanese claiming anime should be Japan-only culture. What if the Beatles never came to America in 1964 and only stay in England?

I have no problem with BET or Tyler Perry making blacks-only movies but why limit yourself to a specific demographic?

[chocolatethunder]

This is exactly how it is..I went to Broad Ripple High School..same school as George Hill and Roosevelt Colvin....When I was in school, I was able to leave as I please, skip class, go to lunch 3-4 times...Half of my classes we were able to play spades in class the entire time. And I was always an excellent student till I got to high school then I kinda stopped caring..You get tired of learning all the same old BS, the same for figures for black history month as if no other great black figures ever existed in history. Its just a wash, rinse, and repeat situation. The same Christopher Columbus discovered America bs...Many black folks by the time we get to high school are aware of the bs and we know the schools don't teach us anything about our OWN history..they teach us European history for the most part because those are the roots of what we call the United States...They only start from the 1700's basically because thats when this republic was established..

So basically, we don't relate to public school whatsoever..Even the IQ test is geared towards those who are not minorities....

And like I said, I got close to straight A's all through elementary but I was never in the "advanced class" even though I have always done just as well in school as many of those kids..Many of them I became cool with and some I still know to this day because we all went to the same elementary, junior high and high school...But they were somehow deemed as smarter than I was from age 6, as they already know all the white kids were smarter...This is how public school is folks if you didn't already know...Not sure if its still like that, from everything I know, it is...If you want to know more about the public school system and how messed up it is, watch the "Waiting for Superman" documentary....

The only reason it didn't cause us to hate all the kids in the program is because kids don't know any better and as far as I was concerned, I was smart too...We still all got along with each other.....

You've said lots of good stuff in all of your responses but you're mistaken here. It is believed that standardized tests (not IQ tests) like the SAT are geared to more affluent white people in the critical reading and writing section, not the math in any way. It is thought that the questions asked in that section are questions that more affluent white kids would relate to. In fact, the gap that exists between black and white is smaller in the English section than in the math section which doesn't actually support the theory that the tests are weighted for white kids and Asians (who are minorities) tend to score higher on standardized tests. What it does do is help illustrate the divide that exists not only racially but socioeconomically in our public school system. Schools are paid for by taxes and unfortunately in the poorest areas there is very little tax revenue and it certainly makes for poorer schools. These issues are very complex and race is a factor and unfortunately it's one of many factors and it's difficult to identify them all and fix them.

For example, in the generation after me (I'm 42 now), it was thought that children needed high self esteem, so parents were taught to tell their children , " you're great, you're smart, you're the best", etc. In studies conducted on this, it was found that those children actually performed worse (in tests, school, etc) partly due to the fact that they were fearful of damaging their standing as "smart" etc. What was instead found to be effective was telling a child that he or she was a hard worker and that if they worked hard enough that they could accomplish anything that they wanted.

In addition, and this highlights both socioeconomic and racial disparities, what happens at home and outside of the school has a tremendous impact on a child. The school only has the children for eight hours or so. We are all aware of how children who come from homes without a father a impacted negatively. This effect can't really be understated. So what goes on inside the home has a lot to do with how a child develops. For example, in an affluent white household a child hears three praises for every one reprimand. In a working class white household a child hears two praises for every one reprimand. In a poor white household it's about 1:1. In an average african american household a child hears three reprimands for every one praise. This obviously has profound impact on a child.

As far as media and television goes, I think that our country is somewhere around 14-16% black. The black presence in the media and TV has greatly improved in my lifetime but it is still lagging. I don't really follow people when they say " look who owns the team/radio station/tv channel" etc. I'm a white guy and I grew up poor and I'm never going to be able to own one of them either. I don't relate to shows like Friends and shit like that either. I can see how if I were a minority that I would think that those shows were for white people, but those shows aren't made for me. Again that is a very complex multilayered issue and money is more of a factor than race in those regards. The class who has the money is the one who spends the money. So television and advertisers are gearing shows and ads towards the people who will spend the most money. Unfortunately 16% of the population who on average earn less than the average person, well they aren't a strong demographic. It's not a good thing but it's the truth. That doesn't mean that there isn't a racial component to it but it's also money driven. Most minorities don't realize that there is a class system for white people. No matter how much money I ever made/make I could never be accepted by old money. You can't buy your way into that club. You'll always be nouveau riche. I had to go to school with rich kids and it was awful.

There's a lot of truth to what Barkley said but of course he oversimplifying. Racial disparity mostly between black and white in this country is a complex issue with problems that are deep rooted on all sides. It's a troubling problem because the solution seems so far off and overwhelming. Racism is alive and well here as it is in pretty much every country. In my life I would say I guess it's gotten a little bit better. Having a mixed president who's paraded around as "black" hasn't done anything as far as I'm concerned. If anything he's just proven that politicians are just that, politicians. He was raised by white people and I'm not sure that his experience growing up was the same experience my black friends had. There's nothing wrong with that at all but I don't think that it's done anything for race relations in this country. Overall, I guess what I'm saying that is yes there is truth in what Barkley is saying and there's truth in almost everyone's views about this and that's the problem. It makes a solution seem overwhelming and impossible.

[Dro]

You've said lots of good stuff in all of your responses but you're mistaken here. It is believed that standardized tests (not IQ tests) like the SAT are geared to more affluent white people in the critical reading and writing section, not the math in any way. It is thought that the questions asked in that section are questions that more affluent white kids would relate to. In fact, the gap that exists between black and white is smaller in the English section than in the math section which doesn't actually support the theory that the tests are weighted for white kids and Asians (who are minorities) tend to score higher on standardized tests. What it does do is help illustrate the divide that exists not only racially but socioeconomically in our public school system. Schools are paid for by taxes and unfortunately in the poorest areas there is very little tax revenue and it certainly makes for poorer schools. These issues are very complex and race is a factor and unfortunately it's one of many factors and it's difficult to identify them all and fix them.

For example, in the generation after me (I'm 42 now), it was thought that children needed high self esteem, so parents were taught to tell their children , " you're great, you're smart, you're the best", etc. In studies conducted on this, it was found that those children actually performed worse (in tests, school, etc) partly due to the fact that they were fearful of damaging their standing as "smart" etc. What was instead found to be effective was telling a child that he or she was a hard worker and that if they worked hard enough that they could accomplish anything that they wanted.

In addition, and this highlights both socioeconomic and racial disparities, what happens at home and outside of the school has a tremendous impact on a child. The school only has the children for eight hours or so. We are all aware of how children who come from homes without a father a impacted negatively. This effect can't really be understated. So what goes on inside the home has a lot to do with how a child develops. For example, in an affluent white household a child hears three praises for every one reprimand. In a working class white household a child hears two praises for every one reprimand. In a poor white household it's about 1:1. In an average african american household a child hears three reprimands for every one praise. This obviously has profound impact on a child.

As far as media and television goes, I think that our country is somewhere around 14-16% black. The black presence in the media and TV has greatly improved in my lifetime but it is still lagging. I don't really follow people when they say " look who owns the team/radio station/tv channel" etc. I'm a white guy and I grew up poor and I'm never going to be able to own one of them either. I don't relate to shows like Friends and shit like that either. I can see how if I were a minority that I would think that those shows were for white people, but those shows aren't made for me. Again that is a very complex multilayered issue and money is more of a factor than race in those regards. The class who has the money is the one who spends the money. So television and advertisers are gearing shows and ads towards the people who will spend the most money. Unfortunately 16% of the population who on average earn less than the average person, well they aren't a strong demographic. It's not a good thing but it's the truth. That doesn't mean that there isn't a racial component to it but it's also money driven. Most minorities don't realize that there is a class system for white people. No matter how much money I ever made/make I could never be accepted by old money. You can't buy your way into that club. You'll always be nouveau riche. I had to go to school with rich kids and it was awful.

There's a lot of truth to what Barkley said but of course he oversimplifying. Racial disparity mostly between black and white in this country is a complex issue with problems that are deep rooted on all sides. It's a troubling problem because the solution seems so far off and overwhelming. Racism is alive and well here as it is in pretty much every country. In my life I would say I guess it's gotten a little bit better. Having a mixed president who's paraded around as "black" hasn't done anything as far as I'm concerned. If anything he's just proven that politicians are just that, politicians. He was raised by white people and I'm not sure that his experience growing up was the same experience my black friends had. There's nothing wrong with that at all but I don't think that it's done anything for race relations in this country. Overall, I guess what I'm saying that is yes there is truth in what Barkley is saying and there's truth in almost everyone's views about this and that's the problem. It makes a solution seem overwhelming and impossible.
Excellent post and I definitely stand corrected on the IQ test. That was great info you provided that I was not aware of. Thank you.

The weird thing is, I LOVE shows like Friends, The Office....I grew up on Saved by the Bell, Full House, Who's The Boss, Alf, Step by Step, all that stuff...I love Will Ferrell and Steve Caril, I think they're the funniest dudes on TV pretty much. I love all those movies that people would call "silly white movies". My family and friends to too...those shows are just funny in general. I'm not looking at them like, "damn look at all these white people on TV". Of course its not really about who's on the television because like you said, there are various races represented all over TV, its just more about who owns it. Even my favorite show the office kind of makes fun of racist stereotypes..You have Stanley who is your prototypical, lumpy, middle age black man, bad attitude and doesn't really care about anything but his paycheck, doesn't like his co-workers or anything..you have Kelly who plays your stereotypical Indiana woman, you have Oscar who plays your gay guy. You have Darrell who plays the cool black guy in the office(me), lol...

Same thing with Family Guy etc...to me, that is probably my favorite show ever in the history of TV shows...I like that more than Martin or any of the old stuff......

[Dro]

I think the reason for that is that blacks(both successful, educated and gang/street life) tend to segregate themselves from others and the masses. Generally speaking of course. So that's where the "is he black enough?," "is he one of us?" comes from. I watch vladtv interviews and once in awhile there's an idiot saying something like, "white rappers are quests," "so and so(Jews, rich white guy) is making money off our culture."

Even if true, why even want to segregate your product or culture like that? You don't hear the Japanese claiming anime should be Japan-only culture. What if the Beatles never came to America in 1964 and only stay in England?

I have no problem with BET or Tyler Perry making blacks-only movies but why limit yourself to a specific demographic?
Yeah, I watch Vlad TV too and you're right. We shouldn't segregate the culture like that. We'll never get anywhere if we don't come together.....That's something we can learn from other cultures, they stick together....Latino/Hispanics, oriental, etc, etc, etc...they stick together...we don't...

[RidonKs]

as brainwashed as the rest of us who choose success over integrity. u gotta worship something... idolizing the koch brothers may offer more luxurious incentives and carry with it less risk than idolizing the styles of wu tang clan, but that does not make it a more intelligent choice.

"intelligent" being a word ripe with controversy of course. perhaps wisdom belongs in this conversation more than intelligence.


nice back and forth above btw

[sammichoffate]

What's the word?Jook Sing

[2LeTTeRS]

Of course this is a problem. Just a few weeks ago there was an article about how there are problems in the Seahawks locker room; there's a faction who thinks Russell Wilson is "too white".

If you get a 3.5 GPA and are shamed, ridiculed, and ostracized because you did well in school, that's a huge ****ing problem.

People get picked on for everything in high school. Even positive traits like being attractive becomes being a pretty boy; etc. While it sucks you are simply not going to stop kids from being kids.

[Phantom84]

This thread remind me of an episode in Fresh Prince where Carlton got rejected from a Fraternity because he isn't black enough lol.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GywhZCHvqXA

[Dro]

This thread remind me of an episode in Fresh Prince where Carlton got rejected from a Fraternity because he isn't black enough lol.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GywhZCHvqXA
:lol

[Dunaprenti]

as brainwashed as the rest of us who choose success over integrity. u gotta worship something... idolizing the koch brothers may offer more luxurious incentives and carry with it less risk than idolizing the styles of wu tang clan, but that does not make it a more intelligent choice.

"intelligent" being a word ripe with controversy of course. perhaps wisdom belongs in this conversation more than intelligence.


nice back and forth above btw

Street cred and integrity are two different things.
As someone else said - It's not about idolizing the Koch brothers or Bill Gates or whoever. Most white people, like most black, won't get even remotely close to their status. Rich people are in their own league.

[UK2K]

Raven Symone was chastised by Oprah for not considering herself African-American.

Russell Wilson was considered 'not black enough' by his teammates.

Any self respecting black man is automatically hated by the low life blacks for acting like an Uncle Tom, which is another word for being successful.

Blame racism all you want, but racism didnt force you to drop out of school, racism didnt force you to try drugs, and racism didnt get your baby mama pregnant.

Coming from living in a homeless shelter when I was younger, to being a former Marine, college student, and loss prevention supervisor for one of the biggest sports apparel companies in the world, I will say anything and everything is attainable if you work hard enough. No excuses. Excuses are for losers.

If you choose to go to school, nobody can stop you. If you want to get a degree in engineering, you are free to do so. If you want to start your own business you can. I've got no time for cry babies who blame others for their problems. I made it from about as low as you can go, and here I am.

[Blue&Orange]

Chief Keef has more money than 99% of all the white people in the USA.

I agree. Barkley is stupid
Let me guess that chief Keef is a rapper that have absolutely no talent like every other rapper because rap sucks, but makes money because he acts though and have street cred. I think it proves Barkley point, you're just too "black" to understand it.

[Cocaine80s]

Chief Keef has more money than 99% of all the white people in the USA.

I agree. Barkley is stupid
I think he recently got dropped from his label.

Dude will be broke within 2 years

[HiphopRelated]

Let me guess that chief Keef is a rapper that have absolutely no talent like every other rapper because rap sucks, but makes money because he acts though and have street cred. I think it proves Barkley point, you're just too "black" to understand it.
White people are the ones buying records though

[Stempel, HERB]

Raven Symone was chastised by Oprah for not considering herself African-American.

Russell Wilson was considered 'not black enough' by his teammates.

Any self respecting black man is automatically hated by the low life blacks for acting like an Uncle Tom, which is another word for being successful.

Blame racism all you want, but racism didnt force you to drop out of school, racism didnt force you to try drugs, and racism didnt get your baby mama pregnant.

Coming from living in a homeless shelter when I was younger, to being a former Marine, college student, and loss prevention supervisor for one of the biggest sports apparel companies in the world, I will say anything and everything is attainable if you work hard enough. No excuses. Excuses are for losers.

If you choose to go to school, nobody can stop you. If you want to get a degree in engineering, you are free to do so. If you want to start your own business you can. I've got no time for cry babies who blame others for their problems. I made it from about as low as you can go, and here I am.

You've listed plenty of things that you have due to hard work and perseverance. There's one glaring omission -- empathy. It's well beyond your emotional capacity.

It's good that you made something of yourself. The other side of that coin is you're a condescending piece of trash.

[3ball]

everyone can look back in their life and say "i wish i knew then.... what i know now".

black people are no different... if a black kid's parents, grandparents and entire family history were in a lower socioeconomic place due to the unfair society that they lived in at the time, then you can't expect some 11 year old black kid in present day to have otherworldly perspective to say "i should ignore my family and everything i know and have learned thus far, and instead just put my head down, work hard, and make it"...

how could they have this perspective?... it's impossible... The more likely scenario is that they do what everybody does - they follow in their parents' footsteps - and if that is a lower socioeconomic standing due to previous societal unfairness, then that's what it is.

i'm not saying we should give black people (like me) a pass on everything, but we can't blame black people either for their overall lower socioeconomic condition or the mental thought processes that continue to facilitate that lower economic condition - it's going to take a few more generations before things are truly an even playing field, and this includes black people thinking in a fashion that facilitates the same upward mobility that whites have enjoyed (more positive self-perception and belief in what can be achieved... i.e. a grade-schooler believing "i want to be a senator", or a doctor, or lawyer, etc).

charles barkely is just an idiot sometimes... he forgets how lucky he is.
.

[FireDavidKahn]

You don't speak to a white man about black issues.

He is correct in what he is saying but he's speaking to the wrong audience.
So you're saying that it is best to SEGREGATE the discussion?:lol

[ralph_i_el]

everyone can look back in their life and say "i wish i knew then.... what i know now".

black people are no different... if a black kid's parents, grandparents and entire family history were in a lower socioeconomic place due to the unfair society that they lived in at the time, then you can't expect some 11 year old black kid in present day to have otherworldly perspective to say "i should ignore my family and everything i know and have learned thus far, and instead just put my head down, work hard, and make it"...

how could they have this perspective?... it's impossible... The more likely scenario is that they do what everybody does - they follow in their parents' footsteps - and if that is a lower socioeconomic standing due to previous societal unfairness, then that's what it is.

i'm not saying we should give black people (like me) a pass on everything, but we can't blame black people either for their overall lower socioeconomic condition or the mental thought processes that continue to facilitate that lower economic condition - it's going to take a few more generations before things are truly an even playing field, and this includes black people thinking in a fashion that facilitates the same upward mobility that whites have enjoyed (more positive self-perception and belief in what can be achieved... i.e. a grade-schooler believing "i want to be a senator", or a doctor, or lawyer, etc).

charles barkely is just an idiot sometimes... he forgets how lucky he is.
.

It all comes back to parenting. It's a shame so many black folks have only one parent looking out for them.

[Dro]

everyone can look back in their life and say "i wish i knew then.... what i know now".

black people are no different... if a black kid's parents, grandparents and entire family history were in a lower socioeconomic place due to the unfair society that they lived in at the time, then you can't expect some 11 year old black kid in present day to have otherworldly perspective to say "i should ignore my family and everything i know and have learned thus far, and instead just put my head down, work hard, and make it"...

how could they have this perspective?... it's impossible... The more likely scenario is that they do what everybody does - they follow in their parents' footsteps - and if that is a lower socioeconomic standing due to previous societal unfairness, then that's what it is.

i'm not saying we should give black people (like me) a pass on everything, but we can't blame black people either for their overall lower socioeconomic condition or the mental thought processes that continue to facilitate that lower economic condition - it's going to take a few more generations before things are truly an even playing field, and this includes black people thinking in a fashion that facilitates the same upward mobility that whites have enjoyed (more positive self-perception and belief in what can be achieved... i.e. a grade-schooler believing "i want to be a senator", or a doctor, or lawyer, etc).

charles barkely is just an idiot sometimes... he forgets how lucky he is.
.
Excellent post, and I hear what UK is saying but I tend to lean more towards you. Everyone isn't blessed with the insight that he had or even that I had. Most people are a product of their environment and there's plenty of studies to back that up. But I will say, when a person reaches a certain age to where they should no better then the excuses should stop...

[HurricaneKid]

Any self respecting black man is automatically hated by the low life blacks for acting like an Uncle Tom, which is another word for being successful.


No. An Uncle Tom is someone who gets his success by selling out fellow blacks in order to to achieve that success. Someone who would run and tell the master that someone ran away because they would get better treatment for themselves while the offender was beaten or even killed. If you have seen Django Unchained, Samuel Jackson portrays the butler as an Uncle Tom.

That you now use the word to pull any success down shows the validity of Barkley's argument, however poorly worded.

[RoundMoundOfReb]

No. Guys like Russell Wilson get called uncle Tom's for acting like a totally normal human being.

[Dro]

No. An Uncle Tom is someone who gets his success by selling out fellow blacks in order to to achieve that success. Someone who would run and tell the master that someone ran away because they would get better treatment for themselves while the offender was beaten or even killed. If you have seen Django Unchained, Samuel Jackson portrays the butler as an Uncle Tom.

That you now use the word to pull any success down shows the validity of Barkley's argument, however poorly worded.
I agree with the bolded...Or the freed slaves who would snitch on the runaways just for the reward....that's an Uncle Tom...Our society has tried to change the definition but just because a black person doesn't grow up around other black folks or wasn't raised in the "hood" or happens to be successful or doesn't act "urban" enough...That doesn't make anyone an Uncle Tom..

[HurricaneKid]

Uncle Tom

It should be mentioned that many people consider Jason Whitlock an UT and his constant beratement and condemnation of black culture serves as its springboard.

http://deadspin.com/can-jason-whitlock-save-espns-black-grantland-from-hi-1586606960
http://verysmartbrothas.com/on-jason-whitlock-greg-howard-and-writing-around-company/

[HEAT111]

A good example is our president.

[3ball]

when a person reaches a certain age to where they should no better then the excuses should stop


how old does someone need to be?

by the time they are of college-age but can't go to college, it's way too late.

there's no easy answer... it's just going to take time to heal unjustices of the past that still affect us significantly today...

look at us - we aren't even ready as a society for a black president - we have to blame him for Ebola now too... gimme a break

if obama came along 3 generations from now, THEN his presidency wouldn't be so unfairly scrutinized and you wouldn't have people saying he isn't an American, etc.

[HurricaneKid]

A good example is our president.

This is a patently ridiculous and illogical leap.

He started his political career in the heart of Chicago as a community organizer literally giving his life for the betterment of the black community. In his last election he got >96% of the black vote.

So you are either completely ignorant about what you are calling him or about his history. Either way its an embarrassing thing to be quoted as saying.

[RoundMoundOfReb]

Imagine the outrage if 96% of white people voted for Romney :oldlol:

Now, i get that most blacks tend to be liberals - but that doesn't explain why Obama crushed Hilary so badly in the black vote during the primaries.

[Droid101]

Imagine the outrage if 96% of white people voted for Romney :oldlol:

Now, i get that most blacks tend to be liberals - but that doesn't explain why Obama crushed Hilary so badly in the black vote during the primaries.
Oh please. 90+% of blacks vote for the democratic candidate every time. Al Gore got 95% black vote, Obama got 95% in 2012. John Freaking Kerry got 93% black vote in 2004.

[RoundMoundOfReb]

Oh please. 90+% of blacks vote for the democratic candidate every time. Al Gore got 95% black vote, Obama got 95% in 2012. John Freaking Kerry got 93% black vote in 2004.

Did you not read the second part of my post?

[Inactive]

Imagine the outrage if 96% of white people voted for Romney :oldlol:

Now, i get that most blacks tend to be liberals - but that doesn't explain why Obama crushed Hilary so badly in the black vote during the primaries.If there were many black political, and particularly presidential candidates, it would be outrageous if African Americans overwhelmingly voted for them over white alternatives. But Obama was the first who really had a chance to win. He's a historical novelty, so they get a pass.

The thing that surprises me, is that Romney only got 78% of the Mormon vote. I thought Mormons stuck together! It seems that he got virtually all of the Mormon vote in Republican primaries, so I guess it's just that Mormon Democrats dislike Republicans more than they like other Mormons.

[HurricaneKid]

You guys are missing the point. If he was like Alan Keyes and ran on a platform of fixing the black culture it would have spoken to the racists out there and not to the black voters.

It would be Alan Keyes that spoke out against AAs and gave the crusty racists out there validation from a black politician.

So call Keyes the UT. Not Obama.

[oarabbus]

You've listed plenty of things that you have due to hard work and perseverance. There's one glaring omission -- empathy. It's well beyond your emotional capacity.

It's good that you made something of yourself. The other side of that coin is you're a condescending piece of trash.

Who's alt is this? 4 years old, 200 posts, occasionally seen in the OTC...

[Dro]

how old does someone need to be?

by the time they are of college-age but can't go to college, it's way too late.

there's no easy answer... it's just going to take time to heal unjustices of the past that still affect us significantly today...

look at us - we aren't even ready as a society for a black president - we have to blame him for Ebola now too... gimme a break

if obama came along 3 generations from now, THEN his presidency wouldn't be so unfairly scrutinized and you wouldn't have people saying he isn't an American, etc.
I'm with you, there is no one answer or one set age for each person...But generally, everyone in their life, whether they are 21 or 41, eventually they should know right from wrong and should have a grasp on the way things our in their own lives by a certain point..Then they just have to make some changes in their life...

[Dro]

A good example is our president.
Puppet for the large corporations and wall street? Yes.
An Uncle Tom? I wouldn't go that far...

[Dro]

Imagine the outrage if 96% of white people voted for Romney :oldlol:

Now, i get that most blacks tend to be liberals - but that doesn't explain why Obama crushed Hilary so badly in the black vote during the primaries.
They just wanted to see someone black who they "hoped" would represent our interests...The majority of the people who voted for him probably don't really know how politics works though....I didn't even vote for Obama, I voted for Ron Paul. At least he gets it and would try to do away with the pandering to the corporations, the Federal Reserve, IRS, etc....But we know what happened to the last President that wanted to do away with those things....See JFK...

[RidonKs]

Street cred and integrity are two different things.
As someone else said - It's not about idolizing the Koch brothers or Bill Gates or whoever. Most white people, like most black, won't get even remotely close to their status. Rich people are in their own league.
i think u missed my point

street cred is to success as success is to integrity. more concretely, john gotti is to charles koch as charles koch is to [pick somebody everybody would agree has integrity] ie mark twain or gregg popovich or superman etc

in either case, to choose the former is to be equally 'brainwashed' or 'unintelligent' or w/e u wanna call it

[rmt]

They just wanted to see someone black who they "hoped" would represent our interests...The majority of the people who voted for him probably don't really know how politics works though....I didn't even vote for Obama, I voted for Ron Paul. At least he gets it and would try to do away with the pandering to the corporations, the Federal Reserve, IRS, etc....But we know what happened to the last President that wanted to do away with those things....See JFK...

IMO, it's a fallacy if black people think that Obama is looking out for their interests. If he were, he wouldn't be set (right after the election) to declare amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants (against whom blacks compete for jobs). All he cares about (like all politicians) is POWER and CONTROL. That's what all the freebies (cel phones, healthcare, food stamps, subsidized housing) are for - to create a dependent voting base.

Why do you think he refuses to ban travel from Ebola countries? - must maintain that open border policy so that millions of illegals can come in - bringing with them disease (e.g. enterovirus that's afflicting our children) and eventually more votes. He knows he already has the black vote.

We need to reverse the direction of our country. Here are some ideas to start:

1. Create jobs - stop over-taxing the corporations so that they don't run to other countries. Open up the Keystone pipeline - sell gas to Europe so that they won't be dependent on Russia for energy - this takes away Putin's power and brings jobs/money to the US. Stop with all these regulations on companies for the sake of climate change - coal, energy, etc. Let competition rule - look at cel phone plans and car insurance.

2. Welfare - every able bodied adult who receives welfare must work (create jobs) - make sandwiches, clean the public buildings, help the elderly, etc. No free handouts - encourage useful production and responsibility.

3. Healthcare

(a) Tort reform - if you sue and lose, you pay the fees - that'll stop a lot of unnecessary lawsuits and control malpractice insurance.

(b) Open up COMPETITION across state lines. Make it like car insurance (shop ala Geico/Progressive) - everyone must buy (cheap) catastrophic coverage. Then add whatever else they want - paid for a HSA (tax free account for health expenses). Then consumers will shop for healthcare by price. You don't pay for oil changes with car insurance - you shouldn't expect small expenses to be paid for by health insurance.

4. Education

(a) Allow for credits/hours for kids to peer tutor. At my daughter's school, they give 3:1 community service hours for peer tutoring - so the kids who need help get help from the better students - at no cost.

(b) Stop with the insane amount of testing, get back to teaching the basics. American education is a mile wide and an inch deep. Stop teaching so many topics and concentrate on the basics. Schools don't need to teach about human trafficking, climate change or whatever agenda is popular.

[Dro]

IMO, it's a fallacy if black people think that Obama is looking out for their interests. If he were, he wouldn't be set (right after the election) to declare amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants (against whom blacks compete for jobs). All he cares about (like all politicians) is POWER and CONTROL. That's what all the freebies (cel phones, healthcare, food stamps, subsidized housing) are for - to create a dependent voting base.

Why do you think he refuses to ban travel from Ebola countries? - must maintain that open border policy so that millions of illegals can come in - bringing with them disease (e.g. enterovirus that's afflicting our children) and eventually more votes. He knows he already has the black vote.

We need to reverse the direction of our country. Here are some ideas to start:

1. Create jobs - stop over-taxing the corporations so that they don't run to other countries. Open up the Keystone pipeline - sell gas to Europe so that they won't be dependent on Russia for energy - this takes away Putin's power and brings jobs/money to the US. Stop with all these regulations on companies for the sake of climate change - coal, energy, etc. Let competition rule - look at cel phone plans and car insurance.

2. Welfare - every able bodied adult who receives welfare must work (create jobs) - make sandwiches, clean the public buildings, help the elderly, etc. No free handouts - encourage useful production and responsibility.

3. Healthcare

(a) Tort reform - if you sue and lose, you pay the fees - that'll stop a lot of unnecessary lawsuits and control malpractice insurance.

(b) Open up COMPETITION across state lines. Make it like car insurance (shop ala Geico/Progressive) - everyone must buy (cheap) catastrophic coverage. Then add whatever else they want - paid for a HSA (tax free account for health expenses). Then consumers will shop for healthcare by price. You don't pay for oil changes with car insurance - you shouldn't expect small expenses to be paid for by health insurance.

4. Education

(a) Allow for credits/hours for kids to peer tutor. At my daughter's school, they give 3:1 community service hours for peer tutoring - so the kids who need help get help from the better students - at no cost.

(b) Stop with the insane amount of testing, get back to teaching the basics. American education is a mile wide and an inch deep. Stop teaching so many topics and concentrate on the basics. Schools don't need to teach about human trafficking, climate change or whatever agenda is popular.
You have some good ideas, definitely agree with you about Obama and all politicians...

[Droid101]

1. Create jobs - stop over-taxing the corporations so that they don't run to other countries.

Stopped reading there, bullshit detected.

Reduced taxes don't create jobs. Demand for products and services do.

If people don't have money to buy stuff, they won't. If you give a corporation some extra money, they aren't going to hire someone just because they feel like it. If there's no demand for a product, they will not hire any new employees.

[rmt]

Stopped reading there, bullshit detected.

Reduced taxes don't create jobs. Demand for products and services do.

If people don't have money to buy stuff, they won't. If you give a corporation some extra money, they aren't going to hire someone just because they feel like it. If there's no demand for a product, they will not hire any new employees.

Are you saying that a higher US corporate tax rate of 35% is more conducive to business than Burger King running to Canada and paying a tax rate of only 26%? Do you think that companies are gonna keep paying higher taxes than they have to? They, like me, are gonna do anything (legal) to pay the least amount of taxes - they are responsible to their shareholders. So you don't think that their bottom line (what money they make after taxes) has anything to do with whether they expand and hire more?

[3ball]

I'm with you, there is no one answer or one set age for each person...But generally, everyone in their life, whether they are 21 or 41, eventually they should know right from wrong and should have a grasp on the way things our in their own lives by a certain point..Then they just have to make some changes in their life...
but as it relates to the lower socioeconomic status of black people in this country - surely, they can't be blamed for this condition or the plight of their parents and ancestors?

[Dro]

but as it relates to the lower socioeconomic status of black people in this country - surely, they can't be blamed for this condition or the plight of their parents and ancestors?
No of course not, but at the same time, there has to come a point where you take some personal responsibility. Its just something you have to do because when they're burying you, unfortunately nobody will care(the world in general) about your childhood or the conditions you come from. Look at the world now, most other countries are 3rd world but most people go through the day not really caring.

I work in downtown Indianapolis, there's homeless people EVERYWHERE downtown...every few feet, no exaggeration and most people just walk on by, don't care. Most of these high powered business suit wearing people who I know have good jobs, don't even look in their direction. Now I'm the type to give money if I have a few extra dollars on me since I am working, especially if I think the person really needs it because like you said, I understand that sometimes due to upbringing, lack of guidance/education, or the fact that we generally start out behind the 8 ball and have to play catch up. And for the majority of black folks in this country, we generally have to work twice as hard as the next man to get the same amount of success. Some people may not agree with that statement but IMO its the truth...

[3ball]

No of course not, but at the same time, there has to come a point where you take some personal responsibility. Its just something you have to do because when they're burying you, unfortunately nobody will care(the world in general) about your childhood or the conditions you come from. Look at the world now, most other countries are 3rd world but most people go through the day not really caring.


i not sure i'm being clear enough with the point i'm trying to make.

no one is "burying" anyone, so i have no idea what you meant by that.

but for example, black people in the 1960's (and before that) didn't go to college nearly as much as whites, if at all.... and this is due to slavery and the unequal laws up until the civil rights movement... i think this much is common knowledge and agreed upon.

and if your parents didn't go to college, then your chances of going to college are SIGNIFICANTLY lower than someone whose parents did go to college.

so slavery is not an EXCUSE, it's the REASON for the unequal socioeconomic status between blacks and whites... if blacks had been getting the exact same opportunity as whites for the last few hundred years, their socioeconomic status would be equal.

let me ask you something, what do YOU feel is the reason for the current gap in socioeconomic status between blacks and whites?

[Droid101]

Are you saying that a higher US corporate tax rate of 35% is more conducive to business than Burger King running to Canada and paying a tax rate of only 26%? Do you think that companies are gonna keep paying higher taxes than they have to? They, like me, are gonna do anything (legal) to pay the least amount of taxes - they are responsible to their shareholders. So you don't think that their bottom line (what money they make after taxes) has anything to do with whether they expand and hire more?
It literally has no effect on the number of people they hire, no.

This has been proven time and time again throughout American history. Taxes, corporate and otherwise, are at an all time low. If anything, we need to RAISE taxes to get back to the "Glory Days."

[R.I.P.]

Five minutes into the TNT opening show Barkley takes off his new glasses, because he is embarrassed to look nerdy/smart. Way to back up your own words. :facepalm

[LA Lakers]

No disrespect to Mr. Charles but he lost his way. All those 5 star meals and liqour is going to his head. He has no idea what hes talking about. Brotha was from the country and had an amazing gift that he ran with. Not all brothas can get lucky and play pro hoops, Chuck.

[rmt]

It literally has no effect on the number of people they hire, no.

This has been proven time and time again throughout American history. Taxes, corporate and otherwise, are at an all time low. If anything, we need to RAISE taxes to get back to the "Glory Days."

What does government do with our taxes? Hand out cel phones, food stamps, subsidized/free healthcare and housing. Government PRODUCES nothing. One example of a terrible tax is Obamacare's medical device tax. It taxes based on gross sales (not profit so even if a company is losing money it has to pay) - it stifles research and development/innovation. It stifles job creation and encourages companies to go abroad.

Money not paid in taxes by businesses/corporations is used to expand, create jobs and PRODUCE. Money not paid in taxes by citizens is used to consume products/services or invest in other businesses.