Scary unemployment rate for African Americans

Alright I might not have alot of time for this. so bear with me. i was watching meet the press this mourning. And they mentioned the unemployment rate and the host said even worse for blacks. They didnt even spend in depth time talking about it but thatis another story.

But I saw the number they put up and it's scary to me being a black person. Even though their number is probably doctored and doesn;t reflect the true unemployment rate for black people. Their number was 15% I believe if I am not mistaken. So your saying "big deal the umemployment rate is bad for everybody now days right"

What is freaking me out about this is why is the rate the highest out of all the race and or groups and why has it been this way for so long? Is it a conspiracy? is it just and educational thing?? Is it the republican motto "you need to pull yourself up by the bootstrap"? Is it a poverty finacial thing??

Has anybody seen the black teen unemployment rate??? I would rather be locked ina dark room and have to watch the exocerist then see the number.

And another question which I am scared to ask is does the unemployment rate really reflect on race's education. If they constantly have such a low umemployment rate. I mean if so would we be considered the I don;t wanna get kicked off for being racist or whatever so thats the end.

reply to post by American-philosopher


It's not common sense, but when you look into it it kind of seems expectant. Us blacks, being the longest living minority group in white - business - complex America of course would have one of the lowest unemployment rates. Or you could look at it this way - America is still a bit rascist. I mean that is obvious, and is a fact within itself. That "number" won't go anywhere as long as we keep discriminating one another, and goes for blacks as well.

The grudge that most hold towards the opposite races it too great for either side to quell. I think both sides will continue hating the other, even if they don't show it at times, and as long as that's happening, the Unemployment rate will be drawn with a steady upward curve.

Every black person who started doing physics with me in Jr High
was harassed by their own community with such horrible sayings as
"why are you trying to be white." None of them survived the derision to go on to college with us.

As long as White is used as a derogatory term in the Black community this will continue.


David Grouchy

This may be controversial, but I'm going to say it anyway. I can only speak for the U.S. on this issue, but, anyway, here goes:

Education is the key to employment in many cases. The fact remains that we didn't really get good and hardcore integrated schools, especially here in the South, until the 1970s or so. Separate but equal is a joke, and most African Americans got an abysmal education until then. Parental involvement and help is a major, major factor in the academic success of a child. But how involved can parents be when they have a poor education themselves? It's going to take more than a generation or two to reverse 300 years of pure garbage of education for African Americans.

oh my god and its even worse then I suspected. I did the post with out doing any research on it. and did a quick search and and found that the African American. unemployment rose from 15.3% TO 15.5% while the rest of the nation while the overall rate dropped to it lowest point in two years.

blackpoliticsontheweb.com

The workforce is competition.

In competition the best rise to the top.

I don't think we can handle the truth to this statistic.

reply to post by satron


And the truth is?

ALright I am not hearing an answer that is satisfing my soul right now cause I am freaked out by this. Even though this has been going on for a quite a while now and hasn;t sneaked up on anybody I am just tired of watching political shows which I like doing and hearing them talk about the unemployment rate for everybody and then say look at how abysmal the black unemployment rate is. It is just disheartening to hear that all the time. And I know this is not a game or a sports thing where my race or team has to better then anybody elsees I am not appoarching like that.

But let me go a different angle. Black people have been given advantages with the affirmative action and scholarships and other things why hasnt that helpped at all?? or has it.?? again this is a place for conspiracy is it a conspiracy?

isnt it that a good persentage of black americans populations are mostly in urban areas? where there wouldnt be as many jobs as there would be in other places? so to me they live in urban areas and its easier for them to get on some type of welfare and other assitance then it would be to have to travel to find a job...now did get me wrong,my girlfriend gets assistance so in no way am i trying to be racist saying that blacks are all on welfare..cuz i know plenty of whites who are on it too

Let's just say...if a white person and a black person with the same qualifications apply for the same job Im guessing the white person is gonna get that job.

reply to post by gdaub23


Okay fine vaild point but what your speaking of to me is a symptom not the disease.

Might have to do with the rising Hispanic population. Them Hispanics are very hard workers.

Originally posted by American-philosopher
reply to post by gdaub23

 

Okay fine vaild point but what your speaking of to me is a symptom not the disease.

USA is a western european society. For almost 400 years western Europeans kidnapped terrorized and subjugated dark skinned people because of military dominance.(guns,ammo,boats)

American culture is still very racist. All the "help" like affirmative action and "scholarships"(I never got a scholarship for being black) not only don't work but are really designed to help women. A lot of employers discriminate against women(like walmart). I guess that means men are better than women then...lol

America isn't so much anti-dark skinned non-european just very pro-european.

It is a touchy subject for a lot of people myself included. I am White and live in Canada and we don't see this kind of thing in our city here (Roughly 78,000) people.
We have nowhere near a big black population but we do have two black friends whom both are employed and own their own homes.
Not close friends but we could call on them for help if we needed it and get it too!
My one doctor here is from India, another is from China and yet another is from Pakistan.......and yes I have one more that is white. My point is they are all top notch and I trust them with my life....Literally speaking here(sick puppy I am)
So here as far as doctors go its 3 coloured to 1 white.
In the wife's workplace it's as diverse as it gets as far as race goes.
I realize things are different in the States than here in Canada but let me finish with this......here we don't see colours we see friends/neighbours/employers/employees/doctors/ you get the idea.
I have no idea why blacks are so unemployed in the States but here its equal for everyone I believe, and If I am wrong please provide some stats to show me in errors.
Interesting thread and a S&F.
Regards, Iwinder

That unemployment statistic for African Americans is quite staggering, and as had been said in the OP it probably doesn't reflect the true numbers like the unemployment rates across the board. I think poverty has a lot to do with it, the breakdown in the family structure, drugs, inadequate education, lack of any real representation in government, and crime. Your question about the scary unemployment numbers is a riddle wrapped up in a whole myriad of reasons.

Sociologists and African American leaders from Frederick Douglass to Dr. Martin Luther King have tried to tackle the disparity among the groups in a country where everyone is entitled to a fair shake regardless of race, color, or creed. As for as I am concerned, it is a conspiracy. There is no definitive answer as to why one group excels while another flounders?

If one is being attacked from all sides through abstract poverty, family malfunction, crime, drugs, abysmal access to proper education, and is not properly represented; the level playing field in which everyone is supposed to have becomes crooked and jagged. I could not begin to answer why things are the way they are, but it is no less concerning. Fairness and equality ought to be paramount in this Republican Democracy of ours?

However, that is the furthest thing from the truth, and it seems in more instances than not some have a better chance than others regardless of work ethic, drive, and even education. On another note, I saw a thread on here a few days ago that showed another staggering statistic about incarceration levels among the African American males, and that is another abysmal number to contend with as well.

More Black Men Now In Prison Than Were Slaves

That is another conspiracy that ought to vetted as well. It is truly discouraging that incarceration figures are highest among one particular group, and a group that has had a very long history of being in bondage long before this country came to be. Again, it is a riddle wrapped in a whole myriad of reasons. No real discussion or debate will ever be made among the politicians or the public at large. It will continue and the numbers will rise. I suppose to most in MSM and the politicians in Washington, their opinion of it is that they have no opinion. "It is what it is." Very thought provoking thread, OP, and I agree there may be a grand conspiracy here?

American-philosopher, I don't think this is the outcome of a planned conspiracy. Yes, I do believe TPTB have a plethora of agendas, and our USA government uses lots of the classic ploys from history. Divide and conquer, itch away at the stone, a good catastrophe never goes to waste, etcetera.

I'm old, I fooled around in school. I only learned of how terribly black folks were being treated in America in the 1950's & 1960's a while ago. I had thought we had far progressed past the vicious racism I saw in old B&W photos. It made me a little sick. And it really opened my eyes.

Scary thing about highest unemployment for black people is when you view the population as a whole, the big numbers, it's even more skewed, way out of proportion. I think it may be as another poster mentioned, it is like the healing has barely begun. There is a large part of the black population, parents and grand-parents, etcetera, that still has the stinging hurt on them from days gone by.

This kind of hurt takes a toll, and the unhappiness gets passed on for generations. Meanwhile, here it is, 2011, everybody is a rock star with a reality show. Cell phones and all sorts of wild technology we have, and there are still people who can't get past the way someones speaks, their religion or where they are from. Incredible.

I grew up in lily-white community in NJ. Most of my views, my knowledge of black people have been formulated by what I've seen on TV and the 'net. Actually, thinking about it, it really does appear there are conspiracies behind the manipulation of black communities.

TV shows me most black people live in cities. If there is a large group of people in an old city with very few job opportunities, these people are probably going to live in a cycle of poverty, regardless if they are African-American or Korean in ancestry. Without good schools, without proper guidance, places to go to stay out of trouble, parents able to earn good money, nobody stands a chance. That does seem like a way of 'capping the lid' on a body of people. They never have a chance; only a lucky few will rise above.

TV tells me predominantly black city neighborhoods often have high crime rates. The number of young black men killed in America annually is a scandal. If those were rich white kids getting plugged you damn well know Uncle Sam would be straightening that snafu right out. As it is, young people in rough areas have no problem getting guns. so the racist s.o.b.'s in charge just sit back and watch frustrated hungry kids kill each other by the dozen. That seems like a plan in action if you ask me.

Many people have read that some FBi-Cia-M-o-u-s-e splinter group was behind the introduction & supply of highly addictive low cost drugs in poverty-stricken predominantly black neighborhoods. Supposedly the impetus was a steady supply of income to finance a personal overseas border war. I read the same thing about heroin, in the 1960's. This too falls under conspiracy theory I think.

I read The Black Panther Party Manifesto online. This was reproduced from the original Panther party, from back in the day. You can find it online too. Blew my mind when I read it. The Black Panthers were all about equality of rights for all. They promoted love and brotherhood at many levels. They ran all sorts of programs to help the children and the neighborhood. I rarely read anything with as much good intention and right thinking as I found in the Panther Manifesto. It was a real eye-opener. This was not how the media portrayed The Panthers to us in the day, not at all. 'The Man' put the screws to them, too. The Black Panthers had the love of the Lord in their vision, and they were denied. This was tragic.

I remember some years back when Police had an altercation with a few member of a group (organization or brotherhood) in one house in a tough Philadelphia neighborhood, mostly black folk living there. TPTB actually used a BOMB which wound up setting a fast-moving fire. Dozens of homes were lost. Many people were killed and injured. The over-kill displayed was almost cartoon ridiculous. My head shakes just thinking about it.

By keeping black people poverty-bound, Uncle Sam always has a crop of bodies dropping out of high school with little or no job opportunities. Uncle Sam's War Machine happily knows many young black men and women will seek a job opportunity or career in The Armed Forces. Uncle Sam uses the young people to do the dirty work.

I think black people in America have a long, hard road ahead. I wonder what this hot summer is going to be like. Huge unemployment for black people. 30(?) million illegal aliens, many out of work. White folks out of work. People losing their houses. Unemployment checks drying up. The rich are getting richer and the poor are growing in numbers.

Looks like there might be a whole lot of conspiracies under way. We'll see. Meanwhile, people should keep on talking to each other and tearing down those walls. United, we stand; Divided, we'll fall.

Minorities are given weighted preference in most situations with regards to education and employment. Many minorities are anti-white, or at least think the whites owe them something to compensate for the illusion of oppression when in fact it is their own lack of motivation and self esteem that is holding them back. The minority members that aren't anti-white, and actually get that this is actually an equal society and try to work with the system instead of take advantage of it, are viewed upon by their peers as being traitors to their race and are held back by their own race.

MLKjr's Dream has come and passed and the only people paying attention and were willing to let the past live where it belongs were the whites.

As a white European but a huge hip hop head I feel that mainstream hip hop(hip pop) music may play a role, since the 90's it's been getting steadily dumbed down by design. Like another poster said, black people 'acting white' getting called race traitors.. hip hop glorifying violence, stupidity and decadence.. how many black nerds do you know?

Then of course, there's always the poverty, a vicious circle of ghetto poverty. I don't know man, I don't know if institutional racism still play a role.. it did, but I don't know if it does. I don't think it's needed as an explanation though. There are more than enough factors that could account for this divergence.

reply to post by abecedarian


What about asian-americans? They're doing better than whites, I think that's a cultural thing though. Striving for perfection.

I hope this isn't taken the wrong way, but I don't see it faring well.

But...only speaking for myself and where I live...

I have probably had more black friends throughout my life than white. Growing up my family often lived on the 'black side of town' or in 'black neighborhoods'. For my city atleast that is true, my city at once was segregated and there was a 'black side of town'. Coincedentally, or not depending on your view, those were also the more impoverished areas of the city.

Growing up and even now, the majority of my black male friends have held little to no jobs. I know 2 off the top of my head, in their 30's who have only had 1 job their entire life, and it was short lived. I can say with all honesty that atleast 75% of the black males I have known throughout my life have, or currently do sell some form of drug, or support theirself in a way other than a job.

I don't know if it can be applied across the US and say "this is why unemployment is high", or it it really matters.

I just thought it was of interest and would share. I am honestly not a racist and this is just my view of life as I have seen it growing up, you are feel to free however you would like.