Scary unemployment rate for African Americans

reply to post by DZAG Wright


Your lack of constructive thought, and mind boggling propaganda is laughable at best~ That hole you speak of, do us a favor and jump in! We got the shovels~

reply to post by DZAG Wright


Very interesting!

The Tower of Babel story explained how the gods were terrified, seeing the humans working together, building things, sharing knowledge. That wasn't the plan.

Humans were created to be slaves...for the gods.

The gods (E.T.'s) had to disrupt the harmony and needed to 'go down there and confuse their tounges', and in my opinion (according to the Ancient Alien Theory) did so by reprogramming our languages, just like a computer program.

This is just anecdotal so take it for what it is. In 2008 there were 14,405 enrollments in college for Caucasian, vs 2,481 for black. In addition, for that same time period the % of HS dropouts for whites was about 4.8% vs. almost 10% for blacks. (That percentage is relative to race, not total population).

Source1

Source2

So, I would say, without reservation, that education is tightly tied to employability. Now, if you take Affirmative Action into account, it is my belief, that all things being equal, blacks have a decided advantage in getting accepted into college. I don't think that can be disputed. The issue is, if you don't finish high school, all the Affirmative Action in the world isn't going to do any good. Whether or not one agrees with Affirmative Action is another issue and it's not my intention to debate that subject.

reply to post by DZAG Wright


Yep!!

Ya know how George Clinton song and Dr Dre have referenced sayings, like
'Swing low, sweet chariot
Stop! and let me ride"

They are referencing biblical ufos coming for mass abduction, like in the rapture to carry us back 'home'.

Sound crazy??

Anyways, there used to be a plan for blacks to build arks of some kind for blacks to go back to Afrika (in the 60's) headed by elite blacks, and it was soon foiled.

I heard that turned that idea to a movie back then......Interesting to say the leas!!

Personally I think it is working just fine here, I see everyone at each others throats and while we dicker all the jobs are scooting off to China (and Walmart)
We are maybe our own worst enemy here.
Christ.... look at Detroit in the 50's to 70's what a gold mine for anybody who wanted to work and make a great wage too.
Enough of my blathering here I am off to try any figure out how to run my new toaster oven that came with only Chinese instructions.
Pray I don't burn the house down here.......:-)
Regards, Iwinder

Alot of african americans have better jobs than me around my city they work in the courthouses police stations hospitals. and alot of them dont have decent jobs. but thats for alot of races right now not just African American, how about the alarming rate of unemployment for alot of Amerians would have been a better thread title and kept me more interested I hate how everyone is divided all the time alot of people are out of work not just blacks

reply to post by dolphinfan


First of all, like it or not the effect on family is like due to US policy. When no fault divorce became mainstream the effects to family were and are devastating. Today the more affluent you are the more likely you are recovering. The fact when no fault divorces started to come into effect correlate to when you saw this breaking of family should bring you to a pause on the real cause. I will concede that this is not proof of causation the wide range effects and lingering effects say to me that this is a more likely cause for what you describe.

While I do agree that people need to be accountable to a certain extent for their situation; I argue birth, family wealth, and other uncontrolable factors play equally large roles. Even Bill Gates attests to this saying his luck and family were essential to his success. Or if you rather Shakespeare... The world is a stage and men and women are merely players.... in other words fate plays a large hand.
Until the nation decides to minimize the role of fate, then the cycles of poverty will only grow as evidenced by the shrinking inflation adjusted us median salary and growing income disparity. I'd say more but on my phone so posting facts and links is a bit difficult.

Denying that poverty is a disease is the same as advocating cancer is just a curse of god.

Both without treatment and unpleasant medication will be terminal.

reply to post by General.Lee


Having kids, I can tell you that school is different today than it was when I was a kid. I don't agree with it, but a parent has to spend time each day with their kids, supervising homework. I did about an hour of homework a week and my kids have at 3rd and 5th grade over an hour a night. I don't help them with it other than point them in the right direction, but I make sure they do it and look it over when they are done and if its not done well, sloppy or inaccurate, they do it again.

My point is that, despite the quality of some of the schools, which are miserable, there is an opportunity to get an education. Now if you're in a terrible school district it might take more work on your part. You may need to get them supplemental support (free) at a Y or Boys and Girls club, but if you get engaged, you can do it. You can even home school if you are serious about it. It would be interesting to see the statistics on how many Black kids are home schooled. Is that an option? Of course it is, especially if the mother is not working. Hell, I certainly forgot how to divide fractions, but I had to school my self back up to be able to look at my kids home work. I'm not keen on being in 5th grade again, but that's my job as a parent.

It is also not about money spent in schools. New York City spends over $15K/student and not only has some of the poorest school systems, also has one of the highest illiteracy rates in the country. DC is number 2 in terms of spending, yet is also in the top 3 in terms of illiteracy. Money ain't the problem.

You are what you pay attention to. You want to be a good student, you want to be educated, spend time on school work. Do extra work. You want your kids to be good students and get an education, pay attention to it. Have them read every day. Turn the TV off, put consequences on not getting good grades. This is not rocket science and if someone would like to suggest that there are folks out there in large numbers who are unable to provide that level of parenting, I would suggest that their kids be taken away from them.

With 12 pages, I simply can't read the whole thread. But I've been paying attention to this issue for many years. I think it's important, so I'll put in my .02.

When I grew up in a middle class neighborhood in the 1960s and 1970s, nearly every kid came from a 2-parent family and EVERY kid knew both his father and mother. But it was way beyond that. At least half the households had a college-educated parent, and in many both the mother and father were educated; several of the dads had doctorates. It was common to have intelligent conversations at the dinner table. Academic achievement was seen as an extremely positive thing by kids and grown-ups alike. Being stupid was something nobody wanted to be. And we were taught to be honest, we were taught to respect our fellow man. We were taught it it was important to carry our own weight and have a job. I had a paper route at 11 years old and a part time job when I was 15. Nearly every kid in the neighborhood did something --legal-- to earn money. Living on government assistance (unless you had no choice) was a disgrace. Stealing was a disgrace. Hurting people who had not hurt you was a disgrace.

Now it's not like every kid turned out to be a model citizen. And most of us, at one time or another, stole something, or smoked pot or some other misdemeanor. but I'll bet any black kid who had grown up in that environment would probably be like most of the kids in my neighborhood, who got educated, got jobs, stayed out of trouble with the law (for the most part) and had goals.

By contrast, many blacks grow up in neighborhoods where the majority of people not only don't have a college education, they don't even have a high school diploma. And the majority of kids come from single-parent households. Many do not even know, for sure, who their dad is. And this is normal. And who gets respect? The gang bangers. The people who are selling drugs and doing drive-by shootings. The ones who have gone to jail. They're the role models. They're the ones who are considered cool. And you're surrounded by kids whose only academic goal is to drop out. They don't care if they're functionally illiterate. School, for both genders, is a major drag and they want it to stop ASAP. And on the female side, they virtually all have children out of wedlock and at a very young age. Getting welfare, food stamps and housing assistance is simply what you do, just as getting messed up on drugs and acts of crime are what you do if you're male. The only people who have jobs are the ones who use it as a cover.

Now it's not like every kid turned out to be a worthless criminal stereotype or welfare mother, but I'll bet any white kid who grew up in that environment would likely turn out like the blacks.

You simply can't underestimate the influence of day-after-day, year after year being in an environment where the same basic messages are reinforced in a million different ways.

I'm willing to blame some of the problem on influences outside the neighborhood and even say some of it is the fault of American black culture for not combatting these bad influences. I'm also willing to blame some on their leaders, who know darn well what I'm saying is correct but lack the guts to be frank enough to say it. I'm even willing to say I've grown so tired of the "victim" mentality (which is terribly counterproductive to blacks)

But what bothers me, very deeply, are the people, especially whites, who dismiss ANY intelligent sociological thinking (who I've found are often dismissive of ANY real thinking at all) and just basically take the attitude that blacks are like that because they are naturally inclined to be like that. There's simply no way you can say that when they're growing up in the circumstances they grow up in, and I find it ignorant and stupid.

reply to post by tomten


While it is a part education, I don't want lost the fact it is a direct result of poverty which education does discriminate against. Also how is someone who didn't complete school going to help their child with school? The amount we let wealth corrupt our systems furthers every vice onto the none affluent and denies them many avenues to success.
Education I just feel is the best place to start change.

My advice is to stop going to job interveiws dressed in your baggy street clothes, I see it all the time come in looking for a job dressed like a thug, yeah who's going to hire you dresed like that. 33.6% of african americans between the ages of 16-19 are unemployed compared to 4.6% or 5.6% for whites and hispanics, one reason may be because of the way they present themselves. heck alot of African Americans dress like thugs when they go to Court in my City sheesh give me a break

It's clearly cultural. It's behavior based predjudices that plant the seeds of poor social image. As a white middle class male, there are certain groups of people that assume that I am seeking to oppress them or that I think I am more intelligent than they are. Given a choice, those people are likely to hire the equally qualified "non-white" applicant because they feel more familiar with them and less threatened.

It really isn't a white thing to be judgemental and presumptious, it's a human thing.

The problem is we aren't allowed to have a culture in America. Human societies need a certain pattern of normality. We need some standards for behavior. Everyone is a victim of the other guy in America. So long as we have all manner of social subsects in America, all demanding that their views and behaviors be considered equal there will be tension. Multiculturalism isn't working. We are a society of self segregating, finger pointing, victims.

It's all about behaviors.

This is of course a glass half-full, half-empty argument. On one hand it is clear that racism is alive and well in America, and on the other hand, nevertheless, black people have made great strides against long odds.

Even with a great percentage of Blacks still mired in the drug and crime ridden street culture of the hood, there is also a strong black, middle and lower class, somehow surviving and making somewhat of a success of their lives, and a vibrant upper class enjoying the fruits of this materialistic culture.

So there is some good to be happy about yet still there are problems with black poverty, and an inner city sub cultural disease that breads crime, drugs and failure that the rap musicians refelect in their music. Also, there is still pervasive institutional racism though not as bad as before the 60’s. But any degree of racism is unacceptable and eventually if we are to become a just and healthy society America must strive to eliminate all vestiges of discrimination.

Remember whatever our racial lineages is, we are all one people now . . . the American people. All trying to make it in this postmodern experiment in freedom, so it is advisable that we come together and heal the wounds of history and of today. Our society is one organism, and if one part of it is sick or unhappy then the whole body suffers.

reply to post by American-philosopher


Just goes to show you that no amount of social equality programs will help people that don't want to be helped. If people want to live off the government and live in a perpetual state of mediocrity and have no aspirations, us tax payers will pay for them to do so. Living off the social injustices in our countries past is really played out. There has to come a time in people's lives as a species/race/creed/color/sex/religion where they have to take responsibility for their futures and stop relying on the Uncle Sam's teet...

Originally posted by Holly N.R.A.

Rule is, no matter age, ethnicity, or education...it is up to the individual to either better themselves or remain in the cess pool and keep taking the crap that is shoved down ones throats daily by the society that we live in.

People...things are what they are for all of us...no matter who we are...

Hmm, you seem to equate a means to make money as being a better human being, since we are talking about jobs or "professions". Also, you seem to think that an "education" aka having sufficient amounts of money to pay for a college degree trumps the overall knowledge of those who are lacking in money. I just love it how you were able to write a lengthy post with your opinion smeared all over it, while calling other's opinions "crap" and since you don't like others voicing their opinion which differs from yours, you blame society for "shoving crap down ones throat". Wake up! We are society, all of us, we are divided, we shall fall. So don't you dare refuse responsabity and blame "society", because you are a part of society and your voice matters, don't you understand that you are talking to people here people who have feelings and opinions as well?

Originally posted by i am just saying
Blacks don't work because most of them don't like to work (except blacks from other countries and not born and raised in America).

Their unemployment rate is self inflicted and always has been.

How can you say that? That's like someone saying whites are predators, preying on every other race they deem inferior.

If minorities from other countries are hard workers not raised in the United States, does that mean there is something wrong with America as a whole? Seems like there are a few people in the United States that can't wrap their minds around generational racism, poverty, schools that I wouldn't send a dog to; having a significant effect on many generations to come. I always thought this was basic knowledge, psychology, sociology?


Too general and broad for people to effectively contemplate your views.

How is this shocking to anyone? As soon as I saw the thread title I just thought "No # Sherlock" lol. It's become part of black culture in America, at least black American culture of the majority under 40 or so. Alot of blacks have been moving into my area, and I'd say about 25% of them make their money completely leagally. The rest either sell drugs or fence stolen property.

This fact is about as surprising to me as the people who blame it on racism.

Don't forget black children are less likely to be brought up by two parents. Children who are only brought up by one parent are far less likely to do well academically.

Originally posted by Iwinder
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

edit on 3-4-2011 by Iwinder because: (no reason given)

I forgot my surgeon who did my hernia....he is from Sudan and the most likable guy I ever met.....chocolate brown with a heart of gold and a sense of humor which really helped.
I was scared shirtless and he made me laugh......that is until I woke up and became aware of one killer pain in my groin. :-)
Regards, Iwinder

What I am trying to say is colour in my book is all the same.....
If you feel repressed because of your skin then think about Canada.
Regards, Iwinder