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Stop the racial bias

Haven't read all the prior stuff, but you're right that Americans weren't the only folks enriching themselves on the backs of slaves or at the expense of native peoples. However, we have held ourselves out as something better, the land of free, even though we continued to enslave people and continued to discriminate against minorities for a century after the Civil War. Good news is that it has gradually gotten better.
Tell me - if it is such a disadvantage being black these days, why do bi-racial athletes such as Tiger Woods, Steph Curry, Patrick Mahomes, etc. generally identify as black? Why is it done for college applications? A degree of racial bias exists among all races. Let’s stop pretending all of the cards are against you. They’re just not.
 
Tell me - if it is such a disadvantage being black these days, why do bi-racial athletes such as Tiger Woods, Steph Curry, Patrick Mahomes, etc. generally identify as black? Why is it done for college applications? A degree of racial bias exists among all races. Let’s stop pretending all of the cards are against you. They’re just not.
I am white. Google search the relative wealth of the different races, or the education provided to different races, or the prevalence of health problems of different races, and then tell me the cards aren't stacked against Black kids born into the cycle of poverty. This cycle goes back centuries, and will be very hard to break because there are also cultural issues, like single mothers, which contribute to the problem. As you note, some Blacks are doing incredibly well, especially athletes and entertainers, but what about the other 50+%, who don't even know that this is a land of opportunity? My opinion was a little more like yours as a young adult, who hadn't gotten involved in helping the disadvantaged. This not just a Black problem, but it is definitely a lot more prevalent among Blacks.
 
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I am white. Google search the relative wealth of the different races, or the education provided to different races, or the prevalence of health problems of different races, and then tell me the cards aren't stacked against Black kids born into the cycle of poverty. This cycle goes back centuries, and will be very hard to break because there are also cultural issues, like single mothers, which contribute to the problem. As you note, some Blacks are doing incredibly well, especially athletes and entertainers, but what about the other 50+%, who don't even know that this is a land of opportunity? My opinion was a little more like yours as a young adult, who hadn't gotten involved in helping the disadvantaged. This not just a Black problem, but it is definitely a lot more prevalent among Blacks.
The other 50% should stop supporting the policies that encourage dependency on the government.
 
The other 50% should stop supporting the policies that encourage dependency on the government.
This is a complex problem, and neither political party has effectively dealt with it. The GOP doesn't give a damn, and the Dems are inept at creating and implementing effective programs. Financial assistance should be tied to demonstrated responsible behavior, but then the children of the irresponsible parents are left to fend for themselves... This isn't the forum to have a long discussion about the issue, but to suggest that much of it doesn't trace back to racial discrimination is just ignorant rhetoric.
 
This is a complex problem, and neither political party has effectively dealt with it. The GOP doesn't give a damn, and the Dems are inept at creating and implementing effective programs. Financial assistance should be tied to demonstrated responsible behavior, but then the children of the irresponsible parents are left to fend for themselves... This isn't the forum to have a long discussion about the issue, but to suggest that much of it doesn't trace back to racial discrimination is just ignorant rhetoric.
Saying the GOP doesn't give a damn is not accurate or fair. Whenever they try to develop and implement any type of training programs that would help get people off the government teet, they are called racist by community leaders who have been made wealthy and powerful and the other party who uses it for votes.

Sooner or later you can't use and blame the past as the reason for your present and future problems. There are plenty of programs to help get people educated and trained. Start to hold the family structure as a reason. Hold people accountable and stop making excuses when they are very capable of succeeding.
 
This is a complex problem, and neither political party has effectively dealt with it. The GOP doesn't give a damn, and the Dems are inept at creating and implementing effective programs. Financial assistance should be tied to demonstrated responsible behavior, but then the children of the irresponsible parents are left to fend for themselves... This isn't the forum to have a long discussion about the issue, but to suggest that much of it doesn't trace back to racial discrimination is just ignorant rhetoric.
so you think CC got the cards stacked in her favor because she was white?
 
Saying the GOP doesn't give a damn is not accurate or fair. Whenever they try to develop and implement any type of training programs that would help get people off the government teet, they are called racist by community leaders who have been made wealthy and powerful and the other party who uses it for votes.

Sooner or later you can't use and blame the past as the reason for your present and future problems. There are plenty of programs to help get people educated and trained. Start to hold the family structure as a reason. Hold people accountable and stop making excuses when they are very capable of succeeding.
I was the finance director for almost 30 years at some very large social service agencies ($100M+), which were funded primarily with governmental dollars, so I know a little about this topic. Let's just say that helping poor folks is NOT a priority for the GOP, and the Dems have such a big tent that they can't figure out how to best help people.

I can't keep taking up space on this thread, but when the majority of Black children are born to single mothers, that creates enormous problems. Did you know that most Black kids in inner cities are raised by their grandmothers (if anyone), and they are often about the age when mothers should be having children? I met a 22-year-old grandmother soon after I started working in social service. This seems to be a never-ending cycle, that only can be broken by getting to children early with quality child care programs... If you neglect the kids, you just insure that the cycle will continue. Again, this is not only a Black problem, it is just more prevalent in that group of people. Failure to have a responsible parent or a family to teach kids values and work ethic is a big cause to a lot of country's problems.
 
I was the finance director for almost 30 years at some very large social service agencies ($100M+), which were funded primarily with governmental dollars, so I know a little about this topic. Let's just say that helping poor folks is NOT a priority for the GOP, and the Dems have such a big tent that they can't figure out how to best help people.

I can't keep taking up space on this thread, but when the majority of Black children are born to single mothers, that creates enormous problems. Did you know that most Black kids in inner cities are raised by their grandmothers (if anyone), and they are often about the age when mothers should be having children? I met a 22-year-old grandmother soon after I started working in social service. This seems to be a never-ending cycle, that only can be broken by getting to children early with quality child care programs... If you neglect the kids, you just insure that the cycle will continue. Again, this is not only a Black problem, it is just more prevalent in that group of people. Failure to have a responsible parent or a family to teach kids values and work ethic is a big cause to a lot of country's problems.
So you have lived the lie that the GOP doesn't make helping the poor a priority. The GOP has done more for the poor than Dems care to admit. Politicians, social workers, the DOC all have agendas on how to create the money streams they need to act like the righteous caretakers of the poor.
All of the above agencies have known for 30 years there was a problem within the black community on the lack of two parent households. All of them touted criminal justice reform and the injustice of black males incarcerated. You are on the early childcare train that has been also focused on for thirty years. Trust that your late to that party also.
Have you ever been to a strong Baptist Church anywhere and looked at the congregation? Listened to the preacher man about the problems within his congregation and the absence of black males in the pews?
You chose to become part of the problem when you became involved in social services agencies. Anyone being supported and living mostly off government dollars as an agency may have come to the realization of what a small part of the problem is. Small part...getting the culture themselves and their leaders to actively care about the day to day lives within their own culture is the battle.
I currently am involved with reclaiming native voices. There are currently about 320,000 Ojibwe and only 25,000 that speak the language. Only in Wisconsin are there a few first language speakers left. The native Americans have suffered heavily and people like yourself have touted that the social services agencies living off government money could solve the native American issues with childhood pregnancy, alcohol abuse, poverty, etc in what seems like forever. Reality has finally shown the path is more about pride in the native culture and working amongst themselves to correct the ills that have befallen their people.
No politician or social services agency will ever fix cultural injustices.
 
So you have lived the lie that the GOP doesn't make helping the poor a priority. The GOP has done more for the poor than Dems care to admit. Politicians, social workers, the DOC all have agendas on how to create the money streams they need to act like the righteous caretakers of the poor.
All of the above agencies have known for 30 years there was a problem within the black community on the lack of two parent households. All of them touted criminal justice reform and the injustice of black males incarcerated. You are on the early childcare train that has been also focused on for thirty years. Trust that your late to that party also.
Have you ever been to a strong Baptist Church anywhere and looked at the congregation? Listened to the preacher man about the problems within his congregation and the absence of black males in the pews?
You chose to become part of the problem when you became involved in social services agencies. Anyone being supported and living mostly off government dollars as an agency may have come to the realization of what a small part of the problem is. Small part...getting the culture themselves and their leaders to actively care about the day to day lives within their own culture is the battle.
I currently am involved with reclaiming native voices. There are currently about 320,000 Ojibwe and only 25,000 that speak the language. Only in Wisconsin are there a few first language speakers left. The native Americans have suffered heavily and people like yourself have touted that the social services agencies living off government money could solve the native American issues with childhood pregnancy, alcohol abuse, poverty, etc in what seems like forever. Reality has finally shown the path is more about pride in the native culture and working amongst themselves to correct the ills that have befallen their people.
No politician or social services agency will ever fix cultural injustices.
There is a lot of truth in what you say, especially the need to instill cultural pride and family values, and that being the only way to break the cycle of poverty. However, you misunderstand a lot of what many social service agencies are about. If you think they are only giving out handouts, which some might be, maybe you should realize that the program you are a part of is a "social service agency." Since I retired about 12 years ago, I have mentored kids, and the biggest cause of their difficulties is a lack of family, and especially the absence of a father. I brought up Black single mothers and intentionally stayed away from the other side of the problem, men without values, because that could become a racist discussion very quickly.
I don't understand your negativity about early childhood programs, as a part of the solution. They do need to be just one component, and the child care should not just be a warehousing of kids, while the mother has fun. I wasn't late to the child care party, at least in Texas, because the not-for-profit I worked for, and my team of accounting and systems staff, were integral in creating an automated statewide subsidized child care system in the mid 1980s. I don't disagree that many of the governmental programs turn into handouts, which don't solve the long-term problem. There were multiple child care funding streams from the federal government, and some of those, by themselves, were basically a handout. I won't turn this into a political debate, because both parties have a lot to work on with respect to helping the less fortunate.
 
Saying the GOP doesn't give a damn is not accurate or fair. Whenever they try to develop and implement any type of training programs that would help get people off the government teet, they are called racist by community leaders who have been made wealthy and powerful and the other party who uses it for votes.

Sooner or later you can't use and blame the past as the reason for your present and future problems. There are plenty of programs to help get people educated and trained. Start to hold the family structure as a reason. Hold people accountable and stop making excuses when they are very capable of succeeding.
I agree a lot with what Houston is saying. And there are actually more black people doing well working regular 9-5s than some might think.

With that said, nothing will change in the urban communities being discussed or hinted at until there is actual law and order, the gang culture is eradicated, and most kids are being raised by two parents. Until that starts to change, nothing of substance will change in those communities, and there will continue to be no real economic opportunity because no one in their right mind is going to invest in those areas.
 
intentionally stayed away from the other side of the problem, men without values, because that could become a racist discussion very quickly.
And that is why the problem continues to be perpetuated: too many on the left unwilling to have an honest discussion about the real challenges facing more urban-type communities because the knee-jerk reaction from them is to want to characterize every mention of that as somehow “racist.”

Well, I think the opposite is true. The dictionary definition of racism is belief in the inferiority or superiority of one race to another. What the left is unwittingly saying is people with more melanin in their skin aren’t capable of better behavior, morals, etc. Thus, the left believes statistics that show black people are currently committing more violent crimes in this country than any other race are in fact “racist” and therefore they avoid what could otherwise be a fruitful discussion on this topic that would actually get to the crux of the problem: culture.

Let me first say everyone—liberal or conservative—needs to recognize “black culture” is not homogeneous. That is important to establish. Okay. Now that that has been established, we need to be honest about the factions of “black culture” that glorify being a criminal, drug use, violence, and that characterize women as nothing of value beyond sex. Those subset parts of “black culture” are 99% of the ills facing those types of communities, not police brutality or the KKK.

Yes, police brutality happens. Yes, racial discrimination and prejudices still occur. Yes, society should have zero tolerance for either of those things. But right now, whenever discussions of problems facing these more urban-type communities get brought up by the left, the focus is always on the 1% that does nothing to address the 99% that is the bulk of what’s hurting these communities. Look at it this way: if this were a medical emergency, the left would take the patient to the hospital and ask the doctor to fix the splinter in the patient’s pinky finger while a gallon of blood spews out of a gaping hole in the middle of the patient’s chest.

That’s the reality of the left’s current solution to fix the problem.
 
I agree a lot with what Houston is saying. And there are actually more black people doing well working regular 9-5s than some might think.

With that said, nothing will change in the urban communities being discussed or hinted at until there is actual law and order, the gang culture is eradicated, and most kids are being raised by two parents. Until that starts to change, nothing of substance will change in those communities, and there will continue to be no real economic opportunity because no one in their right mind is going to invest in those areas.
Plenty of rural not so great areas that is the case as well. Generation after generation of poverty. The biggest predictor of how a child will end up is where they are born. Born poor they will most likely die poor. Yes, they have a chance to escape poverty. But the deck is heavily stacked and getting worse.
 
Plenty of rural not so great areas that is the case as well. Generation after generation of poverty. The biggest predictor of how a child will end up is where they are born. Born poor they will most likely die poor. Yes, they have a chance to escape poverty. But the deck is heavily stacked and getting worse.
I agree with that.

And IMO the reason that remains true is because the people who actually hold real power and wealth have done a fabulous job of promoting tribalism in America. If you’re white, it’s the brown people coming into this country illegally and all the black welfare queens and affirmative action that are the reasons you’re failing at life. Conversely, if you’re a person of color, your opportunities are limited because of systemic racism and the few options you are afforded you have to be ten times better than the whites or you’re screwed.

While there are kernels of truth to both sides, none of it touches the real source of oppression in this country: the power elites.
 
I agree with that.

And IMO the reason that remains true is because the people who actually hold real power and wealth have done a fabulous job of promoting tribalism in America. If you’re white, it’s the brown people coming into this country illegally and all the black welfare queens and affirmative action that are the reasons you’re failing at life. Conversely, if you’re a person of color, your opportunities are limited because of systemic racism and the few options you are afforded you have to be ten times better than the whites or you’re screwed.

While there are kernels of truth to both sides, none of it touches the real source of oppression in this country: the power elites.
As the old saying goes the great thing about the poor is you can hire half of them to kill the other half.
As for the poors that are living it up I can find white methheads in Ottumwa in equal proportion to black crackheads in Milwaukee. Or welfare queens equal to trailer court queens on disability driving nice cars as well. It’s all a snow job.
 
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And that is why the problem continues to be perpetuated: too many on the left unwilling to have an honest discussion about the real challenges facing more urban-type communities because the knee-jerk reaction from them is to want to characterize every mention of that as somehow “racist.”

Well, I think the opposite is true. The dictionary definition of racism is belief in the inferiority or superiority of one race to another. What the left is unwittingly saying is people with more melanin in their skin aren’t capable of better behavior, morals, etc. Thus, the left believes statistics that show black people are currently committing more violent crimes in this country than any other race are in fact “racist” and therefore they avoid what could otherwise be a fruitful discussion on this topic that would actually get to the crux of the problem: culture.

Let me first say everyone—liberal or conservative—needs to recognize “black culture” is not homogeneous. That is important to establish. Okay. Now that that has been established, we need to be honest about the factions of “black culture” that glorify being a criminal, drug use, violence, and that characterize women as nothing of value beyond sex. Those subset parts of “black culture” are 99% of the ills facing those types of communities, not police brutality or the KKK.

Yes, police brutality happens. Yes, racial discrimination and prejudices still occur. Yes, society should have zero tolerance for either of those things. But right now, whenever discussions of problems facing these more urban-type communities get brought up by the left, the focus is always on the 1% that does nothing to address the 99% that is the bulk of what’s hurting these communities. Look at it this way: if this were a medical emergency, the left would take the patient to the hospital and ask the doctor to fix the splinter in the patient’s pinky finger while a gallon of blood spews out of a gaping hole in the middle of the patient’s chest.

That’s the reality of the left’s current solution to fix the problem.
Funny, I think if you substitute "right" in the attitudes you attribute to the "left", I believe you would have a much more accurate post. Otherwise, I agree with most of what you are saying. I am very happy to discuss the challenges that mostly minorities are facing in our inner city slums and in many poor rural areas. When I try to discuss, many of my friends who are on the right "do not want to talk politics", as if the problems aren't real. What needs to happen is to identify the root causes of the perpetual cycle of poverty and the side effects that you laid out very well, and then figure out how to address them. It ain't easy, because this cycle has been going on for many generations, and for most of those caught up in it, that is the only way of life they know. Getting children from these broken homes into quality early childhood development programs is a good place to start, so at least some of them don't follow in their "parents" footsteps. Improving education in these areas and creating employment programs are other components of what is needed. As you note, have honest dialog and creating more consensus on what to do is a good place to start.

Somehow a discussion of the difficulties Caitlin Clark is facing in the WNBA morphed into this.
 
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Funny, I think if you substitute "right" in the attitudes you attribute to the "left", I believe you would have a much more accurate post. Otherwise, I agree with most of what you are saying. I am very happy to discuss the challenges that mostly minorities are facing in our inner city slums and in many poor rural areas. When I try to discuss, many of my friends who are on the right "do not want to talk politics", as if the problems aren't real. What needs to happen is to identify the root causes of the perpetual cycle of poverty and the side effects that you laid out very well, and then figure out how to address them. It ain't easy, because this cycle has been going on for many generations, and for most of those caught up in it, that is the only way of life they know. Getting children from these broken homes into quality early childhood development programs is a good place to start, so at least some of them don't follow in their "parents" footsteps. Improving education in these areas and creating employment programs are other components of what is needed. As you note, have honest dialog and creating more consensus on what to do is a good place to start.

Somehow a discussion of the difficulties Caitlin Clark is facing in the WNBA morphed into this.
My disdain for social service agencies is far from considering them a handout. It is the focus on a singular select subset of people while having total disregard for others. A good example is all the agencies that claim to work together or the, "it takes a village" philosophy. While a substance abuse agency works with a young female with a meth addiction another agency fails to press charges and dangles this young female for up to 18 months to get to the manufacturer. Doesn't matter what program or subset we key in on, the village is never all in.
My involvement with Ojibwe has absolutely no social work agency or government involvement. The initiative is being undertaken by the people themselves. My involvement was a requirement to work with kids within the tribe building canoes as the elders did. They require you to learn to speak the language as you teach the skills.
So your friends dont want to talk politics or discuss the challenges of inner city poverty. You are very quick to side with the left and dismiss the right as if Cabrini-Green in Chicago wasn't built by the CHA in 1942. The white Chicago elite Democrats built this wonderful, successful, public housing project. History says it was underfunded, built in the "Little Hell" neighborhood, was racially segregated in the 60's, and made it almost impossible for blacks to find affordable housing. I didn't see right wing politicians involved when it was torn down making way for a more upscale neighborhood. Most of the residents from the old Cabrini-Green moved into section 8 on the south side or southwest. Did those left leaning initiatives help to further violent crime, drugs, and poverty or was that wonderful CHA "agency" a life saver?
Early childhood development programs are your flavor or the political bent you support. So are they not a venue for kids to be dropped off to be taught by folks who in a few short years will be gone out of that childs life? How involved are the main adults in that childs life with those programs? Are those early childhood development programs working with grandma, mom, the mother that is a child herself so they can build continuation with what they are doing for development? Are the same teachers involved all summer long and again the following year for familiar positive reinforcement? Actually the turnover rate of those involved with those programs is quite frankly horrendous.
Until government gets out of the way and politicians fill the prisons allowing society to meld without the righteous always having the answer with the next great program, poverty, crime, and the elite are here to stay. I suppose you hide gold bars and 10,000 dollar bundles in your suit jacket pockets also...
 
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I agree a lot with what Houston is saying. And there are actually more black people doing well working regular 9-5s than some might think.

With that said, nothing will change in the urban communities being discussed or hinted at until there is actual law and order, the gang culture is eradicated, and most kids are being raised by two parents. Until that starts to change, nothing of substance will change in those communities, and there will continue to be no real economic opportunity because no one in their right mind is going to invest in those areas.
Corporations have invested in those urban communities only to become victims of robbery, theft, and ultimately looting when the fine folks that live in the urban area decides to riot every time something doesn't go their way.

Until those people clean up their acts no CEO will place his business in harms way by building in those areas.
 
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So I see there are more allegations that Caitlin Clark is a nobody who's only getting all the endorsements and media attention because she's White. Sure. Just like all those other over-hyped White players like Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Steph Curry, Tiger Woods, Patrick Mahomes, et al. If those athletes weren't White, nobody would have paid them any attention. This racial bias must stop.
It’s clear Caitlin is living rent free is some heads. It’s important the haters do not live rent free in our heads. Let it go
 
Having a historally accurate perspective absolutely matters. It always matters.

The thing that makes America unique is that this is where slavery stopped after having existed throughout all of human history to that point.
Uh...what? Historical accuracy would acknowledge that the United States was one of the last places to ban slavery, not the first.

 
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Uh...what? Historical accuracy would acknowledge that the United States was one of the last places to ban slavery, not the first.

Historical accuracy would be that there are about 49.6 million people worldwide still living in modern day slavery. A vast number of those are children involved in sex trafficking. Why does society pick and choose the numbers and subset of people they want to claim as slaves? Slavery has never ended...
 
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It happens….it’s pretty clear she can play. It’s interesting to me how tightly they played her right from the start. They certainly thought she could play.
To prove their point they played her physically from the get go and may have gotten away with a few fouls early on but from what little I’ve seen, her team had the first pick for a reason this year.

It’s gonna take a while.
 
There is a lot of truth in what you say, especially the need to instill cultural pride and family values, and that being the only way to break the cycle of poverty. However, you misunderstand a lot of what many social service agencies are about. If you think they are only giving out handouts, which some might be, maybe you should realize that the program you are a part of is a "social service agency." Since I retired about 12 years ago, I have mentored kids, and the biggest cause of their difficulties is a lack of family, and especially the absence of a father. I brought up Black single mothers and intentionally stayed away from the other side of the problem, men without values, because that could become a racist discussion very quickly.
I don't understand your negativity about early childhood programs, as a part of the solution. They do need to be just one component, and the child care should not just be a warehousing of kids, while the mother has fun. I wasn't late to the child care party, at least in Texas, because the not-for-profit I worked for, and my team of accounting and systems staff, were integral in creating an automated statewide subsidized child care system in the mid 1980s. I don't disagree that many of the governmental programs turn into handouts, which don't solve the long-term problem. There were multiple child care funding streams from the federal government, and some of those, by themselves, were basically a handout. I won't turn this into a political debate, because both parties have a lot to work on with respect to helping the less fortunate.
You turned this into a political debate when you said the GOP doesn’t care about this issue. It just doesn’t “care” in the manner many social service workers and agencies think it should. I too work in a social service type industry and trust me, the more free services that are provided the even more free services are expected. And expected without doing anything to earn them. This type of attitude and dependency are the root of the problem.
 
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You turned this into a political debate when you said the GOP doesn’t care about this issue. It just doesn’t “care” in the manner many social service workers and agencies think it should. I too work in a social service type industry and trust me, the more free services that are provided the even more free services are expected. And expected without doing anything to earn them. This type of attitude and dependency are the root of the problem.
Mostly I agree with you about giving totally free services, although emergency exceptions should always be possible. Even if you charge just a minimal fee, the person receiving the help has some skin in the game, and that is important. I like sliding fee scales with documented income for ongoing services.

I guess I can give a shout out to the Bush first ladies, who made meaningful contributions to assisting the less fortunate. Barbara led the charge on teaching kids to read, and Laura was the driving force for providing quality subsidized child care services. I am pretty liberal on human rights issues, but not nearly as liberal on most other issues. I was a proud independent until the GOP starting drinking orange kool aide. I hope the old-time GOP can somehow re-emerge in my lifetime.
 
My disdain for social service agencies is far from considering them a handout. It is the focus on a singular select subset of people while having total disregard for others. A good example is all the agencies that claim to work together or the, "it takes a village" philosophy. While a substance abuse agency works with a young female with a meth addiction another agency fails to press charges and dangles this young female for up to 18 months to get to the manufacturer. Doesn't matter what program or subset we key in on, the village is never all in.
My involvement with Ojibwe has absolutely no social work agency or government involvement. The initiative is being undertaken by the people themselves. My involvement was a requirement to work with kids within the tribe building canoes as the elders did. They require you to learn to speak the language as you teach the skills.
So your friends dont want to talk politics or discuss the challenges of inner city poverty. You are very quick to side with the left and dismiss the right as if Cabrini-Green in Chicago wasn't built by the CHA in 1942. The white Chicago elite Democrats built this wonderful, successful, public housing project. History says it was underfunded, built in the "Little Hell" neighborhood, was racially segregated in the 60's, and made it almost impossible for blacks to find affordable housing. I didn't see right wing politicians involved when it was torn down making way for a more upscale neighborhood. Most of the residents from the old Cabrini-Green moved into section 8 on the south side or southwest. Did those left leaning initiatives help to further violent crime, drugs, and poverty or was that wonderful CHA "agency" a life saver?
Early childhood development programs are your flavor or the political bent you support. So are they not a venue for kids to be dropped off to be taught by folks who in a few short years will be gone out of that childs life? How involved are the main adults in that childs life with those programs? Are those early childhood development programs working with grandma, mom, the mother that is a child herself so they can build continuation with what they are doing for development? Are the same teachers involved all summer long and again the following year for familiar positive reinforcement? Actually the turnover rate of those involved with those programs is quite frankly horrendous.
Until government gets out of the way and politicians fill the prisons allowing society to meld without the righteous always having the answer with the next great program, poverty, crime, and the elite are here to stay. I suppose you hide gold bars and 10,000 dollar bundles in your suit jacket pockets also...
My opinion of politicians is perhaps unfairly based on the last 30-40 years. Keep in mind that my dislike of the current GOP doesn't mean that I like the Dems or all of their policies.

We actually totally agree that meaningful change can only happen when there is family and values are instilled in the kids, but I am not nearly as defeatist as you about how to possibly improve the situation. You are right that providing handouts is not the solution, but our prisons already house WAY too many American citizens. That cost is staggering, and it really isn't improving anything long-term. I think you have missed my saying that providing early childhood development programs (quality child care) is only one component of what needs to happen. The kids will still be back "home" most of the day, and programs, especially employment programs, need to be there to help the parent(s)... The benefit of subsidized child care is both immediate, allowing the parent to work, and hopefully longer-term, giving the kids some learning opportunities that might change their future course... This mess has been going on so long, that nothing is going to improve it quickly.
 
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Slavery was abolished in less than 100 years of this county’s existence. Compare that to other countries might give you a bit of historical perspective as well.
Slavery might have ended with the Civil War, but it took another 100 years for Blacks to be granted equal rights. Maybe we aren't the worst, but the United States certainly doesn't deserve a lot of accolades for willingly granting freedom to all of its citizens.
 
Corporations have invested in those urban communities only to become victims of robbery, theft, and ultimately looting when the fine folks that live in the urban area decides to riot every time something doesn't go their way.

Until those people clean up their acts no CEO will place his business in harms way by building in those areas.

Mayor of Chicago is building inner city grocery stores. I’m sure that will work well.
 
Historical accuracy would be that there are about 49.6 million people worldwide still living in modern day slavery. A vast number of those are children involved in sex trafficking. Why does society pick and choose the numbers and subset of people they want to claim as slaves? Slavery has never ended...
/sigh. I never said that slavery did not exist today and actually chose not to bring it up because it is irrelevant to the attempt that was being made at making it seem like the United States was on the front edge or progressiveness by getting rid of it before anyone else.
 
Not one person said that. The point was that most countries have been in existence for centuries before the US. Making ridiculous assumptions is part of what’s wrong with today’s media. But I really think he meant …..
 
/sigh. I never said that slavery did not exist today and actually chose not to bring it up because it is irrelevant to the attempt that was being made at making it seem like the United States was on the front edge or progressiveness by getting rid of it before anyone else.
Why sigh when it is totally relevant. Not one nation was progressive. Slavery has been around before the Roman Empire, very well documented throughout that empire and has continued. Unbelievable that the majority, (not specifically you), want to always take segments of the history of man and act like slavery was one era with one subset of people. That is what makes slavery currently happening very relevant. Why is human trafficking as a form of slavery irrelevant to the U.S. or any other country acting as if they have eradicated slavery? 100 years from now will the slavery of children be irrelevant because only the enslaving of persons of color is important?
We have become the erasers of history, the apologists for political gain, and a society that turns a blind eye in the present.
 
Why sigh when it is totally relevant. Not one nation was progressive. Slavery has been around before the Roman Empire, very well documented throughout that empire and has continued. Unbelievable that the majority, (not specifically you), want to always take segments of the history of man and act like slavery was one era with one subset of people. That is what makes slavery currently happening very relevant. Why is human trafficking as a form of slavery irrelevant to the U.S. or any other country acting as if they have eradicated slavery? 100 years from now will the slavery of children be irrelevant because only the enslaving of persons of color is important?
We have become the erasers of history, the apologists for political gain, and a society that turns a blind eye in the present.
At least we completely agree on this. Happy Memorial Day!
 
Why sigh when it is totally relevant. Not one nation was progressive. Slavery has been around before the Roman Empire, very well documented throughout that empire and has continued. Unbelievable that the majority, (not specifically you), want to always take segments of the history of man and act like slavery was one era with one subset of people. That is what makes slavery currently happening very relevant. Why is human trafficking as a form of slavery irrelevant to the U.S. or any other country acting as if they have eradicated slavery? 100 years from now will the slavery of children be irrelevant because only the enslaving of persons of color is important?
We have become the erasers of history, the apologists for political gain, and a society that turns a blind eye in the present.


The race hustlers will have you believe the U.S. invented slavery and that our nation was founded on it.

What happened in the U.S. was horrible, but context matters. As you noted, it had been going on for thousands of years and happening to people of all ethnicities and colors.

I believe the UK was one of first countries to outlaw and U.S. not far behind. Point being that at least some countries tried and did change. It wasn’t perfect post slavery here obviously, but that is for another thread.

I agree that more focus should be on modern day/current slavery which is hard to fathom how large it is.
 
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