Sat, Nov 21, 2009
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Name:
B00TANEB00TUS
Comment: ...Good article Mo...Look, I'm not a Sharpton apologist or anything..He does what he does and I have no problem with that....However, I don't look for him to save me...I'm responsible for me and my family and I'll protect them with everything I have...I think thats the problem with us...We want someone else to "Take the Bullet"...Medgar, King and Malcolm have already done that...I mean, what can Sharpton and Jesse really do?...It's up to the people only the people can bring about change...Black men need to grow the fucc up and stop trying to be pimps, ballers and baby makers....We still have 40 year old men wearing oversize jeans with braided hair...rapping...WTF izzat about?...What happened to Chauncey Bailey was very disturbing but what could Jess or AL have done?...The community shoulda rallied and turned the murderer over...The same anger that fueled Black folks during the Watts, Newark riots ect...Should be channeled to stop this wanton disregard for Black life...by other Black folks....I'm glad you wrote this column Mo but I really don't know what It's gon take for us to wake up and seize our communities...We should be mad as he11 over this....
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Name:
cdub
Comment: Excellent article MO. I have one question, who is "Black Enough" to stop this?
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Name:
TheBrownOne
Comment: Good article.....not just for tackling an issue other than your norm, but because I think that you covered it in an interesting and thought-provoking way....thanks for not making the mistake alot of black journalists and leaders make when they insinuate that this a problem exclusive to our people and the black genetics of the day...but rather a socioeconomic human concern....and thanks for not making the recent media scapegoat of "Hip Hop" shoulder the blame for a problem much larger than the genre will ever be.......very responsible of you, bruh....writing stars on the "diet, digest, helpings, seasonings" and "Terror-gunned down, health care-executed nurses, immigration-latin/black..etc".....that's my 2 cent
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Name:
shell72
Comment: Great article. I live in Atlanta and my girlfriends were just discussing this same topic. America is losing its moral fiber. These children do not know simple right from wrong. The rape of the women in Dunbar Village and the killings of our young people just a few examples of the moral inaptitude of people in this country. Just this summer in Atlanta a nine year old girl was shot and killed in her home by a stray bullet while typing on her computer because two young black men were trying to rob someone in the parking lot. We need to stop worrying about all these celeb and get back to enlightening our communities.
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Name:
queeniebunz
Comment: The topic really being discussed is evil. These people are evil, plain and simple. Call me a Bible thumper if you want but this is the work of the enemy and the only way to combat it is with the Word. Gang-raping a woman? Forcing her to do that to her own child? = EVIL. There is so much of it in this world and yet even many black people scoff at church and prayer and religion. That is the part I don't understand. Many of us were on EUR yesterday and people were saying that you don't need marriage to have kids and to mind your own business when people like me stood up and said that yes, a child should be planned and should be raised in a 2-parent married home. It's called having standards. We don't have them anymore and when you don't have standards, evil comes in and this is what you get. We need to draw that line in the sand and not cross it. We need to stand up and say "ENOUGH!" and stop having such a laissez faire approach in our society. Anything goes - nah. That doesn't work. If it did horrific things like this wouldn't be happening. All of this "live and let live" had really lead to " die and let die" w/people dying of AIDS, crime, and diseases that could be prevented. Anytime a black child in Maryland dies of a tooth infection, we've got troubles. My solution - prevention.
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Name:
reflection
Comment: Very insightful article and alot of good points were made. I don't think that we can look to so-called leaders to save us, we have to save ourselves. I think that because our communities are in such chaos due to poverty, lack of morality and disconnect with the church, but more importantly a lack of spirituality, this will continue until we as a people say enough is enough. I was visiting Atlanta recently when a young girl was killed as she sat in her room typing on the computer, as shell72 stated above. Truly a tragedy! but these tragedies are happening far too often all across our nation and it's truly a shame that with all of the sacrifices that earlier generations made, that we as a people are regressing. as the Bible says "Where there is no vision, the people perish" Prov 29:18
Peace
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Name:
queeniebunz
Comment: Prevention = STOP HAVING KIDS YOU CAN'T TAKE CARE OF, CAN'T AFFORD AND DON'T REALLY WANT!!! When you read in the paper or on the internet - the background of a young black criminal who committed a heinous crime, usually the young black man's father is nowhere to be found. He lives w/his grandma or an auntie. His mother is on drugs or in trouble w/the law. She has multiple kids. He may or may not have been in foster care. And his soul is dead. He has no empathy. He has no care for right and wrong. He is completely apathetic to anything but survival and "getting his" and if it's at somebody else's expense - so what?! That is what we are dealing with. What could have prevented that = birth control. That woman should never have had that child when she did. I'm not saying people shouldn't have children. NO! I'm saying the decision to have a child should be planned and not "oops! the condom broke!" or "I want a source of child support/welfare check". That is our problem in our society. We have this idea that having children is no big deal and children are not valued. They aren't or the kids in my condo complex wouldn't be running wild w/no parents in sight. And, if these kids were valued, I wouldn't see a 10 year old raising his/her little brother or sister with mom completely absent from the scene. The problem I see on the news daily is that these parents don't miss their kids until they are shot down in the street! "Taquanda was a great kid!" you'll hear the mama say but mama was so busy w/her new man that she didn't notice Taquanda was out in the street at 11pm at night and got shot down in a drive by! Why wasn't she in the house? Why wasn't she away at summer camp? Why wasn't she getting ready for her part time job? Because mama took her for granted and Taquanda was raising herself. The biggest problem in our culture is birth control. The easiest solution is to ingrain in our children to not have kids until they are ready and to completely lay out all of the expenses of a child as well as the responsibility. And, we need to hold parents more accountable when kids skip school, commit crimes, become teen parents. Teen mothers shouldn't be allowed to pop out 2-3 babies before they are 20 because they know welfare will be there for them!!! If parents are held responsible for the money welfare pays out, I guarantee these girls and boys will stop making babies! Tell Keisha and Tyrone that if their 14 year old daughter gets pregnant THEY will be paying for her and the new baby and not the government - I bet it will cease!
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Name:
GoldenLady
Comment: First, it speaks volumes how few comments there are on this article...
Queenie, I couldn't agree with you more. This EVIL is from an evil superhuman source. These acts are just inhumane. I could've cried reading about the mother and her son in Palm Beach. This evil is invading those who are not spiritually built up and guarded. This is what not just our community needs, but all humans- A relationship with God. And I will take it a step further to say the the problem is not birth control, but self control. It is amazing to me that people act like abstinence is an abstract concept. Morality is at an all time low and that can only be fixed by setting standards and sticking to them instead of making excuses for ignoring them.
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Name:
MorrisOKelly
Comment: Amen Golden Lady...I too just lost all emotional control reading about that mother and son in Florida.
And then I later saw the pictures of the "alleged" %*$ailants arrested thus far. My heart absolutely sank. So many lives ruined for zero reason at all.
To have such willful disobedience and criminality...it must have been cultivated over years for these particular youths to get to that point...and it pains my heart because they are the rule, not the exception seemingly.
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Name:
Closet_Nerd_Girl
Comment: Queenie and GoldenLady- I agree with you both 110%. As soon as we took God out of the schools and out of the forefront, all hell broke loose. This is definitely the work of the devil and what is so insidious about it is that he strikes from withIN. Part of being a responsible parent is to pray for your children DAILY, and teach them how to pray. We have to arm them so they can resist the enemy when (not IF, but WHEN) he attacks.
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Name:
Closet_Nerd_Girl
Comment: Excellent article Morris. You definitely put a new and much needed spin on the subject. There was a time when if you heard of a crime like what happened to that woman and her son in Palm Beach, we would just KNOW it was white folks who did that. And you are right, back in the day if something like that was to happen in our community, those boys would not have been able to "finish" because someone would have stepped up and stopped them. (and beat the living shyt out of them before calling the cops.) As my grandmother says, integration is the worst thing that happened to black folks. We don't stick together any more. We've become alot more selfish. It seems that the "oppressed" have taken on the characteristics of "the oppressor" and we have no one to blame but ourselves.
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Name:
Fantastic49
Comment: On point, good job, Mo
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Name:
Kofi
Comment: Mo, another well written article however, you are guilty as the other authors of well written articles about the plight of black folks. The issue is not the problem but what the fucck to do about it. One such strategy is too listen to our children and to hold each other accountable. A specific example is when I lived in west Oakland CA. This is a tough but a neighborhood that is rapidly gentrifying. In the morning on my way to work I would see young black men on my steps shooting dice and drinking beer. As a brotha from the hood I would tell them to keep it moving. By the time I got home those same folks would still hang out on the steps. They would slink off when they saw me coming. My stance and mentality was "I will tell you one time to get the fucck off my steps or I will blow your %*$ away." People instictively know when you are serious and when it's bullshyt. This brought home the fact that class warfare among black people is real. It dawned on me that violence or the threat of violence is definitely not the solution. I one day stopped and asked how they found themselves out at 9am drinking beer. These young people really illustrated that the prison track in our education system is very real. These conversations did not lead to any magical transformation but a new found respect. They would not hang out on my steps. We would speak and they would call out "hey OG." In another incident there is a bar that I have been going to for years. In this bar you truly find the diversity among black people in Oakland. On your left may be a street level drug dealer. On your right may be a high powered attorney or elected official. The conversations are very rich and interesting. One night a brotha with his mouth full of his gold "grilz" had a major conflict with someone in the club. I happened to be outside talking to a small group when both men walked out. The brotha with the grilz lifted his shirt revealing a .45 pistol. Instead of running away, the men in the group de-escalated the situation by stating in no uncertian terms that this was unacceptable. The brotha with the grilz stated that he had been disrespected. The appeal to him was black man killing another blackman will not gain you any respect. This message coming from black men to other black men de-escalated the situation. Yes, it was a dangerous situation and many other people could have been hurt but you cannot underestimate the power of black men standing up being black men!!!!!
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Name:
Kofi
Comment: I think we as a collective are guilty of a deficit mentality. We tend to focus on the pathologies in our communities when in fact the vast majority are not involved in the prison system. Our kids go to school and try to do the right things. We have survived 400+ years of bullshyt in Amerikkka. We are a pretty resiliant people. Let us lift up and support the people out there struggling everyday prevailing against tremendous odds. Let us provide an encouraging word to a student doing the right thing.
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Name:
MorrisOKelly
Comment: Kofi...you are right that the pathologies do not define the whole of our existence...but nevertheless, the pathologies are real and the rising percentages of the deficiencies are also real.
There is no single solution and I would be a fool to think or espouse that there was. At the same time, you and I already know that a change must be had. It must happen on an individual to individual level like you've illustrated and it must be done on the collective level. Part of doing it on the collective level is raising the collective conscience about the problem(s) in the first place.
There has to be a commonality in our disgust and outrage for a change to take place and part of that is speaking up in these forums and recognizing that the disgust is not limited to just you or I. That helps and encourages us as we go about the individual person-to-person level work.
It's acknowledging that we just can't let certain stuff continue to happen. I don't know how to sway this pendulum all the way in the other direction, but I know that passivity and saying nothing is equal to complicity.
Many times people do wrong and evil because they simply haven't been told or instructed otherwise. The first step is instruction and demonstration.
BET has been kicked in the teeth this year because of our collective outrage. Collective outrage can go a long way. But "collective" anything starts with the realization that we're not alone in this battle...such as being realized right here.
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Name:
MorrisOKelly
Comment: Yes, the mass majority of our children are not tied up in the judicial system...but too many are and the number is increasing. Also, we are now seeing the results and effects of generational institutionalization of families. We have too many kids without guidance and this is what we get.
Yes there is good going on in our communities, but the level of violence and lawlessness is also at an all-time high. The crimes get more violent, more vile and more vicious. It's not only the "numbers" but the types of crime as well, the bold, brazen and boundless nature of the crimes can't be ignored.
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Name:
6footah
Comment: I know many people might not like what I am about to type, but one of the worst things that could have happened to us is DESEGREGATION. Prior to it, we had something to fight for, something that let us all know we were in the same boat, and really weren't any better than the next brotha, but once doors were opened for us we forgot about the struggle and it became an "all about me" mentality. We see it everywhere we look...athletics, entertainment industry, home-buying, corporate america. Once alot of us get up, we're not pulling anyone else up to join us in any facet. The stereotypical athlete makes it big and he goes and gets a white girl, we get raises or better pay so we upgrade from the black neighborhoods to a white neighborhood (only to look around 5 years later and see the white people have left because of our increasing presence). And for those who do want to help, we're either overwhelmed at the lack of resources and the number of those who need help, or we're afraid to stand up to our kids and tell them its not ok for them to act this way and that. I knew things were so far out of control when the high school in my area has a daycare center in it for the students' children!!!!! I AM SORRY, BUT THAT IS NOT OK, but on the flip side how do I combat that? We have become so lax in our moral fiber that its tearing our African-American communities apart.
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Name:
6footah
Comment: Queenie, Closet and whoever else agrees...you have no idea how serious of a spiritual war this is. People never want to make it about God, but its the core of everything. There is a God-shaped hole inside of all of us, and when we try to fill it up with worldy things that will never satisfy, it leaves us hopeless. And without hope, forget it.....
We don't ever want to talk about the spiritual side of things here. Its not about religion (going to church, are you Baptist, tithing)...no its about relationship (prayer, servitude, compassion, selflessness, humility). No disrespect, but even Mo'Kelly hasn't made a comment about the spiritual comments being made here. I'm clearly making an assumption here (and Mo, I know you'll correct me if I'm wrong), but I find it interesting that every other realm gets a comment but the spiritual realm. Why is that? Why aren't you outspoken on that aspect?
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Name:
Thoth
Comment: 6footah>> I wonder if INTEGRATION, not desegregation is what you see as harmful. I should be allowed to enter into any school, restaurant, business I choose-- equal access. However, once there my choices about my cultural investments and disinvestments is what may be key. Some argue that desegregation didn't shut down Black businesses such as movie theaters, restaurants, book stores, HBCUs, etc. Rather, it was integration. Some say integration is simply a 'white is right.' But does not work to benefit non-dominant communities. Recently, Spike Lee referred to this when he said that the melting pot was some sh*t white folks believe in.
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Name:
MorrisOKelly
Comment: I haven't "commented" on the spiritual realm as for me, it's a given. Of course we've become disconnected from the Lord...irrespective of what religion we observe.
In other pieces I've commented on our growing apathy to God and how that has been evident in our lawless behavior.
But often times when I don't specifically comment on something, for me it's an assumption that it's understood.
No way in the world a people with a strong relationship with The Lord come to this point.
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Name:
MorrisOKelly
Comment: I wouldn't say integration is "the" problem, but I would say that we asked for integration without fully understanding the responsibility and consequences of the request.
It's like asking for admittance to the public pools but forgetting to learn how to swim too.
We did not and have not developed the socioeconomic infrastructure to adequately sustain ourselves.
Other ethnic groups have immigrated and the first thing they did was create a solid economic and social base. It's called Koreatown, Chinatown, Little Italy, etc.
They own the businesses on both sides of the street and they control the flow of the community. We could do that in "our" communities and in fact did once upon a time. But with integration, we seemingly took that as a cue to separate from one-another as Black folks...
Mistake.
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Name:
HarrisThomas
Comment: on another board, Darryl James speaks to our embrace of classism and his observations ring truefully . . . with regard to this article and its comments, many AAs function from the perspective that white people's ice is colder than black people's ice . . . our plight is that we have bought into the myth of our own denigration . . . flipping that myth is a toughie because we have to deal simultaneously on several levels with diverse challenges . . . we already know that we are not going to coalesce around any one concept including religion or education (which religious theology/dogma; talented tenth education or vocation training [how about both]) . . . so we remain somewhat where Kofi says that we are: knowing change must happen but not knowing exactly where to start [Tavis Smiley's Covenant with Black America?]. . . Kofi, you are to be commended for taking direct intervention when you see the need . . . direct intervention is not always that easy because the person spoken to, can and often does take offense in the form of physical reaction . . . the thing that I am most grateful for in this moment is that MO wrote another great article that is getting thoughtful response . . . the responses offer encouragement to each of us as we move through "each one teach one" in our daily lives
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Name:
Thoth
Comment: MoOKelly>>I like the thoughtfulness of your comments on integration. Maybe this is the start of an upcoming column! I, for one, would love to read more, and to see what kind of hearty debate the topic prompts.
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Name:
Closet_Nerd_Girl
Comment: >Morris, "... with integration, we seemingly took that as a cue to separate from one-another as Black folks.." That is EXACTLY what my grandmother has been saying for years. She's 86 years old and has seen us do a "180" as a people.
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Name:
MorrisOKelly
Comment: Closet - your grandmother is right...I'm not reinventing the wheel as it relates to the deficiencies of Black folk. But we should all be able to agree that we as Black people are more adversarial than allies and if there's one place in which we can pinpoint our separation is at the point of integration when those who could...left the urban centers. Those who couldn't...remained and those urban centers have imploded on themselves.
This was the beginning of the classism that Darryl James, Michael Eric Dyson and others have alluded to...
It's a catch-22 because remaining in abject poverty or squalid cities is not the answer and many of our neighborhoods are so far gone in terms of education and opportunity...there's no good reason "to stay"...if we're honest with each other. But the physical separation has brought about an emotional divide in which we don't relate to each other and those who have gone without the total support of Black folks for more than a generation have no reference point in terms of memory of what "used to be" or what is right or wrong.
The folks who've largely lost their minds aren't 40 and above. It's younger people who don't know or remember that once upon a time...Black folks had some sense.
I know that sounds negative, but as I think of the futures of Michael Vick, Pacman Jones and every random brother who can't understand how the aforementioned are victims of their own actions...I get despondent.
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Name:
Closet_Nerd_Girl
Comment: >Morris, I know what you mean. America as a whole has taken on an "it's not my fault" attitude. That's why the overweight dude sued Burger King for selling him whoppers. But the thing is, as you stated, there was a time when black folks had sense and would not get caught up in "white people's mess" because we knew better, and did better. But now we have this clown Greer suing 1-800 Flowers because they "caused" him to get caught cheating on his wife. We are losing our morals and our minds. That is why I appreciated Kofi's post. We have to start at an individual level ("each one, teach one") One of the main problems in our community, especially with our girls, is low self esteem and a distorted sense of self worth. If you don't think you are worthy, or don't give a damm about yourself, then you don't give a damm about anyone else. It all starts within. When you respect yourself, you can respect others. That is why I make it my business to be open with young girls I come in contact with and be a positive example to them. Sometimes something as simple as a smile and a warm greeting can start a conversation and make a difference, or at least make a start.
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Name:
Closet_Nerd_Girl
Comment: By the way, I agree with Toth and would LOVE to see a column about how integration has affected black people.
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Name:
MorrisOKelly
Comment: The integration column - don't know if I'm ready in a well-read or wisdom sense to write it yet. Not sure I have enough perspective to write it well yet.
I'd have to do a bit more census data and trend research before I could really step out on it.
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Name:
6footah
Comment: Thank you Thoth, INTEGRATION is exactly right. You know I hate to say this, but the Jews and Asians have it down tight. I work in with Jewish people and the way they support one another is so commendable. They give to each other's causes, they support one another's businesses before branching out. I'll never forget reading an article 5 years ago in USAToday that reported how the Asian population was doing so much better financially, and they talked about how if I was Asian (not sure if Korean, Vietnamese, etc.) and wanted to start a small business I would get $1,000 from 10 of my associates and a handshake would be the only collateral I would have to present for this loan. It was understood that the money would be paid back with no compound interest. That was my "lightbulb" moment for me. I have to support my own a lot more than I do. Also, mentoring is key. Give back to someone who needs you, even if you think you don't have much to offer.
Side note: Morris, do you think you could tell Lee Bailey it would be great to add date/time stamps to our postings? That way we'll know how long its been since someone last posted (in case the blog is real old, etc.)? Sometimes I don't catch your articles until 2 days later, and I don't comment b/c I think everyone's done.
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Name:
mayday
Comment: I thought that the article was on point. If you get time in the future Mo...an article on the relationship between latinos/AA and illegal immigration in the US would be good. I don't get to this board to often so you may have already written an article on this topic.
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Name:
MorrisOKelly
Comment: I've been on Lee to timestamp the posts for the longest.
...and the struggle continues.
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