NBAPA Lawyer: Double standard exists regarding age limit for black basketball players and white athletes in other sports

[Neutral 123]

Roy, I have a job of my own to do. I've wasted enough time looking up things you can look into yourself. This is frankly a moronic discussion. I shouldn't have to prove to you that racial bias exists. There is evidence all around us and in the news every night. Just look at the federal investigation of Ferguson for all the evidence you need of bias.

Yep, pretty much. They are pretending to want to play chess, but then turn the board over after the first move. The evidence that's available, points in one direction and it does so in virtually all measurable wellness statistics.

I'm not sure I follow their point here either. If blacks are simply not as capable as whites, how does this become justification for making things even more difficult for black people? We don't put disabled parking spots at the back of the lot.

[Pointgod]

I'm a Black dude, and I agree with much of what you're saying.

Black people should stop marching , stop protesting, and stop uttering the word racism.

We need to completely focus on ourselves.

I agree with you, but the difference between you and me is that I, at least, understand that unfair practices are are real and do, in fact, exist in a tangible way.

In my spirit, I can accept the truth of the existence of many unfair practices, yet, at the same time, I can agree with the general pragmatism of your post, however unempathetic it may come across.

Its racist garbage. The intent isn't to help, but to attack and demean. That sort of propaganda is incredibly destructive as it only enforces perceived inferiority. Groups that are oppressed and excluded generally have worse outcomes that those that aren't. An epidemic of single mothers? Sure, but check what those rates were for whites back in 1960 or 1970 and see what they are now.

Your argument essentially boils down to: "It's not our fault we can't take personal responsibility. It's the white man's fault." You refuse to take personal responsibility for your refusal to take personal responsibility.

That, my friend, is utterly pathetic.

I'm not denying there's still a degree of racism in America.

Clearly, there are some blatant, unabashed racists in America. However, these people are a small minority, a much smaller minority than African Americans I suspect, and are generally viewed with disgust by non-unabashed racists. These people hold little-to-no power in society, and are not holding African Americans back.

There is a second level of racism in America, subconscious racism. Those people who aren't outright hateful of blacks, yet, in the back of their minds, view black people differently.

Here's the cold, hard truth about subconscious racism: Much of it is justified. The subconscious mind is the part of the mind not filtered by P.C. nonsense; it's that part of our minds that knows black culture is a culture of high crime rates and violence.

What I'm telling you, is that you need to quit pretending all of white America are card-carrying members of the KKK, going out of their way to hold you down. That has no basis in reality, and is only giving you a cop-out excuse to not look at the real problem.

What I'm telling you, is the real problem is that black cultures promotes subconscious racism in otherwise fair-minded people. That will only change when black culture changes. We've come full circle, right back to the original point: That black people need to take responsibility for their own self-destructive actions.

It's that simple. Quit over-complicating things with delusional nonsense. Accept personal responsibility. Make positive changes. Stop doing stupid ****. See black culture rise up.

This little gem needs to be quoted again. I bet Rip It is the kind of guy that blames women if they're sexually assaulted. I don't think any reasonable person would want to have arguments even close to what this guy is saying.

[wigglestrue]

Hello? Is this thing on?

You must simply not know how to respond to any challenge to the premises of your worldview that doesn't fit within a preconceived stable of arguments you're used to refuting or at least feeling like you've refuted.

I don't know how else to explain your conspicuous failure throughout this thread to engage most of the points I've made. Does not compute to you. Program does not recognize file.

I can post any data here, any study unequivocally showing that racial bias exists in the criminal justice system, and folks like yourself will go on a nonsensical rant.

There is no explaining away the data.

The problem is that data itself is just data, cannot itself be racially biased. It's just data. You've shown data. Higher rates of this consequence. I've seen white supremacists post data, too. Higher rates of incidence, etc. Data don't lie, unless it's collected improperly. But...data don't explain itself, either. Your interpretation presupposes that a rate discrepancy of X necessarily originates in and reflects X amount of racism in white people, and that black people cannot be blamed for any of the difference. Whereas a racist presupposes that the data stems from and shows X degree of innate difference in black people, and that white racists cannot be blamed for any of their racism. You might have better intentions, sure, but your mind appears just as predetermined to draw certain conclusions and exclude from view any serious complications -- let alone contradictions.

Nobody has responded to my query about their take on the recent federal government investigation of the Ferguson PD showing a pattern of blatant racism.

I had already long posted a Friedersdorf column which sums up what I see as the most reasonable possible take, and I offered my own quick take within a post just before you posted this. You've ignored about 80-90% of my counters and questions to you.

I haven't posted anything controversial among scholars or experts on race or racism. This is only considered controversial and incendiary in this space because I'm dealing with outright deniers of racism! The degree of defensiveness and lack of self reflection is something that I don't think I've seen before.

As if those scholars and experts aren't operating within and rigidly enforcing amongst themselves the tight boundaries of a common ideological paradigm biasing them to generally reach the same interpretations as each other, lol? As if a consensus among social scientists in academia isn't usually the same exact thing as a consensus among professional leftists using identical motivated reasoning? Or are you steeping in a tank of that same bias, up to your eyeballs and ears? Nostrils, too. To paraphrase Sarah Silverman, can you smell yourself anymore, Bill?

Defensiveness? Eh. I guess I probably do have a vested interest in making sure that white people aren't maligned as a singular collective of racists and oppressors. A vested interest as a human being who deeply despises racist categorizations of other people. But I suppose there's an extra bit of tribal incentive to it, too. Am I not also afforded the understanding of being a little more peeved than usual by racist generalizations which apply directly to me, or by proclamations that my opinion on racism is worth less than others' because I happen to be white? Do I...deserve the abuse, because I'm white?

Anyway, I think I've been more on the offensive, instead, against your bad or even absent reasoning, against your hypocrisy as an "antiracist" who is still racist like an antihero is still a narrative's hero, against your perpetuating of essential differences between races in the name of defeating racism.

[Black Jack]

I see more racism in your posts than I do most any others on here. You have generalized half of whites as sociopaths, stated that whites are incapable of understanding the issues, stated that white supremacy runs deep in the USA and in this last post unless I am misreading you called blacks who disagree with you by the racially derogatory term "uncle Tom".
If a person looks for slights everywhere they will find slights everywhere. My guess is such a person who if entering a store is immediately greeted by the employees will claim the reason is that the employees want to keep an eye on them in case they try and steal but that same person will also be offended if no employee greets them will claim that is also a slight because they are being ignored. A can't win situation for the employees. They are damned if they do and damned if they don't

Oh and one of your links was Cracked.com. Don't expect it to be taken seriously

I do think around half of whites in the US are pretty much sociopaths incapable of empathy. We can go kill a million plus people in a country like Vietnam or Iraq and they whine about a few thousand of our troops dying and how bad that is. Let's face it America is a cold ass place. Look at all the cops, judges, prosecutors, and city officials in Ferguson - siccing dogs on black people, falsely arresting them, sending racist emails, congratulating each other for ruining poor peoples' lives. This happens all over America, every day.

The white supremacy embedded in America's psyche is very real. I understand that you and others like you don't see it - fine but that's a pretty absurd position. Do I have to give a history lesson here?

I do call blacks who support white supremacy Uncle Toms. I don't think that's racist - it's a brilliant analysis by Malcolm X about how a group that is powerless has a few members who decide to "switch sides". The Uncle Ruckus syndrome is real - I'm not angry at people who have it but yes black self hatred is a "thing".

Go ahead and google the racism studies. Read the mother jones article. The science is pretty much accepted now by neurologists.

I agree about not looking for sleights all the time. I don't.

50% of white Americans are sociopaths? Really? I hope you are being hyperbolic or speaking figuratively.....

Here's what i'm talking about:

http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2014/0 ... -arrested/

To reach their conclusions, Hetey and Eberhardt conducted two experiments involving white subjects. In the first, white people were asked to watch one of two videos containing mug shots. In one video, 25 percent of the mug shots were pictures of black men, while in the other video, 45 percent of the mug shots depicted African American males. After watching the video, the subjects were then asked whether they would sign a petition calling for one of California’s strict sentencing laws to be eased.
The result: “Over half of the participants who’d seen the mug shots with fewer black men signed the petition, whereas only 27 percent of people who viewed the mug shots containing a higher percentage of black inmates agreed to sign.”

Half or whatever is debatable but it's clear: a sizable percentage of white Americans are incapable of empathy towards blacks and are either actively hostile or passively are ok with blacks being mistreated. Make of that what you will.

[mtron929]

I hate how these topics expand into all different directions. Imo, this is not fruitful as we should consider these race related topics case by case (that is, this one might racist, this one is racist, this one is not racist, etc). With that framework in mind, it is clear that there is little evidence that the age limit in the NBA has anything to do with race. No one has made a compelling argument thus far besides loose correlation that would be laughed at if presented as evidence in a statistics class.

[Yoshun]

Half or whatever is debatable but it's clear: a sizable percentage of white Americans are incapable of empathy towards blacks and are either actively hostile or passively are ok with blacks being mistreated. Make of that what you will.

I don't think we are incapable. I think we grow up learning "this is the way." Many of us don't really know how to show empathy toward black individuals. This may sound wierd, but it's because we don't really understand it. It's so ingrained in society and so normalized it just seems like it's the way it should be. Obviously it's ridiculous, this is not how it should be, but that's how we grow up.

As a kid I grew up in a middle class, white neighborhood. The only real interaction I had with black people was a couple of really bad experiences where I was robbed. It wasn't until I got older and started getting out into the world on my own that I was able to start changing my point of view. I went through college, took classes where discussion of the topic took place, and made numerous black friends, 2 of whom are still tight friends 10 years later.

It's difficult to feel empathy for something you don't understand, but it's not impossible. The white population is not sociopathic. Statistics show empathy can be taught.

[BudTugly]

Racism is a huge problem for American society but that card doesn't play here.

Didn't read the 9000 pages but disagree completely with the title statement. The leage has a right to set standards. You could make a better case that the league is racist for suspending players for criminal behavior based upon the racist enforcement of criminal law in this country.

[GYK]

basketball forum.

[Black Jack]

Half or whatever is debatable but it's clear: a sizable percentage of white Americans are incapable of empathy towards blacks and are either actively hostile or passively are ok with blacks being mistreated. Make of that what you will.

I don't think we are incapable. I think we grow up learning "this is the way." Many of us don't really know how to show empathy toward black individuals. This may sound wierd, but it's because we don't really understand it. It's so ingrained in society and so normalized it just seems like it's the way it should be. Obviously it's ridiculous, this is not how it should be, but that's how we grow up.

As a kid I grew up in a middle class, white neighborhood. The only real interaction I had with black people was a couple of really bad experiences where I was robbed. It wasn't until I got older and started getting out into the world on my own that I was able to start changing my point of view. I went through college, took classes where discussion of the topic took place, and made numerous black friends, 2 of whom are still tight friends 10 years later.

It's difficult to feel empathy for something you don't understand, but it's not impossible. The white population is not sociopathic. Statistics show empathy can be taught.

Nice response. I don't want to come off too pessimistic. I agree, everyone can change. It just takes a commitment to becoming a better person. If you choose to be positive, good things will happen.

[Sofa King]

How does this give them a free education? Most of them only go because of the NBA Rules, otherwise they'd just skip that and enter the draft immediately. Besides **** the NCAA, they are right next to FIFA in terms of scums.

Which goes to show how much an education would help these athletes.

If they wanted high school athletes to stay in college, they need to treat them with more benefits and incentives to actually stay in school. Most of them ignore the $40k or more that it costs to go to school and instead look at how much stuff they can't have like gifts from the school or the ability to sell items that they've signed. If the NCAA actually used the large sums of money they get from March Madness on the players to help their interest, players would stay. Not to mention a lot of these players could get injured badly playing in college and as a result they don't get reimbursed for what could of been.

Forget about free academic scholarships for athletes only. A college education should cost a lot less comparable to Europe or make it free.



http://www.scholars4dev.com/4031/list-o ... -colleges/

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/10/22/world ... y-germany/

[Yoshun]

Half or whatever is debatable but it's clear: a sizable percentage of white Americans are incapable of empathy towards blacks and are either actively hostile or passively are ok with blacks being mistreated. Make of that what you will.

I don't think we are incapable. I think we grow up learning "this is the way." Many of us don't really know how to show empathy toward black individuals. This may sound wierd, but it's because we don't really understand it. It's so ingrained in society and so normalized it just seems like it's the way it should be. Obviously it's ridiculous, this is not how it should be, but that's how we grow up.

As a kid I grew up in a middle class, white neighborhood. The only real interaction I had with black people was a couple of really bad experiences where I was robbed. It wasn't until I got older and started getting out into the world on my own that I was able to start changing my point of view. I went through college, took classes where discussion of the topic took place, and made numerous black friends, 2 of whom are still tight friends 10 years later.

It's difficult to feel empathy for something you don't understand, but it's not impossible. The white population is not sociopathic. Statistics show empathy can be taught.

Nice response. I don't want to come off too pessimistic. I agree, everyone can change. It just takes a commitment to becoming a better person. If you choose to be positive, good things will happen.

Definitely. In order for people to learn and grow they need to be willing.

[baki]

Well, I think the natural thought would be, when you're an adult... you can make your own decisions and do what you want, so why can't you join the NBA at 18. Here's the bigger concern though, why are professional sports somehow worthy of quarantine from other highly specialized fields. What give athletes a pedestal to not meet basic and fairly minimal organizational standards, yet other specialized fields should have to jump through legislative and administrative hoops for their fields.

The legal system only acknowledges 18 year olds as a adults where they can legally be made accountable in the eyes of the law, it doesn't teach or prepare them for anything in life that most adults take a lifetime to learn and get right.

My point is that if the age limit is really the factor that holds back everyone's potentials, lower it to 16 or 13. The youngest Olympic record holder was 13 years old, if this was the norm why set an age limit?

The issue is maturity, most kids can't deal with real world problems in such an accelerated period of time and no amount of "tutoring" around them is going to help them deal with that. That's why most teenage prodigies burn themselves out. They hit a wall, they get stressed, they get tired, they can't deal with the media, they do stupid things etc. Mind you, this is only about prodigies who excel in individual events like swimming, gymnastics, piano etc. Imagine the chaos of working in a team environment and compound the problems by 10-20 times over. Or imagine Justin Bierber in the NBA

I am a believer in education and those who pursue it, it shows their commitment and maturity to plan their life, and is good insurance in case the NBA career gets cut short from injuries or doesn't pan out.

Oh I completely agree; college, Europe, d-league, these are all ways to get a young person out of their comfort zone and away from friends to see how they react and if they can handle it. A lot of people look at a young man with all sorts of physical attributes and just assume that's all it takes to function at an NBA level. As opposed to thizznation, I do care (somewhat) that the NBA has a commitment to making sure it's prospective employees have the maturity and mental capacity to not only function in the NBA, but not be complete public relations nightmares.

The late 90's and early 2000's were an absolutely awful time for NBA public relations, attempting to make strides in putting a product on the floor that doesn't alienate its fanbase is probably a sound and prudent notion, and the NBA should be applauded for it. I'm with you baki, I think that the NBA has made a good stand with its age implementation., and I see nothing wrong with it.

And given that this was posted recently,

From McDonald's All-American to McDonald's worker: How David Harrison lost his way after the NBA
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=1377867#start_here

It seems this topic of debate was also quite timely

I also agree that the NBA is doing the right thing and that this racial overtone was a bit overblown.

[baki]

MotownMadness this is the simplest illustration of privilege I've seen. Maybe you will understand.


I once saw a high school teacher lead a simple, powerful exercise to teach his class about privilege and social mobility. He started by giving each student a scrap piece of paper and asked them to crumple it up.

Then he moved the recycling bin to the front of the room.

He said, “The game is simple — you all represent the country’s population. And everyone in the country has a chance to become wealthy and move into the upper class.”

“To move into the upper class, all you must do is throw your wadded-up paper into the bin while sitting in your seat.”

The students in the back of the room immediately piped up, “This is unfair!” They could see the rows of students in front of them had a much better chance.

Everyone took their shots, and — as expected — most of the students in the front made it (but not all) and only a few students in the back of the room made it.

He concluded by saying, “The closer you were to the recycling bin, the better your odds. This is what privilege looks like. Did you notice how the only ones who complained about fairness were in the back of the room?”

“By contrast, people in the front of the room were less likely to be aware of the privilege they were born into. All they can see is 10 feet between them and their goal.”

“Your job — as students who are receiving an education — is to be aware of your privilege. And use this particular privilege called “education” to do your best to achieve great things, all the while advocating for those in the rows behind you.”

As others have said, this is an awesome example to use.

[wigglestrue]

NO. As far as it is ever being applied to teach kids a lesson about racial privilege that example SUCKS unless its purpose would be undermining its own thesis. Because in any such example, a few black kids should be in the front rows, too, and the rows furthest to the rear should be mostly composed of white kids with an extra black kid or two. Yet, the doctrinaire antiracist will first and foremost insist on imposing a racial dichotomy. If you are a white kid in a back row who objects that a racial lens is not the best way to understand the unfairness, is itself unfair by lumping the white kids in the back with the ones in the front despite their vastly different circumstances, then you will be scolded for not appreciating that the black kids in the front are positioned inches behind their white front row neighbors, for not noticing that your seat in the rearmost row is actually several inches closer to the basket than the seats of black kids sharing your row. "But...it's still 20 ******* feet away." Which, like any objection, only serves to demonstrate your own blindness to how good you have things as a white student, since white students are disproportionately closer to the basket on average. "But I'm not. Don't I count?" No, your individual condition does not count, you are a mere anecdote, the only thing that counts is that you surrender to the antiracist dogma that there are essential differences dividing the races reflected in every instance of a disparate impact per statistical averages. So, **** that example in the context of this thread.

[ChosunX]

Which goes to show how much an education would help these athletes.

If they wanted high school athletes to stay in college, they need to treat them with more benefits and incentives to actually stay in school. Most of them ignore the $40k or more that it costs to go to school and instead look at how much stuff they can't have like gifts from the school or the ability to sell items that they've signed. If the NCAA actually used the large sums of money they get from March Madness on the players to help their interest, players would stay. Not to mention a lot of these players could get injured badly playing in college and as a result they don't get reimbursed for what could of been.

Forget about free academic scholarships for athletes only. A college education should cost a lot less comparable to Europe or make it free.



http://www.scholars4dev.com/4031/list-o ... -colleges/

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/10/22/world ... y-germany/

How about tax cuts for companies that hire people without college degrees? It's nuts, half the people don't even have jack to do with the degrees once they work.

[wigglestrue]

Yep, pretty much. They are pretending to want to play chess, but then turn the board over after the first move. The evidence that's available, points in one direction and it does so in virtually all measurable wellness statistics.

As opposed to being repeatedly checkmated by me from multiple angles but pretending like it isn't happening and continuing to smugly pronounce "Check!" after moving the same one pawn back and forth?

Anyway: Was that meant to extend to me as well, your "they"? Clearly, though, I have done no such thing. So, you mustn't have meant me...right? I am still very much here, guys, still relentlessly exposing and demolishing your shoddy logic and obliviously racist articles of faith. So far I have translated your refusals to engage with the majority of my posts as a tacit concession that you have no good answers, or, no answers that are good news for your precious frame of reference. It's not really your fault, though. The primary reason that you got nothing is that there is nothing. There is no way for any of you antiracist groupthinkers to substantively one-up me. Because I'm way more right than you are, because the best points I've made are too atypical and too obviously un-racist for you to handle, not covered in the playbook of routine abstractions you fling at the usual suspects, the low-hanging fruit in debates like this. Lo and behold, in fact, you are not the least racist people in the room that you prize yourselves as being, not here. This must all be causing you no small amount of intellectual discomfort. But your own defensive egos can't hold out forever, not if you have an ounce of genuine desire not to be racist, which I trust you do. I await the moment that either of you caves and begins reckoning with all the places where I've thoroughly owned your inadequate horse****. Hint: It's all the stuff you couldn't bring yourselves to reply to. I'm guessing you'll assert that all those posts you've been ignoring have simply been beneath a response from you, or something like that. Apart from this brief interruption of harsh real talk to dispossess you of the notion that you have anything to congratulate yourselves for, I've managed to maintain a mostly collegial tone on my side of the attempted dialogue, all the while wrecking your failed arguments and poorly interpreted evidence with bona fide anti-racist reasoning. The high ground is above you. Way above. Roughly in the vicinity where I am. It's not that I am especially enlightened. It's that you're occupying way lower ground than you want to realize. Wake the **** up, please. Now, as I was saying...

Checkmate. Checkmate. Checkmate. Checkmate. Checkmate. Checkmate. Checkmate. Checkmate. Checkmate.

Am I going to have to dredge through this whole thread myself for each of the posts that went blatantly unanswered so that I can hyperlink each "Checkmate" with a different post's url, or do you and/or Bill have enough integrity to go back and confront the ownage yourselves, and maybe even finally muster up some intellectually honest responses?

[Rip It]

Crime Statistics - FBI.gov | Demographics of the United States - Wikipedia

• 52.2% of all murders were committed by a race which makes up 12.6% of the population.
• 56.4% of all robberies were committed by a race which makes up 12.6% of the population.
• 31.3% of all rapes were committed by a race which makes up 12.6% of the population.
• 38.7% of all violent crime was committed by a race which makes up 12.6% of the population.

If you believe this shocking overrepresentation can be "explained away" by claiming that the police unfairly target blacks, then you may be beyond help. There is a major problem in black communities, nationwide, and the sooner you accept it, the sooner you can do something about it.

Why do African Americans kill so often?
Why do African Americans rob so often?
Why do African Americans rape so often?
Why do African Americans commit so much violent crime?

There's a severe problem here, folks, and screaming out "white privilege!" every time it's brought up won't make it go away.

If you people truly care about black lives (the majority of the murdered), you'll accept the reality of this problem, and search for a realistic solution.

Up until this point, your arguments make it clear you're more concerned with demonizing whites than you are with improving black culture. Only ALL HAIL has shown some common sense and decency; the rest of you have been nothing less than racist, unethical, immoral scumbags. Shame on all of you.

[Yoshun]

Crime Statistics - FBI.gov | Demographics of the United States - Wikipedia

• 52.2% of all murders were committed by a race which makes up 12.6% of the population.
• 56.4% of all robberies were committed by a race which makes up 12.6% of the population.
• 31.3% of all rapes were committed by a race which makes up 12.6% of the population.
• 38.7% of all violent crime was committed by a race which makes up 12.6% of the population.

If you believe this shocking overrepresentation can be "explained away" by claiming that the police unfairly target blacks, then you may be beyond help. There is a major problem in black communities, nationwide, and the sooner you accept it, the sooner you can do something about it.

Why do African Americans kill so often?
Why do African Americans rob so often?
Why do African Americans rape so often?
Why do African Americans commit so much violent crime?

There's a severe problem here, folks, and screaming out "white privilege!" every time it's brought up won't make it go away.

If you people truly care about black lives (the majority of the murdered), you'll accept the reality of this problem, and search for a realistic solution.

Up until this point, your arguments make it clear you're more concerned with demonizing whites than you are with improving black culture. Only ALL HAIL has shown some common sense and decency; the rest of you have been nothing less than racist, unethical, immoral scumbags. Shame on all of you.

There was a time early in American history when this wasn't true. It evolved this way because society evolved this way. That's the thing. Most people in this thread aren't saying "It's the white man's fault." They are pointing out that institutional racism exists in the US. That is the white man's part, black people can't fix that. The individual always plays some role in his/her own plight, but that doesn't change the fact that racism exists and white people are largely in posiotion of dominance in this country.

In grad school I was a part of what could be called focus groups of sorts. I was in school to be a counselor and it was an ethics requirement. There were 3 black men and one black women in this group. None of whom knew each other, but who came to a consensus about one thing, learned helplessness. Basically, in their black communities, they felt as though they had a glass cieling so to speak. No matter how hard they worked, they couldn't pull out from where they were, nevermind get to the top. They all felt they got into college with help from a teacher, parent, role model, etc... They stated without those people, they wouldn't have been there.

Many people who feel damned if they do, damned if they don't just give up, black or white. That's how a lot of black Americans may feel. It's not an excuse to commit crimes, no doubt, but it's a huge problem.

[Beffiosa]

These racial topics never ends good because both sides are making statements out of unconscious incompetence. There are opportunities for all races, but there are no such thing as equal opportunity. Blacks are complaining that our cries are being ignored, and whites are complaining because the cries are perceived to be nothing but complaining.

As a black man, I want to see as much passion aimed towards fixing our own community and challenging ourselves to be beacons, and shine in the eyes of society as we put towards protesting injustice caused by whites. We don't want to be treated like animals but we are creating a jungle in our own community preying on each other instead of praying for each other. Why should our kids go to sleep by the sound of gun pop instead of the gentle sound of their pops reading a bedtime story? Why is hip-hop and gang members having a louder voice in our kids ears? We are partially responsible for how the world look at us, and until we start to take responsibility for our own actions and inaction, we will remain using racism as a crutch for our inability to make strides.

[Pointgod]

These racial topics never ends good because both sides are making statements out of unconscious incompetence. There are opportunities for all races, but there are no such thing as equal opportunity. Blacks are complaining that our cries are being ignored, and whites are complaining because the cries are perceived to be nothing but complaining.

As a black man, I want to see as much passion aimed towards fixing our own community and challenging ourselves to be beacons, and shine in the eyes of society as we put towards protesting injustice caused by whites. We don't want to be treated like animals but we are creating a jungle in our own community preying on each other instead of praying for each other. Why should our kids go to sleep by the sound of gun pop instead of the gentle sound of their pops reading a bedtime story? Why is hip-hop and gang members having a louder voice in our kids ears? We are partially responsible for how the world look at us, and until we start to take responsibility for our own actions and inaction, we will remain using racism as a crutch for our inability to make strides.

Please stop making excuses for ignorant people. You act like someone can't protest injustice and try to fix the community at the same time. Sorry, but when someone brings up the black community when the topic is about white racism they don't actually give a **** about the problems in the black community or fixing it. It's just a diversionary tactic to hide from their own racist feelings. It's idiotic and I can't believe people actually fall for that crap. Racism isn't a crutch to make strides it is a huge barrier, and there's numerous data that backs it up. Something as simple as a black person not getting a job simply because of her name despite having the exact same resume as someone with an anglo sounding name?