Well... I guess most of my posts are an approximation in hope of refining a point to eventually develop a correct answer - and this one might be reaching a bit too.(But I think it's pretty close.)
The thing that I notice more and more is that racist white people don't really hate poor under-accomplished Blacks and other such minorities - these seem to "Know their place".
The thing that gets racist whites the most upset are those who break the molds and thrive in an environment that was not set up to see them succeed.
Q: Who is the most hated Black man in America?
A: President Obama.
Why? Because many assumed that his position was endemic to their culture, race or ethnicity.
So success becomes the ultimate form of rebellion.
And success in someone else's game by their own rules is worse.
The problem with most powers is that they usually overestimate the value of strength.
But every power has it's flaws and every strength has it's weaknesses.
When Roy Jones Jr. was at the top of his game - he explained that his success was due to his ability to fight against his opponent's weaknesses (not necessarily to his own strengths).
Maybe this is why most attempts to rebuild the hood fail - in that we often choose to fight fire with fire instead of the logical choice of fighting fire with water.
Maybe we need a different and more logical approach.
The Hood Was Set Up To Fail.
Not necessarily in some master-planned government/institutional/secret society conspiracy - but because the ruling class needs subjects which to rule.
Because the hood is the dumping ground of those who don't easily fit into the larger society.
The way the game is set up - one group must suffer in order for the other to prosper.
Even though race is usually the most common tool to separate one group from another - it's really not a racial issue.
What it is is a survival issue.
Setting up a system that adds to the probability of one's progeny being the dominant group increases the chances of the continuance of one's gene pool.
One's race as a qualifier is as arbitrary as the color of one's hair.
How Do We Beat The System
Since the only way to beat a zero-sum game is by not playing - the solution seems to be to create one's own game.
In a game of limited resources - the trick would be to limit the pool of those who would be competing for those resources.
This is where "racism" could be beneficial to one's chances of survival.
Many view FreeMan's model as extremist and racist - but his model is more Pro-Black than it is Anti-White (IMO).
His model seems to suggest that one should Start From Strength - whatever that strength would be.
The best example of this type of philosophy would be that of Rap/Hip-Hop.
Rappers didn't set out to recreate Country, Pop or Rock music - rappers used the few resources available to create a product for their own that would eventually gain broad appeal.
Hip-Hop didn't go Pop - in fact Pop went Hip-Hop.
Hip-Hop made the music industry come to them (creating many millionaires in the process).
It wasn't that Hip-Hop was Anti-Country/Pop/Rock - it was just that Hip-Hop was Pro-Hip-Hop.
But Hip-Hop always understood the value in using the best aspects of the other genres to ensure it's growth and survival.
Outside Forces Don't Work
I now realize that my biggest and most important mistake in trying to help those in the hood was that I wasn't a part of the hood - instead, I was apart from the hood.
Even though I was (am) heavily invested in the hood financially and had a constant presence - at the end of the day, I still went home to my comfortable environment.
Even though I had resources in the game - I had no skin in the game.
In hindsight - I set myself up to be taken advantage of.
I set myself up to be another resource to exploit.
My mistake wasn't in going to the hood - my mistake was that I didn't live in the hood.
If I would have lived in the hood, I would have treated my possible neighbors as I do my current neighbors.
If I would have actually lived in the hood - I would have been dependent on the hood's success in order to ensure my own.
If I would have lived in the hood - I would have painted my house, mowed and edged my lawn.(Which is actually more important than one might imagine. Most yards in the hood get mowed but few are edged and even fewer have well maintained landscaping. Since much of the perpetuation of the hood is psychological - the visual aspect is important in the way people treat their things. People throw trash in a trash can. If the whole neighborhood is that trash can - trash gets tossed anywhere.)
If I would have lived in the hood - my neighbor's safety would have a direct impact on my own.
This is why any improvement in the hood has to be homegrown and organic.
Improvement won't come from outside forces which try to impose a system which cannot be understood.
Any attempt to turn the hood culture into another culture is doomed to failure.
13 comments:
"Any attempt to turn the hood culture into another culture is doomed to failure" YES! We have lost that battle and there is nothing we can do to change the minds of the people there. We have to start anew and build another society that doesn't appreciate anything from the hood. It always starts with kids!
I'm glad you said Pro-Black instead of Anti-White because truthfully my plan is not against anyone. I just wanted to provide a blueprint of steps Blacks can take to create a sustainable system for ourselves.
The issue is "the thing that gets racist whites the most upset are those who break the molds and thrive in an environment that was not set up to see them succeed" I believe it doesn't matter who is at the bottom as long as someone is at the bottom. So the racist whites get mad because the Mexicans are taking the jobs, the Blacks are taking the jobs and aka these jobs are always set aside for whites.
So like you said how do we win a zero sum game we don't play it at all. So instead of advocating meeting in the middle or building bridges I say we should do for self. If we build our own and service our own we are not infringing on anyone.
So if the game is to keep someone on the bottom and if you decide to do for self the crabs in the barrel under the guise of racism shows up to stop you. What is the true solution?
Racism will always exist.
The trick is to make it of little or no consequence.
Since many Blacks view success as "Acting White" - maybe the school of thought needs to be changed to one that shows success as the ultimate form of rebellion and strength.
It's the same goal but with a different driving force.
@UBJ - The way to make racism little to no consequence is not to ask for or need the help from the group who might practice racism against you.
We can do for self, abide by the laws and become prosperous. This is the practice that we see with many other groups who operate in the United States. Rather that be Chinese, Koreans or Jewish people.
I think you hit the nail on the head when you said someone has to be on bottom. So far that bottom seems to exclusively target Black folks whether by jail population, whether by inferior schools, whether by drug trafficking and by the creation of obstacles reinforced by the poor uneducated survival tactic of racism.
I'm often told to rename my plan. Couch it in pro-american words or like someone said wrap it in a American flag. I'm listening but like you pointed out someone has to be on bottom and I'll be damned if it's my folk!
"maybe the school of thought needs to be changed to one that shows success as the ultimate form of rebellion and strength" I think advocating doing for self is doing just that.
The acting white part is because success is tied into fitting in with the greater white culture. BUT if you create another form of success that is not tied into showing anyone but proving our own capabilities for our own return then you can have something truly unique.
Pro-Black does not equate anti-white. I get that.
Racists whites exist... no argument.
I am curious, in asking those who are here; who seem to be fair and logically minded as opposed to knee jerking axe grinders...
I assume, dangerous thing to do, that the regulars here are not white... not the commenters at least.
I would like to know your perceptions on the proportion of the white population that you think would fit into your basic definition of "racist".
The descriptions of racist whites I read in places like this are accurate but it should lead to the next question as to what proportion of that population fits the description.
The manner in which one deals with a demographic, in pragmatic terms, can be directly proportionate to the relevence of that demographic. If they are only a few, deal proprtianately, where as larger groups deem a differing approach.
So what are the percieved percentages?
@brohammas - How can one quantify what's in someone's mind? I assume that's what you are driving at but I'll take a stab at it.
There is a high enough percentage of racist whites that Secret Service receives enough threats on Barack Obamas life that it's the most in their history. There is a high enough percentage of racist whites that Jim Crow could go on for years although the majority agreed that it's wrong. There is a high enough percentage that most right wing radio hosts can be kicked off for saying something racist then brought back on in a couple of months. There are enough that the non racist whites tell you to ignore the racist ones like they are a small ignorant sect.
Now I don't have a axe to grind at all. But to simply imply to avoid them as a good solution is to act like lead based paint will not be eaten by kids.
So what are the perceived percentages who knows!
Since Obama won the elction - I'd say that less than half are actively racist, and there may be another group which may be racist but not aware of it. A few more may be more worried about their own problems without regard to race, and then there even fewer who actively seek to do away with racism altogether because of their interactions with other races.
I think race aplies to all situations but to various degrees.
To some it's the determining factor in making all choices, but to others the impact isn't even big enough to make a difference.
But of the active and accidental racists, very few have any real power (well... not any more) to dictate the outcome of another's life.
The biggest problem is in the Group Think politics favored by talk radio pundits and Sarah Palin.
These outlets get people stirred up where they would usually take the time to figure things out on their own. But since the mob says something, it must be right.
This is where those at the Tea Parties come into play.
Most of those in attendence have no idea of the "facts" they're repeating. They're only explaining things in the way that Rush has explained it to them. These memes get pushed forward by anger but the pundits place the
anger on the wrong person.
Of all racist people (I won't use ACLU, SPLC or any other civil rights group's data - their financing depends on the hate they can detect.) - I'd say that very few have any real power to actually do anything.
Of those that do things that are illegal - there are legal and financial means to seek retribution.
Sure, out of 150 million white people - I'd say that less than 1% are racist enough to actually attempt any action. But that still leaves 1.5 million racists with which to contend. (But maybe less than 1% of these (150,000) have any real power to do anything.)
While the percentage is relatively small - the number seems bigger than it is.
This small percentage influences the perception of the whole in much the same way that the stereotypical Black guy represents all Black people.
@UBJ - "This small percentage influences the perception of the whole in much the same way that the stereotypical Black guy represents all Black people" and let me add that the overwhelming majority or not active in stopping it. So this small minority gets to set the terms of the interactions with the races.
See the vision that most have is a hillbilly in the country with a confederate flag. But their are corporate racist guys and racist cops that make up their ranks too. We try to compartmentalize it and say it's only in the south and then demean it by saying they are ignorant.
C'mon when I was 15 I got hog tied by a Lennox Sheriff coming home from McDonald's in my McDonald's uniform. Now he told me something is wrong with my race and this is in good ole California not Mississippi, not Macon GA. So I believe there are a lot of up front racist but the situational racists are more than your 1%. Ask any minority in any metropolitan city and then we'll see if it's just a bunch of hill billies!
I always wanted to conduct a experiment and survey 100 white people asking do they know any racist whites personally. I think all of them know at least one and in that case your 1% will be more like 50 to 60%.
I said 1% would be bold enough to take any action - of course the number of those who wish they could is much larger.
Thanks for the input ya'll.
FreeMan, I do not argue with your numbers as I don't pose an answer myself, but your asking 100 people idea and everyone knowing one, does not automatically add up. to 50 or 60%.
You are not accounting for overlap or the fact that everyone knows more than one person (just in general, not meaning everyone knows more than one racist). If I know 300 people and know one racist, the next guy knows two people and one racist, last guy has 700 Facebook friends and knows two racits...still not 50%.
If there is no overlap in the individuals the interviewee's know, then asking 100 white people only tells you that there are at least 100 racists.
We need a better test.
@Brohammas - I agree there will be some overlap but that still makes it more likely than not.
C'mon what do you want me to do ask 150 million whites so I can find out there's 75 million. That's impossible so just like any other survey you take a gallup poll and then generalize. The issue with this one is people don't like to be labeled racist. This is the way all survey's are conducted so why would I do it any other way.
If you have a idea of a better test I'm all eyes!
Great post John!
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