Editor’s Note: Please welcome our newest author, Woland, to the BackWomb. A refreshingly opinionated thinker and budding writer, Woland can also lay claim to some stellar taste in music. A fitting start, then, as he opines about the state of race relations & “blackness” in his first article.
So I am driving through my city the other day. It was a beautiful autumn afternoon and I was enjoying listening to Smokey Robinson and the Miracles on the radio. I stop at the light when I hear the bass of some ridiculously loud stereo system booming up behind me. You know the kind so loud that you feel it in your chest and the entire car shakes. This vehicle pulls up alongside me and I allowed myself to break my usual rule of not paying attention to people who are crying out for it. The first thing I see is a huge purple Chevy Caprice Classic. Oh it was magnificent! It had the obligatory chrome spinner rims, purple glow lights on the dash, and the tell-all monogram, “Who U Wit?” inscribed along the top of the windshield. The contents of the vehicle were no less disgusting. I observed four gangster looking individuals inside, all wearing ridiculously huge sunglasses and over-sized white t-shirts. It appeared all but one had teeth adorned with diamonds and gold. Equally offensive were the lyrics to some godforsaken rap song that they were all singing along to. The lyrics that I could make out involved the singer shouting about what he was going to do to a particular part of some woman’s anatomy. All four of the individuals were gyrating in their seats, heads bobbing, and looking completely retarded.
That is when it hit me. I could not help but consider how morally degraded our society has become, particularly in the case of black culture. Smokey Robinson and BB King have been replaced by Ludicrous and 50-Cent, Dr. Martin Luther King by Al Sharpton, and Carl Lewis by Michael Vick. It is no wonder that an entire generation is in a state of crisis. This is not to assert that only black America has the exclusive rights to the use of trash as role models. I would dare say that a near equally large percentage of white American kids also look up to these very same miscreants. The most alarming trend to consider is that there are active attacks on anyone who rejects this mindlessness and strives for something better. For example, if a white person condemns the rap industry he or she is called racist. It would appear that only civil rights leaders or members of the black community can discuss these issues – but only if they are not “too white.” Look how much support Bill Cosby is getting in his campaign to rid his race of these stereotypes. One can look at the recent assertion by the Reverend Jesse Jackson when he plainly stated that presidential candidate Barack Obama was “too white.” Perhaps the Reverend felt this way because Obama was lacking a criminal record? Maybe it was the fact that Obama is married to a woman with whom he has children? Is Obama’s “blackness” called in to question because he does not speak in double-negatives and lacks a specific amount of “bling?”
These questions should have been asked by every respectable black American because the statement by Jackson was overtly racist. These questions should have been asked by every intelligent person of any race or ethnicity. Were they publicly made by anyone other than a black American, the offending individual would have been tarred and feathered in the media, sent to sensitivity training, and perhaps fired from his or her job. No, in this incident the silence was deafening. It would appear that the entire black community is held hostage by a small minority of disreputable individuals; individuals who get rich by poisoning the minds of America’s youth. It is these individuals who encourage violence towards women, and it is these individuals who encourage “getting” money by any means necessary. It is these same individuals who prefer to propagate these stereotypes and set race relations back fifty years. By the time “Tracks of My Tears” was ending, it was I who wanted to cry.
Popularity: 82% [?]
The debate on the effects of rap and its gangster image is ongoing and complicated but you’re right, I can’t see how it’s a good influence. Granted, rockers back in the day perpetuated a similar stereotype of drugs, hoes and so forth. Also, there are modern hip-hop artists with good vibes and beats. Unfortunately Lil’ Wayne, Lil’ Jon and those other “ignant” fools aren’t them.
[...] thecheappop.com wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptDefining Blackability October 6th, 2007 by woland [ blackabilthum.jpg] … awareness, politics [...]
What a brilliant work of literature! Truth is scary, isnt it? God help our next generation.
I agree that rock music was the first to push the envelope as far as peddling smut to society, but never on a level even close to what we are witnessing in the hip hop community today. I agree that there are some artists out there that are not about drugs/guns/hoes etc., but sadly these artists receive relatively little attention and airplay. Smut sells, and it seems this generation is hungry for as much of it as it can get. Another issue I take with the gangster rap genre is the obvious racism involved in much of it. Were a rock or country artist use racial slurs directed at blacks in songs and videos, good ole Al Sharpton would organize a march on Washington to lynch the artists, record company, and everyone in between. This is a stark contrast to rap “artists” who defame Asians, whites, and other unprotected segments of our society.
Agreed, smut does sell, implying the smut peddlers are just as at fault as the smut market. Also, Al Sharpton is a douchebag. And needs a proper coiffing.
This has nothing to do with “black culture”. This has everything to do with “today’s culture”.
It is the job of the new generation to push the limits of the older generation. In the 20s, this was done by women wearing swimsuits which showed their legs below the knees. At the time, this would have been concerned “ho-ish”, “unwomanly” and so forth. The 60s brought about free love and drug abuse. As for being positive role models or influences, what about the Beatles, with their blatant use of psychedelics and lyrics like “I get high with the help of my friends”. Ken Kesey was on the run from the law and had to flee the country. Hunter S. Thompson blatantly broke every law known to man.
Yet, now, the Beatles are considered one of the greatest bands of all time, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, which was written while Kesey was on acid working in a psychiatric hospital, is one the greatest books of all time. Thompson was one the greatest journalists of our time. Larry Flynt, of Hustler fame, is one of the biggest proponents of free speech today, and it is because of his fight with Jerry Falwell, that a certain ruling (regarding the parodying of public figures) was made in the Supreme Court.
Yet all of them are also obsessed with drugs, sex, and violence.
This article refers to Martin Luther King. Why not refer to Malcolm X? A black supremecist and extremely violent motherfucker. However, he also highly respected MLK, and once stated that, by being as violent and racist as is, he society people will look at what MLK was doing, and say, “Well that’s not so bad.” Society needs to be pushed to the edge. Society needs to see how far it can be pushed to understand where it should be.
This is a constant change. To become better, we must first fail. Babe Ruth didn’t become one the greatest ballplayers by hitting homeruns. He became one the greatest ballplayers by striking out so many times, and learning from his mistakes.
Furthermore, the current state of affairs has nothing to with gangsta rap. It has everything to do with society, and moreso, human nature. Why else would Paris Hilton being in jail get more airtime than the situation in Iraq? Why else do magazines like US and People sell so much every week?
Lastly … it is not the peddler’s fault. The peddler simply sells what the market wants. If anything, it is the parents’ fault. Michael Vick is not a role model. Michael Vick was not hired to be a role model. Michael Vick was hired to be a football player, and he does that damn well. You take an 18-year old kid straight out of the ghetto and give him a multi-million dollar NFL contract, what the fuck do you think was going to happen?
Any father who is angry at Vick because his kid looks up to football players is a jackass, and needs to teach his kids the difference between right and wrong. It’s one thing to look up to Vick as a damn good football player, or to Ludicrous as a damn good rapper. It’s a whole different thing to look up to them as role models.
The only role models in a child’s eyes should be his parents, his teachers, and his minister or priest or whatever.
And it is the parents job to instill this belief and knowledge, well before the child ever attends elementary school.
In my mind, all stereotypes of musical genres, wether it be Rock, hip-hop, or country started off as fresh and new and bursting with possibilities, but it’s when the money started rolling in that these genres turned into an entire media-led “culture”. As I recall hip-hop as it once was, the beauty in it was that out of a life full of struggle one can create something beautiful and positive. You put loads of dough behind that beauty and the struggle disappears, hence you get lyrics of Lil’ Kim struggling to get her clitoris licked and short word phrases that repeat on end and to me define boredom, such as “This is Why I’m Hot” (I don’t even know who that guy is, but obviously his parents didn’t love him the right way). I’m not really sure when hip-hop videos became more cheesy and flashy than a Bollywood wedding, but I’m assuming it’s when enough money was put behind the “culture” to absorb the “upgrades”. Music and all art sells and due to society these arts in turn end up selling-out and being molded to attract the money spending audience. Needless to say that the money spending audience is the one that has money to begin with, they can’t even begin to comprehend the meaning of struggle, poverty and helplessness hence the beats stay similar for amusement, but the substance dwindles and we get 50 Cent at the “Candyshop”. The words “starving artist” are not put together to describe a beginning phase of every artists life, they are a synonym.
Speaking of, Bollywood videos rule! More cheese, more flash please.
“This has nothing to do with “black culture”. This has everything to do with “today’s culture”.”
“Hardly. It has everything to do with black culture because the vast majority of this smut is created by certain segments of the black community. It is true that it also has to do with today’s culture as well, but if one is to look at who gangster rap affects, it is undoubtedly black America. Gangster rap only furthers the stereotypes that many Americans hold toward the black community. Why increase this bad press by glorifying violence, criminal activity, homophobia, and racism?
“It is the job of the new generation to push the limits of the older generation. In the 20s, this was done by women wearing swimsuits which showed their legs below the knees. At the time, this would have been concerned “ho-ish”, “unwomanly” and so forth. The 60s brought about free love and drug abuse. As for being positive role models or influences, what about the Beatles, with their blatant use of psychedelics and lyrics like “I get high with the help of my friends”. Ken Kesey was on the run from the law and had to flee the country. Hunter S. Thompson blatantly broke every law known to man.”
This is the same tired argument that many use to try and justify the existence of something unacceptable. To compare the Beatles promoting drug culture or the women’s lib movement with gangster rap is intellectually dishonest. I am surprised that you did not use Ozzy Osbourne biting the head off of a bat as another example of how musicians were “pushing the limits” of society’s sensibilities. At no time in our history has the all-out promotion of anti-social behavior not only been accepted but actually celebrated. Decades were spent by civil rights leaders to show the world that all people are basically the same - yet this genre is intended to show much the opposite. It rejects any and all societal norms and strives to divide rather than unite.
“Yet, now, the Beatles are considered one of the greatest bands of all time, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, which was written while Kesey was on acid working in a psychiatric hospital, is one the greatest books of all time. Thompson was one the greatest journalists of our time. Larry Flynt, of Hustler fame, is one of the biggest proponents of free speech today, and it is because of his fight with Jerry Falwell, that a certain ruling (regarding the parodying of public figures) was made in the Supreme Court.”
See above.
“Yet all of them are also obsessed with drugs, sex, and violence.
This article refers to Martin Luther King. Why not refer to Malcolm X? A black supremecist and extremely violent motherfucker. However, he also highly respected MLK, and once stated that, by being as violent and racist as is, he society people will look at what MLK was doing, and say, “Well that’s not so bad.” Society needs to be pushed to the edge. Society needs to see how far it can be pushed to understand where it should be.”
I did not need to refer to Malcolm X because my list of disgusting human beings was not intended to be exhaustive. You say society needs to be pushed to the edge - so who defines exactly what the edge is? Perhaps pedophiles who abuse children and create child porn are “pushing the edge” as you say. After all, following your argument, nude paintings once were considered too racy, so it is only logical that we will one day celebrate the Man-Boy Love Association’s drive to be recognized as a legitimate group.
“This is a constant change. To become better, we must first fail. Babe Ruth didn’t become one the greatest ballplayers by hitting homeruns. He became one the greatest ballplayers by striking out so many times, and learning from his mistakes.
Furthermore, the current state of affairs has nothing to with gangsta rap. It has everything to do with society, and moreso, human nature. Why else would Paris Hilton being in jail get more airtime than the situation in Iraq? Why else do magazines like US and People sell so much every week?”
Americans are indeed becoming dumber as time passes. The extensive media coverage given to drunken sluts like Paris Hilton and others illustrates this. I would submit that gangster rap falls into this same category of smut. This is not to say that gangster rap or Ms. Hilton are the root cause of this, it simply illustrates the phenomenon. Why celebrate humanity’s depravity?
“Lastly … it is not the peddler’s fault. The peddler simply sells what the market wants. If anything, it is the parents’ fault. Michael Vick is not a role model. Michael Vick was not hired to be a role model. Michael Vick was hired to be a football player, and he does that damn well. You take an 18-year old kid straight out of the ghetto and give him a multi-million dollar NFL contract, what the fuck do you think was going to happen?
Any father who is angry at Vick because his kid looks up to football players is a jackass, and needs to teach his kids the difference between right and wrong. It’s one thing to look up to Vick as a damn good football player, or to Ludicrous as a damn good rapper. It’s a whole different thing to look up to them as role models.”
True enough that the demand is what drives the idiots in the rap music industry, but this article was intended to draw attention to the backwards direction that many in today’s black community are heading. The people described are merely several examples of hundreds that are doing more damage to their own race as well as general race relations in the United States.Take it for what it is.
“The only role models in a child’s eyes should be his parents, his teachers, and his minister or priest or whatever.
And it is the parents job to instill this belief and knowledge, well before the child ever attends elementary school”
Agreed.
Who are you to judge what is acceptable music and what is not? Who are you to say that Bob Marley’s I Shot The Sheriff (about killing a cop who was fucking with him, #443 on Rolling Stones Best of All Time) is okay, but Dr. Dre’s One-Eight-Seven (about killing a cop who is fucking with him) is not. What is the dividing line between Dion’s The Wanderer (about womanizing, #239 on the Rolling Stone’s Best of All Time). What about The Sex Pistols who were entangled in a web of violence and drug abuse?
Why exactly is it intellectual dishonesty to say “Well those were degenerate too?” Because,we have seen how they shaped the future of music?
It’s funny how you say your list of disgusting human beings was not meant to be exhaustive. I wasn’t referring to Malcolm X as a disgusting human being, but rather, quite the opposite. Do you even know who the fuck he was and what he did? Have you read his autobiography? Have you studied his life? I have.
Here was a man who grew up in an extremely racist neighborhood, who lost most (if not all) of his immediate family to white supremacists, who was denied advance after advance simply because of his color. He was raised to hate the white man. He was raised to be violent. He was raised to be a criminal. And he did the time for it. Do you know what happened after that? At 27, while in prison, he found God, and changed his ways and taught peace and purity. Here was a man who should have been dead by twenty, and changed his life.
However, you already know he’s a disgusting human being. So, please tell me why? And pray tell, what the fuck is it that makes you so much better?
Musicians, at least the good ones, sing about what they know. Most rappers are simply singing about what they know. 50 Cent was born in Queens; his mom was murdered when he was eight, he began dealing at the age of 12, and was shot nine times in 2000. What the fuck do you want him to sing about, the effect of global warming on Northeastern Butterflies?
God damn, man, I’ve got so much more to say, but it’s Friday night and I’ve gots ta go get me some pussy and smack an ass or two, because even us upper class yuppie folk can relate to the ghetwa on that note.
I don’t have to be the one to say what is good music or not. Societal norms and values differ and change over time but there are certain universal wrongs. Gangster rap typifies many of those wrongs. You can spare me the Malcolm X story, I have heard it before and my opinion is the same. He set a pitiful example to black America for the majority of his life. Oddly enough, it is the worst period of his life that most of the idiots in the Nation of Islam identify with. I won’t even get started on that cult which perverts the actual religion of Islam…
What makes me so much better? Where should I start? I am not a felon nor have I been arrested. I am not anti-Semite. I am a great dancer. Clearly I touched a nerve so I am quite pleased with myself at the moment.
As for musicians singing about what they know, well I agree. Perhaps 50 Cent’s mom would not have been a murder victim had she not been fathering numerous children with numerous men to collect an increase in welfare benefits. Maybe she should not have been dealing dope and instead taken advantage of the numerous government programs like free housing, food stamps, job training and Affirmative Action. I don’t know. You seem to be a fan so perhaps you can enlighten me with his biography.
Your championing of the ghetto culture makes more sense to me when you described yourself as a “upper class yuppie.” I deal with many people like yourself that don’t have a clue about ghetto culture and what it really is. I would invite you to go out to some hood here in the U.S. and befriend some of the miscreants that you seem to empathize with. I have the good fortune, or lack thereof, to have observed first-hand the violence and death involved with kids emulating their favorite rapper. This entails a bit more than an upper class yuppie putting chrome rims on his Lexus and blaring some NWA from his car trying to feel like a gangster who really identifies with the struggle.
Until you’ve been raised without having given a chance in the world, you don’t understand where they come from. I don’t understand where they come from, but at least I recognize that I don’t and will never honestly understand. My girlfriend is a social worker and works with these kids (who, for example, have seen multiple relatives die from drive-bys) and she doesn’t understand, but she understands it much better than you or me.
Just because people come from less and don’t have the same opportunities doesn’t make us better.
I have nothing else to say to a hypocrite and a racist.
(For the record, I don’t really listen to rap and I am not by any means a black apologist.)
Your ignorance speaks volumes. You are indeed a black apologist, and you are as bad as Al Sharpton and his lot for calling someone who has clearly bested you in an argument, a racist. To compensate for your lack of intelligence you pull the race card, just like Al or Jesse. Bravo!
You have failed to address so many of the errors I have highlighted in your naive and flawed argument and I cannot help but smile. You are the type of guy that would be robbed and savagely beaten by some gangsters and then make excuses for them while they are kicking your ass. I love it!
You’re right.
Just remember, you are a better person than Mahatma Gandhi, because he has been arrested, a better person than Martin Luther King, Jr, because he has also been arrested.
Enjoy being superior than the rest of the world.
Are you still here? Pitiful:)
Well here’s my two cents, or rather, five cents (Zing!), since this has sort of descended into a “you-suck” match.
Off the bat, I don’t think Malcomn X or Al Sharpton are disgusting human beings. Both have their place in society though the importance and relevance of their roles will no doubt be decided by future generations. That said, I do think Al Sharpton is a douchebag, but douchebags have a right to exist (and indeed can be considered vital to society) just as smut must be peddled in any fair world. Anything else would be utopian and thereby unrealistic and unattainable.
Legally, free speech protects all that the artists say, so it’s not a question of the law (as far as I know, perhaps someone can confirm this). To me it seems society’s role to moderate the extreme aspects and/or evolve accordingly. Indeed, without the “extremists” that made up the anti-racial lobby back in the day, equal rights might not be what they are today (which in itself is debatable).
I’ll be frank. I love rap and hip hop. I don’t, however, like Lil’ Jon, Lil’ Wayne and all the other Lil’, crunk rappers. I listen to Common, CunninLynguists, Outkast, old Jay-Z, Dre, Tupac, Biggie, etc. Most talk about their struggles. Some have included slapping bitches and shooting cops in their lyrics. Do I approve? Of killing cops and abusing women, God no. Of talking about it, sure. Of bobbing my head and busting a move to it, hell yes. Of living out a life of crime and abuse, geez no.
Most disconcerting is the lifestyle of guns, money and hoes that these rappers expound. A violent and despicable lifestyle no doubt. However, interestingly, this lifestyle (or rapping about it anyway) has allowed them to break a cycle of poverty and conceivably send their kids to college, university, etc. so that they may have a better life than their parents. Whether this actually happens or not I don’t know, but it is the essence of the American dream. You have to applaud the fact that a dumb-ass ignorant rapper has made millions and drives a Bentley. In some twisted way, it gives hope to others (where none might exist) that they too can “get out of the hood.”
On a side note, I disagree with the notion that poverty alone breeds this kind of behavior. I often make an example of India in this case. A huge portion of the Indian populace is in poverty yet crime on the level of black ghettos is not present. Why, I have no idea. Consider the New Orleans-Katrina incident. There were riots, looting and all manner of anarchy. Natural disasters in India are followed by an unbelievable show of humanity where even the poorest, most ostracized elements of society come together with their richer, often condescending brethren to help each other. IT crosses lines of caste, creed, religion. It is society at its very best. Something I found startlingly absent in the aftermath of Katrina.
Woland may be a racist and hypocrite, he may not be. Reverend Gonzo may be an igornant-yuppy-black-apologist, he may not be. In the end it’s all irrelevant as everyone has a right to voice their opinion. The idea is to come to some sort of consensus. What is the way forward? This is a debate that has been ongoing for decades with no resolution or agreement in sight. Clearly, the supposed brightest minds of our and previous generations could not solve it. The onus is on us. Is it an intractable, nay, impossible issue to fix? If two people can’t agree on some middle ground, what hope is there for the nation?
And finally, I am also a decent dancer.
Wow, boys… now, now, let’s keep it clean. I will be the first to say that I know very little about the ghetto so my intention is not to compete with either of your views, but I will say this…. I am a motherless child that grew up in a battle zone and has, at different points in her life, lost pretty much every sacred thing she held. My dad wasn’t a crack head, he was a judge, but death happened to us and war happened to us and we lived it. I have also never been arrested…if it makes a difference. From a life of nothing we humans always tend to make something and that’s the beauty of it. Truth of the matter is..gangster rap isn’t telling the story anymore. The young artists with the life stories aren’t being heard. In fact I’m listening to them in my backyard. 40 high school kids celebrating a 17th birthday. A huge group of beat boxers, rappers, vocalists, etc. I mean they even have a beat box trumpet line. It’s unbelievable! These kids are amazing and while my boyfriend and I are working with youth centers to get these voices heard, we got Jay-Z dressing up little Rhianna for her ballet recital and BOOM! she’s a hit! Beyonce’s pissed and Jay-z’s chillin’ his balls with crystalle. Then the media promotes it, the public eats it up and the rims just get shinier and shinier because Jay-z said the word “bling” more than 3 times in his interview. I, a euro-trash white girl, used to be able to find myself at home with rhymes of gangster rap, but now, unfortunately it has come full circle. The true ghetto life and it’s musical interpretation is on the streets and the one’s who made it in the past stay at the top and keep it for themselves, thus holding the real talent and the real truth back.
Sheesh Blaze Daily, it’s Cristal, not Crystalle. Like, get with the program, totally!
Finally, two people who have responded without name calling or insults… fantastic! Thought provoking arguments by both to which I will respond in full tomorrow. My creative juices are already flowing;)
No insults intended. I bow down to your superiority.
Please teach me how to be a better man.
I am pleased to know that 5 Cents is a decent dancer, and I will attest to Blaze Daily’s dancing abilities as well. Now that we have that out of the way, I would like to note that nowhere in my initial post did I advocate the restrictions on free speech. Do I find gangster rap disgusting? Absolutely. Is this my own opinion which I am entitled to? Completely. If others wish to listen to it… its a free country so have at it. I am merely making observations, and accurate ones at that, in my humble opinion.
5 Cents brings up an interesting point about some of these rappers making it out of the ghetto via their music. This is true, but what I think is disturbing is that more and more of black youth seem to feel that the only way out of the ghetto is to become a rapper or an athlete. Role models are role models, whether they want to be or not. Period. If a kid in the hood can only identify with some materialistic idiot chanting about his money, his Benz, his hotness, (all while still living in publicly funded housing)then he does not have much hope.
On the poverty and anti-social behavior issue, I am in complete agreement with 5 Cents. Katrina was a debacle for a host of reasons, but certainly the looting and wanton pillaging of the city showed the true character of some of the residents. I remember for so long the cries that there was no work there, so they had to sell drugs. Then Katrina hits, destroys the entire place, and there are literally thousands of jobs overnight. Did the residents want the jobs? Hell no. Instead, they took their government debit cards and bought televisions and play stations instead of food and clothing. I witnessed this at a refugee center in my own city. Who rebuilt New Orleans? The much maligned but much needed illegal Mexicans and Central Americans, that’s who. Did they bitch and whine? No. They loaded up their cars and drove there while evacuees sat in hotels and shelters waiting for more handouts. Thats says a ton of their work ethic, or very little about our own.
Blaze also raises a good point when she states that the real stories are not being told anymore. Honestly, how many times can some morons re-tell the world about their money, bling, selling crack, and their rims? The real artists get no attention. I recently heard an artist from Somalia who toured the U.S. and Canada. Why is he not getting the proper recognition for his talent? Unlike Americans, he truly knows what growing up poor is like. He has seen real genocide, real slaughter. He is not living a gangster fantasy he saw on BET. Instead, young people everywhere support filth like Dip Set and Jim Jones.
Was the Somalian artist K’Naan?
Very, very interesting observation that mostly Central American manpower rebuilt the city. I never considered that the local population was offered the chance to participate in the reconstructions i.e. accept federal tenders for construction work.
I was contemplating writing an article on the following subject, but it appears this discussion thread is heading there slowly so I’ll post here instead.
I cannot think of a single black-majority country that is doing well. To be somewhat callous, they are either engaged in genocide, unable to feed themselves or listening to gangsta rap. Granted, an oversimplification, but what are the implications?
I believe it was N’Kaan. I heard him on the BBC Radio program when they did a feature story about him. Very interesting artist he is. Funny you should mention doing an article on Katrina, I was thinking the same. You should do it in a new article though as it would definitely inspire serious debate. Regarding the work issue in New Orleans, the federal contracts covered only a portion of the work needed to be done there. I have several undocumented friends who had hardly any abilities in skilled labor, and they went and worked for cash. If they could do it without legal status, training, or identification then anyone can.
On the issue of black countries, it does seem that there are not any that I can think of that are flourishing. Haiti, Nigeria, Sudan… the list goes on. I am not a sociologist so I really have no theory on this phenomenon. One could also draw the same comparison from U.S. cities too. Detroit, New Orleans, DC, Atlanta, Richmond, and several others have the highest rates of violent crime.
South Africa isn’t doing too bad, especially given that they got out of apartheid less than 20 years ago.
Hell, they’ve even legalized same-sex marriage, which even our great country hasn’t been able to pull off.
You guys are defining a whole RACE of people on a few traits and generalizations. Jesus Fucking Christ.
Why don’t we add in Indians work in quickie marts, Polish are maids, and Jamaicans smoke pot.
Yeah, stereotypes -are- true to a point, but for fuck’s sake, isn’t the 20th century about getting away from negative stereotypes and seeing each other as what we all are: human?
Correction: 21st century. Stopping racism should’ve been done seven years ago.
Incidentally, South Africa is the most racially diverse country on the continent with relatively large populations of white, indian and other racially mixed communities. But I don’t believe it’s doing that well anyway. Johannesburg is one of the most crime ridden cities in the world, etc.
Anyway, I’m not trying to intentionally reinforce negative stereotypes or racism or indeed define a race. But my question still stands; why is it black majority countries aren’t doing as well as the other races. The answer might well that be white people continue to oppress them in the world economy and disenfranchise them at other levels. Then again it might not be. I don’t know.
I suppose to me the question is of utmost relevance, yet no one has been able to answer it.
China suffered immensely during the Mao purges. India during the British (indeed most of S. East Asia). The far East and South East have massive populations in poverty and yet do no exhibit the same issues with crime and other self-defeating behaviors. Indeed, within 30 years both will be superpowers economically (thereby elevating nearly 1/3 the population of the planet out of poverty). So, what is the difference?
This isn’t a racist comment. It’s just a fair question.
According to the CIA at https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sf.html
the breakdown is: Black African: 79%, White 9.6%, Colored (which is their definition for mixed) 8.9%, Indian/Asian 2.5%
That’s not a relatively large population of white, Indian, and other mixed races.
I understand what you’re saying. Even still, you’re trying to define a race from a relatively small and specifically picked data.
Here is something interesting I dug up doing a little research:
Crime in South Africa
“One of the favourite sweeping statements of the pessimists is that South Africa has the highest crime rate in the world, or that our cities are the murder capitals of the world. This is simply not true.
“According to the United Nations, Columbia has the highest rate of intentional homicide per 100 000 people, Australia has the highest burglary rate, Spain has the highest robbery rate, and Norway has the highest rate of drug offences. Homerton Hospital in the London district of Hackney treats more gunshot and knife wounds per capita each month than the Chris Hani Baragwanath hospital in Soweto. Almost twice as many cars are stolen in Buenos Aires than in Johannesburg, three times more breaking and entering happens in Dar es Salaam, and twice as much robbery happens in Rio de Janeiro.”
- South Africa: Reasons to Believe! by Guy Lundy and Wayne Visser , 2003 (Aardvark Press, Cape Town)
So surprisingly, S. Africa is not doing too badly… it does still have a higher crime rate than most places however. I think it is a good start. Sadly enough though, the trend is not anywhere near as optimistic in the rest of the continent.
An interesting BBC article on the progress of eliminating poverty in S. Africa since the end of apartheid. Take from it what you will.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7091231.stm