I bet if you sterilized career felons, that might help.

-Rudey

Hang in with your brother, Professor. Hopefully, eventually he'll see your model and follow.

Have you asked him if that makes him think he's a man? Maybe he is trying to "fit in" to the definition of what is a man???

Really what is a MAN of African descent in America? Given our history, given our trials and tribulations, etc.

My brother is a caring, loving and supportive father to his ONE son, too...

But his world has been turned upside down at his vice principal job recently due to some ('scuse my language) dumbassed fucktard who he supervised and choose to only verbally reprimand... You can PM me for more details, but to make a long story short, he got all the African American parents at his school pissed off with him because he allowed this dumbassed fucktard infect the environment...

All the while, he lives in SoCal--housing ain't cheap and his 1600 sq. foot shotgun shack runs $500K, forget the taxes, he has a new baby, his baby's mama wants more outta him and homie is in school for an advance degree...

I think your brother may have issues with the bourgeoisie [sp?] because he found it segregative and did not see a "benefit from it directly"... He also saw it as "selling out"--or acting white... So to fit in what he identifies with, he has to be a playa, pimp, mackidocious, with baby's mamas dramas and thug life fo' real...

What will happen when he gets arrested for being in the wrong place and the wrong time?

Better yet, it sounds like it is BETTER to have males of African descent in America actively pursuing a thug life--'cuz look at the money that gets made off of them? That you have a permenently developing, self-perpetuating underclass--justifiable because when one is impoverished, their brains do not develop properly--so what kinds of jobs could they do??? And the less available resources you give them, the more "extinct" they can become... I just read an article in the newspaper from "Newshouse" that Black men are droppin' off like flies--either when they are younger or when they reach early 50's---even 40's...

Things that make you go hmmmm?

Professor, you wrote:
"While my brother has several kids, he supports them, spends time with them and is actually a caring parent. He lacks in the area of providing example by education and culture. I don't have time to think of the best way of describing things better but I want the girls to be in the clubs like jack and jill, the deb balls, top ladies and take dance and so forth. He does not understand the importance of shaping a child and presenting positive relations to children. He hated this type of thing which he calls middle class supreamacy while I am very supportive. Anyway, I give the girls culture and exposure to things that I value."

I applaud you for your efforts! However, it seems that you and your brother have a difference of opinion as to what children need growing up. You indicated that he supports them and spends time with them. I think that that's pretty much all kinds really need at base so I guess that I would not worry so much if they are not in Jack and Jill and Deb balls b/c truly, only about 5% of the AA population has even heard of such... and many of us come from middle class environments. I do understand why he may think that it is middle class supremacy and can't say that I disagree so much. For instance, do you know that his kids *probably* could not be in Jack and Jill, even if he agreed? They don't generally take kids whose fathers have children all over town. To me, that *is* middle class supremacy. My friend was in Jack and Jill and, it may be different in his town, but with their chapter, both parents had to have college degrees and be professionals in the community. You couldn't just come from a good working class family...that was not good enough. Therefore, there may some merit to his feeling that organizations such as those are just middle class supremacy. The same with being a deb. I understand your concern but I just don't think that having them rub shoulders with the upper crust is what is optimal for them. Your brother may be concerned that his girls would not fit in well in the hooty tooty society events and may even be mocked by the other children. How about good old community programs? Do you think that he would be more amenable to programs/orgs that everyone (regardless of financial stature) may participate in like the girl scouts? How about encouraging them to learn to play a musical instrument in school? Or a good program at the Y or the community center? You mentioned him turning down dance classes. Do you think that he would be more amenable to something on the cultural side like African dance classes? I can't think of many other things but girl scouts, learning to play an instrument and African dance classes are all things that can help the girls develop education and culture outside of their "backyards" but may not be perceived as middle class supremacy by your brother.

Hang in there! The girls will remember and are being greatly shaped by your efforts!

This topic grabbed my attention because my first cousin is in jail.
He was incarerated at age 18 and will not be out until 25.
I pray everyday in his behalf because he grew up in a rough situation.

A lot of these inmates were in rough situation in which they had to rely on "Social Darwinism" (which is the belief of Survial of the Fittest).

We must teach our future about the real world before it's too late.