Quote:
Originally posted by librasoul22
kitten03, I am enjoying this discussion as well. It does, however sadden me to read both you and Riley's points of view. When I said look deeper, I didn't mean to look at the present. I meant look at the root of the problem. Right now, drugs are being sold in the inner cities, people are stuck in the ghettos, okay. But WHY? I think we have already established that. Keeping that in mind, it is extremely hard to simply ERASE a state of mind that has been carefully manufactured to those in the inner city. Just like racism as a whole. IT is still HERE. It is still PREVALENT. The only difference is tha it is more covert. Same thing with oppression. Why don't some people know the game is being played? Because they are not privy to that information, BY DESIGN. I am sort of uncomfortable that you guys are blaming the inner city for "perpetuating" all of this. Yes, indeed, some are seeling drugs to own the designer fashion and to have the best cars and jewelry. Yes, some people DO have the mindset that they can't be anything more than what they are right now. But I am telling you that through media, the school system (ever been to a school in the ghetto? Horrible.), and nearly every other avenue, these people have been given the idea that they are not good enough and never will be. For those few who make it out, more power to them. But it is going to take more than a minute to earse the mentality that has been firmly entrenched for so long. And who is responsible for that (putting it there)?
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I'm a little confused. I'm not blaming the inner city. I am questioning the people's role in the degeneration and regeneration of the inner city. What is the "all this" you speak of? No one is questioning the plight of oppressed people. However, this is not the subject of the post that you began. I'm addressing the issues on a drug related scale.
Now as far as the "these people" you speak of, I was one. What is more pervasive to why people do not succeed has not as much to do with the media but with those you surround yourself with. You see people around you failing, you believe you will fail. You see people around you succeeding, you succeed. Self Fulfilling Prophecy . Yes the system of racial bias and degradation has and will continue to play an active role in the perceptions of people in their abilities to succeed. Nevertheless, mentality should never be used as a means to justify illegal behavior. You believe you can't succeed so you become a criminal. Hummm....
And to say that people are not privy to information by design is extremely problematic. Are the people designed improperly or the information? When you say people are stuck in the ghetto, I worry because that implies that there is no way to get out. Which is, I believe, to be untrue. What upsets me about your posts, not to be mean
, is that it appears that "these people" have no control over their own lives. People have choices on whether they want to have children, use drugs, live where they live, work etc. Shouldnt they have a choice and role in revitalizing their communities? Removing drugs should be a community effort.