Quote:
Originally Posted by TruGRITS
the people who could benefit from it the most are either unaware or don't take advantage of the opportunities.
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This is not because of disunity in the black community.
Blacks' condition should be placed in the larger social context of social problems. We are disproportionately impacted by certain social problems but we can not understand black community ills without understanding general social ills. To that extent, people keep talking about black unity being lacking but it really isn't lacking when we change our expectations of it. The dynamics of our community have changed with the changes in the society in which we have assimilated and acculturated. Generations ago when blacks had less social mobility and entrance into predominantly white social institutions, we needed to seem more monothilic and unified at a more national level--even needing to have "black leaders." We don't need that as much anymore because race still has a huge impact but it is also interacting with gender, social class, and other social factors to influence our life chances. There are a lot of issues to be addressed and there will be fragmentation. So folks who are waiting for some kind of "black people in America movement" will be forever waiting.
ETA: Now, the "crabs in the barrel mentality" that many people talk about is not just about black unity. That's about an individualistic mindset in an individualistic society, eventhough America talks about fostering a sense of nationalism and family values. The reason why the "crabs in the barrel mentality" resonates with blacks is because many blacks haven't learned that getting ahead in a competitive environment "like the white folks do" has always required networking, nepotism, and all that other stuff. So mixing the individualism with social capital is something that many blacks haven't been taught and haven't been exposed to.
Sorry, T La Rock, LL killed it. 
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