A non-racist look at modern black culture

[boyvirgo666]

i was watching the boondocks and getting abit depressed. i wanted to know if im not alone in the thought that modern African-American(i dont know about the culture of other countries as applying to this demographic so i cant comment on it) is just an insult to what Civil rights Leaders worked so hard for. The most famous members of this race fall under rappers, athlete's, and...well that's it. Remember I'm talking about general populace. most 20 somethings dont know who Nelson 'Deserved so much more than what he got' Mandela or who was on the supreme court. As a culture does anyone else find this depressing?
Is it sad that people look up to idiots like Oprah Winfry?
Am i the only one who thinks Barrak Obama is going to be the best thing to happen this country just by what he represents(not by the job hes doing which i will say isnt bad)

and lastly...is anyone else tired of the rap industry just showing that gangs are so cool and lets all go out and have fun shooting and raping people?

as an addition i am not black, i don't think Skin color dictates behavior. but i do think people identify with there own skin color easier, i think black children will look closer at say lebron james than say a positive role model in another ethnic group. You shoudnt aspire to waste your life in sports and music.

And before anyone asks yes i am aware of the thousands of very very intelligent famous African-american peoples of the world. but i ask you please name 5 that are under the age of say...35. that gives some good breathing room.

why do i have to put non racist? why cant i say black and people assume im just using the shorter term? oh well thats for another day

 

[BonsaiK]

Thread belongs in Religion and Politics.

You might or might not be stereotyping black people but you're certainly stereotyping rap music - it's not all like what you think.

Famous black American people are often entertainers and sports professionals because those are traditionally designated places for them in American culture, where they face less resistance. There are black people on Wall Street too, but the ratio is thinner because there is probably more racism there.

I think Barack Obama proves if nothing else that colour means nothing in today's political climate. This is a good thing in terms of combating racism, but a bad thing in the sense that those expecting a fundamental change in the machinations of US politics might have been somewhat disappointed.

 

[hyperhammy]

Who cares about color? =P
And this kind of is a bit stereotypical racist.

 

[boyvirgo666]

because regardless of what anyone says skin color still matters when it comes to america. seriously take a good look at crime, gang, and drug stats. my own race(hispanic) is also near the top.

and i dont care if im stereotyping rap. Rap is quite possibly the worst thing to ever hit the music industry..except gospel.

although yeah wrong section...hmmm that was my bad

 

[boyvirgo666]

Thread belongs in Religion and Politics.

You might or might not be stereotyping black people but you're certainly stereotyping rap music - it's not all like what you think.

Famous black American people are often entertainers and sports professionals because those are traditionally designated places for them in American culture, where they face less resistance. There are black people on Wall Street too, but the ratio is thinner because there is probably more racism there.

I think Barack Obama proves if nothing else that colour means nothing in today's political climate. This is a good thing in terms of combating racism, but a bad thing in the sense that those expecting a fundamental change in the machinations of US politics might have been somewhat disappointed.

point taken but at least most people know who Bill Gates it or Steve Jobs. but how many know who Tony Brown is? or Arthur George Gaston

 

[BonsaiK]

because regardless of what anyone says skin color still matters when it comes to america. seriously take a good look at crime, gang, and drug stats. my own race(hispanic) is also near the top.

and i dont care if im stereotyping rap. Rap is quite possibly the worst thing to ever hit the music industry..except gospel.

That's nothing to do with skin colour, those are cultural factors. Most race-related problems in society are actually fundamentally cultural and social, not racial. What statistics don't show is that skin colour is generally incidental. In other words, just because X and Y are occuring together, doesn't mean that X causes Y.

I work in the music industry and rap music is great. Well, okay, most of it isn't, but the good stuff is indeed good - there can be good music in any genre. Any. No exceptions. Yes, even yodelling.

 

[BonsaiK]

Thread belongs in Religion and Politics.

You might or might not be stereotyping black people but you're certainly stereotyping rap music - it's not all like what you think.

Famous black American people are often entertainers and sports professionals because those are traditionally designated places for them in American culture, where they face less resistance. There are black people on Wall Street too, but the ratio is thinner because there is probably more racism there.

I think Barack Obama proves if nothing else that colour means nothing in today's political climate. This is a good thing in terms of combating racism, but a bad thing in the sense that those expecting a fundamental change in the machinations of US politics might have been somewhat disappointed.

point taken but at least most people know who Bill Gates it or Steve Jobs. but how many know who Tony Brown is? or Arthur George Gaston

I don't understand your point. Can you clarify?

 

[Ironic Pirate]

But that's the thing, to make someone equal, you have to let them be able to fuck up. Many are rappers, but that's a good thing. That's choice, and that is something equals do. They choose.

The true sign of equality will be when no one gives a shit that a black guy gets elected president, etc, because it doesn't seem any different to people than when a white guy does.

 

[Merkavar]

maybe cause rappers are popular and atheletes are too. what i think your getting at is that black people dont know about any successful black people unless they fall into these too categories. and how thats sad.

but if you asked most white people who is on the supreme court or what ever they wont know either. i think its just that sports and music are popular, alot more popular than the legal system so ofcourse more people will know about these rappers etc and want to be like them. to get the money the fame and the women.

 

[Jack_Uzi]

Don't forget that a serie like the boondocks is pure satire. They stereotype everything to drive the point home how stupid that way of thinking is in the first place. It doesn't have anything to do with color as much as it has to with people who affiliate themself on purpose with these kind of stereotypes to show how 'ganster' they are, for example.

 

[bak00777]

i just want to say one thing, do you guys rly think race had nothing to do with Obama's election? I mean, I know people who only voted for him because of his race, not his political veiws, ideas, etc. And when these people asked me if i would vote for him and i said no, the said i was racist. I wouldn't vote for the guy because i dont agree with him on the issues.. And that person who said the OP was stereotyping Rap music, i have heard a lot more songs about voilence and fucking than i have about happier things, maybe the people who listen to rap around me listen to the nastier stuff idk, but its not stereotyping if that is the majority of what you encounter.

 

[Johnnyallstar]

The inner black culture was destroyed by the Great Society Program. It destroyed the inner city black family, which ruined the culture, and caused the great places of black art, like Harlem, to become filled with the dregs of society that they are today.

Of course, there isn't much that isn't destroyed by the government when it gets its dirty paws on it.

 

[BonsaiK]

i just want to say one thing, do you guys rly think race had nothing to do with Obama's election? I mean, I know people who only voted for him because of his race, not his political veiws, ideas, etc. And that person who said the OP was stereotyping Rap music, i have heard a lot more songs about voilence and fucking than i have about happier things, maybe the people who listen to rap around me listen to the nastier stuff idk, but its not stereotyping if that is the majority of what you encounter.

Stereotypes do exist because they tend to have a grain of truth in them. Does violent and misogynist rap music exist? Yes, of course it does (and I wouldn't have it any other way, personally). However that doesn't mean that other forms of rap music don't also exist. One shouldn't paint everything with the same brush, because that just inspires people to think "well, okay it's all the same then" instead of seeking out the stuff which is different...

 

[Bebus]

What is the point of this post? You seem to have the idea, from a film of course, that all black people do is listen to rap and shoot people.

You shoudnt aspire to waste your life in sports and music.

And before anyone asks yes i am aware of the thousands of very very intelligent famous African-american peoples of the world. but i ask you please name 5 that are under the age of say...35. that gives some good breathing room.

What are you getting at here? Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, to me, fit into exactly the same category as sportsmen and musicians. They are doing what they do best, better than all of their competitors. All you are doing is saying that these entertainers have no value, despite having millions of followers and bringing some light into people's lives, by some arbitary designation you have created. And that rap music has no value because you don't like rap. I bet those who here criticise rap's content will be the first to jump to the defence of violent video games. Grow up you hypocrites.

Some of my biggest role models are musicians, none are politicians or 'celebrities'. I don't know about you, but a role model who is famous through their own achievements, physical or creative, is sure as hell better than one who lies and bribes their way to the top in politics, or who can effectively control the running of a country because they own most of the popular media outlets. Especially when black entertainers grow popular despite said politicians and media barons create an environment where fear of people with a different skin colour is encouraged.

You have just said that black people are high on the drug, gang and crime stats. Is this because they just like shooting people, or could it, maybe, be because above whiteys have created an environment where many are practically forced to join a gang due to poverty, widespread misconceptions and racism?

Only once the imaginary idea that black people are different to white people has been removed will you see widespread equality. But unfortunately, black gang violence sells papers, and having an 'enemy' gets politicians elected so sadly we probably won't see this any time soon.

 

[The Procrastinated End]

Do you actually know any black people besides the ones you avoid on the street and the ones you see in the media?

 

[BonsaiK]

You shoudnt aspire to waste your life in sports and music.

I'm (mostly) white and I've been wasting my life in music since I was about five years old! I shall continue to do so, I think it's a damn fine thing to aspire to, and I encourage others to do the same! I don't think this is a racial issue at all... many people of all different colours and creeds have been "wasting their lives" in musical and sporting pursuits for thousands of years...

 

[Iron Mal]

The whole notion of 'equality' seems a bit like the lost city of Atlantis to me, many people believe in it and there are many who devote large portions of their lives to it only for a few cynical individuals to stand back and say 'it's a wild goose chase'.

In a truely equal society, we would have to show to same respect and tolerance towards every race, culture, opinion and creed without exception, everyone would have to be seen as a respected equal, this would mean that we would also have to understand, accept and appreciate the thoughts and values held dearly by groups such as the Nazis and the KKK (we would have to tolerate the intolerable).

I love the idea of equality, don't get me wrong, but I also believe that we have to be able to stand back and admit that it's never going to happen.

As a white person I am often faced with the difficult position of not being allowed to posess an opinion on race that differs from the usual 'we should all be brothers holding hands under the rainbow' crap without having someone rushing to acuse me of being insensitive, narrow minded or racist (contrast this with the fact that it was less than two days ago that a guy, who happened to be black, in my class at college uttered the following in all seriousness with no-one taking issue, 'I'm black so I can't be racist').

Stereotypes are often based on observation, not all rappers are focused on drugs, money, women and violence but a startlingly large number of them are (it's hard to defend the innocence of rap and gangster street culture when you see movies like Adulthood and hear songs like Bashy).

 

[The_ModeRazor]

Who cares about race? I'm German, Slavic, Greek, Gypsy, and Hungarian, and... I look like your avarage white person.
Err... yeah, I saw an episode of Boondocks some time ago, and it was indeed depressing. Maybe I should stop watching things.