What are people talking about when they speak of "black culture"? The subculture of s twenty square block area in Chicago? I don't think it fair or proper to think of the cultural norms of black people in general as that sunset. That's too much like claiming the Proud Boys represent white people in general.
What are people talking about when they speak of "black culture"? The subculture of s twenty square block area in Chicago? I don't think it fair or proper to think of the cultural norms of black people in general as that sunset. That's too much like claiming the Proud Boys represent white people in general.
The average black person is not a part of the gangsta subculture even if they are poor. I'm going to pimp Thomas Sowel's book "Black Rednecks and White Liberals" again because he explains that subculture and where it came from, along with a long list of groups who have been both poor and persecuted and not only did not resort to crime but surpassed their persicuters because they had a different ethic.
Racism (the real thing) exists but it has less power than people are giving it and people have lost touch with what it actually is.
"What are people talking about when they speak of 'black culture'"
This is the million dollar question. Broadly I think it's a "polite" way to blame the poorest, most disenfranchised African Americans for the situation they find themselves in. When black people succeed, or (as in the majority of cases) just live happy, normal lives, it's never credited to black culture. Barack Obama becoming president *absolutely* wasn't black culture. In fact, those same people lost their minds when he and Michelle fist-bumped.
I always have to be clear when I talk about things like this, yes, there are cultural issues affecting the black community. That's going to be the topic of an article this month. They come from within and without the "black community."
But it's really telling when an issue that affects a tiny, tiny percentage of African Americans (specifically the poorest, least educated and most marginalised by things like red-lining and ghettoisation), is framed as a problem caused by "black culture."
The thing some people (white and black) seem to really struggle to understand is that racism is asymmetrical. Not all black people are affected equally by it in 2022. Especially the legacy of past racism. If you grew up in South Glendale, for example, the impact of historical racism (thanks to redlining) is far more life-shaping than if you grew up in Forest Glen. And surprise, surprise, crime is a bigger problem in Glendale.
That people look at that correlation and say, "ah yes, it's because black people live there," and not, "ah yes, it's because of the poverty and lack of facilities and education and community and opportunity," is wild to me.
I question the utility of the phrase "black culture". I get the desire to put the positive aspects of the Afro-american experience under one heading. But it does tend to get subsumed by the negative aspects that are hard to pin down to well understood reasons. And when it gets used as a blame mechanism rooted in race, well...it makes it hard to see its continued value as a label.
"I question the utility of the phrase 'black culture'"
Yeah, I literally question the *meaning* of the phrase "black culture." The people who throw it around, both white and black, always struggle to actually explain what they mean by it. It always ends up being silly stereoytpes or context-free statistics.
Treating "blackness" as if it's this essential charateristic is so ingrained in some people's minds, whether they're for or against black people, that they feel like their world is ending if they try to look beyond it.
I think that you'll be glad you read it. Some of the ideas in the book:
* Gangsta culture has nothing to do with Africa.
* Northern black and white people did not want either Southern black or white people around.
* Racism more likely followed slavery as a balm for conscience, rather than leading to slavery.
* Slavery is an ancient worldwide practice involving all races as the slavers and slaves.
* Slave trade in the west was with African slavers because that was who was doing business.
* Trans Saharan slavery left a different legacy because of the horrendous death rate of the Saharan crossing, the fact that most of the slaves were women and of the men who were enslaved, many were castrated so they were not reproducing to increase the wealth of the slaveholders like in America.
* Many of the sailors who crewed the slave ships died of tropical diseases which was fine with the slavers since that meant that they didn't have to pay them.
* It took the force of the British Navy to end slave trade outside the US and Brittan by stopping slave ships.
* Some of the most successful groups have been the ones facing discrimination, racism and poverty.
* The Federalist founders had to make compromises to have one nation, rather than two.
* The Southern states wanted the census to count slaves. The 3/5ths was a compromise to reduce the Congressional power of the slave states by reducing the number of Congressmen they would obtain from the Census rather than the gotcha accusation of racism.
* Estates were passed down thru the generations and to give up slaves was to deprive your heirs of wealth that was to be passed down to them.
* Some number of slaves were slaves in name only because freeing them subjected them to being shipped to the south and enslaved again.
* Many who opposed slavery despised the abolitionists desire for a sudden end out of fear of a race war (think Nate Turner) and felt like they had a wolf by the ears that they could neither hold nor let loose. It could be argued that that didn't happen with abolition because of the Northern troops stationed in the South for years.
* There were highly successful black schools that were ruined by court rulings.
* Black people were making faster gains before the civil rights activity of the 60s and there was even regression. If the woes of black Americans is all due to slavery, why did it skip a generation?
* Modern SJWs are too intent on making history about white people victimizing black people and other minorities while neglecting the history of accomplishments of black people.
* Everything is more complicated than the simple gotcha arguments floated today, and Sowell presents a great deal of balance missing today.
"* Black people were making faster gains before the civil rights activity of the 60s "
Whoa. I would like to see that corroborated. I remember black people with doctorates who could not advance past janitorial work. There was nothing iffy about discrimination, and without affirmative action I think this would be back in a generation.
Neither he nor I deny the gains brought by the civil rights movement. Sometimes things that happen in the same time frame may or may not have a causal relationship. He actually puts a great emphasis on the problems brought with the legacy of slavery, but an aspect mostly ignored. The redneck culture absorbed and carried away which have nothing to do with race. He does not deny the influence of poverty but provides evidence that with a different mindset, impoverished people can come out on top.
What are people talking about when they speak of "black culture"? The subculture of s twenty square block area in Chicago? I don't think it fair or proper to think of the cultural norms of black people in general as that sunset. That's too much like claiming the Proud Boys represent white people in general.
The average black person is not a part of the gangsta subculture even if they are poor. I'm going to pimp Thomas Sowel's book "Black Rednecks and White Liberals" again because he explains that subculture and where it came from, along with a long list of groups who have been both poor and persecuted and not only did not resort to crime but surpassed their persicuters because they had a different ethic.
Racism (the real thing) exists but it has less power than people are giving it and people have lost touch with what it actually is.
"What are people talking about when they speak of 'black culture'"
This is the million dollar question. Broadly I think it's a "polite" way to blame the poorest, most disenfranchised African Americans for the situation they find themselves in. When black people succeed, or (as in the majority of cases) just live happy, normal lives, it's never credited to black culture. Barack Obama becoming president *absolutely* wasn't black culture. In fact, those same people lost their minds when he and Michelle fist-bumped.
I always have to be clear when I talk about things like this, yes, there are cultural issues affecting the black community. That's going to be the topic of an article this month. They come from within and without the "black community."
But it's really telling when an issue that affects a tiny, tiny percentage of African Americans (specifically the poorest, least educated and most marginalised by things like red-lining and ghettoisation), is framed as a problem caused by "black culture."
The thing some people (white and black) seem to really struggle to understand is that racism is asymmetrical. Not all black people are affected equally by it in 2022. Especially the legacy of past racism. If you grew up in South Glendale, for example, the impact of historical racism (thanks to redlining) is far more life-shaping than if you grew up in Forest Glen. And surprise, surprise, crime is a bigger problem in Glendale.
That people look at that correlation and say, "ah yes, it's because black people live there," and not, "ah yes, it's because of the poverty and lack of facilities and education and community and opportunity," is wild to me.
"𝘐 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴, 𝘺𝘦𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘤 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 "𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺.""
Prepare to be accused of blaming the victim.
Haha, yep, I’m always prepared for a little fuss when I publish an article.
I question the utility of the phrase "black culture". I get the desire to put the positive aspects of the Afro-american experience under one heading. But it does tend to get subsumed by the negative aspects that are hard to pin down to well understood reasons. And when it gets used as a blame mechanism rooted in race, well...it makes it hard to see its continued value as a label.
"I question the utility of the phrase 'black culture'"
Yeah, I literally question the *meaning* of the phrase "black culture." The people who throw it around, both white and black, always struggle to actually explain what they mean by it. It always ends up being silly stereoytpes or context-free statistics.
Treating "blackness" as if it's this essential charateristic is so ingrained in some people's minds, whether they're for or against black people, that they feel like their world is ending if they try to look beyond it.
Just added the Sowell book to my Christmas wish list.
I think that you'll be glad you read it. Some of the ideas in the book:
* Gangsta culture has nothing to do with Africa.
* Northern black and white people did not want either Southern black or white people around.
* Racism more likely followed slavery as a balm for conscience, rather than leading to slavery.
* Slavery is an ancient worldwide practice involving all races as the slavers and slaves.
* Slave trade in the west was with African slavers because that was who was doing business.
* Trans Saharan slavery left a different legacy because of the horrendous death rate of the Saharan crossing, the fact that most of the slaves were women and of the men who were enslaved, many were castrated so they were not reproducing to increase the wealth of the slaveholders like in America.
* Many of the sailors who crewed the slave ships died of tropical diseases which was fine with the slavers since that meant that they didn't have to pay them.
* It took the force of the British Navy to end slave trade outside the US and Brittan by stopping slave ships.
* Some of the most successful groups have been the ones facing discrimination, racism and poverty.
* The Federalist founders had to make compromises to have one nation, rather than two.
* The Southern states wanted the census to count slaves. The 3/5ths was a compromise to reduce the Congressional power of the slave states by reducing the number of Congressmen they would obtain from the Census rather than the gotcha accusation of racism.
* Estates were passed down thru the generations and to give up slaves was to deprive your heirs of wealth that was to be passed down to them.
* Some number of slaves were slaves in name only because freeing them subjected them to being shipped to the south and enslaved again.
* Many who opposed slavery despised the abolitionists desire for a sudden end out of fear of a race war (think Nate Turner) and felt like they had a wolf by the ears that they could neither hold nor let loose. It could be argued that that didn't happen with abolition because of the Northern troops stationed in the South for years.
* There were highly successful black schools that were ruined by court rulings.
* Black people were making faster gains before the civil rights activity of the 60s and there was even regression. If the woes of black Americans is all due to slavery, why did it skip a generation?
* Modern SJWs are too intent on making history about white people victimizing black people and other minorities while neglecting the history of accomplishments of black people.
* Everything is more complicated than the simple gotcha arguments floated today, and Sowell presents a great deal of balance missing today.
* He does not let the slavers off the hook.
* He presents evidence for these ideas.
You can see why some activists hate the book.
"* Black people were making faster gains before the civil rights activity of the 60s "
Whoa. I would like to see that corroborated. I remember black people with doctorates who could not advance past janitorial work. There was nothing iffy about discrimination, and without affirmative action I think this would be back in a generation.
Neither he nor I deny the gains brought by the civil rights movement. Sometimes things that happen in the same time frame may or may not have a causal relationship. He actually puts a great emphasis on the problems brought with the legacy of slavery, but an aspect mostly ignored. The redneck culture absorbed and carried away which have nothing to do with race. He does not deny the influence of poverty but provides evidence that with a different mindset, impoverished people can come out on top.
Check out what Tulsa was like before the infamous Black Wall Street Massacre.
That's the one example I know of. I'll have to read the book to learn more I guess.
American slavery was likely the cruelest the world had ever seen. Even Roman slaves had some rights.