This might be inaccurate, because the hood is so different now. But from my archaic experience, you had a choice. You can get fast money, and fast cars, and fast women, until you are either shot dead, or someone gets jealous and dimes you out. ( Sorry for the run on). Or, you can decide to do it slow, steady, consistently. You can decide to get an education and training in something relevant. I know kids who have much more money than I do. I say to them, getting it is easy.....but can you keep it? That is all I ever say.
As you know, there is a difference between inner city poor and rural poor. The boots thing is more about the rural poor. Rural poor is born into ignorance and misery, with little way out. Inner city poor has opportunity, but as you stated in your other post, lot's a fast money to be made. Very hard for a poor kid to say no to that, especially considering the "bangin" life is so glorified. Inner city violence is just part of the deal. All I'm saying is I understand how the choice can be made in such an environment. Not defending it, but it's easy enough to see why, and I'm honest enough about myself to know what I would have done given similar circumstances. I barely made it out of that life myself and had far fewer hurdles to jump. But for the grace of God, or dumb luck if you prefer.
no kidding, I grew up in lower middle class so I know all about it. However you can't substitute anecdote for argument, nor platitude for reason. We are talking averages here, the painful truth of the matter is that asians and whites are way more upwardly mobile and less violent than blacks. If poverty is not a choice, then neither is wealth. You can't have it both ways, you seem to be saying that people have no control over their economic destiny. The problem is that's not what the reality is, most people actually work for their money. 'Pulling yourself up' is exactly what is expected of each and every one of us, and in fact a lot of people do choose misery for whatever reason. Most people now in the middle class started with nothing but a willingness to work and learn. Entire nations have started with nothing and created prosperity and a civil society. Everyone has a shot, everyone, and blacks have more opportunity for college money than I ever did. Spare me the empathy. You still have not come close to answering the central question- why are they always stuck while others are not? Statisically blacks create higher than average crime and poverty everywhere they exist in large numbers. In fact since they are better off here in this racist, oppressive USA than anywhere in Africa, Jamaica, or South America. They would all still be living in mud huts were it not for the white man, and most here depend on government. The question is why is the black man more violent and less productive under all conditions? There is something different about the black mind....
poor rural people understand that you can't shoot each other and that it takes education and work to succeed generally. when normalized for income levels, blacks still show higher rates of violence and lower intellectual achievement. care to explain that?
Same here, and I not mean to get short with you, but I only recently learned what it is to be TRAPPED. There is no one the ghetto that is trapped. No one. I bristle now when I talk to some of my friends, but they live in the inner cities. They believe the "man" is holding them back. They think it is about race. Inner city people do not know what poverty is!
they drop out of high school, have extremely high teen pregnancy rates, high rates of violence, high drug use, YET they are being held back even with a balck president what can I say, black people are excuse making losers and I am tired of their shit
What kills you and reveals you nature 88 is that you continue to use blanket statements. 1. you assume the inner city is all black. Show that you have never been there. 2. You seem to disregard any black achievement as a product of AA. My guess is that you know all about rural poverty, and who is REALLY at the bottom of the social barrel. You are one generation removed, and are still insecure about that.