>Brotha (or Sista) I wanted to
>led you back on the
>path.
>
It's Brotha (not that it's really important in this discussion). I'm don't need to be led on the path, I just think
the car we're driving in needs a tune up.

>
><<White people aren't making us shoot each other over overpriced material objects.>>
>
>In fact, they are.

This racist country contributes to the mindset gives us the excuse to fot the need to shoot somebody, but picking up a gun and shooting someone for a pair of Jordan's is AN INDIVIDUAL DECISION. And when you kill someone for material objects I think they should throw you under the jail.

> Is it
>our fault that we, people
>oppressed and taken away from
>our cultural selves, the land
>of our ancestors, out of
>our values, that we are
>adopting their's in such horrible
>manners? White people, in colonizing
>us, in bringing us to
>this culture, did something else
>to us: made us lose
>touch with who we are
>-- as a people --
>and adopt their cultural standards.
>One of their cultural standards
>is being materialistic and object-oriented.
>
>
It's not our fault, but is it the fault of the person killed for their jacket that they somehow got the money to buy it?
I'm sorry if we as Black people are so easily brainwashed, why our we even having this conversation? Shouldn't we all be dead by now. Everybody in the hood isn't shooting everybody else up.


>
><<White people aren't making us not teach our children to read and learn math before we even get to school.>>
>
>Yeah, however, how can we have
>time to teach our children
>to read and learn math
>before they get to school
>when we are too busy
>trying to teach our children
>about racism, self-respect, sense of
>community, etc.?

Why can't you do both at the same time (at least with reading)?
There are books that explain that. Sitting down with your children and having a conversation with them instead of sitting them in front of the TV can do that. Why do those things interfere with turning off the TV and reading to your children before they go to bed? I understand your point but I don't agree with it a all. It's an excuse.


Now, my parents
>taught me to read before
>I went to school... but
>then I was talking before
>I was one and a
>half. But they could do
>that because we 1) lived
>in the South and 2)
>lived in a predominately Black
>small town. But this is
>a luxury.
>
Why is that a luxury? Don't a large number of Blacks live in the South or live in predominately Black neighborhoods? I grew up in East Orange, NJ a northern predominately Black neighborhood. Where was the luxury there?


>White people have the _privilege_ of
>not having to worry about
>teaching their kids all the
>things we have to teach
>our kids in order to
>simply _survive_ on a phyical,
>emotional, spiritual, psychic, mental level.
>Those five years, I think,
>are well spent. Make a
>world where we, Black people/people
>of color, don't have to
>contend with racism and its
>effects, and I will show
>you a world where our
>children show everyone exactly how
>brilliant each and every single
>one of them are... besides,
>there are more than one
>way to be "prepared" for
>school.

Racism is not going away anytime soon, so not putting out 150% to overcome that means we're doomed to failure. I've never said things are easy and snapping our fingers are going to make things better, but racism isn't going away so we have to drop that excuse (legitimate(sp?) as it is) and fight against it.

>
><<White people aren't making us decide to have babies when we can't take care of our own damn selves.>>
>
>No, but white people are making
>us demonize our own people
>because they are not living
>up to "white" standards.
>
>1) The need for family is
>and always have been strong
>within our culture.
>
The need for family is find if you have the means to support it. If you don't why are you having babies? If you can't support yourself you really shouldn't be having kids. Why make them suffer because of the selfish idea of "I want to be loved."

>2) Are we to be blamed
>because we recognize the spiritual
>element embedded within sex and
>are not scared of it,
>the way white people are?
>
What does having sex have to do with having kids you can't take care of? You can have all the sex you want and use protection. I really think you're reaching here.

>
>
><<White people aren't tackling Black people and shoving crack pipes in their mouths or sticking us with heroin needles.>>
>
>They aren't? The last time I
>looked and listened, it seemed
>that taking drugs was a
>way through which a person
>could _escape_ what has been
>defined, what we have come
>to know as "reality" in
>this country.

But drugs like heroin and crack just add to your problems not relieve them. Like I said in a previous post, if you want to use
drugs as an escape, stick to weed. Anything else and you're going to regret it.


It is a
>nightmare. Shit, sometimes, when I
>am feeling low, I wanna
>go out there and stick
>some crack pipes in my
>mouth and shove some heroin
>in _my_ veins!

There's nothing wrong with being stressed and needing some release, but honestly, drugs like crack and heroin aren't going to help you. Besides, what is it that makes you not actually do it?

What's the
>difference? I remember that fighting
>is why I am here
>and I struggle to fight
>against the system that puts
>me down. Well, that is
>a kind of strength that
>is obviously outside of myself,
>that comes from my ancestors.
>However, I don't feel special
>because of it.
>

This is the thing. Whenever I or others express an opinion like this I get the "who do you think you are", or "why do you think you're so special". I don't think I'm special. I just think that sometimes we use the "racism excuse" when we haven't put out 100% to solve our own problems. There are plenty of problems out there that we really don't have the strength or resources to solve, like getting loans from banks. But some problems we can cut down (not necessarily eliminate) without the White man's help or despite his harm.


I have to go to work so I might write a part II reply to this later.

Peace,

Shaun G.