The Search for Thugs

that should say the bad behavior OF our race.

It is extremely sad that African-American men have to consistently prove themselves. People of all races exhibit bad behavior but somehow only the bad behavior or our race seems to be remembered and glorified. I am truly disgusted by it and beyond that am sick and tired!

that s right

hay southerngal some brother was giving you to much milk .sterilized i can tell you how to stop the problem keep your southern legs close for a while .......... have a nice day .your pal the thug........

ILLGEE, your comments started out intelligently enough, but like other brain-washed negroes, you are blind to what your eyes are showing you--then you began to put your foot in your mouth.
First of all, why do black people like you say stupid *** like "Black folks need to stop using White folks as an excuse". We don't. But we are going to point out *** when we smell it. Most Black people like myself (I just turned fifty) have never pointed out, or reported racial slurs on the job, bigoted co-workers or supervisors, and predjudice restaurant workers. Most Blacks like myself NEVER complain about racism--even when we were justified in doing so. We simply live in an era now when whitey can't get away with the *** they use to get away with. As Malcolm X once said in the early sixties..."We now have a Black man on the scene who refuse to turn the other cheek". And tahe honkies today--along with their parents and grandparents--can't stomach the fact that Blacks will now kick their asses if they are crossed.
Oh, yeah...How can you be best friends with people who will stab you in the back the first chance they get? And smile in your face while they're doing it. Stay on guard--BROTHER.

Personally, I think most of the posts here are a bunch of crap. I am an African American male, 30+ years old, married with 3 children, raised in Brooklyn, NY and has never been to jail... not once. I have seen and been a victim of prejudice. Did I let those experiences take control of my life? No. You have the power to shape your own future. You have the God-given power to make your own choices in life. No one ever said that the choices we make are easy ones. My father was an alcoholic and my mom is a recovering drug addict. I chose to take what I saw around me and do the opposite. Being black and growing up in the environment that I did, you would think that I'd be screwed up... locked in a cell or dead. Race isn't the real issue here. The real issue has to do with choices and finding the bravery...the courage.... to do what is right... to do what is morally correct. We were all born with free will. Try using it once in a while. Black folks need to stop using White folks as an excuse. Yes, there are still race issues out there. I can't deny that. But we can't let those issues consume us and shape who we are as a people. When you look back to the Civil Rights era... our people were strong... when you look back to the slavery era... again, our people were strong... if you go through Africa's history our people were kings and queens. Why is it that in this present day and age our people are so weak-minded? Why are we so weak spiritually? Take responsibility for your lives. There is always a way out. It's called "choices". Where there is a will there is a way. Most folks aren't "willing" to make a change. They are too stuck and comfortable in their ways to do something positive. They think that they'll be considered "soft" or an "uncle tom" if they choose to leave the hood for a better life. To me, that's a sign of weakness. Why wouldn't you want better for yourself? Why wouldn't you want better for your family? We all, Black and White, need to stop blaming each other for past sufferings and work toward building healthier futures for our families; which will in turn build better communities; which will then lead to a better country. It starts with self. Instead of spreading all the hate mail that i've read on this discussion board, how about we all take a real long look at ourselves and find out what we can do for ourselves to get the results that we desire. Hate begats more Hate. My brothers and sisters, how is it that we can physically fight with our own and somehow find a way to end up being best friends later on down the road? I know I'm not the only one that has seen it happen. People that you couldn't stand a few years ago are now your best friends. Why should race be any different?

Bottom line here, most folks are legally grown.... and the majority of those still got a lot of growing up to do.

first of all kore krash check out some of Malcom X's stuff,,im sure the old and the new Malcolm would agree with most of my views,,next thing i will refrain from using the term"whitey",,its a very racist term and is not directed toward the average good white person,,yes i admit there are some,the term refers to this racist establishment thats running things,,you seem you have a little insight to the plight of black males,,now if you just connect the dots on the things you say, you might see things a little differently,,you say that the male missing from the home is one of the main reasons are youth is out of control,i agree,,you also say that 1 out of 3 blackmales is incarcerated,i agree,,but this is where we probably will disagree,,i think that this is by design,the powers that be have always tried to keep the black family broken,,broken families produce broken children,and thats what we are seeing,,but im sure you and most whites think this is just paranoid,racist thinking,,well if im wrong then there must be a genetic disposition for blacks to be violent criminals,,it has to be one of the two,,unless someone knows why black men make up the majority of inmates,,id like to know,please tell me,but krash you did say some thing that i must 100% agree with,,"by recognizing our own ignorance can we recgnize the ignorance of others",,how many whites do you honestly think recognize their own ignorance on this issue?and please lets leave Bill Cosby out of this,,he has lost touch with who he is and whats going on in the black community,,just because he's black doesnt make him an authority or spokesman for whats going on in the hood,he makes a few good points,but his thinking has obviously been shaped by the media also,im sure he doesnt get his info first hand from the hood,,all he knows about his people is what he gets from the media.....

Black leaders have to start stressing the importance of the family structure instead of blaming racism on the problems of African Americans.

One could also argue that the problems created by racism have also caused the disruption of the familial unit in the black community. People of all colors are essentially the same. If I repressed you and everyone that looks like you for hundreds of years, wouldn't you carry a bit of a chip on your shoulder? This sounds very much like the Dr. Cosby argument. I will agree that this is a beginning, but it comes far from addressing the whole problem.

Also, the statement "The characterization of Blacks in this country as" Thugs ' i'm sorry to say has been well earned!" is just ignorant. How many young black men do you know? Also, most white men in the jails are from lower midlle-class and poor families which also turn out the most "motorcycle type". The guys with the harley-davidson jackets and disheveled beards. Do you immediately assume they are in a biker gang?

This is the type of ignorant thinking that makes it so I can't speak rationally to 93jaguar. You are an "educated redneck" sir, and I hope you will look a bit further into your beliefs instead of taking an intellectually lazy stance on this topic. It means too much to too many, black, white and brown, for it to be taken lightly.

Only by recognizing our own ignorance can we begin to recognize the ignorance of others.

Ok, I am now convinced of it. You are a racist. I do not believe I have ever heard anything from any of the civil rights activists that sound like you. Yes they pointed out many of the things you have, but they did not hate. They also did not stereotype or have such a negative ideal toward the changes that can be made. I have tried to speak form my heart, but I am sorry to say it appears your heart is too cold to receive anything but more hate. You are no different then the white rednecks I have also tried to have a conversation with. You slander and hate, you group an entire race into a single category, you focus on the negative and not the positive. These are actions of hate. You are speaking as if "whitey" is below you. Which is exactly how the rednecks speak of african-americans and anyone else of color. Ignorance breeds ignorance, their is no doubt about that....so I would suggest you confront your own prejudices before you try to speak so strongy about others.

Ffirst of all the people in the civil rights movement thought exactly as i do,,thats why they were marching and fighting against this racist society,,,thay knew exactly what whitey thought of us,,just like i do now,,and another thing the reason whitey has the power is because they are the majority,,for now,,do you think that the people in the civil rights movement would disagree with my thinking,,if so,,tell me which part they wouldnt agree with,,and im not talking about Martin Luther King,,he was a different breed,,most brothers then and now wouldnt let whitey slap them and only turn the other cheek,,and as for the chldren,no i wouldnt want them to have to read this,,but we shouldnt lie to them either,,they should know that they have to be twicw as good as whitey,,and if so that still might not make them equal in whiteys eyes,,you know the thing is whitey hates to face the truth about himself and his ancestors,,everything whitey touches he destroys,,in america or aound the world,,whitey thinks he has the right to tell all peoples of all countries what to do and think, and who to worship