• This is a political forum that is non-biased/non-partisan and treats every person's position on topics equally. This debate forum is not aligned to any political party. In today's politics, many ideas are split between and even within all the political parties. Often we find ourselves agreeing on one platform but some topics break our mold. We are here to discuss them in a civil political debate. If this is your first visit to our political forums, be sure to check out the RULES. Registering for debate politics is necessary before posting. Register today to participate - it's free!

Who do you blame for the problems of African Americans?? [W:98]

Who is MOST to blame for the problems of African Americans?

  • GOP

    Votes: 5 5.1%
  • Black Leadership

    Votes: 22 22.4%
  • Democrats

    Votes: 15 15.3%
  • Other

    Votes: 56 57.1%

  • Total voters
    98
Status
Not open for further replies.
I would elaborate on that by asserting it is Black Leadership and Black Cultural Icons that perpetuate these problems within the community. Leadership is responsible for scapegoatism (Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton are big in that area) and of course there are numerous examples of bad examples set by Black Icons. If every small black child grew up admiring Herman Cain and yes even President Obama (As much as I disagree with his politics I think he is a good man and a good role model for young african americans.) I think Black America would be far better served.

Obama is absolutely a role model for young black men, but he should really be a role model for any young man of any color. All young men should aspire to be great men when they grow up, and pick a role model that lives a life worth emulating. Race should be irrelevant.
 
Sorry, but no.

The war on drugs started back in 1914 on the federal level, but started back in the mid 19th century on the state level.

Yes, we have had drug laws much longer. So has almost everywhere. I am talking about the complex of drug conviction we have -- the official "drag war" -- which is largely responsible for us having some of the highest incarceration rates in the world, and which seems to target minorities.
 
Obama is absolutely a role model for young black men, but he should really be a role model for any young man of any color. All young men should aspire to be great men when they grow up, and pick a role model that lives a life worth emulating. Race should be irrelevant.

He'll no doubt be a role model for black people who believe that rising that high is impossible.
 
Yes, we have had drug laws much longer. So has almost everywhere. I am talking about the complex of drug conviction we have -- the official "drag war" -- which is largely responsible for us having some of the highest incarceration rates in the world, and which seems to target minorities.

And this is where you would be wrong (in bold). The drug laws (I do not agree with them at all) target drug users. If minorities are the highest percentage of drug users, they will be the ones convicted more often. There's nothing racist about the drug laws, sorry.
 
There's nothing racist about blaming the members of one race for a problem.

Oh oh oh, does this mean I finally get to play the "blame the Jews" card? It's been sitting in my deck for months.

I don't blame any issues I have as a white person on blacks.
 
And this is where you would be wrong (in bold). The drug laws (I do not agree with them at all) target drug users. If minorities are the highest percentage of drug users, they will be the ones convicted more often. There's nothing racist about the drug laws, sorry.
The enforcement of them IS, which has been shown many times. The use rate is not that different, the arrest rate is
 
Re: Who do you blame for the problems of African Americans??

I chose black leadership - I mean Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson are pretty much a given as failed leadership but it is so much more than that. I am talking about parents, teachers, businessmen, ect. they are all failing the younger generation.


Long story short, I attended a ultra poor predominantly black school for a year when I was 12. I observed quite a few differences from what I was used to in both school facility and students. The first thing that I noticed was they were lagging very far behind in the curriculum being taught. They were teaching things I had covered 2-3+ years prior, I felt like I was in 3rd grade again and not the 6th. I was amazed at just how far behind they were. This gave me ample time to be more observant of the environment and some of the things I noticed were the attitudes of both teachers and students were remarkably different. The teachers (which were also black) seemed to talk down to the students and acted as if they were attempting to train a rock. They showed very little inspiration or expectation out of their students. It was if they felt they were wasting their time and they were just going threw the motions.

The students themselves had a different outlook. Many (not all) seemed to view education as a waste of time that it would not benefit them in life. They seemed to believe that their lives were pre determined and that they would live the same lives that their parents lived which was a very poor life with seemingly no opportunities to better it. It appeared to them that school was simply something they were forced to do and they did not strive to excel at it. They did as little as they could get by with.

A few of the boys (dare I say maybe even a majority) in my class were eager to let everyone know that they were already gang members who sold drugs for a living and an education was not relevant to their lives. Their aspirations in life never went beyond that.

So I blame the black leaders within the community (or lack of) for failing to set and show examples of success and the importance of education and striving to become something better. Until hope is shown to them I feel each generation will largely be lost.
 
Last edited:
The enforcement of them IS, which has been shown many times. The use rate is not that different, the arrest rate is

This is true, the implementation is sorely flawed, but I cannot find blame in the law itself, but in the actions of law enforcement.
 
And this is where you would be wrong (in bold). The drug laws (I do not agree with them at all) target drug users. If minorities are the highest percentage of drug users, they will be the ones convicted more often. There's nothing racist about the drug laws, sorry.

If the largest percentage of drug users are in fact white people (and they are) and the highest percentage of convicted felons are minorities, that would indicate a disproportionate focus by the legal/enforcement system on minorities.
 
Yes, we have had drug laws much longer. So has almost everywhere. I am talking about the complex of drug conviction we have -- the official "drag war" -- which is largely responsible for us having some of the highest incarceration rates in the world, and which seems to target minorities.

There is no separate war on drugs that started with Nixon. Nixon was just the first person to call it a war on drugs.
 
The enforcement of them IS, which has been shown many times. The use rate is not that different, the arrest rate is

OK, but that's not what was stated.
 
He'll no doubt be a role model for black people who believe that rising that high is impossible.

He should be a role model for anyone in this country, regardless of their color or his for that matter. Anyone in this country can rise to great things. You have to want it, and you have to work for it. Obama is actually also proof that you can go from food stamps to the White House in a few decades.
 
The enforcement of them IS, which has been shown many times. The use rate is not that different, the arrest rate is

And the information is heterogeneous, lacking in variability such as type of drug? If anyone says "crack is penalized harder than pot because crack is a black drug" is going to be incessantly mocked.
 
And this is where you would be wrong (in bold). The drug laws (I do not agree with them at all) target drug users. If minorities are the highest percentage of drug users, they will be the ones convicted more often. There's nothing racist about the drug laws, sorry.

Wrong. Like I said, some of the writing of the time is much hand-ringing over drugs minorities use, and these laws target them specifically. Black people are not the highest percentage of drug users -- not even close -- and they are sent to prison at a rate much higher than the percentage of drug users they comprise, and also much higher than the percentage of arrested drug users they comprise.
 
Oh oh oh, does this mean I finally get to play the "blame the Jews" card? It's been sitting in my deck for months.

By all means, play the hand you've been dealt. Don't let anyone stop you


I don't blame any issues I have as a white person on blacks.

Then who do you blame for the issues you have?
 
There is no separate war on drugs that started with Nixon. Nixon was just the first person to call it a war on drugs.

Well, when you look at US prison populations, it sure as hell looks pretty separate. Because... it is.
 
I don't think the Black leadership has been vocal enough in insisting that Education become an important goal among the black community. Jackson and Sharpton are absurd failures of leadership. If the rap and music icons could promote positive values, and that does not mean I am in acceptance of standard mores and propagandas, whether they encouoraged revolution or insurrection or protesting the 1%/99% division of wealth. I think the black problems are about to become generic National problems very soon because of the lack of any meaningful job programs or entrepreneural programs at Federal and State levels.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top Bottom