back2basics- Posted April 5 Report Share Posted April 5 Ties in nicely with a post i was going to do - is the word Ghetto a synonym for 'non-white'?---------------------------------------------I can think of no other way to say this, so here goes: white people need to pull our heads out of our collective ass. Two more white children are dead and thirteen are injured, and another "nice" community is scratching its blonde head, utterly perplexed at how a school shooting the likes of the one yesterday in Santee, California could happen. After all, as the Mayor of the town said in an interview with CNN: "We're a solid town, a good town, with good kids, a good church-going town…an All-American town." Yeah, well maybe that's the problem. I said this after Columbine and no one listened so I'll say it again: white people live in an utter state of self-delusion. We think danger is black, brown and poor, and if we can just move far enough away from "those people" in the cities we'll be safe. If we can just find an "all-American" town, life will be better, because "things like this just don't happen here." Well bullshit on that. In case you hadn't noticed, "here" is about the only place these kinds of things do happen. Oh sure, there is plenty of violence in urban communities and schools. But mass murder; wholesale slaughter; take-a-gun-and-see-how-many-you can-kill kinda craziness seems made for those safe places: the white suburbs or rural communities. And yet once again, we hear the FBI insist there is no "profile" of a school shooter. Come again? White boy after white boy after white boy, with very few exceptions to that rule (and none in the mass shooting category), decides to use their classmates for target practice, and yet there is no profile? Imagine if all these killers had been black: would we still hesitate to put a racial face on the perpetrators? Doubtful. Indeed, if any black child in America -- especially in the mostly white suburbs of Littleton, or Santee -- were to openly discuss their plans to murder fellow students, as happened both at Columbine and now Santana High, you can bet your ass that somebody would have turned them in, and the cops would have beat a path to their doorstep. But when whites discuss their murderous intentions, our stereotypes of what danger looks like cause us to ignore it -- they're just "talking" and won't really do anything. How many kids have to die before we rethink that nonsense? How many dazed and confused parents, Mayors and Sheriffs do we have to listen to, describing how "normal" and safe their community is, and how they just can't understand what went wrong? I'll tell you what went wrong and it's not TV, rap music, video games or a lack of prayer in school. What went wrong is that white Americans decided to ignore dysfunction and violence when it only affected other communities, and thereby blinded themselves to the inevitable creeping of chaos which never remains isolated too long. What affects the urban "ghetto" today will be coming to a Wal-Mart near you tomorrow, and unless you address the emptiness, pain, isolation and lack of hope felt by children of color and the poor, then don't be shocked when the support systems aren't there for your kids either. What went wrong is that we allowed ourselves to be lulled into a false sense of security by media representations of crime and violence that portray both as the province of those who are anything but white like us. We ignore the warning signs, because in our minds the warning signs don't live in our neighborhood, but across town, in that place where we lock our car doors on the rare occasion we have to drive there. That false sense of security -- the result of racist and classist stereotypes -- then gets people killed. And still we act amazed. But listen up my fellow white Americans: your children are no better, no nicer, no more moral, no more decent than anyone else. Dysfunction is all around you, whether you choose to recognize it or not. According to the Centers for Disease Control, and Department of Health and Human Services, it is your children, and not those of the urban ghetto, who are most likely to use drugs. That's right: white high school students are seven times more likely than blacks to have used cocaine; eight times more likely to have smoked crack; ten times more likely to have used LSD and seven times more likely to have used heroin. In fact, there are more white high school students who have used crystal methamphetamine (the most addictive drug on the streets) than there are black students who smoke cigarettes. What's more, white youth ages 12-17 are more likely to sell drugs: 34% more likely, in fact than their black counterparts. And it is white youth who are twice as likely to binge drink, and nearly twice as likely as blacks to drive drunk. And white males are twice as likely to bring a weapon to school as are black males. And yet I would bet a valued body part that there aren't 100 white people in Santee, California, or most any other "nice" community who have ever heard a single one of the statistics above. Even though they were collected by government agencies using these folks' tax money for the purpose. Because the media doesn't report on white dysfunction A few years ago, U.S. News ran a story entitled: "A Shocking look at blacks and crime." Yet never have they or any other news outlet discussed the "shocking" whiteness of these shoot-em-ups. Indeed, every time media commentators discuss the similarities in these crimes they mention that the shooters were boys, they were loners, they got picked on, but never do they seem to notice a certain highly visible melanin deficiency. Color-blind, I guess. White-blind is more like it, as I figure these folks would spot color mighty damn quick were some of it to stroll into their community. Santee's whiteness is so taken for granted by its residents that the Mayor, in that CNN interview, thought nothing of saying on the one hand that the town was 82 percent white, but on the other hand that "this is America." Well that isn't America, and it especially isn't California, where whites are only half of the population. This is a town that is removed from America, and yet its Mayor thinks they are the normal ones -- so much so that when asked about racial diversity, he replied that there weren't many of different "ethni-tis-tities." Not a word. Not even close. I'd like to think that after this one, people would wake up. Take note. Rethink their stereotypes of who the dangerous ones are. But deep down, I know better. The folks hitting the snooze button on this none-too-subtle alarm are my own people, after all, and I know their blindness like the back of my hand. Tim Wise is a Nashville-based writer and activist and can be reached at tjwise@mindspring.com------------------I want to go out blazing..not fade away.Trust in the currency of relationships, it's hard to earn but easy to loose - back2basics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueangel Posted April 5 Report Share Posted April 5 Wow! That was long! But definately worth reading!BlueAngel------------------"Be as you wish to seem." — Socrates Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
back2basics- Posted April 5 Author Report Share Posted April 5 Originally posted by blueangel:Wow! That was long! But definately worth reading!BlueAngelYeh i thought it was pretty interesting it covers some interesting points like the subtlties of racism. I read a letter about the word Ghetto only being use in relation to 'non-white' areas, which made me think. If it was a white neiborhood it would be rundown or it would be on the news etc. Just sent the guy and email saying how much i enjoyed reading it.------------------I want to go out blazing..not fade away.Trust in the currency of relationships, it's hard to earn but easy to loose - back2basics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cazz926 Posted April 5 Report Share Posted April 5 I posted the same thing 2 weeks ago with minimal interest...I really loved that article!------------------I can't dream for us all I hope I'm in a better state whenHere & Now crumbles & falls... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
back2basics- Posted April 5 Author Report Share Posted April 5 Originally posted by cazz926:I posted the same thing 2 weeks ago with minimal interest...I really loved that article!Shit i really must start reading your posts How did i miss that? ------------------I want to go out blazing..not fade away.Trust in the currency of relationships, it's hard to earn but easy to loose - back2basics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boa_boy Posted April 5 Report Share Posted April 5 damn good read ------------------If only he'd use his power for good instead of evil............... boa_boy@yahoo.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nycetouch Posted April 5 Report Share Posted April 5 Great article, stuff like that is one of the reasons why I spend time on this board. Thanks b2b.BTW: the word 'ghetto' is more likely to be used to describe non-white in communities much like the one the author describes, the "American town." Within my NYC circle of friends, we are more likely to use that word to describe poverty, or just being poor. As in, "I'm so poor, I've been living ghetto style on rice and beans." And of course the original use of the word was used to name the jewish camp/section of Berlin during WWII, and came to represent a section/area of people with the same ethnicity and high poverty level.Yup, I've been saying it for a long time, "Everyone talks about urban violence, how bad it is. But what about these suburban white kids, they dont fuck around! Urban kids may bring a shank or gun to school and hurt someone in dispute or for another reason, as midguidedly valid as it may be. But these white kids bring in AK-47's and lay down a dozen people for no reason at all before they're done."------------------ Accountz Reeceevin' Ain't For No Candy-Ass Temps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mugwump Posted April 5 Report Share Posted April 5 Well I must say that although it does not compete with the intensity and intellect of Mugz' introspective posts I am very impressed..Took me a while to read but well worth it...Now if you excuse me I have to go kill my self out of disgust for being "white"..(then again I'm Italian so..HA!)Oh but wait!We are mafioso...DAMN YOU JUST CAN'T WIN NO MATTER WHAT RACE YOU ARE!!------------------ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackcentepede Posted April 5 Report Share Posted April 5 I THINK IT"S BULLSHIT AND IF IT WHERE ME I WOULD BLAME THE NIGGERS AND THE CHINKS FOR ALL THE CRIMES>THESE KIDS PROBABLY LISTEN TO HIP HOP ANYWAY!>STEP ON UP TO THE CENTEPEDE IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY BOARD>>MUGZ YOU ARE A PUSSY ALSO CHINK LOVER Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mugwump Posted April 5 Report Share Posted April 5 Originally posted by blackcentepede:I THINK IT"S BULLSHIT AND IF IT WHERE ME I WOULD BLAME THE NIGGERS AND THE CHINKS FOR ALL THE CRIMES>THESE KIDS PROBABLY LISTEN TO HIP HOP ANYWAY!>STEP ON UP TO THE CENTEPEDE IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY BOARD>>MUGZ YOU ARE A PUSSY ALSO CHINK LOVER There's no way you are for real man...Are you really this stupid or are you just bored..?I don't know why I'm even addressing you except to say that I pitty you and I hope (if you are indeed this fucked up) that you deside to go vent yuour ignorance else where..Here try this board: www.dumbfucks.com buh-bye..oh and I hope those guys DO see you at Twilo on Friday because if I'm there I'd love to PERSONALY have you escorted and BANED from Twilo...what!?You don't think I can do that do you..?YOU my friend have no idea who I know in that place..Let's put it this way..I havent payed to get in there for over a year and I COULD (if I wanted to) Have anyone thrown out for any reason I want..So let me put that power to test on Friday!ME-->Power bar 3:00 am..YOU--> out on the curb thrown out by security at 3:30(only because I want half an hour to watch you get your ass beaten)------------------ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manmademan Posted April 5 Report Share Posted April 5 yup ... good reading, a reflective piece for sure. I`m not white, and not american either, but this was still a good post to have read ... kind of ties in with chaos theory kinda .. the part "inevitable creeping of chaos ... " where I do think that America, for all its riches and all is a good place, but as an outsider, I do have a different perspective on it. America is too much of a system, too robotic in some fashion. It is almost 1984-esque in some senses, and u cannot attain that degree of organization with ultimately bubbling over into chaos and dysfunction. Well, that is just my view, which is relevant for me, because of how and where I have lived and what I have seen through my life. So, it is correct for me, though a lot of u necessarily may not and probably will not agree with it. ------------------ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andre9000 Posted April 5 Report Share Posted April 5 To the question: No. Ghetto to me does not mean "black".To the article: I think there is a lot of truth there. Every situation is unique and can't just be lumped together. However one common problem (in my opinion) is the parenting of this generation. I think how your parents raised you, the amount of time they spend with you, and values they give you when you're 10 years old and younger are what molds the youth of the country.Parents are more busy, spend less time with kids, and more parents are stuck as single, working moms/dads raising kids. Some of us who were raised like this might be fine. But parents who point the finger at the youth and say how bad they are need to turn that finger back around at themselves. This goes for anyone of any color. Peace.------------------Talkin 'bout what we gon' be when we grow up/I said what you wanna be? She said alive/It made me think for a minute then looked in her eyes/I coulda died.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clubhead32 Posted April 5 Report Share Posted April 5 Originally posted by blackcentepede:I THINK IT"S BULLSHIT AND IF IT WHERE ME I WOULD BLAME THE NIGGERS AND THE CHINKS FOR ALL THE CRIMES>THESE KIDS PROBABLY LISTEN TO HIP HOP ANYWAY!>STEP ON UP TO THE CENTEPEDE IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY BOARD>>MUGZ YOU ARE A PUSSY ALSO CHINK LOVER There u go Again startin drama!!!!!...Niggers this and chinks that....its funny...U talk and talk and talk behind the computer...Bring all dat talk wit u to TWILO this friday and see what it gets u BIZNITCH!!!!!!!!------------------" bass in ur f...bass in ur fa...BASS IN UR FACE LONDON "" Directions DIrections.." - GrOOve PLUR!!!aim:clubhead32 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exit2heaven Posted April 5 Report Share Posted April 5 Originally posted by clubhead32: There u go Again startin drama!!!!!...Niggers this and chinks that....its funny...U talk and talk and talk behind the computer...Bring all dat talk wit u to TWILO this friday and see what it gets u BIZNITCH!!!!!!!!BIZNITCH!!!!------------------Ravers don't stumbleand fall.... we TRIP and ROLL..AIM: XxFUEL1xX Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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