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Black boys don’t need more discipline, they need mentors (2018)

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Re: Black boys don’t need more discipline, they need mentors (2018)

#101
post #3

Or, you know, fathers. Half of success in fatherhood comes from simply showing up. Absentee fathers contribute to the generational erosion of the family fabric that is almost impossible to undo.

It is hard for the Left and social justice advocates to admit this simple truth because it shifts the blame to black mothers and fathers (where some blame certainly belongs) for many of the problems in the black community. There is a compulsion among the political Left in the West for shifting blame to institutions and forces in society rather than individuals, where it often belongs. Shifting blame to outside forces…

If a huge subset of a society is afflicted with problems, it is by definition not a matter of individual blame. If there's an outbreak of measles, the problem isn't individual.

There is a compulsion along the political Right in the West for shifting blame to individuals rather than the institutions and forces in society, where it usually belongs. Shifting blame to the individual might make you feel good, but it distracts from real solutions that can bring about real change.

Re: Black boys don’t need more discipline, they need mentors (2018)

#102
post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I guess if the government stopped putting a higher rate of black fathers in jail (they may show up).

While there are injustices, what percentage of the jail time is due to actually breaking the law? Isn't it valid to put people who break the law behind bars?

If the law is just and fairly applied.

If you make a whole bunch of laws that huge swaths of the population violate, and then use them to put subgroups you don't like in prison... it's not so "valid".

Re: Black boys don’t need more discipline, they need mentors (2018)

#103
post #54
post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

'Years ago, I interviewed Kweisi Mfume, then the president of the NAACP. "As between the presence of white racism and the absence of black fathers," I asked, "Which poses the bigger threat to the black community?" Without missing a beat, he said, "The absence of black fathers."' - Larry Elder

A big reason for the absence of black fathers is institutional white racism.

[deleted]

Re: Black boys don’t need more discipline, they need mentors (2018)

#104
post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I just happened to read a story where an Asian was killed while two blacks trying to steal laptop from him https://abc7news.com/5811847 The story mentioned one suspect's sister saying " I have 4 kids and no daddy in their lives ". I simply can't understand this. One kid , I can understand. But four? ... Four (Add: non has daddy present)? I just have too many questions. Add: I interpreted "no daddy in their lives" as…

You can't understand someone having four kids?

No. Non of them has father present. I thought the context was obvious.

Re: Black boys don’t need more discipline, they need mentors (2018)

#105
I think Boondocks, a cartoon about black boys that was written and drawn by a black boy, most accurately illustrates (pun!) the desired solution for black mentorship. Grandpa Robert Freeman literally fills this role for his two grandkids, especially with Riley. Uncle Ruckus offers an even better example. Maybe we should look to this show for guidance on the issue.

Re: Black boys don’t need more discipline, they need mentors (2018)

#106
About me: I'm asian, 32 years old.

Throughout my childhood, I always thought Black people seemed so cool and funny. They exude confidence and it intimidated my to make friends with them.

Now I teach people coding before and after my work as a full time software engineer. A few of my students are black. I had a hard time working with them.

Later, as I became friends with them, I realized they are very self conscious about their intelligence. (I know I'm generalizing here, but 100% of the black students I mentored felt this way). I realized my asian background and hyper-competitiveness and high expectations made the situation worse. This realization completely changed me as a person.

This eventually let to me starting a coding bootcamp at our public library and I try to create an environment to make students feel safe and not judged. I don't have this down to a process yet, if anyone knows please let me know. How does one create a safe environment so students showing up will feel emotionally safe enough to start asking questions without fear of being judged?

Say we measure the time from when a student walks in to the time when he/she starts asking questions whenever they have a question. Are there any activities to do that can reduce the comfort time to the minimum?

Re: Black boys don’t need more discipline, they need mentors (2018)

#107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I guess if the government stopped putting a higher rate of black fathers in jail (they may show up).

Yeah right it’s the government taking black men at random in the street and putting them in jail for the single reason they’re black, just to destroy the black community. It has absolutely nothing to do with the said individuals breaking laws (sometimes with the side effect of creating another father-less family in the process), which are the same for everyone. Also doing criminal acts is a choice, not something that…

Ignoring the fact that all other things being equal, Between Blacks and Whites committing the same crime, a Black person will receive a harsher sentence....

Re: Black boys don’t need more discipline, they need mentors (2018)

#108
Black community does not have a solid culture and tradition comparing to other immigration minority groups, as other minority groups can succeed in USA without much troubles.

I thought about adopting a black boy for a while, I may still do that, I want to help, but don't know how to do it, the gap is just too wide to connect for me somehow.

Re: Black boys don’t need more discipline, they need mentors (2018)

#109
post #88
post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

1. That's an insanely large part of that population. 2. 11% still doesn't go a long way in explaining the "fatherless issue", although we probably need firm numbers on that too.

"For boys born in 2001, the lifetime probability of incarceration is estimated to be 32 percent for young black men." That's absolutely enough to tilt the data significantly. https://www.jacobinmag.com/2017/11/mass-incarceration-statis...

Yikes. Still, it doesn't change the father-away issue fundamentally, I think?

Re: Black boys don’t need more discipline, they need mentors (2018)

#110
post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I guess if the government stopped putting a higher rate of black fathers in jail (they may show up).

While there are injustices, what percentage of the jail time is due to actually breaking the law? Isn't it valid to put people who break the law behind bars?

A) The laws have been specifically designed to allow targeting of certain populations (the "War on Drugs" has had a hugely disproportionate impact on non-white Americans).

https://www.vox.com/2014/7/1/5850830/war-on-drugs-racist-min...

B) Non-whites are way, way more likely to be arrested (despite similar rates of drug use), and receive harsher penalties.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887324432004578304...

The list goes on and on... "Broken windows" policing results in targeting of minority communities. Blacks and Hispanics are significantly more likely to be targeted under "stop and frisk" laws, despite equal (or lower) hit rates for contraband discovery when compares to whites.

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