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Clarence .... I'm deeply concerned about the values of all young people, regardless of race. There seems to be a concerted effort to dumb down an entire generation, perpetrated by, amongst others, the entertainment industry, etc. There are still a lot of good kids out there, but they seem to be a minority. I don't think there's ever been a tougher time for a decent kid to grow up and maintain his or her values, because it just isn’t “cool.” Not long ago, we attended a funeral of a 21 year old that died of a Heroin overdose. The father is a friend of mine. He tried everything but couldn’t save his son. There were an awful lot of kids at the funeral with the gang garb, tattoos, etc. The father told me they’re all heavily into drugs and his kid just got caught up with this bad crowd. I’ve never seen so many distant, lost looks in one place. I’m fearful that this drug culture, Hip Hop, etc. is far more rampant than I ever imagined.

Exactly, our children are going to school and becoming acceptable to a culture where it is no longer cool to be educated.

Race doesnt have much to do with anything at this point because all kids seem to be following Rock, Hip Hop instead of following the culture of business. My research on the black community has found a lot of this started during the liberation movements of the 60s. Radical blacks stop wanting to be like the "white" man so they stopped even trying to speak, act or dress like the "white" man. I also believe that during this perioud all other youth became infatuated with the rock and roll drug culture and have lost focus on the culture of business.

This is why so many immigrants are successful in business, they come here without the history of oppression and culture of materialism that all Americans have. Your right about race because I have found that everyone has been oppressed at one point.....and BAP33 makes a darn good point that we could include fat people, ugly people, one armed people, short people in the groups that have been opressed.

The entertainment industry is eating our young and using free speech as the weapon. The more I read about poverty the more I realize that the media perpetuates a victim mentality to the poor who latch on to the crutches of socialistic programs.

At this point I am ready to increase the penalties and requirement for those non-participants in society who have no need to use these programs.

Do you feel there is a strong link between drug abuse and these issues?

Clarence 13X says

The entertainment industry is eating our young and using free speech as the weapon. The more I read about poverty the more I realize that the media perpetuates a victim mentality to the poor who latch on to the crutches of socialistic programs.

Have you ever noticed that in just about every movie the parents are complete idiots, the dad is either cheating or left his wife for a "younger version", and the kids have to break the law or request the assistance of an evil entity to achieve self-worth? And we wonder why kids are so freaking confused and screwed up ... Even a seemingly innocuous movie like The Little Mermaid has the heroine (scantily clad, of course...if you can call a sea-shell bra clad) make a deal with a devil-like figure because she has the hots for some guy. How does all this turn out? She gets the man, of course, and lives happily ever after! Exactly what good parents want to teach their children...

Paralithodes says

Clarence 13X says

However much my skills were a fit for the role I was not seen as capable due to my religion and sexual orientation.

Every organization has a “culture.” Take two companies in the same industry, with exactly the same representation of diversity in their respective workforces (representation that gets the Clarence 13X seal of approval) and those companies will STILL have different cultures.
The degree to which one fits within a corporate culture may not be a sound basis for judging one’s knowledge, skills, and abilities, but it definitely impacts how successful one is with implementing them most effectively (let’s call this “capability”).
Get beyond your racial victimhood ideology and your issue is simply an issue with human nature. How do we change that?

I am not a holder of the "victim" title. I have a BS, serveral certifications, plus am working on my masters. Victims sit back and complain...I am taking action.

Yes, all organizations have a different culture. The Lakers and Patriots each have their own locker room culture, but the culture, racial identity is not what dictates a player making the team. For example, most white players are not athletic enough (quick, jump) to make the team with pure athleticism, however, they can still make the team by working on their shooting, defense, dribbling a la Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki, Larry Bird. No where in the tryout process is the color of these players skin, culture or religious identity taken into factor. It depends all on their "capability" and that capability is not determined by race, culture, height, weight or gender.

I would like to say that the Patriots or Lakers dont use culture as the predominant factor in selecting players so why should the corporations be allowed to silently disqualify individuals based on social and cultural criteria?

...this excludes qualified individuals simply because their parents were short, black, white, fat, etc.

Bap33 says

Do you feel there is a strong link between drug abuse and these issues?

Drug abuse, mental illness, culture and mentality.

It used to be that only blacks and mexicans of native descent felt pushed aside but I think that many people are starting to latch on to the concept that the imaginary "man" is keeping them down. After growing up poor I simply went to college to turn my life around, while others did nothing to improve their lot in life. Now my only worry is how to maintain my current lifestyle during the downturn, where those that did nothing cant seem to find a job.

EightBall says

Clarence 13X says

The entertainment industry is eating our young and using free speech as the weapon. The more I read about poverty the more I realize that the media perpetuates a victim mentality to the poor who latch on to the crutches of socialistic programs.

Have you ever noticed that in just about every movie the parents are complete idiots, the dad is either cheating or left his wife for a “younger version”, and the kids have to break the law or request the assistance of an evil entity to achieve self-worth? And we wonder why kids are so freaking confused and screwed up … Even a seemingly innocuous movie like The Little Mermaid has the heroine (scantily clad, of course…if you can call a sea-shell bra clad) make a deal with a devil-like figure because she has the hots for some guy. How does all this turn out? She gets the man, of course, and lives happily ever after! Exactly what good parents want to teach their children…

I have also noticed that every Disney movie revolves around some form of death or lost of a loved one.

Clarence 13X says

Bap33 says

Do you feel there is a strong link between drug abuse and these issues?

Drug abuse, mental illness, culture and mentality.
It used to be that only blacks and mexicans of native descent felt pushed aside but I think that many people are starting to latch on to the concept that the imaginary “man” is keeping them down. After growing up poor I simply went to college to turn my life around, while others did nothing to improve their lot in life. Now my only worry is how to maintain my current lifestyle during the downturn, where those that did nothing cant seem to find a job.

yes, good post.

I see drug abuse as a sign of mental issues .. even if the mental issue is really nothing more than a weak character or a follow-the-leader type, that can't stand up to peer pressure.

Culture ... amen. That is a biggie. Would you agree that broken families/homes (dad repalced by welfare for example) are the place where cultures begin to fracture?

Bap33 says

Clarence 13X says

Bap33 says

Do you feel there is a strong link between drug abuse and these issues?

Drug abuse, mental illness, culture and mentality.
It used to be that only blacks and mexicans of native descent felt pushed aside but I think that many people are starting to latch on to the concept that the imaginary “man” is keeping them down. After growing up poor I simply went to college to turn my life around, while others did nothing to improve their lot in life. Now my only worry is how to maintain my current lifestyle during the downturn, where those that did nothing cant seem to find a job.

yes, good post.
I see drug abuse as a sign of mental issues .. even if the mental issue is really nothing more than a weak character or a follow-the-leader type, that can’t stand up to peer pressure.
Culture … amen. That is a biggie. Would you agree that broken families/homes (dad repalced by welfare for example) are the place where cultures begin to fracture?

Yes and No.

In my case NO......I grew3 up on welfare which supplemented my fathers income. He was a tire man fixing flats for low wages which during the 40s were actually really good wages. However, by the 1980s $7.50/hour was not much so we had to go on welfare since my mom was stayed home with us kids.

In the current generation I say YES. I am not sure how much the welfare provides a crutch for the missing father because I had a father in the household but I think it safe to say YES. But from what we see on Maury Povich I think at this point it would be safe to assume the fathers dont care about their children one bit and without the welfare the families will go hungry. In which case we simply need to add lunch lines for children only, because as you can see from my experiences with my mother...I am not one to provide for those that can help themselves.

We have to increase the penalty for both parents, holding them accountable for raising fully functional children and the betterment of their lives. These programs require reforming, which in turn should reduce the families dependence on welfare.

I am going to read up more on the welfare state topics.