Violent standoff of baltimore protesters

[-Setro-]

"let's save our city by destroying our city!"
10/10 baltimore, 10/10

[Ad Bot]

[Camel]

On another note, I find it to be untrue that poor people will always remain poor. If you behave, go to school and do well, and present yourself well -- you can get out of poverty. When you dress like a gangster or a bum, nobody will want to hire you and I side with those people.

put yourself in the shoes of a black youth living in the ghetto right now. you want to escape - many do. so you go to school to be educated... except the schools in your neighborhood are terrible. the staff is underpaid, the students don't care, and there isn't enough funding to get any nice resources. and every moment you're at school, you're not providing money for your mom and lil sister. so you are forced to work instead of get a meager education- and the only place where you can get a job is at a 7-11, getting minimum wage, cus the offices aren't hiring, and they were never hiring hoodrats to begin with, so let's just say your resume is thinned out. and working 9 to 11 at 7 dollars an hour would be nice if you could keep all the money, but you have to pay taxes and help buy clothes, food, supplies, etc. so most of that money doesn't see your pocket. 

so now you've got little to no money, you've got no foundation, not enough education, and you could get caught in the crossfire of a gang war at any moment or get arrested for just standing around to boot.

that's what systematic oppression is like. it traps people.

[Harm94]

I've seen neighborhoods and parts of town that use to decent go to hell. Ever since the city expanded north they have cared less and less about the southern portion. The housing on the northern half is an example of Urban greed. Generic houses built just a few feet apart, and the narrowest roads ever paved. Yet the city is willing to tear up and repave fairly decent roads while leaving the ones here are left to decay and form the worst potholes known to man. The city won't pay for them, not enough traffic they say.

They even had a federal grant for the purpose of fixing up blighted neighborhoods, yet that money went to building a shiny new stadium for one of the high schools. Meanwhile people are buying up all the historic homes over here to charge people to rent these homes. A lot of people who rent them are families who don't stay long and we usually regard them as Bay Area trash. Plus there are also the drug dealers and marijuana growers, that has lead to even more unwanted foot traffic.

[Cantaloupe]

put yourself in the shoes of a black youth living in the ghetto right now. you want to escape - many do. so you go to school to be educated... except the schools in your neighborhood are terrible. the staff is underpaid, the students don't care, and there isn't enough funding to get any nice resources. and every moment you're at school, you're not providing money for your mom and lil sister. so you are forced to work instead of get a meager education- and the only place where you can get a job is at a 7-11, getting minimum wage, cus the offices aren't hiring, and they were never hiring hoodrats to begin with, so let's just say your resume is thinned out. and working 9 to 11 at 7 dollars an hour would be nice if you could keep all the money, but you have to pay taxes and help buy clothes, food, supplies, etc. so most of that money doesn't see your pocket. 

so now you've got little to no money, you've got no foundation, not enough education, and you could get caught in the crossfire of a gang war at any moment or get arrested for just standing around to boot.

that's what systematic oppression is like. it traps people.

It's not like we're talking about escaping a third world nation -- this is America, not Afghanistan. I will say that you made great points, and I can sympathize without a doubt. There is a major class inequality going on in America today. It is not exclusively black people suffering from poverty -- but also whites, Hispanics and Asians. In theory, every group is subject to poverty. However, within some groups, poverty is more prevalent. Needless to say, there are ways to get out of the cycle. Our ancestors did it, and these people can too.

You brought up another great point about how students simply don't care, and that is completely true. They see how many of their peers and family members weren't able to make it -- and that leads them to believe that they cant make it either. If they don't care, society won't care. You have to make an effort, and you cant give up. Most of America's millionaires didn't inherit their wealth, a great proportion of those who are at the top 1% came from very poor families. I am aware that there are also many who solely inherited wealth, but the majority are self-made these days. Getting out of poverty is a lot easier than what it used to be, especially with the online web (internet).

If an employer sees you acting in such a way, then they won't want to hire you. Many of America's impoverished youth today seem to be lacking two things: self-respect, and proper mannerisms. They don't know how to speak properly, they don't have respect for others, they don't know how to dress, and they don't realize the importance in first impressions. If I was poor and I had very little money, and I was going to an interview for a job that pays well - I would dress with the best clothes I could get, even if they took out 30% of my monthly wage. You know why? Because first impressions are very important. If these people really wanted to get out of what is known as the "hood", then they would scrap up whatever they could, stay in school, off the streets, and save all the money they earn to move to a better neighborhood. It is not impossible. Minimum wage is nothing, but with the right choices and proper knowledge on finances -- you can make it.

[Col. Derontchi]

I heard this very sad story of an Asian woman who owns a store in Baltimore. Looters keep harassing her for free stuff. forget these hoodlums.

[Otis Da HousKat]

put yourself in the shoes of a black youth living in the ghetto right now. you want to escape - many do. so you go to school to be educated... except the schools in your neighborhood are terrible. the staff is underpaid, the students don't care, and there isn't enough funding to get any nice resources. and every moment you're at school, you're not providing money for your mom and lil sister. so you are forced to work instead of get a meager education- and the only place where you can get a job is at a 7-11, getting minimum wage, cus the offices aren't hiring, and they were never hiring hoodrats to begin with, so let's just say your resume is thinned out. and working 9 to 11 at 7 dollars an hour would be nice if you could keep all the money, but you have to pay taxes and help buy clothes, food, supplies, etc. so most of that money doesn't see your pocket. 

so now you've got little to no money, you've got no foundation, not enough education, and you could get caught in the crossfire of a gang war at any moment or get arrested for just standing around to boot.

that's what systematic oppression is like. it traps people.

The rest of your argument is valid, but I'd like to point out that they most likely aren't paying taxes especially if they have children. Not that is much of a relief when you're making so little to begin with.

[Cantaloupe]

The rest of your argument is valid, but I'd like to point out that they most likely aren't paying taxes especially if they have children. Not that is much of a relief when you're making so little to begin with.

Due to the lack of work ethic and educational background in many of America's impoverished communities, many of these people drop out of high school and begin to have numerous kids and in theory abuse the system. If you know you cant afford to have a kid, don't have one and make it someone else's problem.

[ZombiLoin]

among other things i blame the 80's crack epidemic.

[Cantaloupe]

among other things i blame the 80's crack epidemic.

1980s are long gone, it's been well over thirty years. I think that is more than enough time for at least one generation to recover.

[Planr]

working 9 to 11 at 7 dollars an hour would be nice if you could keep all the money, but you have to pay taxes and help buy clothes, food, supplies, etc. so most of that money doesn't see your pocket. 

so now you've got little to no money, you've got no foundation, not enough education, and you could get caught in the crossfire of a gang war at any moment or get arrested for just standing around to boot.

that's what systematic oppression is like. it traps people.

Did you know that people who make less than ~30,000 per year pay no federal income tax? and oftentimes those black neighborhoods are in cities or counties run by democrats, who generally have high taxes.

[Otis Da HousKat]

Due to the lack of work ethic and educational background in many of America's impoverished communities, many of these people drop out of high school and begin to have numerous kids and in theory abuse the system. If you know you cant afford to have a kid, don't have one and make it someone else's problem.

That's not how poor people think though. You mentioned earlier that they can work hard and stick to it but the people who are the ones to do that aren't those burdened with the mindset brought on by poverty in the first place. Poor people are very short-sighted and selfish, seemingly as a survival mechanism, but not being able to see the value in planning things out is a positive feedback loop that won't ever get better.

That selfish mindset is what I was talking about earlier. You have a mass of people making barely enough money to get by so they spend what little extra income they have on frivolous things. Everyone is living for themselves or their immediate family so the benefits of society and community-investment are non-existent for these people.

I'd just like to say that I'm white but I'm not speaking from a place of privilege when it comes to poverty. I grew up in poverty. My parents were neglectful and foolish with their money. I remember living for about 2 months one winter with no electricity. There were times where both parents would just disappear for days leaving my older brother and I alone with no food. My mother is going to lose her house and is in her late 50s with no retirement plan or savings. She thinks I can bail her out and even if I did have the money I wouldn't do it because it would just be wasted. My father ran two businesses that could have been worth millions into the ground because of poor management and treating them like a hobby. They had the chance to have everything in life and squandered it. That's just how poor people are.

[Bisjac]

i would kill to be a poor black person. all that free college and free food and cheaper government assisted child care and rent.
and here i am having to earn for myself like a loving sucker

stuff, black people dont even have to have anywhere near average grades to compete with a white guy for college application.

[Harm94]

1980s are long gone, it's been well over thirty years. I think that is more than enough time for at least one generation to recover.

Cocaine is a pretty addictive drug, so it is not something you shrug off walk away from. Plus the kids risk picking up the addiction from the parents. You also have the gang culture as well which includes taking and selling drugs.

[ZombiLoin]

1980s are long gone, it's been well over thirty years. I think that is more than enough time for at least one generation to recover.

you do agree human beings live for more than 70 years, yes? and you do agree that those human beings who are of an age above 30 years have significant sway in communities, right?

okay let me lay something else on you.

you're a moron, okay? can we just agree on that caribou?

[Camel]

However, within some groups, poverty is more prevalent. Needless to say, there are ways to get out of the cycle. Our ancestors did it, and these people can too.

of course there are ways - i'm not gonna argue people haven't had rags to riches stories, because there are plenty of em. it's just that the vast majority of people can't escape. i'm sure there are people here who would argue that it's better to let those few lucky hard workers succeed and the rest suffer, but i don't think that that mentality is going to fix anything, it just creates a couple of millionares and a bunch of poor people.

You brought up another great point about how students simply don't care, and that is completely true. They see how many of their peers and family members weren't able to make it -- and that leads them to believe that they cant make it either. If they don't care, society won't care. You have to make an effort, and you cant give up.

yes, but i also said that even if you have motivation and drive, you're still most likely screwed. a lot of their apathy probably comes from believing in the american dream, that anyone can succeed, and after 10 years of being stuck realizing that it's just a dream.

Most of America's millionaires didn't inherit their wealth, a great proportion of those who are at the top 1% came from very poor families. I am aware that there are also many who solely inherited wealth, but the majority are self-made these days. Getting out of poverty is a lot easier than what it used to be, especially with the online web (internet).

looking at the forbes list, it is true that the majority are self made, but i don't see anything statistics that says most of em came from very poor families. do you have any numbers on that?

If an employer sees you acting in such a way, then they won't want to hire you. Many of America's impoverished youth today seem to be lacking two things: self-respect, and proper mannerisms. They don't know how to speak properly, they don't have respect for others, they don't know how to dress, and they don't realize the importance in first impressions. If I was poor and I had very little money, and I was going to an interview for a job that pays well - I would dress with the best clothes I could get, even if they took out 30% of my monthly wage. You know why? Because first impressions are very important. If these people really wanted to get out of what is known as the "hood", then they would scrap up whatever they could, stay in school, off the streets, and save all the money they earn to move to a better neighborhood. It is not impossible. Minimum wage is nothing, but with the right choices and proper knowledge on finances -- you can make it.

i feel like you're arguing that the world is idyllic - that if you set your heart to anything you can achieve it.

but that's wishful thinking, and wishful thinking gets us no where. thinking that "everything will be okay for the ones who want it" allows you to not have to focus on the problem of people who do want it but can't have it.

i would kill to be a poor black person. all that free college and free food and cheaper government assisted child care and rent.
and here i am having to earn for myself like a loving sucker

stuff, black people dont even have to have anywhere near average grades to compete with a white guy for college application.

who says you have to be black to have a lower quality of life? just stop working and eventually you'll get everything for free