Baltimore: The Next Ferguson? (1 Viewer)

[TheIronSheik]

Sad when Ray Lewis and Carmello Anthony are the voice of reason.

 

[TobiasFunke]

I'd say that ignoring jumps in children born out of wedlock and declining marriage rates across races and classes in order to cast this as "the breakdown of the black family" is gaming the statistics (that's actually a nice way to put it). I'm just presenting more information and the missing context.

How about this one?

From 1900 to 1950, the percentage of black people (both sexes) who never married was lower than the percentage of white people that never married.

White men/women around 8.5% black men around 6% and black women around 4%.

In 2010, the percentage ow white women never married was about 6.5%, white men about 9% and black men/women around 20%.

I don't think someone has to be married to lead a rewarding and meaningful life, but if the accepted definition of a family is a married couple, doesn't there seem to be a disparity?

Of course there's a disparity. But what causes it? Black men die a lot younger. They go to prison at a much higher rate. Dying and being in prison are two things that tend to limit opportunities to wed, both for the dead/imprisoned and for the people who might otherwise marry them. They also don't make as much money ... and since we still live in a society where financial security motivates many to get married, there's less motivation for black women there. It's rational behavior, given those factors. We should be concerned about those factors, not the rational behavior they produce.

 

[Jaysus]

Pratt Street Ale house open until 7pm today, they are encouraging folks to stop by for a pint!

 

[GroveDiesel]

So tell me genius, how do you explain this incontrovertible FACT:

- in 1965 the percentage of illegitimate black babies was 25%. Today the number is 70%.

People like you live to blame the breakdown of the black family on white racism or the vestiges of slavery. Unfortunately the data doesn't show that.

Why has the black family broken down? And why does the breakdown coincide with the flood of liberal programs that came on the scene right when the numbers spiked?

A little harsh approach but this is a pretty interesting statistic/question.

No, it really isn't. It ignores the fact that the rate of children born out of wedlock has skyrocketed across all races and social classes. It operates on the obviously false assumption that "white racism and the vestiges of slavery" stopped after 1965. It ignores the fact that birthrates per 1000 unmarried black women have dropped quite a bit since 1969 (while rates for white unmarried women have grown, as it turns out). Birth rates for married couples have dropped off a cliff over that time frame, which obviously skews the numbers regarding % of births to unmarried women even if the birth rates are unchanged.

Basically, it's a single statistic pulled out of context, isolated and misused to give ammunition to conservatives who are more interested in blaming social programs and black people for everything than in doing any actual research.

It's really not. We already know that the percentage of black women who aren't getting married is rising. Just because a lower percentage of them are having kids doesn't mean that the overall rate of kids out of wedlock still isn't skyrocketing. That article is nothing more than gaming the statistics.

There are all sorts of proven statistical benefits to marriage. You want to know why the middle class is declining? Let's start at the decline in marriage across the board.

I'd say that ignoring jumps in children born out of wedlock and declining marriage rates across races and classes in order to cast this as "the breakdown of the black family" is gaming the statistics (that's actually a nice way to put it). I'm just presenting more information and the missing context.

If I painted this soley as a breakdown in the black family, then that's my mistake. I think it's a breakdown in family in general. It just happens that the breakdown in black families started happening earlier than it did for other races. We're now seeing those rates climb for other races and, IMO, starting to see a lot of the same negative impacts from that.

One thing I think we can all agree on, is that the root issues are extremely complex, have many interconnecting causes and that there are no easy solutions.

 

[TobiasFunke]

So tell me genius, how do you explain this incontrovertible FACT:

- in 1965 the percentage of illegitimate black babies was 25%. Today the number is 70%.

People like you live to blame the breakdown of the black family on white racism or the vestiges of slavery. Unfortunately the data doesn't show that.

Why has the black family broken down? And why does the breakdown coincide with the flood of liberal programs that came on the scene right when the numbers spiked?

A little harsh approach but this is a pretty interesting statistic/question.

No, it really isn't. It ignores the fact that the rate of children born out of wedlock has skyrocketed across all races and social classes. It operates on the obviously false assumption that "white racism and the vestiges of slavery" stopped after 1965. It ignores the fact that birthrates per 1000 unmarried black women have dropped quite a bit since 1969 (while rates for white unmarried women have grown, as it turns out). Birth rates for married couples have dropped off a cliff over that time frame, which obviously skews the numbers regarding % of births to unmarried women even if the birth rates are unchanged.

Basically, it's a single statistic pulled out of context, isolated and misused to give ammunition to conservatives who are more interested in blaming social programs and black people for everything than in doing any actual research.

It's really not. We already know that the percentage of black women who aren't getting married is rising. Just because a lower percentage of them are having kids doesn't mean that the overall rate of kids out of wedlock still isn't skyrocketing. That article is nothing more than gaming the statistics.

There are all sorts of proven statistical benefits to marriage. You want to know why the middle class is declining? Let's start at the decline in marriage across the board.

I'd say that ignoring jumps in children born out of wedlock and declining marriage rates across races and classes in order to cast this as "the breakdown of the black family" is gaming the statistics (that's actually a nice way to put it). I'm just presenting more information and the missing context.

If I painted this soley as a breakdown in the black family, then that's my mistake. I think it's a breakdown in family in general. It just happens that the breakdown in black families started happening earlier than it did for other races. We're now seeing those rates climb for other races and, IMO, starting to see a lot of the same negative impacts from that.

One thing I think we can all agree on, is that the root issues are extremely complex, have many interconnecting causes and that there are no easy solutions.

Yeah, wasn't you, it was General Tso in the initial post on the subject you see up there

 

[Clifford]

Ray Lewis telling people to stop the violence is like Cosby telling black kids to pull their pants up and speak English.

It's definitely a good message but wow...the messenger is an awe-inspiring hypocritical choice.

Street cred. He has it cause he killed someone. They might listen to him.

 

[[icon]]

Ray Lewis telling people to stop the violence is like Cosby telling black kids to pull their pants up and speak English.

It's definitely a good message but wow...the messenger is an awe-inspiring hypocritical choice.

as a Steelers fan I hated Lewis , dont like his post player work but I have to give it to him here.The right words & for Baltimore probabky the right person

 

[igbomb]

Some historical context

Interesting. The '67 riots destroyed my city, it was before I was born but my grandparents lived on the edge of where the riots ended up. Detroit never recovered, anyone with the ability to move out did over the next 20 years and you see where it is today. The interstate system displaced many of the poorest residents in many urban areas, and then the Fair Housing Act of 1966 brought drastic changes to very segregated areas. Then the riots came, and then everyone with means left. Rinse and repeat in St Louis, Newark, Cleveland, Chicago, Baltimore and many more cities across the country. Long story short since I don't want to get to deep into this, we really haven't learned from what happened almost 50 years ago and we've repeated some of the mistakes that made many urban areas in this country nearly unlivable. Runaway crime, drugs, poverty, and a mentality of the populace of nothing to lose. Part of it is a policing problem but it is a societal problem and we love to just ignore our problems hoping they will dissolve on their own. Well they don't, and the destitute will have their say here and in many places all over the world. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

The question is why are they destitute and do the comfortable really truly care?

The answer to the second part is clearly "no".

The answer to the first part is much more difficult and goes to much deeper issues than most are willing to acknowledge IMO.

But instead of solely the history of segregation and income inequality, one might also consider political corruption, one-party systemic rule, unsustainable public services, unsustainable union practices, and a breakdown of basic familial and social norms -- it seems like another place to start.

If we are going here shouldn't you start with the war on drugs? Has any single policy wrecked more havoc on our urban centers the past 45 years?

Don't leave out Easy access to drugs and a culture which glorifies their usage, the decline of the social structures such as family, church, schools...

I hate this line of reasoning. Garbage.

Huh? One of the strongest correlations/predictors for future poverty and criminal conduct is being raised by a single parent. Anyone who has been raised by a single parent knows how difficult it is for both the parent and child. To ignore that factor is foolishness.

My issue is that people cite the decline of social structures as the CAUSE of issues. It's not, it's a consequence. Did the people in our urban communities simply one day wholesale choose to start dropping out of school, having kids out of wedlock and slinging dope in the streets.

Poverty is the driver, it's not the result. Poverty drives drug use. It drives criminal behavior. It drives single parenthood and school dropouts.

The degradation of the family structure didn't come first.

That's why I hate that line of reasoning. It's policies that a) demean the poor and b) encourage them to stay poor that are causing our issues. The issues didn't create themselves.

How does poverty cause single parenthood? Historical statistics show no such correlation. Poverty has existed for all of eternity and it's only been in the last 50 years that we've seen the percentage of single parents shoot through the roof. And it doesn't explain why kids who grow up in poverty with two parent households do much better than those with single parent households.

The statistics are clear that people of means are more likely to get married and are also more likely to stay married. Poverty is a huge factor in single parenthood.

And enough with the 'this wasn't an issue until the last 50 years'. There are 1000 factors that are different today than they were a century ago. It's not a valid comparison unless you have some research that adjusts for all of the consequential variables.

 

[Billy Bats]

Ray Lewis telling people to stop the violence is like Cosby telling black kids to pull their pants up and speak English.

It's definitely a good message but wow...the messenger is an awe-inspiring hypocritical choice.

as a Steelers fan I hated Lewis , dont like his post player work but I have to give it to him here. The right words & for Baltimore probabky the right person

I give him credit for the message, but it would've been a lot more effective and much cooler if he was out there tacking dudes off the top of police cars.

 

[[icon]]

And enough with the 'this wasn't an issue until the last 50 years'. There are 1000 factors that are different today than they were a century ago. It's not a valid comparison unless you have some research that adjusts for all of the consequential variables.

Not attacking you directly... but these sorts of posts always feel like lazy ways to try to duck the reality of stuff that is obvious to any rational thinking individual. referring to this scenario as well as many others that have nothing to do with Baltimore or race riots.

 

[igbomb]

And enough with the 'this wasn't an issue until the last 50 years'. There are 1000 factors that are different today than they were a century ago. It's not a valid comparison unless you have some research that adjusts for all of the consequential variables.

Not attacking you directly... but these sorts of posts always feel like lazy ways to try to duck the reality of stuff that is obvious to any rational thinking individual. referring to this scenario as well as many others that have nothing to do with Baltimore or race riots.

Say again? What's the rational part that I'm missing?

 

[Gawain]

And enough with the 'this wasn't an issue until the last 50 years'. There are 1000 factors that are different today than they were a century ago. It's not a valid comparison unless you have some research that adjusts for all of the consequential variables.

Not attacking you directly... but these sorts of posts always feel like lazy ways to try to duck the reality of stuff that is obvious to any rational thinking individual. referring to this scenario as well as many others that have nothing to do with Baltimore or race riots.

Say again? What's the rational part that I'm missing?

You are making a logical fallacy, argumentum ad lapidem to be precise.

 

[igbomb]

And enough with the 'this wasn't an issue until the last 50 years'. There are 1000 factors that are different today than they were a century ago. It's not a valid comparison unless you have some research that adjusts for all of the consequential variables.

Not attacking you directly... but these sorts of posts always feel like lazy ways to try to duck the reality of stuff that is obvious to any rational thinking individual. referring to this scenario as well as many others that have nothing to do with Baltimore or race riots.

Say again? What's the rational part that I'm missing?

You are making a logical fallacy, argumentum ad lapidem to be precise.

I'm absolutely dismissing the argument. When you pull eternity into your dataset, I'm not going to tackle disproving the bounds chosen.

It's lazy to say that we didn't have so many single parents before, but now we do, and we had poor people then as well so it must not be poverty that is driving it. That's silly.

 

[igbomb]

I honestly am surprised by how often people try to attribute negative societal outcomes to these amorphous concepts like 'decline of the family' or 'decline in morals'. Almost every negative societal outcome that we spend time discussing has strong correlations with poverty. Single parenthood, prison, early death, unemployment, lack of education, domestic violence, abortion. The list goes on.

Oh yeah, and among OECD nations, we are fourth worst in rate of poverty, with only Chile, Turkey and Israel worse. That's pathetic.

 

[jonessed]

And enough with the 'this wasn't an issue until the last 50 years'. There are 1000 factors that are different today than they were a century ago. It's not a valid comparison unless you have some research that adjusts for all of the consequential variables.

Not attacking you directly... but these sorts of posts always feel like lazy ways to try to duck the reality of stuff that is obvious to any rational thinking individual. referring to this scenario as well as many others that have nothing to do with Baltimore or race riots.

Say again? What's the rational part that I'm missing?

You are making a logical fallacy, argumentum ad lapidem to be precise.

I'm absolutely dismissing the argument. When you pull eternity into your dataset, I'm not going to tackle disproving the bounds chosen.

It's lazy to say that we didn't have so many single parents before, but now we do, and we had poor people then as well so it must not be poverty that is driving it. That's silly.

 

[TheIronSheik]

I honestly am surprised by how often people try to attribute negative societal outcomes to these amorphous concepts like 'decline of the family' or 'decline in morals'. Almost every negative societal outcome that we spend time discussing has strong correlations with poverty. Single parenthood, prison, early death, unemployment, lack of education, domestic violence, abortion. The list goes on.

Oh yeah, and among OECD nations, we are fourth worst in rate of poverty, with only Chile, Turkey and Israel worse. That's pathetic.

Posts like this are a direct result of the decline in morals. :(

 

[[icon]]

Oh yeah, and among OECD nations, we are fourth worst in rate of poverty, with only Chile, Turkey and Israel worse. That's pathetic.

Couldn't agree with you more here.

 

[TobiasFunke]

I honestly am surprised by how often people try to attribute negative societal outcomes to these amorphous concepts like 'decline of the family' or 'decline in morals'. Almost every negative societal outcome that we spend time discussing has strong correlations with poverty. Single parenthood, prison, early death, unemployment, lack of education, domestic violence, abortion. The list goes on.

Oh yeah, and among OECD nations, we are fourth worst in rate of poverty, with only Chile, Turkey and Israel worse. That's pathetic.

Posts like this are a direct result of the decline in morals. :(

I consider myself an expert on the subject of declining morals

 

[Slapdash]

I honestly am surprised by how often people try to attribute negative societal outcomes to these amorphous concepts like 'decline of the family' or 'decline in morals'. Almost every negative societal outcome that we spend time discussing has strong correlations with poverty. Single parenthood, prison, early death, unemployment, lack of education, domestic violence, abortion. The list goes on.

Oh yeah, and among OECD nations, we are fourth worst in rate of poverty, with only Chile, Turkey and Israel worse. That's pathetic.

There is a moral failing here: the failure to adequately address the problem of poverty.

 

[Two Deep]

Idle hands make one poor,
but diligent hands bring riches

 

[tdoss]

Ray Lewis telling people to stop the violence is like Cosby telling black kids to pull their pants up and speak English.

It's definitely a good message but wow...the messenger is an awe-inspiring hypocritical choice.

Street cred. He has it cause he killed someone. They might listen to him.

Thus the hypocrisy and yet another example of how ridiculously far black leadership has fallen.

A murderous former athlete has more credibility than the First Black President of the U.S.

You honestly couldn't write this in a script...it would be considered racist drivel trying to paint black culture negatively.

 

[Two Deep]

“A worthless man devises mischief"

 

[jonessed]

I honestly am surprised by how often people try to attribute negative societal outcomes to these amorphous concepts like 'decline of the family' or 'decline in morals'. Almost every negative societal outcome that we spend time discussing has strong correlations with poverty. Single parenthood, prison, early death, unemployment, lack of education, domestic violence, abortion. The list goes on.

Oh yeah, and among OECD nations, we are fourth worst in rate of poverty, with only Chile, Turkey and Israel worse. That's pathetic.

There is a moral failing here: the failure to adequately address the problem of poverty.

Yes. The war on poverty failed much like the war on drugs failed. It's not a moral failing though. It's a structural failing. There simply isn't consensus on how to solve it.

 

[[icon]]

“A worthless man devises mischief"

"Little Miss Muffett, sat on her tuffet"

 

[Parrothead]

“A worthless man devises mischief"

"Little Miss Muffett, sat on her tuffet"

what's in the bowl, #####?

 

[Two Deep]

O simple ones, learn prudence; O fools, learn sense

 

[TobiasFunke]

Ray Lewis telling people to stop the violence is like Cosby telling black kids to pull their pants up and speak English.

It's definitely a good message but wow...the messenger is an awe-inspiring hypocritical choice.

Street cred. He has it cause he killed someone. They might listen to him.

Thus the hypocrisy and yet another example of how ridiculously far black leadership has fallen.

A murderous former athlete has more credibility than the First Black President of the U.S.

You honestly couldn't write this in a script...it would be considered racist drivel trying to paint black culture negatively.

Kind of funny that a (presumably white) guy with an interest in fantasy football and a job that lets him fart around on the internet all day is the one instructing you on who does and doesn't have "street cred" ... and that you so readily accepted it as the truth.

This has always been my favorite part of these threads- a bunch of upper middle class white suburbanites- many of whom probably haven't spent more than an hour in a majority black neighborhood in many years- suddenly feeling qualified to speak with authority on black culture.

 

[Hang 10]

Ray Lewis telling people to stop the violence is like Cosby telling black kids to pull their pants up and speak English.

It's definitely a good message but wow...the messenger is an awe-inspiring hypocritical choice.

Street cred. He has it cause he killed someone. They might listen to him.

Thus the hypocrisy and yet another example of how ridiculously far black leadership has fallen.

A murderous former athlete has more credibility than the First Black President of the U.S.

You honestly couldn't write this in a script...it would be considered racist drivel trying to paint black culture negatively.

Kind of funny that a (presumably white) guy with an interest in fantasy football and a job that lets him fart around on the internet all day is the one instructing you on who does and doesn't have "street cred" ... and that you so readily accepted it as the truth.

This has always been my favorite part of these threads- a bunch of upper middle class white suburbanites- many of whom probably haven't spent more than an hour in a majority black neighborhood in many years- suddenly feeling qualified to speak with authority on black culture.

If we can't even speak on the subject then what's the point of having any kind of discussion of race in America? It's a black thang, we wouldn't understand. Amirite?

 

[igbomb]

I honestly am surprised by how often people try to attribute negative societal outcomes to these amorphous concepts like 'decline of the family' or 'decline in morals'. Almost every negative societal outcome that we spend time discussing has strong correlations with poverty. Single parenthood, prison, early death, unemployment, lack of education, domestic violence, abortion. The list goes on.

Oh yeah, and among OECD nations, we are fourth worst in rate of poverty, with only Chile, Turkey and Israel worse. That's pathetic.

There is a moral failing here: the failure to adequately address the problem of poverty.

Yes. The war on poverty failed much like the war on drugs failed. It's not a moral failing though. It's a structural failing. There simply isn't consensus on how to solve it.

There we go. I completely agree that we haven't properly addressed poverty. I'm sure we won't agree on how that should be done, but at least we're on the same page thus far.

 

[DocHolliday]

Do we even have any speculations yet on what happened to this guy?

Did they do one of those rides where they cuff him, toss him in the van and then drive over every speed bump and pothole?

I haven't heard anything on how he got injured yet.

Sounds like it was a "rough ride" thing where they made sure to drive like idiots in order to send a message to him. The cops involved should no doubt be punished. I believe they were already suspended last week or so.

punished? They should be prosecuted for manslaughter...

Just a rough ride caused his neck to break? I guess that's possible, but it doesn't seem very likely.

His neck was broken long before the ride. They are using the ride as the excuse to how his neck was broken when in fact it was broken when they tried to cuff him. I mean c'mon people. look at his limp body when they tried to pick him up. That dude was messed up.

My thoughts as well.

 

[DocHolliday]

Ray Lewis telling people to stop the violence is like Cosby telling black kids to pull their pants up and speak English.

It's definitely a good message but wow...the messenger is an awe-inspiring hypocritical choice.

Street cred. He has it cause he killed someone. They might listen to him.

Thus the hypocrisy and yet another example of how ridiculously far black leadership has fallen.

A murderous former athlete has more credibility than the First Black President of the U.S.

You honestly couldn't write this in a script...it would be considered racist drivel trying to paint black culture negatively.

Kind of funny that a (presumably white) guy with an interest in fantasy football and a job that lets him fart around on the internet all day is the one instructing you on who does and doesn't have "street cred" ... and that you so readily accepted it as the truth.

This has always been my favorite part of these threads- a bunch of upper middle class white suburbanites- many of whom probably haven't spent more than an hour in a majority black neighborhood in many years- suddenly feeling qualified to speak with authority on black culture.

True Dat

 

[TripItUp]

Something that shouldn't be overlooked is the disappearance of middle class and working class jobs and the impact that has had on the poor and middle class. That is a phenomenon that our best policy makers have wrestled with for a long time.

This is a very complex issue that has problems that aren't easily solved or may not even be solvable.

 

[TheIronSheik]

I honestly am surprised by how often people try to attribute negative societal outcomes to these amorphous concepts like 'decline of the family' or 'decline in morals'. Almost every negative societal outcome that we spend time discussing has strong correlations with poverty. Single parenthood, prison, early death, unemployment, lack of education, domestic violence, abortion. The list goes on.

Oh yeah, and among OECD nations, we are fourth worst in rate of poverty, with only Chile, Turkey and Israel worse. That's pathetic.

Posts like this are a direct result of the decline in morals. :(

I consider myself an expert on the subject of declining morals

PM sent.

 

[TobiasFunke]

Ray Lewis telling people to stop the violence is like Cosby telling black kids to pull their pants up and speak English.

It's definitely a good message but wow...the messenger is an awe-inspiring hypocritical choice.

Street cred. He has it cause he killed someone. They might listen to him.

Thus the hypocrisy and yet another example of how ridiculously far black leadership has fallen.

A murderous former athlete has more credibility than the First Black President of the U.S.

You honestly couldn't write this in a script...it would be considered racist drivel trying to paint black culture negatively.

Kind of funny that a (presumably white) guy with an interest in fantasy football and a job that lets him fart around on the internet all day is the one instructing you on who does and doesn't have "street cred" ... and that you so readily accepted it as the truth.

This has always been my favorite part of these threads- a bunch of upper middle class white suburbanites- many of whom probably haven't spent more than an hour in a majority black neighborhood in many years- suddenly feeling qualified to speak with authority on black culture.

If we can't even speak on the subject then what's the point of having any kind of discussion of race in America? It's a black thang, we wouldn't understand. Amirite?

There's plenty you can say about a subject without pretending that you know what it's like to be something you're not. I've probably posted as much as anyone in this thread + the Ferguson thread and I've never once pretended that I have any idea what it feels like to grow up black and impoverished in an American city (except for a single brief discussion about how Charles Barkley is an elderly buffoon that I suspect most young black people would ignore).

 

[fantasycurse42]

Ray Lewis telling people to stop the violence is like Cosby telling black kids to pull their pants up and speak English.

It's definitely a good message but wow...the messenger is an awe-inspiring hypocritical choice.

Street cred. He has it cause he killed someone. They might listen to him.

Thus the hypocrisy and yet another example of how ridiculously far black leadership has fallen.

A murderous former athlete has more credibility than the First Black President of the U.S.

You honestly couldn't write this in a script...it would be considered racist drivel trying to paint black culture negatively.

Kind of funny that a (presumably white) guy with an interest in fantasy football and a job that lets him fart around on the internet all day is the one instructing you on who does and doesn't have "street cred" ... and that you so readily accepted it as the truth.

This has always been my favorite part of these threads- a bunch of upper middle class white suburbanites- many of whom probably haven't spent more than an hour in a majority black neighborhood in many years- suddenly feeling qualified to speak with authority on black culture.

Yet you are always a dominate voice in these threads, are you black?

FTR, I live in a boro that is about 37% black. The school my kid is zoned to has an ethnic breakdown of 1/3 white, 1/3 black, 1/3 spanish and asian.

 

[CBusAlex]

I don't usually agree with tdoss very often but he makes some good sense here. While I'm in favor of of ending the drug war, how would it affect the inner city? Wouldn't corporations quickly take over the sale of most narcotics?

Well, you'd have a lot less people going to jail for drug crimes. That would be a pretty major benefit on its own, since being in jail tends to hinder your ability to get a job, raise your kids, and generally be a productive member of society.

 

[ArbyMelt]

Ray Lewis telling people to stop the violence is like Cosby telling black kids to pull their pants up and speak English.

It's definitely a good message but wow...the messenger is an awe-inspiring hypocritical choice.

Street cred. He has it cause he killed someone. They might listen to him.

Thus the hypocrisy and yet another example of how ridiculously far black leadership has fallen.

A murderous former athlete has more credibility than the First Black President of the U.S.

You honestly couldn't write this in a script...it would be considered racist drivel trying to paint black culture negatively.

Kind of funny that a (presumably white) guy with an interest in fantasy football and a job that lets him fart around on the internet all day is the one instructing you on who does and doesn't have "street cred" ... and that you so readily accepted it as the truth.

This has always been my favorite part of these threads- a bunch of upper middle class white suburbanites- many of whom probably haven't spent more than an hour in a majority black neighborhood in many years- suddenly feeling qualified to speak with authority on black culture.

Kind of funny that a (presumably white) guy with an interest in fantasy football and a job that lets him fart around on the internet all day can decide who is qualified to give an opinion on a message board

 

[TheIronSheik]

Ray Lewis telling people to stop the violence is like Cosby telling black kids to pull their pants up and speak English.

It's definitely a good message but wow...the messenger is an awe-inspiring hypocritical choice.

Street cred. He has it cause he killed someone. They might listen to him.

Thus the hypocrisy and yet another example of how ridiculously far black leadership has fallen.

A murderous former athlete has more credibility than the First Black President of the U.S.

You honestly couldn't write this in a script...it would be considered racist drivel trying to paint black culture negatively.

Kind of funny that a (presumably white) guy with an interest in fantasy football and a job that lets him fart around on the internet all day is the one instructing you on who does and doesn't have "street cred" ... and that you so readily accepted it as the truth.

This has always been my favorite part of these threads- a bunch of upper middle class white suburbanites- many of whom probably haven't spent more than an hour in a majority black neighborhood in many years- suddenly feeling qualified to speak with authority on black culture.

Yet you are always a dominate voice in these threads, are you black?

FTR, I live in a boro that is about 37% black. The school my kid is zoned to has an ethnic breakdown of 1/3 white, 1/3 black, 1/3 spanish and asian.

1/3 is Spanish and Asian? Spasian? I didn't even know that was a thing. I guess they all live up your way.

 

[Baloney Sandwich]

I lived in Baltimore for 18 months several years ago. My apartment was on Hanover Street near the bridge and there was a kind crack dealer named Reggie that worked the corner where I lived. Reggie was always nice when he saw my drunken ### stumble home from Mums. I really hope Reggie is making it through this whole situation okay.

 

[Hang 10]

Ray Lewis telling people to stop the violence is like Cosby telling black kids to pull their pants up and speak English.

It's definitely a good message but wow...the messenger is an awe-inspiring hypocritical choice.

Street cred. He has it cause he killed someone. They might listen to him.

Thus the hypocrisy and yet another example of how ridiculously far black leadership has fallen.

A murderous former athlete has more credibility than the First Black President of the U.S.

You honestly couldn't write this in a script...it would be considered racist drivel trying to paint black culture negatively.

Kind of funny that a (presumably white) guy with an interest in fantasy football and a job that lets him fart around on the internet all day is the one instructing you on who does and doesn't have "street cred" ... and that you so readily accepted it as the truth.

This has always been my favorite part of these threads- a bunch of upper middle class white suburbanites- many of whom probably haven't spent more than an hour in a majority black neighborhood in many years- suddenly feeling qualified to speak with authority on black culture.

If we can't even speak on the subject then what's the point of having any kind of discussion of race in America? It's a black thang, we wouldn't understand. Amirite?

There's plenty you can say about a subject without pretending that you know what it's like to be something you're not. I've probably posted as much as anyone in this thread + the Ferguson thread and I've never once pretended that I have any idea what it feels like to grow up black and impoverished in an American city (except for a single brief discussion about how Charles Barkley is an elderly buffoon that I suspect most young black people would ignore).

But why would someone need to be black to point out the hypocrisy of having Ray Lewis as a spokesmen against violence?

 

[Gawain]

Ray Lewis telling people to stop the violence is like Cosby telling black kids to pull their pants up and speak English.

It's definitely a good message but wow...the messenger is an awe-inspiring hypocritical choice.

Street cred. He has it cause he killed someone. They might listen to him.

Thus the hypocrisy and yet another example of how ridiculously far black leadership has fallen.

A murderous former athlete has more credibility than the First Black President of the U.S.

You honestly couldn't write this in a script...it would be considered racist drivel trying to paint black culture negatively.

Kind of funny that a (presumably white) guy with an interest in fantasy football and a job that lets him fart around on the internet all day is the one instructing you on who does and doesn't have "street cred" ... and that you so readily accepted it as the truth.

This has always been my favorite part of these threads- a bunch of upper middle class white suburbanites- many of whom probably haven't spent more than an hour in a majority black neighborhood in many years- suddenly feeling qualified to speak with authority on black culture.

And only other cops should be able to condemn them because you need to be part of the thin blue line to speak with authority on police actions.

 

[TobiasFunke]

Also, if Ray Lewis does have some sort of "street cred" in Baltimore I would think it's probably because he won two Super Bowls with the Ravens, not because he murdered someone. If there were riots in Pittsburgh nobody would give a #### what Ray Lewis had to say and Samoan nice guy Troy Polamalu would have everyone's ear.

 

[Hang 10]

I lived in Baltimore for 18 months several years ago. My apartment was on Hanover Street near the bridge and there was a kind crack dealer named Reggie that worked the corner where I lived. Reggie was always nice when he saw my drunken ### stumble home from Mums. I really hope Reggie is making it through this whole situation okay.

Apple Jack knows some dealers in Baltimore. Maybe he could make a few phone calls.

 

[TobiasFunke]

There's plenty you can say about a subject without pretending that you know what it's like to be something you're not. I've probably posted as much as anyone in this thread + the Ferguson thread and I've never once pretended that I have any idea what it feels like to grow up black and impoverished in an American city (except for a single brief discussion about how Charles Barkley is an elderly buffoon that I suspect most young black people would ignore).

But why would someone need to be black to point out the hypocrisy of having Ray Lewis as a spokesmen against violence?

They don't. Pointing out that hypocrisy is totally valid. It's also funny as hell. I'd be disappointed if we hadn't pointed it out.

However you need to be black, or at least have an intimate knowledge of the community, to talk about who has "street cred' with black people and why, and whether "a murderous black athlete has more credibility than the first black president of the United States." Otherwise I don't know what you could possibly be relying on to form that opinion.

 

[Gawain]

Also, if Ray Lewis does have some sort of "street cred" in Baltimore it's because he won two Super Bowls with the Ravens, not because he murdered someone. If there were riots in Pittsburgh nobody would give a #### what Ray Lewis had to say and Samoan nice guy Troy Polamalu would have everyone's ear.

And why has Joe Flacco been so quiet on this? Shouldn't Kyle Juszczyk be speaking out?

 

[George Jefferson Airplane]

I haven't been to Baltimore in some time. Do they still have the Hard Rock Café? Was it looted? If so, expect those looters to have the poopies.

 

[fantasycurse42]

Also, if Ray Lewis does have some sort of "street cred" in Baltimore it's because he won two Super Bowls with the Ravens, not because he murdered someone. If there were riots in Pittsburgh nobody would give a #### what Ray Lewis had to say and Samoan nice guy Troy Polamalu would have everyone's ear.

And why has Joe Flacco been so quiet on this? Shouldn't Kyle Juszczyk be speaking out?

Justin Tucker FTW.

 

[Officer Pete Malloy]

All you black guys settle this yet?

 

[TobiasFunke]

Also, if Ray Lewis does have some sort of "street cred" in Baltimore it's because he won two Super Bowls with the Ravens, not because he murdered someone. If there were riots in Pittsburgh nobody would give a #### what Ray Lewis had to say and Samoan nice guy Troy Polamalu would have everyone's ear.

And why has Joe Flacco been so quiet on this? Shouldn't Kyle Juszczyk be speaking out?

Not an elite QB IMO

 

[George Jefferson Airplane]

All you black guys settle this yet?