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[ScOULaris]

The black male demographic has long been the worst performing ethnic/gender group with regard to education and employment in the United States. As of 2008/2009, the high school graduation rate for black males was 47% (page six of the link). Less than half of all black males graduating from high school naturally makes for some very grim employment prospects. The most recent unemployment data shows black males leading the pack once again with an unemployment rate averaging between 16% and 18%, over double the unemployment rates for white and Asian males, and higher than the female unemployment rate across all ethnic groups. When it comes to higher education, black males naturally fall below the curve as well, with a 33% college graduation rate as compared to black females' 49% and the across-the-board average of 57%.

For a bonus piece of data, black males are also dropping the ball with regard to parenting. As of 2009, 67% of black children in the U.S. are raised by a single parent, and in nearly every case it's a single mother.

That first link places most of the blame on poor facilities and teachers in schools with a large black population, but these numbers aren't far off from the well-funded and high-performing schools in Florida where I work. If you've worked in education before, surely you can attest that there is a social issue at play here that no amount of school funding could ever address.

The data is undeniable, and the trend over the last 20 years is not showing any sign of reversing in the near future. So I'll open up the thread with these two questions:

1. What is the most significant contributing factor here?
2. What, if anything, can be done about this?

They are very broad questions, I know, but the issue itself is widespread and nebulous to begin with. In a perfect world I wouldn't need to say this, but since it's GAF:

Please try to refrain from derailing this thread with blatant racism.

 

[Barrett2]

If you've worked in education before, surely you can attest that there is a social issue at play here that no amount of school funding could ever address.

Pretty much.

When I lived in Syracuse I was friends with two inner-city middle school teachers. Most of those kids were fucked before they even hit 7th grade.

Unstable home life, no fathers in the home, poverty, culture of the ghetto, etc. It's very depressing. Then the problems compound one another. The kids get no support at home, so the teachers get frustrated, do a worse job, so the kids fall behind, etc.

 

[crazy monkey]

I tried to write about issue long time ago in the black culture thread. Regarding divorce rate and single parent child issue I was told to look at south asian dowry issue and topic got derailed. No one wanted to talk about it so i stopped. My main aim was to say divorce and single parenting is really hurting.

 

[gutter_trash]

need good role models, fathers need to be there, hip-hop music should be more sensible about it's music influencing the teenage years

 

[JGS]

Only cure is to personally take individual responsibility to raise the average.

I'm aware that this requires more effort than average and that it's not fair, but still needs to be done.

 

[Alucrid]

I tried to write about issue long time ago in the black culture thread. Regarding divorce rate and single parent child issue I was told to look at south asian dowry issue and topic got derailed. No one wanted to talk about it so i stopped. My main aim was to say divorce and single parenting is really hurting.

Divorce? I would imagine a large number of the mothers in this case weren't married to start with.

 

[SmokyDave]

Anti-intellectualism. Performing well in school is sometimes seen as 'acting white' and therefore terribly uncool. I'm sure there are a million other reasons.

67% coming from single parent homes is a crazy number.

 

[That Singer Guy...]

As a black male I can attest to seeing this happen everyday. Parents in inner city homes have set the bar so low for their children, that even obtaining a GED is considered an incredible feat in 2011.

There is no way throwing money at the problem will solve anything. The only way this can be solved is by the parents responsible for this happening getting behind their children and pushing them to succeed, instead of letting them fall by the wayside and slowly become a statistic.

The only way I can see solving the single parent household is by letting it solve itself. A single parent household is slowly becoming less of a black thing and more of an american thing which is sad as hell.

 

[Dead Man]

God knows, I don't. It's a hell of a problem for sure.

Only cure is to personally take individual responsibility to raise the average.

I'm aware that this requires more effort than average and that it's not fair, but still needs to be done.

Who takes individual responsibility for what, and how do you get that to occur?

 

[planar1280]

they need to look up to better individuals. current role models are like Soulja Boy, Tupak etc

 

[Ducarmel]

I think just more positive attitudes and images of black male or even just any male in their immediate lives would help. If they cant get it at home then do it in school and after school programs (some schools are already doing this). But gaf would tell you its racist and why should black kids get special treatment and need to be reminded they are black.

To explain my self better, in Pennsylvania some schools started this voluntary program where student would spend time with a mentor/role model of their own race. The effect was the students started doing better in school and even dressing in better clothes for school. GAF reaction to it was that it singled out black kid that they needed help. Even though the program was open to all races.

Also media on black culture needs to be revamped big time.

 

[speedline]

1. What is the most significant contributing factor here?

Your pic shows what the main problem is. Thug lifestyle with gang mentality.

 

[ezrarh]

The idea that being a single mother is okay needs to be rid of. It's not working. I knew black girls from high school that were intelligent and were capable of attending college but for some reason decided to have kids instead. One had her third kid a couple years back at 22.

 

[Dali]

need good role models, fathers need to be there, hip-hop music should be more sensible about it's music influencing the teenage years

Why blame the music? Blame the idiot parents that let their kids listen to that trash at a young age. It's the same as not letting your kid watch R-rated movies or inappropriate tv shows, really.

 

[crazy monkey]

Divorce? I would imagine a large number of the mothers in this case weren't married to start with.

Black Men And Divorce: Implications For Culturally Competent Practice

I was referring to something like this.

2/3 of marriage in divorce that is 66%


from article

" . [1,3] One dramatic aspect has been a loosening of the marital bonds. The proportion of black couples who have divorced has increased, and the proportion of black couples who have married has declined. [1] Two thirds of all black marriages end in divorce, and 2 of 3 black children will experience the dissolution of their parents' marriage by the time they reach age 16. [4]"

Anyhow I know what you mean many of them were probably not even married. My point was a healthy family environment and cultural change needs to happen. I stated example of leader like martin luther king and I got answer that obama is president but that is not what i want from leader if you know what i mean. We need a leader that can change perception of world to young people.

 

[speedline]

Why blame the music? Blame the idiot parents that let their kids listen to that trash at a young age. It's the same as not letting your kid watch R-rated movies or inappropriate tv shows, really.

Because the parents are listening to the same music. Plenty of 40-50 black males share the same mentality as this generation. It's not a new problem.

 

[Amagon]

1. What is the most significant contributing factor here?

Your pic shows what the main problem is. Thug lifestyle with gang mentality.

Marvel vs Capcom 2 does that to all the inner city kids out there.

 

[The Albatross]

I don't sound like a PC academic when I say this, but I firmly believe that it's strongly tied to the lack of a father figure for many young men, black or white really. Not just fathers, but, also, dads. Dads are important.

What can be done? George Michael should adopt all fatherless black children.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJu170h7EhE

(why make joke w/ George Michael? Well, because I have no answer that would make anybody happy... People want government programs and social experiments, and my only solution is to say that the men fathering children and abandoning them and the women who have sex with men knowing that he is probably not going to stick around, need to take personal responsibility before doing the deed. It's very easy to not get pregnant.)

As a question to Black-gaf, or anybody who grew up in predominantly diverse neighborhoods, do you think that there is a willingness in young black women to have babies? Like, almost, a social or personal crutch that many black women strive for? I ask mostly because of an anecdotal situation when I was 13 or 14 in Health Class in Junior high, and five or six girls in my class, who I remember as being Latino and African American, told the class that they wanted to be pregnant by the time that they were 17 or 18... That they wanted babies. It's something that sticks out in my mind pretty strongly, one of the few things I remember from that class... So, what do you think, what's your experience with this sentiment? Is there social pressure in black communities for young, single black girls to have babies? Is there a personal (almost) obligation?

 

[Dali]

Because the parents are listening to the same music. Plenty of 40-50 black males share the same mentality as this generation. It's not a new problem.

I know the parents are listening to the same thing. I don't see a problem with a parent listening to it. They're (supposedly) adults. They're just too stupid to realize they shouldn't listen to this stuff in the company of their little, impressionable, child. So, once again, the music isn't to blame no more than an R-rated movie is to blame for your child being violent or cursing like a sailor. It's the parent who is the one exposing them to it.

 

[piddledy]

Please try to refrain from derailing this thread with blatant racism.

Haha, when you post a picture as suggestive as this in the OP, the thread basically writes itself.

 

[Dali]

Haha, when you post a picture as suggestive as this in the OP, the thread basically writes itself.

Surprised there's only been one MvC reference so far. See that's why they say the OT is so much more mature.

 

[Zaptruder]

Black culture needs to stop hating on the man and eschewing the tools that has made the man what he is.

Namely stop eschewing education, good manners.

You're not kow-towing to the man by playing his game. You gotta play his game to beat him at it.

 

[Clevinger]

Stop the drug war and put that money toward real rehabilitation and education. Not much will ever change if that doesn't happen.

 

[dave is ok]

Why is the kid in the picture making the BLOOD gang sign when they are wearing blue?

 

[scorcho]

Anti-intellectualism. Performing well in school is sometimes seen as 'acting white' and therefore terribly uncool. I'm sure there are a million other reasons.

have a fair number of friends (all female, oddly enough) who are teachers in NYC who are exasperated by this, since they're nearly unable to get through to their students. the issue is cultural, compounded by peer pressure and the absence of quality parenting.

 

[DrFunk]

Surprised there's only been one MvC reference so far. See that's why they say the OT is so much more mature.

Only a matter of time before the thread turns into a thinly-veiled racist venting session

 

[The Albatross]

I know the parents are listening to the same thing. I don't see a problem with a parent listening to it. They're (supposedly) adults. They're just too stupid to realize they shouldn't listen to this stuff in the company of their little, impressionable, child. So, once again, the music isn't to blame no more than an R-rated movie is to blame for your child being violent or cursing like a sailor. It's the parent who is the one exposing them to it.

Not blaming the music, but, I do wish that there was more Talib Kweli than, say, your dime a dozen glam hip hop artist.

 

[Smiles and Cries]

I agree with we need fathers and dads to step up... (I never had one, I don't think its an excuse)

I think education needs to be cooler than sports or entertainment as well

we need a Black PBS fuck BET

(also need to bring back the High Top fade these beanies do not protect your brain cells)

 

[SonnyBoy]

<--- black LMAO

The #1 issue is the lack of family structure. That's the root of the issue. A lot of those issues stem from slavery.

 

[gutter_trash]

Why blame the music? Blame the idiot parents that let their kids listen to that trash at a young age. It's the same as not letting your kid watch R-rated movies or inappropriate tv shows, really.

the music is ultra superficial and negative as heck

 

[Air]

Anti-intellectualism. Performing well in school is sometimes seen as 'acting white' and therefore terribly uncool. I'm sure there are a million other reasons.

67% coming from single parent homes is a crazy number.

I think this is a pretty fair point. I would agree with the acting white mantra, but in my experience people almost always respect you if they know you're smart. I think a lot has to do with many black people's crappy situation and disenchanted point of view.Growing up (I'm black) in Harlem in the 90s a lot of people wanted to live the gangster life. The focus was on getting money quickly by other means through school, so one could by pass all of that by being a rapper, entertainer, drug dealer and so on. A lot of these people are in such desperate situations that pursuing these paths are the more realistic option for them instead of going to school.
The kicker is that these people aren't dumb by any means. They may not be book smart, but they usually have a keen sense of observation. I think more value has to be put in by the parents or peers as well as addressing their self esteem on matters of education. These people, or any people won't ever try if they felt like they've already lost.

 

[ThoseDeafMutes]

Successful Black Guy may have the answers.

 

[BladeoftheImmortal]

Mo' Money Mo' Money Mo' Money.

Bitches ain't nothing but mo' problems....

I don't know where I'm going with that...

Anyway, none of my black friends were under achievers at school, so I don't know what to say. They were all pretty nice to me and me to them, they all graduated and they've all found a job somewhere and are raising families or happily single...can't tell you what the problem is.

 

[JGS]

God knows, I don't. It's a hell of a problem for sure.


Who takes individual responsibility for what, and how do you get that to occur?

1. You take responsibility for yourself. This isn't a blame game. If one wants to improve their standing in life, no one is going to help them beyond what is being done now. That help is not enough so the individual has to make up the difference even if they have to work harder than the other guy with more privilege.

2. Who knows how but the individual? Each person has a different threshold for that. I have a much lower tolerance for being an underperformer. I wasn't going to be a drug dealer, dropout, all around loser so i did what it took to not be that whether it was working in fast food places, cleaning offices and restaurants, working 3rd shift at UPS until I got there. BTW, I'm not bragging since I also have a low tolerance for being an overachiever too. I just like spending time with my family too much, but realize the need that I and no one else is responsible for taking care of them.

What should be assumed by black males is there are not going to be anymore opportunities for leveling out the playing field than there are now.

Otherwise, nothing can be done and the individuals who actually have "made it", who do perform in line or above their peers, & who stand out as great citizens will continue to do so.

 

[VariantX]

the music is ultra superficial and negative as heck

But the parents are still choosing to bring that kind of thing into the home. The buck stops with them.

 

[JoeBoy101]

have a fair number of friends (all female, oddly enough) who are teachers in NYC who are exasperated by this, since they're nearly unable to get through to their students. the issue is cultural, compounded by peer pressure and the absence of quality parenting.

All need be said.

Same here in NC.

 

[Dali]

the music is ultra superficial and negative as heck

I agree for the most part, but you're still missing my point. No matter how crappy the music is, it's not the musicians that expose the kid to it. Do you blame Pulp Fiction if your 5 year old son decides "dead n***** storage" is his new favorite phrase or walks around the house quoting Ezekiel 25:17 before unloading his cap gun? No, you blame the person that let him watch the movie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tYtDxphi1c

Stuff like this just bothers me. This kid is gonna have a uphill struggle fighting against some serious brainwashing. Maybe his parents are so awesome in every other respect so as to negate these messages he's memorizing, reciting, hearing in his sleep (lol), probably watching at home, but it'd be a whole lot easier if they weren't exposed to it in the first place.

edit:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ricRKAGCY8s

smh

 

[gutter_trash]

But the parents are still choosing to bring that kind of thing into the home. The buck stops with them.

to easy of a copout answer

the music industry has lots of answering to do

 

[SonnyBoy]

Sociologist, Elijah Anderson created this book called the “Code of The Streets,” which explains black youth in the inner city. In the article you will find that black youth are often left to fend for themselves due to the absence of their father and often times their mother due to the moms working 2-3 jobs or being addicted to some sort of drug/s. The males are left to completely be on their own with no social controls/structure. A lot of times, they have to take care of younger siblings or the men in their neighborhoods become their role models, which leads them to take other routes that don’t include school.


Music isn't the real issue. It's not helping but that's just a surface issue. The stuff I posted above is the root of it.

 

[JGS]

to easy of a copout answer

the music industry has lots of answering to do

They don't have most of the answering to do though. Copout or not, parental failure is a huge chunk of the problem.

 

[Mr.Squirrel]

Why does every article about African people I read in OT always have to be negative?

 

[hwalker84]

As a black male I can attest to seeing this happen everyday. Parents in inner city homes have set the bar so low for their children, that even obtaining a GED is considered an incredible feat in 2011.

There is no way throwing money at the problem will solve anything. The only way this can be solved is by the parents responsible for this happening getting behind their children and pushing them to succeed, instead of letting them fall by the wayside and slowly become a statistic.

The only way I can see solving the single parent household is by letting it solve itself. A single parent household is slowly becoming less of a black thing and more of an american thing which is sad as hell.

As A black man I 100% agree but I the long term fix lays solely with "Women"

Women please stop letting these uneducated fatherless no good bums with multiple kids already from different women get you pregnant. Force these men to "step their game up". Force them to educate themselves. Cut the pussy supply line off for these men and see how long this goes on.

Also our music and popular culture constantly places treating women like hoes and getting fast money as badges of honor.

 

[open_mouth_]

the problems are too numerous to possibly list them all

1. cultural
2. family structure
3. peer pressure
4. stigma of how non-blacks view blacks
5. stigma of how blacks view themselves
6. poverty
7. educational opportunities
8. financial opportunities
9. lack of access to capital
10. apathetic leadership to the black's plight/situation
11. vicious cycles
12. media portrayal

So who's to blame? Honestly, the country has failed black people from day one and black people have failed themselves, for the most part, a long time ago.

Can the situation be "fixed"? Yes, you can fix anything, no matter how bleak the outlook is.

 

[Tenks]

Why does every article about African people I read in OT always have to be negative?

At least this OP brought actual statistics and figures. I didn't know these numbers were so bad, personally.

 

[The Technomancer]

the problems are too numerous to possibly list them all

So who's to blame? Honestly, the country has failed black people from day one and black people have failed themselves, for the most part, a long time ago.

Can the situation be "fixed"? Yes, you can fix anything, no matter how bleak the outlook is.

So honest question: what happened to the optimism following the civil rights movement?

 

[Londa]

Waiting for SSJ to come in and blame black women.

 

[Mr.Squirrel]

At least this OP brought actual statistics and figures. I didn't know these numbers were so bad, personally.

Is that supposed to make me feel better? Honestly I have NEVER seen an article posted about black people in OT that was positive, not even once. Every single one that gets posted here is negative.

 

[The Albatross]

Why does every article about African people I read in OT always have to be negative?

For what it's worth, I think that this thread has much more to do with American people than African people.

But, even still, when was the last time you saw any article about any group of people on Gaf that was positive? Try to find the last article that was positive about "Christians," or "Americans," or "Israelis," or any group where threads are constantly made about them.

 

[DrFunk]

Is that supposed to make me feel better? Honestly I have NEVER seen an article posted about black people in OT that was positive, not even once. Every single one that gets posted here is negative.

Tbh, what does GAF even know about Black people, from what they see on TV or WSHH?

 

[Captain Sparrow]

Black culture needs to stop hating on the man and eschewing the tools that has made the man what he is.

Namely stop eschewing education, good manners.

You're not kow-towing to the man by playing his game. You gotta play his game to beat him at it.

This. The problem is the culture. This will never change because everyone around them in doing it so there is nothing "wrong".