Posted on 01/06/2007 5:47:26 AM PST by indcons
"Wrong place at the wrong time."
Who knew the wrong place to be on New Year's Eve was at a party welcoming in the new year? Who knew the wrong time to be murdered was now – when people are so callous about death that it's almost as if we're asking the victim, "Just what did you do to get yourself murdered?"
There are many words to describe the senseless killing of Denver Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams. Unfortunate. Heartbreaking. Sad. But here's the one word we can't use in describing such a death: Unexpected.
Over the past 12 months, three NFL players have been shot, and in the past couple weeks, police discovered one NFL player, Bears defensive lineman Tank Johnson, had enough weapons in his home to mount a terrorist attack. University of Miami lineman Bryan Pata was shot to death at his apartment complex in November. In Denver alone, three notable athletes have been shot since 2003 – Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Joey Porter, Denver Nuggets guard Julius Hodge and now, tragically, Williams.
One unavoidable commonality about these episodes of gunplay: all of the athletes are black.
It leads to an inevitable question from all of us, but particularly mainstream America: Why do black athletes often seem to find themselves either holding a gun or staring down the barrel of one?
Real talk for a moment.
Contrary to stodgy opinions, young men have a right to go out. They want to hang with their peers. They want to talk to women. They want to show off a little of their success. Nothing wrong with any of that – as long as they're careful.
Who they're with, what time they're out and what they have is only a small part of the issue. The larger problem here is the one no one is ready to openly discuss.
While America is generally a violent place, no culture in this country glorifies violence more than the African-American community. And consequently, no other racial group is as disproportionately affected by it.
This isn't to say black people invented violence or have a penchant for it. But far too many of us glorify shooting people for revenge, perceived slights or to prove toughness. Two things you almost always see when "MTV Cribs" features a black superstar: a poster of Tony Montana and a poster of the Godfather. Montana and Michael Corleone, though fictional, are considered heroes by young black men everywhere. Montana and Corleone had one thing in common: both killed people to gain respect.
BET, the same network that saw fit to cut its nightly news program, has a new show called "American Gangster," which "chronicles the life and times of some of Black America's most notorious crime figures." It's explained that the program has a strong moral component and doesn't seek to glorify violence, but on BET's Web site the show is promoted by showing Ving Rhames, the king of cool, in slick gangster apparel – as if he were promoting a music video, not a show about violent criminals.
And sure enough, right beneath Rhames' promo ad, a BET dot.commer says, "Young, black males will look at this [show] as an inspiration."
Now, criminal biographies appear on The History Channel all the time, but the difference is that violence is often marketed to blacks in a way that makes it appear more sexy and daring.
Black men constantly receive the message that they can't make it in life through using legitimate means, and the only way they gain society's respect is through the street game.
This is the mentality black athletes greet when they go to the club. A recent Public Library of Science Medicine study shows black men living in urban America have the shortest life expectancy of any other racial group in the country. The life expectancy of a black man in Cleveland is closer to that of West Africans than the average white American. So wearing a jersey every Sunday doesn't protect you from anything.
Of course, movies and songs don't make people kill people, but they can influence the way people think and live.
But ultimately, if we want to see fewer black athletes as victims of violence, African-Americans must stop worshiping at the altar of their own demise.
Jemele Hill, a Page 2 columnist and writer for ESPN the Magazine, can be reached at jemeleespn@gmail.com.
Klis: "How old were you during your wild years?"Williams: "Probably from the time I was 12 until I was 17. I was hanging around the wrong people. I was hanging around gang members. The local Crips had people I called friends.'" -- Denver Post, Dec. 6, 2006
"The Rev. Leon Kelly, who helps Denver teenagers escape gangs and drugs, said he has discussed the events at the nightclub party that Williams attended with a number of people who were there. He said he was told that members of the Bloods street gang were present on New Year's Eve and that they had a conflict outside the Shelter with members of the Crips.
"In the gang world, respect is a major issue," Kelly said. "Someone may have felt disrespected. The shooting wasn't random." -- Denver Post, Jan. 4, 2007
"Of course, movies and songs don't make people kill people, but they can influence the way people think and live. But ultimately, if we want to see fewer black athletes as victims of violence, African-Americans must stop worshiping at the altar of their own demise."
I agree, too much blame is being put on the movies and popular culture for this problem. Pop culture has glorified the Mafia through it's movies and TV shows, yet everyday people of Italian descent are no more prone to violence than any other ethnic group.
I teach in an inner-city, and I agree. Although, at my school, black students outperform white in most areas. Everything you listed applies to the white students in the neighborhood, except the illigitmacy rate is a bit lower, I think. That's just from observation, though.
One students threatened to kill me (in third grade), and while a police report was filed, nothing came of it. He's going to turn 13, do something serious, get tried as an adult, and for the first time in his life have an actual, serious consequence. Meantime he's been needing serious consequences from a young age so that he learns that he will do the time if he does the crime, but all I hear from the community is how children need a "break." So, we baby them until it's too late.
BINGO!!!!! You are the winner.
I am a young black woman and agree with your statement. The jealousy towards black men and to some degree black women who are doing well is unreal. I have been in places where I have seen this type of jealousy going on involving black athletes or any blacks who are doing well, so just like you I am speaking from stuff I personally witnessed.
I have seen black college athletes go out with their friends and other black males (who aren't doing so well) go out of the way to pick a fight with them. The sad truth is if you are a black man who is doing well you are going to have a lot of other black males that hate your guts, due to jealousy. These black males who have made it already know they are a target. I have heard of some them carrying loads of guns and other weapons with them and at their residence. It seems to be even worse if they grew up in the inner city and make it out. What a lot of them fail to realize is that once you make it, you can't go to the same places you used to go. I am pretty sure some blacks would call me a sell out for putting this information out, but it is the truth and I have seen it for myself. I seen to many times where a black man does well (especially if they grew up poor) and be envied by other black males who aren't doing so well.
I'll second that.
[Very good article. A huge part of the problem in the black community is black culture. It glorifies violence while de-emphasizing the importance of education. Many in America are too PC to talk about it but black culture must be radically overhauled if blacks are to ever do well in the US. At this point it is much more of a barrier to success than the legacy of slavery or segregation.]
Yep. The students in inner city, mostly black schools are told that they're "acting white" if they excel in their studies. There exists a real peer pressure not to do well in school. If these kids don't dress a certain way, talk a certain way, etc., they are ridiculed and more.
I must have missed the news about the terrorist attack he actually mounted.
Otherwise, who cares? I bet I have more guns than him.
-ccm
Um...me too.
I found that funny too. These liberal idiots tend to forget that the largest terrorist attack on US soil was carried out by box cutter-wielding Muslim scum.
Guns don't cause terrorism; muslims do.
We have, every year since our first was born ('97).
This actually is not true. America is generally not a violent place. Certain segments of American society are violent, but the term "general" is disingenuously used as a justification for general disarmament of the populace. Violent crimes are committed in disproportionately large numbers by so called minority groups, including especially young black males.
The gun comments were the only part of the article I found offensive. They were just thrown in to spice up the story, and had little or no bearing overall.
"This actually is not true. America is generally not a violent place."
"You only get mugged if you go down town"
- Hank Jr.
The inventory of firearms included: a .44 Magnum Smith and Wesson, a .50 caliber Desert Eagle handgun, a .45 caliber handgun, a .308 caliber Winchester rifle and two assault-style rifles including a Colt AR-15 and a .223 caliber.
I knew it. This guy is a piker. I've got five times as many guns as that. And he only has 500 rounds of ammunition. Hell I keep that much in my car. Some "terrorist" he is.
-ccm
Welcome to Free Republic!
Cheers!
I agree, but I might put the figure at 40 instead of 60 years, though I'd agree that FDR was the man who put the welfare mindset in place.
In any case, years of government policies which reward poverty and reward broken families have had their effect. As always, it's "women and minorities" that are hurt most, but in this case the damage is being felt throughout society. I believe white unwed motherhood is also very high these days.
"Let's start with dropping the African part. These are
Americans killing each other."
And thus the problem. And to be consistent lets drop any reference to illegal use of guns, it is all guns.
Duh! This is a no troll zone.
*quietly raises hand* We're probably in the minority, but my husband and I do. LOL!
We actually watched movies and played board games on New Year's Eve. :)
Excellent post, StAnDeliver.
I think you put your finger on one of the primary vote gathering procedures in the Democrat Party's playbook, the appeal to envy and greed.
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