Soledad O'Brien In CNN's 'Black In America'

leem wrote:

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No, I did not see that segment. If that's true, then that's a shame. People should be hired based on their ability to do a job. Period. However, I wonder if that is a regional thing based on the demographics of a certain area? Again, being from the Houston area, I don't see that -- there is every race/culture on the planet represented here in our city and there are lots of good jobs available and all races benefit from our booming economy. Yes, there are inner city problems here like every large city, but overall, we are a very multi-racial city and better for it.

One thing that we should keep in mind is that we do not know all the details of the situation. Does any buddy know how many other applicants for the same job have submitted an application that did not get the job? Why do we assume that he was the best and only qualified individual and he was discriminate against?

Keep in mind “Personal Responsibility “

Sadbuttrue wrote:

Mia,
Thats not true, not in Decatur, GA.
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Actually i live in Lithonia thank you very much and if you don't believe me look at this link http://atlantafineliving.com/greenridge/ these are some homes for sale in my neighborhood wich is all black.

Mike wrote:

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One thing that we should keep in mind is that we do not know all the details of the situation. Does any buddy know how many other applicants for the same job have submitted an application that did not get the job? Why do we assume that he was the best and only qualified individual and he was discriminate against?
Keep in mind “Personal Responsibility “

I was also thinking the same thing...what is the data backing this up. How does anybody know they are being disctiminated against when they don't get a job? If I don get a job, I just figure I wasn't qualified and continue my search.

leem wrote:

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we are a very multi-racial city and better for it.

Multi-racial is one of those silly words that sound good but mean nothing. Just because a place is "multi-racial" does not mean that all is well in that city. Integration was once called by a very wise African woman as the "illusion of inclusion", I quite frankly don't care about "multi-culturalism" or "tolerance", I don't want the crackas to "tolerate" or "put up with" me and "my kind". I'm a damn man, and if I don't get civil rights under this constitution, I truthfully do not care, as this nation is damned to fall under it's own weight eventually anyway. I'm a damn MAN and I demand to be treated as such. I demand HUMAN rights, the right to provide for myself and for my children, the right of my life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness to be respected and the right to protect myself from outside threats. You give me and the black community THAT. To Hell with integration, to Hell with bussing, to Hell with Affirmative Action, I want respect as a MAN.

That's the disappointing thing about this documentary and every documentary that has come before it about similar subjects. That's what it does not show. It shows the health care disparities, the discrimination, the homelessness, the disparities in housing, the responce to Katrina... but let me simplify it and put it all in perspective for you caucasians so that you can swallow it all in one mouthful. The disparities, discrimination, and injustices your government imposes against people of color (whether they be black, brown, or red) suggest that to them WE ARE NOT HUMAN, but ANIMALS to be feed, trained, and breeded, and when we get out of line, picked off, killed.

My biggest fear is not to see my son dead. We live in a relatively safe neighborhood, a good upper middle class mostly black neighborhood in Maryland. My biggest fear is that my child will one day slip up, let his temper get the best of him, like all children do, make a mistake and end up locked up like a caged animal, not for commiting any true crime but for making a mistake that all children make, throwing a fit, getting in a schoolyard fight, rebeling and running away. It's torture to us to know that THIS is the reality of the lives of our children. That our children could mess up and make a mistake at age 14 and instead of getting a slap on the wrist end up branded as a criminal and thrown in jail. Some of us have internalized this fear which has been around since the days of slavery and have used corporal punishment to insure that our children;s behavior is reenforced. Then what did the crackas do? Told us we couldn't discipline our children, and took us away from our children throwing them into the streets to fend for themselves. Allah sees the struggle of our people, adn we go through it everyday. When the phone rings that fear is always in the back of our heads. An old man once told me that every black parent automatically hesitates,(knowingly or unknowingly) before they answer their phones. That fear is the fear that this will be the phone call to tell me that my son is dead or in jail.

As a father I've done all I can do, taught my children, gave them a sense of self-worth, played sports with my son, taught my daughter three languages, but their fates are turly still uncertain, and people of color deal with the uncertainty on a constant basis. It's an uncertainty that causes heart disease stress, sickness, high blood pressure. My mother damn near worked herself to death, literally, to feed her four kids. She had heart problems, but she had to work 12 hours a day just to FEED us. THATS the reality of the black family.

Sir'
I appreciate your candor but not the name calling to any group of people. Also the fact that you mention sleavery like you was one. Nor the un necessary damming of everything. This is the kind of behavior that is ruining this society. if you do not want inclusion and only want a black country you can all way's go back to Africa were there is nothing but black in the country. If you kid's do something stupid they should pay for there stupidity. I all way's tell mines that if you do something stupid and land on jail you look for it and there is no one else to blame but yourself. But I see that it is easy to blame some one else for your own mistakes than take responsibilities for them. Remember that respect goes both way’s you want respect

“Personal Responsibility “

Mia,

I lived in ATL for a while, I know ATL well. Its very racist, not alot of men, their country or Bama, Black women do alot of "man sharing" and ask desperate there.

Yes, the homes are nice but the Black community is screwed up! I know 4 women who has AIDS in ATL and they got it from their husbands who make their sexual rounds. Only one of them was former incarcerated did time came out and changed his life, got married, AIDS caught up with him becuase he was sexing in prision and 12 years later gave it to her wife.

I dub ATL a black sodem and gomorrah1 ATL is really bad, I wouldn't go back there to live its a Black cess pool of violence, disrespect and abuse.

Mia wrote:

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Actually i live in Lithonia thank you very much and if you don't believe me look at this link http://atlantafineliving.com/greenridge/ these are some homes for sale in my neighborhood wich is all black.

Mr_Azhaad wrote:

<quoted text>
Multi-racial is one of those silly words that sound good but mean nothing. Just because a place is "multi-racial" does not mean that all is well in that city. Integration was once called by a very wise African woman as the "illusion of inclusion", I quite frankly don't care about "multi-culturalism" or "tolerance", I don't want the crackas to "tolerate" or "put up with" me and "my kind". I'm a damn man, and if I don't get civil rights under this constitution, I truthfully do not care, as this nation is damned to fall under it's own weight eventually anyway. I'm a damn MAN and I demand to be treated as such. I demand HUMAN rights, the right to provide for myself and for my children, the right of my life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness to be respected and the right to protect myself from outside threats. You give me and the black community THAT. To Hell with integration, to Hell with bussing, to Hell with Affirmative Action, I want respect as a MAN.
That's the disappointing thing about this documentary and every documentary that has come before it about similar subjects. That's what it does not show. It shows the health care disparities, the discrimination, the homelessness, the disparities in housing, the responce to Katrina... but let me simplify it and put it all in perspective for you caucasians so that you can swallow it all in one mouthful. The disparities, discrimination, and injustices your government imposes against people of color (whether they be black, brown, or red) suggest that to them WE ARE NOT HUMAN, but ANIMALS to be feed, trained, and breeded, and when we get out of line, picked off, killed.

Sorry, I had to cut your post. And you hit on alot of points that are correct. However, you look at it like this there are over 300 million people living in this country. Now, some are oblivious and don't care about AA. That is a point I hope you and I can agree on. How do you teach a child from doing wrong? No I'm serious they do something and hence they must be punished. Congrats on your success, by the way. Now when more people start becoming aware of this long problem that AA have faced then more will be brave enough to step forward and try to make little changes here and there.

Diversity by some means an end to culture for whoever might be against it. We all want the same things in life, but some don't want it at the expense of their own well being. This problem goes beyond race, but basic human survival. We choose to check respect at the door and only think of ourselves in the long run. This is what is wrong with this society. Just because it seems more white people commit racism does not mean everyone else does not.

What needs to be looked at is that we are all human and there are some out there that don't accept that ideology. Therefore they discriminate, hate and do the same things that we have been told are morally wrong and evil. The media and even our own culture, ALL Americans are taught to ridicule and stereotype. Blame is put on the media, but they are not the only ones that do it. We do it as we walk down the street and make fun of someone that is obese, laugh at someone falling than helping them up. We are taught that this behavior is funny and is nothing harmful. Wrong right there that begins the precursors of stereotyping and if further and viciously built upon will create racists and bigots.

People want to bicker over skin color. AA here on this forum call mixed children not black. Which goes back to the point in the documentary, what makes you black or not black? See the bigotry resides in us all and the only way to understand that side of us is to apply critical thinking and logic. Which of course some of us do not employ. We fly off the handle with emotions because it is easier to hate then it is to understand.

AngryGoyim wrote:

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Blacks smoke crack. Whites snort cocaine. Crack cocaine sentences are radically higher because it's use has a disproportionately higher incidence of violent crime. People who snort coke usually do so for recreation using disposable income. Crack users murder and car jack in order to get the money for their next fix. It's not white peoples fault that blacks prefer crack to coke.
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Because of affirmative action in the U.S., African American's are over represented in government hiring by a factor of 3000% respective to their population size. 80% of all black college graduates go on to get gobs with city, county, state, federal, or other taxpayer funded institutions. Maybe you folks should try getting some jobs in private industry for a change and increase your marketability.

Angrygroin, get a job with the private industry? If you pull your head out from under the rock, you will see that the private sector is letting people go left and right, they are laying off and shutting down. If any Black on this Topix forum works for the city, county, state or federal govt, stay in it, they can't treat you just any old way. You won't be treated like a slave, nuff said.

Americans Against Obama wrote:

I don't feel sorry for the plight of the american blacks. They want to be included yet they insist one being exlusive. We're all born equal, where you go after that is up to your actions and choices. You are in control of your own life.

was the white people who died in 911 terror attack in control of their own life as well? Why they did not save themselves?

I can smell a filthy racist from a mile away.

Anytime you want to expose a racist just juxtapose 911 to their racist original argument against blacks and see how they flip the script and say "oh thats different".

In my mind "the terrorist who attack on 911 is the same as the terrorist who attack the black community through, drugs and gun dumping, through welfare system that did not give help to black family until and required the black man was out of the home and did not live with his family, ect..."

To me the both are terrorist attacks. One lasted a few hours and the other lasted centuries.

Sadbuttrue wrote:

Mia,
I lived in ATL for a while, I know ATL well. Its very racist, not alot of men, their country or Bama, Black women do alot of "man sharing" and ask desperate there.
Yes, the homes are nice but the Black community is screwed up! I know 4 women who has AIDS in ATL and they got it from their husbands who make their sexual rounds. Only one of them was former incarcerated did time came out and changed his life, got married, AIDS caught up with him becuase he was sexing in prision and 12 years later gave it to her wife.
I dub ATL a black sodem and gomorrah1 ATL is really bad, I wouldn't go back there to live its a Black cess pool of violence, disrespect and abuse.
<quoted text>

Contrary to popular belief its not only black men that cheat.

There are black woman who are married and they are still having orgies with other men. We not stupid black woman you cant blame us for everything.

Their are young black woman out their having sex to get the latest iphone, and jeans and handbags, ect.

Black woman check yourself before you ask black man to respect you.

You obviously hate black people base on your hysterical crazy constant attacks on black men.

Donivan wrote:

<quoted text>
Sorry, I had to cut your post. And you hit on alot of points that are correct. However, you look at it like this there are over 300 million people living in this country. Now, some are oblivious and don't care about AA. That is a point I hope you and I can agree on. How do you teach a child from doing wrong? No I'm serious they do something and hence they must be punished. Congrats on your success, by the way. Now when more people start becoming aware of this long problem that AA have faced then more will be brave enough to step forward and try to make little changes here and there.
Diversity by some means an end to culture for whoever might be against it. We all want the same things in life, but some don't want it at the expense of their own well being. This problem goes beyond race, but basic human survival. We choose to check respect at the door and only think of ourselves in the long run. This is what is wrong with this society. Just because it seems more white people commit racism does not mean everyone else does not.
What needs to be looked at is that we are all human and there are some out there that don't accept that ideology. Therefore they discriminate, hate and do the same things that we have been told are morally wrong and evil. The media and even our own culture, ALL Americans are taught to ridicule and stereotype. Blame is put on the media, but they are not the only ones that do it. We do it as we walk down the street and make fun of someone that is obese, laugh at someone falling than helping them up. We are taught that this behavior is funny and is nothing harmful. Wrong right there that begins the precursors of stereotyping and if further and viciously built upon will create racists and bigots.
People want to bicker over skin color. AA here on this forum call mixed children not black. Which goes back to the point in the documentary, what makes you black or not black? See the bigotry resides in us all and the only way to understand that side of us is to apply critical thinking and logic. Which of course some of us do not employ. We fly off the handle with emotions because it is easier to hate then it is to understand.

Well put my friend. Onece again the prase of the day “Personal Responsibility “

Mr_Concern wrote:

<quoted text>
Contrary to popular belief its not only black men that cheat.
There are black woman who are married and they are still having orgies with other men. We not stupid black woman you cant blame us for everything.
Their are young black woman out their having sex to get the latest iphone, and jeans and handbags, ect.
Black woman check yourself before you ask black man to respect you.
You obviously hate black people base on your hysterical crazy constant attacks on black men.

He is presenting a good point. Woman’s have the privilege with who she bares a child with. If you shoos an individual that lacks the basic concepts of commitment, and potential of success by adopting a thug life stile, what can you expect from this individual. If woman’s take charge of there lives and select individuals with more desirable qualities, perhaps the young man will try to acquire and up held those qualities to be accepted. But only the guy that behave like a thug get's the attention guest what is going to happen. You reinforce the behavior and perpetuate the failing cycle of fatherless kid’s.
“Personal Responsibility “

Black in America does not tell white America its part in solving at least half of the black man's problem of which they are responsible for. The unemployment rate in Milwaukee is over 65% for black men! Imagine white males with unemployment that high. It's over 50% in most Black communities; the news won't tell you this because they don't know and don't care, however, you see the disrespect for black life by black men in the high, very high homicide rates!
Each white American should seriously consider what he or she thinks the ramifications of three hundred years of slavery, bigotry and oppression would have on his or her own life, white America would be better prepared to look at or understand being Black in America!
Slavery and white supremacy's after effect is suffering and self hatred amongst black folks.

Mitch 2 wrote:

Black in America does not tell white America its part in solving at least half of the black man's problem of which they are responsible for. The unemployment rate in Milwaukee is over 65% for black men! Imagine white males with unemployment that high. It's over 50% in most Black communities; the news won't tell you this because they don't know and don't care, however, you see the disrespect for black life by black men in the high, very high homicide rates!
Each white American should seriously consider what he or she thinks the ramifications of three hundred years of slavery, bigotry and oppression would have on his or her own life, white America would be better prepared to look at or understand being Black in America!
Slavery and white supremacy's after effect is suffering and self hatred amongst black folks.

AAH, ok.//// THere are plenty of jobs, but you actually have to get up before 12 noon and you have to show up EVERY day. And one thing more ... YOu start out at $12/hour ... not enough to impress the "ho's" or by an Escalade ... but enough to pay the bills ...

Douglas M from Arizona wrote:

I watched last week program and the program this evening (7/23/08). As a 46 year old interracialy married black man I can relate to your stories with first hand knowledge of at least some of the issues. I grew up in a smalll West Texas town, graduated from a small university some two hours away with a B.A. degree.
During my 3 years there as a student I sought out and attempted numerous times to date eligible black women especially since that was what my mother pushed me to do. Consistently, I came up against young women that we either very confused or they were interested in the most popular jocks or better yet interested in dating white men.
In particular, there was one young lady that I was very attracted to however, it was not a mutual attration. She would not give me the time of day no matter what. We shared 2 or 3 classes and often attended some of the same parties. I often times would strike up conversation with before or after class. Suggest we study together or share notes etc. I asked her out dancing, to go to the movies, out to the park (you name but she was not interested. Finally after about 2 years she agreed to go out with me. The evening ending disastrously. Long story short, when asked her to dance she said no. I asked her if she would like a drink to which she said yes. I left our table to get a couple of drinks and upon returning to the table (less than 5 minutes later) I find her away from the table dancing with a jock she had been chasing. Infact she had dated him previously. Needless to say, I did get her attention well enough that she could see my disgust. I did not pursue her any further and soon after gave up on pursuing black women.
Primarily, black women that I considered my equal, educated single and no children were not interested in black men who were trying to make something of themself via education. I am the third son out of 4 born to my parents. All but one of brothers are current or were interacially married. A closing note, the young lady I pursued for so long I am told, currently resides up the street from my youngest brother. i would love to see this topic or something similar be discussed on your program.

You know I really get tired of reading stories like this. I am not a ghetto hoodrat. I do not have children. I am educating myself. I am also working. I'm doing the best I can for myself, and yet I run into some black men who are educated and ignorant. I run into the thugs and low lives with nothing to offer but their phallus. I run into colorstruck black men, and black men who simply hate all women.

Like you I could say forget it all and seek to date interracially, BUT I know there has to be a black man out there for me. I realize that a few clowns and idiots are not reflective of all black man, and it is quite unfair to pin them all to the same board under the same category. I guess that is the difference between you and I. I'm willing to continue searching for the man I seek. Seriously your defeatist attitude is what I see in a lot of black men and women. If you feel that it is best to follow in your brother's footsteps that is fine. Yet with the millions of black women in america, in africa, in europe, hawaii, and australia even you meant to tell me you still cannot find one suitable for you? Even with the thousands of black women on internet dating sites, you mean to tell me you still can't find a black woman not lacking that which you seek?

Intersting is all.

(I am responding to Pat's last post, but can't post my response and the quote in the same post.)

Do not, do not tell me this bullcrap. Do not tell me that white Americans are the only people supporting people in poverty and themselves. I work, have a beautiful wife and three handsome boys and PAY TAXES every year. I get mine like you get yours; at a real full time job. The show did deal with everything in complete honesty. Why did it talk about the epidemic of fatherless families?, or of blacks in prison? That's because they dealt with the problems facing our community. I'd say that the only blacks that lack personal responsibility are the ones that are blasted at America over the news and other sources that give gullible people like you the ideas that all blacks are like this. The media does this because it sells to people like you and gets ratings as well. Also, where are you also getting all this statistical information from? Blacks are 10 times more violent!?!?! Sounds like you made that up off the top of your head. I honestly believe that there are more blacks in jail because of whites because it's easier to convict blacks based on stereotypes and easier to let off whites because of stereotypes, or not even suspect whites of criminal activity. Look at shows like 48 Hours, Dateline, Primetime. All of these feature mainly WHITE criminals who would normally be seen as regular people, but commit atrocious crimes like murdering their families for money, or killing their wives to be with their mistresses. Not to say a black person hasn't been on there a couple of times, but whites dominate these. Lastly do not tell me blacks are stupid because I know many that are probably educated much higher than you and have more people/common sense skills than you do. I can obviously tell you aren't that intellectual from the post Pat..... God, I can't stop typing.... Now, lastly, equality doesn't have to be earned. We as Americans get it by simply being born in America, and that should not be forgotten. Equality is our natural-born right and should never, not be given because a person is one race or the other. You may say whites aren't equal in America as other whites on here have, but this is one of the dumbest and most self-absorbed arguments I have heard. It's the same as when I used to be in high school and white kids would complain they didn't have a white history month during black history month, yet would fail U.S. History (which essentially only dealt with the history of whites and briefly dabbled in slavery), and talk about how boring it was. Whites "earn theirs" just as well as others in this country, but you can't say whites aren't equal to AAs, because they always have been, and still are. Whites see themselves as the cream of the crop (not all), and the default race with everyone else here being different; and that right there is why they are equal to other races. THEY ARE SEEN AS THE DEFAULT AND "RIGHT" RACE. Whites can be proud of their heritage, and not be seen as racist. That's why we have things like Irish parades on St. Patrick's Day, etc., but I just can't see how white Americans can sit here after all our ancestors have done to each other, and see how life in America is today, as well as this show and somehow turn things on AAs and say we are the real perpetrators and they are the victims. People are responsible for their own mistakes. I understand that, but whites aren't victims or marginalized in most of the places in this country, and it's time they see this.

Set out the poison and they will come. Racists love sickness.

Way too much Soledad - for any topic to be interesting. Can't watch anything with her.

AngryGoyim wrote:

<quoted text>
Blacks smoke crack. Whites snort cocaine. Crack cocaine sentences are radically higher because it's use has a disproportionately higher incidence of violent crime. People who snort coke usually do so for recreation using disposable income. Crack users murder and car jack in order to get the money for their next fix. It's not white peoples fault that blacks prefer crack to coke.
<quoted text>
Because of affirmative action in the U.S., African American's are over represented in government hiring by a factor of 3000% respective to their population size. 80% of all black college graduates go on to get gobs with city, county, state, federal, or other taxpayer funded institutions. Maybe you folks should try getting some jobs in private industry for a change and increase your marketability.

First, one of the biggest lies ever told is drugs make you violent. Caucasian Americans do drugs, more drugs than Africans in America - even crack -"respective to their population size" - are Caucasian Americans violent - killing each other? No, the problems is, not advocating gun control - the availablility of guns. In our communities, I know at least 30 - 50 victims of senseless violence throughout America, do you realize only 1 of those murders was behind something dealing with drugs. The violence occurs because of ignorance - reasons only an uneducated person does not love themselves would react too. The sentence disparity has nothing to do with violence. It has everything to with ethnicity. However, you must believe what you believe. Even the sentencing commission this year or late last year concluded it was a racial issue. Concluded it was a racial issue and did nothing. Recommendation called for a two year reduction - if the sentencing judge agreed - just maybe ethnicity has everything to do with drug sentences? Just maybe the violence is smoke-n-mirrors? Just maybe you are wrong?

Whoa, the comment about affirmative actions - though you tried to dismissive of my argument - you assisted. My point is tax dollars benefit Caucasian Americans while enabling those who are disenfranchised. Affirmative actions was created, I believe Johnson or Nixon (Nixon I believe) and it has been more benefical to Caucasian Americans. As a result of the Rices, Thomases, Williamses, and others - the program has benefitted Caucasian Americans females more than the intented party. Where do you see a disportionate numbers of Africans in America in any industry - let me know? Affirmative action was a remedy of yesterdays wrong, what should have been given to victims of injustices? Affirmative action recognized America ran on a "good ole boy network," so the authors of affirmative actions tried to give us a fighting chance, it never worked. In fact, in America, they even, because of affirmative action, place African in America males v females.

As a result, we should not be trying to get jobs that demand us to be what we are not. We cannot or should not want to be a Caucasoid people - increase your marketability - assimilate. Instead we should use our monies to gain true independence by building our own industries. Explaining why education is so important because it opens your eyes. It allows you to read posts like yours and understand - people would say anything than just admit - America is not just.

Mike wrote:

<quoted text>
Thank you for you explanation, yes I did miss your point, Now I understand and agree with you eloquence in this argument. Now what we do for this country as a nation is the most important. We can not aloud anyone to fail in this country regardless of background, we are all in the same boat together and if any portion of America fails we all fail.

See I knew you were judicial. If you and others worked on Caucasian Americans and I and others worked on Africans in America - America could be - what it claims to be! It has to be challenging accept norms. Therefore, shows like the one of CNN does nothing because he demands no action. When I hit the powerball, needs some bread, you will hear about me.