Thursday, November 11, 2010

Anti-climax: Black Homes Are Broken; Black Boys Are Doing Horribly in School



The black pathology porn parade continues.

According to these recent studies Black America is in a piss poor state of being. Question: can we even talk of one "Black America" any more? Did it ever exist outside of our dreams of Black Wall Streets and Black Metropolises?

In 70 words--I couldn't bring myself to write more--here are the findings (if any of you intrepid copy editing souls can cut the word count even more, please do so. I will then post a suitably amended version):

72 percent of black children are born out of wedlock.

12 percent of black boys are proficient in math. In English? The percentage is the same.

White kids do twice as well in both disciplines. In fact, poor white boys do better in math and English than black boys not in poverty.

Only five percent of college students are black men.

How sad. What are the causes?

Individuals? Structures? Socialization?

19 comments:

annum natalem said...

The effect of generations of marginalization. I am 100% serious. There was a somewhat ridiculous study cited by Huffington Post the other day that said 0% of lesbian households have child abuse in them. Having known such a situation personally, it occurs to me that the sample population was probably also small and very concentrated. What abuse I did suffer as a kid most likely wasn't served by everyone wanting to blame my mother's lesbianism, and not, say, the fact that she personally had problems. A lot of which had to do with being marginalized in such a way all her life!

I know many, many intelligent, wise, wonderful black men. I also know that marginalization is real, and does have an impact on individuals.

In other words, we need to look harder at it, and yes, we need to help make it better.

baracka_flacka_flame said...

my nigga chauncey, why have your comrades zora and gordon left you to handle all of the blogging?

chaunceydevega said...

@Fictional...What do we do to make it better? What magical powers are you keeping to yourself?

@Baracka...Group projects are hard. We are all still family. You must be reading my mind as I will soon be making some changes here and perhaps elsewhere. What is your vote? Bring in some midseason replacements or go solo?

baracka_flacka_flame said...

let's be honest: you're already solo.
i say bring in some fresh faces while plotting your official launch

Cobb said...

Here's my crazy theory. I call it black radical autonomy. The success of the black consciousness movement and the rapid assimilation of black cultural ideas into the mainstream have given nominally black people confidence in living by an autonomous standard. The political edge of that standard is of defiant black poverty.

Since black people own black culture, and white liberals reinforce the significance of black poverty, the combination gives anyone black a legitimate excuse for not assimilating into mainstream culture and values. In other words "I'm black and I don't have to be judged by white people's standards - only by black people's standards."

chaunceydevega said...

Typical Cobb, that is why you are so much fun.

No mention of structures, no allowing for how "radical autonomy" and "agency" are bounded by material and social circumstances that are largely bounded by white supremacy in the past--and its echoes and structures in the present.

I can't stand ign'ts. I can't stand lazy excuse making for pathological behavior by anyone.

But unlike black conservative garbage pail kid monkey shine bootblack token fetishes for white conservatives, I also hold white folks accountable too.

Cobb said...

I could talk about structure, but what's the point? What is the structure of black owned and operated churches that is crushed by superior structures? What is the structure of black marriage, tradition and value that is crushed by superior structures? What is the structure of black homeschooling, of black books and literature, of black mathematics if you want to call it that, of black English that makes blacks inferior?

If you cannot stand pathology, then what is the pathology of illiteracy? What is the pathology of innumeracy? What gets between literate adult and illiterate child? What structure?

I think if you understood something very simple and basic about conservatism, it would be that the proper conservative wants as little publicly controlled structures as possible to intervene in this area of society we are talking about. And the very existence of the publicly controlled structures that have so clearly failed black Americans is a bone of contention. You have an overwhelming impulse to reform them and critique their racism. I have an overwhelming impulse to abandon, defund and deny their centrality to our civilization.

It is an article of conservative faith that democratic institutions are by nature, designed by committee and inevitably inferior, and that private institutions are designed by enlightened self-interest and a therefore inevitably better suited to the aims of those who designed them. Your assumption that a democratic institution must persist and be global, and reflect 'diversity' only increases its liklihood of failure to serve the masses. Nevertheless you are committed to see 'appropriate' black representation.

Perhaps if you would simply assume the worst, you would be better off. If you would assume that the democracy is always going to be white and will never serve black needs, if you assume that the white liberal is your enemy and that his institutions will never accomodate you. If you assume the government will always act incompetently as agents for white middle class racist mediocrity, then you will begin to understand the conservative disdain for big government. You will then likely see Malcolm X the way I do, as a religious conservative hero who expects nothing from and gives nothing to publicly controlled structures, but instead gathers some fraction of those people he is committed to and disciplines himself and those so committed to excellence within the small sphere of influence under his control- demanding nothing more than the right to defend that small piece of America by any means necessary as is his Constitutional right.

Instead, you are deeply wedded to a panglossian vision of democratic institutional reform and seek to expand its influence over 'structures'. You are dependent, and you are without hope. I am not your enemy, but you have been brainwashed to believe I am because your article of faith in America is that someday its democratic institutions will serve your constituency.

How long will you wait?

chaunceydevega said...

Cobb, I love you brother. You are so often a good sport. So why not.

You are dependent on the tainted affirmation and gold coins in the form of hugs and smiles and acceptance by the conservative populist tea party garbage and other angry white folk that have embraced you. By comparison I am so very free.

Faith in America? This is where we can play the patriotism game if you like. I love this country. I believe in the rule of law. I believe that the country should live up to its best potential, promises, and obligations. Many others--you included--want to make excuses. I do not. I am not a chicken hawk like many of your Right wing heroes either. We can get into my personal bio if you like and dare to go there.

I am not that kind of fair weather friend.

And I smile as I think of what Brother Malcolm would think of you and your particular brand of politics. I don't play the counter-factual, imagine what x figure would have said about y contemporary issue, but I have no doubt Brother Malcolm would be troubled by your giving aid and comfort to bigoted White Conservatism, especially the type who frequent your website.

All in love.

Shady_Grady said...

What are the expectations?

Low expectations from parents/teachers.
Overuse/over exposure to TV/video games.
Hostile school system that sees all blacks -especially black boys-as disciplinary problems waiting to happen.
Exposure to lead and other environmental contaminants.
Low birth weights.
Crappy schools and teachers.
Single parent homes.
Bad diet.
and so on...

Cobb said...

You are dependent on the tainted affirmation and gold coins in the form of hugs and smiles and acceptance by the conservative populist tea party garbage and other angry white folk that have embraced you. By comparison I am so very free.

That's a lie you don't even realize you are saying - because you have a sort of construction of black in your head that is pathetically reductionist. You are so wedded to the intellectual one drop theory that it is inconceivable to you that a black American could possibly retain good relations with white Americans as peers, or out of anything other than coonery.

I was a Republican before there was a Sarah Palin in the news, before there was a Tea Party, before the 2008 campaigns kicked off. I was a supporter of Michael Steele before his failure in VA, before he got his seat at the head of the party, before your co-bloggers dropped you on your pointy head.

Your prejudice is so sad and sorry. You point to the Tea Parties just like racists point to the Crips and 'black male violence' whenever our differences of opinion come up. I've told you a dozen times that my sort of conservative prefers the Claremont School & The Manhattan Institute. For this you have no cogent reply - never had, never will.

Your projection is wrong. One day, when you let it go, you'll be able to give me useful criticism.

Anonymous said...

I've been debating this very issue with a christian black friend of mine for a very very long time. And I will also say it here as a black man myself. Seeing the kids grow up in the same neighborhood that I grew up in I don't see the natural influences that drive our kids and young men to be pants sagging/unnecessarily violent fucktards. But the influences they are mainly focusing on are mainstream media which rarely gives them not very positive role models to display themselves after. And I agree with the above poster that said that most black people feel like they don't have to live upto white people's standards only black people's standards. But unfortunately black people are not the people who set the standards in the workplace and other places, so they in a majority will fail to get in to what they believe they can. And it's especially debilitating for black people who have lived in communities where the major ethnic background is african americans because all they know is what they perceive on tv or out in their "world" and from tv it's usually alot of false information that guarantees a high failure rate of actually adapting in a society/community/workplace setting that is not a majority of black people. But even for the black people with jobs and who are trying to make it ( not the black people with careers raising families) when they are not working they usually want to only associate themselves with "black culture" and it's atmosphere. And sadly enough you can only imagine some of the answers you get when you ask someone what the "black culture" is. It's rarely positive.

chaunceydevega said...

@Cobb--

You wrote: "You are so wedded to the intellectual one drop theory that it is inconceivable to you that a black American could possibly retain good relations with white Americans as peers, or out of anything other than coonery.Your prejudice is so sad and sorry."

Why are you such a binary thinker Cobb? How can you infer anything about what I think about relations between blacks and whites? I call b.s. when I see it. So much of the "relationship" between black conservatives and their white masters is akin to that of a pet lapdog. I said it. I own it. You have your team--black conservatives--repeatedly parroting the nativist and anti-black talking points of the New Right. If those aren't handkerchief heads I don't know who is.

You also suggested that you have disavowed the Tea Bagger John Birch crowd. There you are playing very fast and loose. On your own site you repeatedly protect them and stand up for them as part of "your team." Those are you words. Not mine. Please don't try to play slippery pete Pastor Manning and change your tune when it is no longer convenient.

Cobb said...

You talk about "black conservatives and their white masters" and *I'm* the binary thinker?

--
I'll catch up later. Time for "OG", the Olive Garden.

chaunceydevega said...

I am just painting it in stark relief. It is what it is.

Enjoy the bread sticks.

Anonymous said...

(sigh) I don't know? When all we do is talk about Black ppl being at the bottom..it sounds more like plantation negros are on this sight...... all I hear is ....We aint tshit we aint shit we aint shit... thats all I get from this sight

Anonymous said...

Above poster. That's the problem. Making our own people realize WE ARE THE SHIT if we can leave our own standards of acceptance which are our own limitations. If we can give up the stunting, the attention wanting, the wanting to be thug/hood heroes, King/Queens of our blocks, and w/e self proclaimed titles we yearn for that we think define us and see the real world, the path to the top, and work for that instead. WE CAN DO IT, but until then everyone is trying to be the next lil wayne/T.I/Kanye/T.O/Nicki Minaj/Usher/Gucci Mane/Waka Flocka/ or what not. That's not plantation negro thinking, that's life, this site just opens the discussion where others will not.

Constructive Feedback said...

Mr DeVega:

Do you mind if I ask you a question?

Take the warnings of Mr Moynahan from a long time ago.

Cross reference this against the PROGRESS of the PROGRESSIVES who have since then taken over all of the key local institutions WITHIN the Black community. Observe all of the PROMISES that were made with regard to the FIXES that they told the masses they would receive if our people STAYED IDEOLOGICALLY UNITED and promoted these forces into POWER.

Mr DeVega - I take you as an honest man who is also transparent. What about our present state as a community should have me and other observers of this situation to have confidence that the loyalities and investments that we have made?

More importantly, Mr DeVega - how do you explain the LACK OF FUNDAMENTAL CHANGE in the leadership and the IDEOLOGY that they have enforced upon us as a result of these present conditions?

When you injest a prescription shouldn't it deliver a FIX?

Indeed SOMETHING is "progressing". I am just trying to figure out if you are willing to admit exactly what?

chaunceydevega said...

@Anon2--sorry for the delay. PC problems. Thanks for holding the flame and getting what this is about.

Defend the tribe!

Plane Ideas said...

CD,

Cobb is not only a Black parrot for backward consrvative dogma but he is an intellectual coward..I got tired of his banter and of course since he could not man up he deleted and banned me..typical behavior of a coward...

With regard to the issue at hand it does trouble me that in the Obama era I find Black folks under more peril and failure tthan any other time in my adult life...

I contribute this fragile existence to a number of causes including 'negrophobia', Black fatigue, Global marketplace, failure of planning after the battles of civil rights gains..To be continued...