Barack Obama on Race

James C. Collier

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Black Man of a More Positive Future

No matter your position, this young man gives us hope. Check it out.



Hat Tip: The Poetic Exodus

James C. Collier

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Acting White: Black Racism, White Racism

To quote entertainer Chris Rock, ‘it’s not right, but I understand it’. On the heels of the recent senseless high-media profile murders of whites by black men in North Carolina and Alabama, and with the overwhelming backdrop of black men murdering their own in genocide-like numbers (57 so far this year in the Field Negro’s ‘Killadelphia’), it is time to openly revise our notions of racism – what we expect and what is acceptable.

In the past, the label of racist was reserved for anybody, black or white, who used superficial distinctions of race in relating to groups or individuals. The key was not whether the distinction, usually negative, was indicative of anything valuable, but rather that race, or ethnic, distinction was made at all. Except for personal preferences, like socializing and going to church, race-based discrimination was, by definition, off-limits, out-of-bounds - morally, ethically, and legally, indecent.

Now let’s jump over to today’s ‘real’ world. Any American who is not afraid of black men on some level is simply not thinking straight. Also, remember that fear is an emotional response, so do not think about it too much, it is what it is. I’m afraid, and I AM a tall-ass black man, and one who studied the martial arts for fun. I am afraid for me, my family, my friends, my acquaintances, and lastly for anyone, male or female, white, black or green, who might statistically find themselves in the presence of a black male at the ‘wrong place and wrong time’. Call me whatever you like, I don’t give a Freak, I’m talking about life and death!

So when people make distinctions about blacks and crime, especially violent crime and murder, I no longer immediately jump onto the offensive. Yes, these comments sound racist to me, and piss me off if I think about them too much. But the real question is if the behavior behind them resembles me in it's prudence, and too often it does. I avoid unfamiliar gatherings of black males. I check out how black men present themselves and avoid those that feel dangerous. I also judge black men by their dress and manner, especially those wearing inmate clothing, all in an attempt to keep my life. This method is far from perfect, but it’s all I have, so I use it. If this profiling makes me racist in some way, and I believe it does, so be it. Better to err on the side of staying alive.

For me today’s racism is not about inferiority, but also about mortality. If black males do not want to be racially profiled as life threatening, they need to stop being a danger. And I need to see this in the stats, not out of somebody's mouth. It is as simple as that. In the meantime, I watch myself - it’s not right, but you need to understand.

James C. Collier

Post Scriptum/Addendum: From the DOJ Bureau of Justice Statistics...
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MSNBC's Keith Olbermann on Geraldine Ferarro

Hat Tip: Undercover Black Man

James C. Collier

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Thou Shalt Not Kill (From the Field Negro)

I just wanted to say thanks to the Field for telling it like it is, especially when it isn't pretty. While we are looking at others, we need to look harder at ourselves.

James C. Collier

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Acting White: Paying NYC Kids for Grades

I am a fan of Roland Fryer, Harvard economics wunderkind. I have read and utilized his work and believe he cares about the plight of blacks as much as anyone, including me. Even so, like most economist, his professional hammer swings a particular way, and this creates an issue when considering his current experiment with the NYC schools. Paying black kids for good grades may have laboratory merit, but it also has very distracting practical implications on his subjects and kids in general.

Regardless of whether kids are motivated by the desire to purchase video games or supplement food on their dinner table, proving that they respond to short-term wants or necessities does little more than retrace known human behavior dynamics. The trick is not proving short-term pain vs. pleasure influence, but rather the long-term factors and implementations that result in happy and productive lives.

As a kid, I was fortunate to have enough food to eat, but like many of the NYC kids I wanted to buy things too, cool things. But with only odd-job and allowance money, I had to wrestle my dreams into a connection with my long-term efforts. I learned to believe that if I worked hard in school that I would be rewarded with a chance for a good job, along with it the opportunity to have whatever I wanted, within reason of course. On the upside, I did not negotiate my day-to-day behavior with my parents or teachers for some immediate reward, this is not how life works. My short-term motivation was reserved for steering clear of the parental 'belt'.

Professor Fryer’s experiment sacrifices the desperate education kids need for long-term dreams, patience, and perseverance, along with academics. When the prize money is not there, for whatever reason, will the kids continue to apply themselves with vigor? Why would they? More reasonably, the response would be some form of protest against the ‘unfairness’ of having their motivation taken away, whether aimed at the school or simply their parents. At this point we will know the full and sad extent of this experiment.

James C. Collier

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