Why can't Sharpton understand that racism is not the biggest obstacle blacks have to face in this day and age?

Question

Literacy, 70% out of wedlock births, high incarceration rate for our young black men, black on black crime, anti-education attitudes......

I know I will get a lot of flack for this (and I really don't care eitiher) but these things present a more pressing issue for black folks then racism.

When racism rares its ugly head, both black and white folks are quick to shoot it down.

Yet when the ills that plague my community are presented, it is met with silence.

Answer 1

I know. The moral decay in our community over the past four decades is disgusting. Before then in the old days black moral and family values were way stronger and violent crime, illicit sex and illegitimate children only happened with a MINORITY of black people, despite negative stereotypes made up by white people. But in this day in age, black people are making these stereotypes actually true. And in the old days the majority of blacks did not have anti-intellectual attitudes even with an obvious lack of educational opportunities compared to whites. But too many of today's blacks equate intellectualism with being "white" which is absurd. White liberals are the ones who started these problems, and it's black liberal clowns like Sharpton and Jackson who continue to keep these problems afloat.

Answer 2

The obstacle blacks face is complicated as it's causes are many. Coming out of slavery with basically no exercisable rights and no quality education or opportunities for most. The funk from over a century can settle into a people pretty deep after so many generations born and bred in utter and forced poverty. With integration came the closing of virtually all of the black business centers in their neiborhoods as big business swallowed up mom and pop's stores and such. That coupled with easy loans to immigrants like Korean Americans and Indian Americans and Latinos (in some States). The Civil Rights Movement is widely considered tobe the pivitol moment for blacks when it started. American racism did not just end the day Dr. King died, it has been a slow gruelling process to purge the cancer ( depending on who you ask ). Programs like welfare and project housing were designed to keep impoverished people lazy and to break up famolies by forbidding women to have men in the home or they would surely be cut off. Many black men who could not obtain employment simply gave up and left their families. "Hell at least they can eat" became a commonly used phrase as this practice became widespread. As a result of the destruction of the black family the community has broken down over the past few decades as I said it hasn't been that long and were talking over four hundred and fifty years of oppression. All in all, It is a complex problem that has yet to show promise of being rectified any time soon. Racism (by it's dictionary defenition) is the root cause of all of these issues and still needs to be addressed with real solutions if there is to be progress in the black community SO I GUESS THE ANSWER IS YES.

Answer 3

Unfortunately, the word Racism is big business. It's worth millions, and Rev. Sharpton is a master at getting "his" share. Racism is kept alive by individuals like this who see it as steady income as long as their "Cause" is still not won. They have a vested interest in keeping their issue alive.

As for literacy, black on black crime, and anti-education attitudes...they all have to do with motivating the people to look after themselves. There is no money to be made there.

Education is the key. You can not make someone read if they do not have the desire to learn, and lets face it, there is no amount of money that you can pour into a school system that will motivate a single child.

The more money that is put into the system, the more administrators you get, and the tighter the restrictions become against failure of the student. So, when the student graduates with a diploma that he can not read, you have half a dozen administrators for every teacher asking "why?"...and the only answer they can think of is to hire another administrator.

Answer 4

Because Al doesn't have the answers for any of those problems. We have to go to the source and that is these individuals hearts.
If the heart problems were healed then we can work on the self esteem problems. If you don't care about yourself you definitely are not going to care about others or your community.
We as a people have to release all the unforgiveness and walk free from hate.
Unforgiveness breeds, anger. Anger opens the door for rage and depression. Depression leads to hopelessness. Hopelessness is what the democratic party is keeping blacks trapped into.
What babies are being produced from hopelessness.... everything that you mentioned above.
If Al Sharpton would actually preach what he claims he was called to (a minister of the gospel) he could help lead his people out of this mess.
So far he doesn't meet the bill.
I guess you can't give what you don't have.

Answer 5

I'm no personal representative of the big fella or anything, but I assume Sharpton sees racism as the cause - and the issues you named as symptoms. And there is some truth to that position.

It's all about chain-of-events.

For instance, when a child isn't doing well in school, many chase the symptom. After doing all that can be done to improve the school, improve the teachers, and bolster the curriculum, the kid is still doing poorly. Nobody considered that his single mom is strung out and he doesn't get enough to eat. That's the cause. The grades are the symptom of the much bigger problem.

Thanks for bringing such a thoughtful question. It's nice to get a break from "how does my hair look?" LOL

Keep up the fight and keep asking good questions...
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Edited to add:

One thing for sure... racism won't have a chance to become a huge thing again with people like Sharpton raising their voices. Agree or not with his points, he's like a huge dose of preventive medicine! hehe

Answer 6

In response to the answer above me^^...AL Sharpton IS racist, so of course there is going to be racism if he is still in the public eye.

He has been responsible for many many deaths including a Jewish high school student and more than five workers at a record store.

As for the actual answer lol, those are good points and I agree. The general message being sent out today is that it's cool to be street and ghetto, and kids don't realize until it's too late that those rappers are rich with mansions in Hollywood, they are not 'keeping it real'.

I spent 11 years living in COmpton California, I know what you're talking about! It's not good!!

Answer 7

06 I think you have hit the nail on the head. Racism is still an obstacle for black people, but it is far from being the largest problem that black people face. I am assuming you are black. I feel for you because it seems that anytime a black person steps up and says that the white man is not the main problem for us anymore, they are called an Uncle Tom or a sellout or whatever.

Answer 8

Well, some might say the things you've listed that plague black society are a product of racism and segregation. But that's in the past and we can't do much about it. You're right, I don't feel modern racism is the biggest obstacle. It's finding the root of these problems today and setting a course to change that.

Answer 9

Holding on to racisim is the only way Sharpton can milk attention out of; I think he is just like Jackson and doesn't really care about black folk

Answer 10

You should take all this thinking to your Congressman and the voting booth. Not to mention by filing a complaint against Al Sharpton to get him out of the public eye. He is stupid as stupid gets.