Shootings in DC tonight

[Anonymous]

OP here. Nope not a troll just a concerned DC resident who doesn’t understand the workings of the inner city. There are a lot of people that think like me, but in our society it is not politically correct to voice such feelings. Sure you can call me naïve and insensitive but I truly do not understand why these communities tolerate crime. I have young nephews that are in to rap and gangster movies and I see the glorification of violence and then read it on the news and I wonder why the community leaders and churches don’t spend more time trying to clean up their neighborhood rather than fighting a mythical enemy that doesn’t really exist anymore. Who is going to hire someone with dredlocks and tattoos? You may not like that fact but its true, your image is everything. We live in the most powerful city in the world with 4 (GU, GWU, AU, Catholic) universities that are just dying to show diversity and offer inner city kids full rides if they would even just go to school and graduate. It’s 2010 and that’s why I’m tired of the excuses, no one is holding anyone back. Businesses don’t want to open in poor neighborhoods because they don’t want their employees getting robbed, theft by employees, or consumers that just generally can’t afford their products. It’s a business decision. Another thing, why should I leave my family and drive all the way across town to mentor someone else’s kid? My parents were my mentors and they both worked! My grandparents sent 5 kids to college and grad school on a meager salary. People need personal responsibility for their own kids and not try to pawn them off on society. So call me a troll because you don’t want to accept the truth and you become an enabler. Enabling more violence, more kids born out of wedlock, more high school dropouts etc. That’s my early morning rant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Nope not a troll just a concerned DC resident who doesn’t understand the workings of the inner city. There are a lot of people that think like me, but in our society it is not politically correct to voice such feelings. Sure you can call me naïve and insensitive but I truly do not understand why these communities tolerate crime. I have young nephews that are in to rap and gangster movies and I see the glorification of violence and then read it on the news and I wonder why the community leaders and churches don’t spend more time trying to clean up their neighborhood rather than fighting a mythical enemy that doesn’t really exist anymore. Who is going to hire someone with dredlocks and tattoos? You may not like that fact but its true, your image is everything. We live in the most powerful city in the world with 4 (GU, GWU, AU, Catholic) universities that are just dying to show diversity and offer inner city kids full rides if they would even just go to school and graduate. It’s 2010 and that’s why I’m tired of the excuses, no one is holding anyone back. Businesses don’t want to open in poor neighborhoods because they don’t want their employees getting robbed, theft by employees, or consumers that just generally can’t afford their products. It’s a business decision. Another thing, why should I leave my family and drive all the way across town to mentor someone else’s kid? My parents were my mentors and they both worked! My grandparents sent 5 kids to college and grad school on a meager salary. People need personal responsibility for their own kids and not try to pawn them off on society. So call me a troll because you don’t want to accept the truth and you become an enabler. Enabling more violence, more kids born out of wedlock, more high school dropouts etc. That’s my early morning rant.

Exactly, that's what's so fucked up about this place. It's the capital of the richest and most powerful nation in the world, yet so many of its citizens live in poverty, with kids experiencing hunger on a daily basis. THAT is a societal problem.

With the stereotypically ignorant comments made above, I still say you're a troll.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Nope not a troll just a concerned DC resident who doesn’t understand the workings of the inner city. There are a lot of people that think like me, but in our society it is not politically correct to voice such feelings. Sure you can call me naïve and insensitive but I truly do not understand why these communities tolerate crime. I have young nephews that are in to rap and gangster movies and I see the glorification of violence and then read it on the news and I wonder why the community leaders and churches don’t spend more time trying to clean up their neighborhood rather than fighting a mythical enemy that doesn’t really exist anymore. Who is going to hire someone with dredlocks and tattoos? You may not like that fact but its true, your image is everything. We live in the most powerful city in the world with 4 (GU, GWU, AU, Catholic) universities that are just dying to show diversity and offer inner city kids full rides if they would even just go to school and graduate. It’s 2010 and that’s why I’m tired of the excuses, no one is holding anyone back. Businesses don’t want to open in poor neighborhoods because they don’t want their employees getting robbed, theft by employees, or consumers that just generally can’t afford their products. It’s a business decision. Another thing, why should I leave my family and drive all the way across town to mentor someone else’s kid? My parents were my mentors and they both worked! My grandparents sent 5 kids to college and grad school on a meager salary. People need personal responsibility for their own kids and not try to pawn them off on society. So call me a troll because you don’t want to accept the truth and you become an enabler. Enabling more violence, more kids born out of wedlock, more high school dropouts etc. That’s my early morning rant.

I am a member of a disadvantaged minority and I have to disagree with the sweeping generalizations made about "these people." With that being said, there does have to be more of an emphasis on personal responsibility within the African American community living in poverty. I have seen individuals rise above their exceptionally horrific circumstances--unfortunately, there are a lot more people who have fallen into a path of complacency and dependence.

I've worked on a number of pro bono cases where several generations of families have received government assistance and the youngest generation often has a sense of entitlement which I find reprehensible. My family came from modest means and my parents often worked multiple jobs to provide for us (as did I once I was old enough to work). My belief is that the family structure more than any other element determines an individual's success. And the dismal fact is that the family structure in the poorer African American communities om DC has utterly disintegrated. Children born out of wedlock with multiple partners and fathers abdicating their responsibility have become the norm rather than the exception. Until the basic family structure is restored, it will be difficult to break the cycle of poverty and violence. I worked with children from a very disadvantaged section of Newark, NJ and the ones who succeeded were primarily the ones with support from their families.

[Anonymous]

10:13, you sound like you're in the know and I appreciate what you're saying. What are your thoughts on Bill Cosby's message of personal responsibility and the harsh criticism he received?

[zumbamama]

I think music choice and hairstyle have nothing to do with the shooting or DCs crime problem. I have colleagues, friends, students and relatives that have dreads. They all have jobs and degrees. I grew up listening to rap, have a tattoo, have never shot anyone and am employed.

[Anonymous]

zumbamama wrote:I think music choice and hairstyle have nothing to do with the shooting or DCs crime problem. I have colleagues, friends, students and relatives that have dreads. They all have jobs and degrees. I grew up listening to rap, have a tattoo, have never shot anyone and am employed.

And such is the problem with outdated generalizations and stereotypes. They serve no purpose and all they do offend all the people they're applied to because of their skin color. But OP doesn't care given that she's spouting a generic line about "these people", Bill Cosby and personal responsibililty. It's so unoriginal, simple minded and tired, why even bother? I'd rather save a good debate or discussion for someone that can actually think for themselves and realize the complexities of people and situations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And such is the problem with outdated generalizations and stereotypes. They serve no purpose and all they do offend all the people they're applied to.

I agree. All generalizations and stereotypes are bad. But I just think that because I am a liberal.

Doh!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Nope not a troll just a concerned DC resident who doesn’t understand the workings of the inner city. There are a lot of people that think like me, but in our society it is not politically correct to voice such feelings. Sure you can call me naïve and insensitive but I truly do not understand why these communities tolerate crime. I have young nephews that are in to rap and gangster movies and I see the glorification of violence and then read it on the news and I wonder why the community leaders and churches don’t spend more time trying to clean up their neighborhood rather than fighting a mythical enemy that doesn’t really exist anymore. Who is going to hire someone with dredlocks and tattoos? You may not like that fact but its true, your image is everything. We live in the most powerful city in the world with 4 (GU, GWU, AU, Catholic) universities that are just dying to show diversity and offer inner city kids full rides if they would even just go to school and graduate. It’s 2010 and that’s why I’m tired of the excuses, no one is holding anyone back. Businesses don’t want to open in poor neighborhoods because they don’t want their employees getting robbed, theft by employees, or consumers that just generally can’t afford their products. It’s a business decision. Another thing, why should I leave my family and drive all the way across town to mentor someone else’s kid? My parents were my mentors and they both worked! My grandparents sent 5 kids to college and grad school on a meager salary. People need personal responsibility for their own kids and not try to pawn them off on society. So call me a troll because you don’t want to accept the truth and you become an enabler. Enabling more violence, more kids born out of wedlock, more high school dropouts etc. That’s my early morning rant.

You probably turn the hose on the neighborhood kids, and keep any balls that dare to wander into your yard too. Get off the computer and go feed your 55 cats.

[Anonymous]

np here.

So all the PPs posting who are utterly unwilling to acknowledge OP has a valid point somewhere in there, tell us:

what do YOU think motivates a couple of guys to drive by a group of people and open fire indiscriminately? Why would someone choose to do that to demonstrate their displeasure, rather than having a discussion?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:np here.

So all the PPs posting who are utterly unwilling to acknowledge OP has a valid point somewhere in there, tell us:

what do YOU think motivates a couple of guys to drive by a group of people and open fire indiscriminately? Why would someone choose to do that to demonstrate their displeasure, rather than having a discussion?

Drugs and territory.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Drugs and territory.

Keep going. Why drugs and territory?

Money and respect. Why such a violent path to money and respect?

And that's where it gets complicated. Messed up priorities within the community, for sure. A lack of value placed on hard work. But also, a lack of opportunity and support.

Ok, so we have a few feel-good stories about a kid from the projects who worked hard and got scholarships and made it out. But there are so SO many more kids whose parents (parent, often) won't encourage that kind of effort. It takes a really special person of ANY class or race or culture to totally transcend his or her surroundings, no matter how dire or how privileged. And when the light at the end of a long, dark, dangerous tunnel is a boring 40-hour-a-week job working for a bully of a boss earning $38k... it's just not all that tempting. It's so much more tempting to take the route that friends and neighbors and family have taken, be that a government check, or more entrepreneurial activities. If the most obvious example of the good life happens to be the drug dealers... how can you blame them? It's there, it's real to them, and it's open to them. What our kids consider to be the norm (safe schools, a college education, a parental safety net) is a fantasy for some children. Why should they waste their time on that fantasy, when the opportunity for power and respect is right there in their neighborhood, and within their grasp?

[Anonymous]

Of course no one will acknowledge the validity of my post. Why would they? If they did then they would have to acknowledge that the problems in these communities are largely the fault of the inhabitants. I feel that this country has moved away from personal responsibility, hard work and education as the bedrock for future success. Poor people these communities will be the biggest losers and until their leaders understand and recognize that fact they will continue to be family that is given fish instead being taught how to fish. Now we'll write our huge tax bill to the Feds and DC that will be the fish for these families and will entrap them and future generations as they look for the handout. Think about that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Of course no one will acknowledge the validity of my post. Why would they? If they did then they would have to acknowledge that the problems in these communities are largely the fault of the inhabitants. I feel that this country has moved away from personal responsibility, hard work and education as the bedrock for future success. Poor people these communities will be the biggest losers and until their leaders understand and recognize that fact they will continue to be family that is given fish instead being taught how to fish. Now we'll write our huge tax bill to the Feds and DC that will be the fish for these families and will entrap them and future generations as they look for the handout. Think about that.

Well, I've refrained from acknowledging the validity of your post because I disagree with you.

Do the shooters themselves bear responsibility? Absolutely!

Do the shooters' parents bear responsibility? Maybe. It's certainly the job of every parent to instill good moral values in their child.

Do the shooters' friends bear responsibility? Again, maybe. Some of those friends may have enabled bad behavior, and failed to demonstrate good behavior.

Does the grandmother who lives five doors down from these men, and has said hello to them on occasion, bear responsibility? I say no, but you say yes.

And to you I say: if that grandmother bears responsibility, so do you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:10:13, you sound like you're in the know and I appreciate what you're saying. What are your thoughts on Bill Cosby's message of personal responsibility and the harsh criticism he received?

I completely agree with everything Bill Cosby said and I'm baffled by the criticism he received. Change has to come from within the community. And quite frankly, many of my African American friends are outraged that the predominant image of blacks in America has been hijacked by a segment of the black community that still clings to an us versus them, it's a "white man's world," type of mentality. The election of Pres. Obama is helping to change this image but there is still a long way to go. I like the fact that Pres. Obama is also stressing this message of personal responsibility when he speaks at black churches (even know he has received some criticism from black community leaders for being to harsh).

[Anonymous]

I agree, 10:13. Change has to come from within and from without. It can't be done without all sides pitching in. To those posters to appear to not acknowledge a problem, I don't understand where you are coming from. And, to not acknowledge the problem isn't doing the portion of the African American community that's under siege any favors. Folks shouldn't have to live that like and if it takes a strong push for personal responsibility to make some headway, then push. The OP's wording of the post was tacky, to be sure, but so is "I'm so liberal that I don't even see a pervasive problem."