What In The World Happened?!
By Tamra M. Burgess
23 July 2005
Ok, so here's what I don't understand: african-americans and other minorities had substantially less resources and options just over 25 years ago, yet didn't resort to the degrading lifestyle that many have *chosen* today. A lifestyle that is also enjoyed daily at the expense of others.
It must have been meant for me to see the degrading conditions that exist today in major urban areas. Maybe this letter is why. And I invite all members of congress proposing new resources, funding and more for certain low-income and public assisted areas for non-disabled to live in the same urban areas for at least 1 week to 3 months before making *any* decisions. I also invite members of the NAACP to spend more time daily, as many Mormons are, in these same areas before releasing another letter or even a complaint about anything. Otherwise, both money and time are simply being wasted, and I'm sure they'll agree after residing in one of the low-income neighborhoods or public housing.
I feel more like the sucker daily, or that I was lied to about "work hard and it'll pay off". Only to see all the hard work go down the drain because of degrading individuals from two different sides of low-income areas who would kill their own mother or child for a fast buck - a low-class white collar criminal and a low-class multi-generation welfare recipient and street thug. So while I was working since junior high school and including during college (not even a break to just study), sacrificing a lot, putting in long days, saving and stressing over retirement, many just raised their kids to just wait on someone to provide for them, come and rescue them or hand them a "get rich quick" deal at anyone's expense while living in filthy, animal-like conditions.
When I asked for something as a child, I was told point blank I couldn't have it or I'd have to wait, or get a job and buy it myself. We also had household chores. And this was regardless of where we lived: in our middle-class neighborhood home or the segregated housing projects many african-americans in New Orleans lived in up to the early 70's. Household chores included outside and inside chores. The house had better not be messed up while our mother was away. This was all in spite of a dysfunctional father rarely around, without my mother making excuses for not working (she worked 2-3 jobs with 4 of us), keeping area clean, and showing respect for others. So I'll say it again, and again and again, it's not where you live, it's HOW you live.
When you walked down the street, you better speak with respect to your elders, for without them, we wouldn't be here. And "you bet not act up" in public. A child will even get disciplined at a funeral. There was never a "not a good time to discipline your children". Your teacher was someone respected, not someone to sleep with, threaten or belittle. You listened to your teacher and DIDN'T talk back! It was called showing respect for someone who was also treating you with respect and dignity, and looking out for your best interest. There was also no need for police stations or officers inside the school because you were in school to learn, not "bring the drama".
If you "temporarily lost your mind" and decided to do or say something stupid, the tone that was taken while being disciplined by your parent, a neighbor or teacher made you pay attention. No hitting was required, because you realized this person was not playing. And what was said didn't have to be repeated again. You didn't want it to be repeated again if it had to be, because rest assured it would not be a verbal repeat. Knowing the final person you had to deal with would be a parent if you did something wrong was a reason to NOT do it. You could picture the outcome beforehand, and make the decision to just pass on whatever dumb idea your friends were planning, because you learned from following them before, your mother would pack your bags and send you on your way to be stupid on your own. And whatever system/government you had, you worked with it or around it, without degrading yourself because you knew your self-worth, i.e., "picked your battles wisely".
Ok, so now those "glory" days are gone. Let's skip to present day society. In almost every *major city*, urban african-american kids could be heard before being seen, and heard saying some of the foulest things that would even make a sailor blush. Same with today's urban hispanic kids, especially from a car -- the car's music shows up 10 minutes before they do, giving you time to prepare the "rolling-eyes-are-you-deaf?" look on your face. Many are also wearing hip-hop clothing with images of guns and violence, partially clothed women, and some with profanities on their outfits. (That would have been burned in my house!) And when is that sports jersey throwback look EVER going out of style?! Even more appalling is the behavior of some of the athletes behind the jerseys being worn (lack of integrity, infidelity, drugs, violence and more).
The urban girls, who dress like "hookers in training", are so quick to open their legs to anything before opening their minds. Then, have nerve to complain about the father of her new baby "not taking care of his responsibilities". Well, her responsibility was to know how much money she had available before becoming pregnant. Children aren't free or cheap. Whatever she had in her pockets, that should have been thought of as her primary source for childcare, not someone else. But the reality is if these girls (who repeat the same thing as women) knew this information was required before a child support claim could be filed, two things would happen instead of more responsibility towards sex: more child killings and more abandoned children. And to whom do these kids go home to? A parent or grandparent with their head in the sand or so busy hustling others, they don't have time to worry about their child. Or in many cases, teaching their children how to hustle and break the law right along side them. But in rural areas, there is no help, no resources, nothing. People are truly fending for themselves, as if in a third-world country, but yet still living with self-respect and dignity. While in urban cities, repeated funding is provided to street hustlers.
So I ask you, where in the world did these urban people come from?! And more important, instead of contributing to it by paying for it with free and low-rent housing, free utilities, food, money and more, why isn't money spent on stopping this ridiculous cycle?! Which brings me to the next question: National Association for the Advancement of WHAT or WHO?! I didn't see *ANY* members of the NAACP in any of the low-income urban areas educating or providing guidance. But I did see Mormons daily, which was puzzling. With fewer resources over 25 years ago, african-americans worked together, pooled their resources and had their own thriving communities, banks and other services in many areas, areas that many exclusively used. And this was regardless of where residing. I would say it's the "economy" that's contributing but many people have been living the same way since Presidents Ford, Carter, Reagan, Clinton and both Bushes. And with each elected official, complaints about not enough being done with access to many resources, while people in extremely dire situations have little or no resources.
Deceased civil rights workers of all nationalities are probably jumping up and down in their graves! "All that work for this?!" In spite of being given the freedom to go anywhere in the world, the freedom to obtain knowledge or to soar as high as they'd like, it's almost like the repeat of freeing slaves again, which was the equivalent of freeing birds with a brick tied to their backs. But this time an invisible brick is tied to the backs of many. With never ending options, the same poor neighborhood born in, is the same neighborhood many will live and die in, even at a young age. That's if the poor aren't sent off to a war to die for someone else's wealth and well-being. However, always in the back of my mind, I have to wonder "what if" about positive policies granted for blacks during and immediately after the civil war but reversed by President Andrew Johnson for the benefit of the slave masters, and their ancestors, many of whom are current local, state and federal leaders.
I thought the purpose of welfare and aid was to help a person temporarily get their life together and focus on a better future. Not a lifestyle of the rich and famous, but at least allow the ability to focus while having daily basics taken care of. This I know first hand. You can't focus on anything or think about partying when you're homeless or near homeless, starving and can't buy basic things. But here's where the mystery comes in: while many are legitimately in need yet ignored, in the cases of many today in urban areas, the home situation is more than taken care of including in prime real estate areas. Rent, utilities and food are paid for by the state. Yet, the focus daily is committing a crime, supporting crime, partying, designer clothing - even fake designer clothes, drinking, drugs, having sex, having knowledge of nothing that involves a legal plan, fixing up the car or home with an expensive sound system and having the latest music *always* blasting while complaining when a child needs something like food and basic clothes, and showing complete disrespect to anyone who they feel doesn't give them "props". And if it's so rough being on welfare, why bring another child into the same situation?! I'm not saying this is everyone on welfare, but this appears to be common throughout the United States.
I recently saw (and heard) a guy drive into a low-income/public assistance apartment area, music bumping so loud, windows were shaking. I thought it was a parade. And it was 7:30am (YES, morning!!). Here's the other surprise, he had an infant in the back seat of his car. He then exits his car, wearing a throwback sports jersey, long baggy shorts and I'm sure expensive sneakers, leaves his car running and all doors open (it was already about 97+ degrees outside), while leaving his child strapped inside a car seat WITH the music still blasting with all sorts of profanities from a rap song. He then returned to the car at about 7:55am. Yes, 25 minutes later. That was called "doing his thing"! I felt sorry for the baby, but even sorrier that you couldn't tell him anything because his attitude was like "what the f**k ever". As much as I was itching to get a license plate, too far to see it. My only concern was making sure the child was unharmed. I became the baby sitter from a distance because he was too stupid to care!
Then, there are the spanish living in urban low-income and public assisted areas. The house contains all the latest electronics, and, of course, the rims and accessories on the car are more expensive than the car itself. Insurance? Fa-get-about-it! Now, the non-U.S. flag on the car? Is the flag a symbol of pride in the car? If there is so much pride and love for the country on the flag, why are they here? (I often wonder why when other immigrants move to U.S., the American flag becomes a symbol of pride and freedom.) And the attitude is "where I live is my world" and whatever I want to happen, happens regardless of who is around. Disturb the peace with my music and friends? Too bad, let them deal with it, because I'm proud. And whatever I don't want to happen, I resolve it in a shady, illegal way, if not with violence. The irony is many poor spanish hate blacks (insert Vicente Fox comment or stamp here). Go figure! Meanwhile, the low-income black male can only focus on having sex with a spanish female with no concern for another pregnancy -- "that's the state's problem" is his attitude.
Bottom line is many living in urban low-income and public assisted neighborhoods are living better than those working multiple jobs or long hours trying to make ends meet for their family. They're happy, and I say this because they're comfortable with and not concerned about the conditions of their neighborhood. Others outside of the area are the stupid ones for caring. Beer and other alcohol bottles, along with drug paraphernalia align their streets and garbage areas. The kids just play around it. Home and car electronics and accessories, if auctioned off in one neighborhood alone, would fund a small impoverished nation. Kids come and go and do whatever it is they please, including further damaging their area or property or being rude and disrespectful. Many kids are guided more by the lifestyles of music stars, and will take any shortcut to get the same lifestyle (sex, crime, sell soul). Many couldn't tell you anything about what happened in school because they're too busy "keepin' it real". The mentality is "don't snitch" to "the man" who's considered evil (while "the man" is paying taxes from a legal job), therefore, crime and hustling just prevails and criminals are respected and feared more than their parents.
This is also why so many hard-working people in low-income areas, who want more out of life and achieve it legally, immediately move out and don't look back. (Ironically, even the thugs and hustlers who used the neighborhood as a stepping stone for their wealth move out to better areas!) Many would like to help those from their old neighborhood, but can't, or can't even enter it without feeling like prey or a hostage-to-be. The mentality is so bad, you feel like you're throwing your money away or just being hustled. However, the money being poured into the areas is coming from everyone anyway, even those who have never seen the actual inside of these areas.
So if you ask me, "the man" ain't evil enough! Stop sending these people money, stop providing resources that are simply used to commit a crime, drink or drug it up or worse. Send them all tickets to other areas like Jamaica or anywhere in the islands, and let them learn the history of that area, and that even includes low-income spanish-americans, because they too are part of that once "slave trading port and break 'em in" island area. Or if possible, send them all tickets to West Africa or Spain. Leave them there for a year, no funding, just leave them. Let them learn how to make their own way, and possibly create their own economy, including legally from the wealth of tourists who use the same areas as vacation resorts. Because obviously giving them money here is not doing anything except creating more problems with comforts to match for generations. There have been major efforts to help, some successful, some not.
And if you read all this, I guess you must be someone concerned as well, not to mention had some time available *smile*. Because rest assured, the people written about probably wouldn't read any of it unless it contained the lyrics of a favorite degrading song.
Brookings Institute - A Think Tank's Opinion... from a distance
Cleaning in progress...shoes OFF please!
