"They be askin', why niggas so violent? Maybe cuz they build six jails and no college!", as quoted by Agerman in the song "Lifestyles we live" (2000), is one of many views about government from people around me: at home, my social circle, or, of course, Facebook. Their view is not exactly wrong, the plague of no determination, ambition, and lack of goals in our urban neighborhoods is rampant due to lack of help, or aid, from the government social programs. I have the same background of most these people who feel that they, and other people around them, around victims to a brutal, unjust system of dead-ends, yet I have a different view of why they, or we, are the way we are.
Maybe it's because I come from a family of "non-ghetto" black folks who did not grow up on welfare, with parents who never indulged in drugs (obviously), and parents kept a steady job. In fact, my immediate family is the only "ghetto" ones in my entire family (well, on my mom's side). Maybe it is because my mother's father never allowed me to blame any person for why I'm not doing what I'm suppose to being, or my mother teaching me that I can do whatever I want if I work hard enough. Possibly, the reason why I view things differently because I have entered the world, and see that blacks, and other minorities from inner-cities and third-world countries, are able to do help themselves with out any push. Not because they do not accept the help, but they come from places that have none.
People are quick to say that the reason why you see us, as in my demographic- 18-35 hip hop culture, going to jail and committing crimes are because of the government, the man, whitey, etc. The reason why a felon has to work as a janitor is because of them, or the reason why Tasha can not afford to have a brand new lexus because they cut her government aid child care assistance. Excuse my English, but unfortunately that bullshit!
Like I was taught by my ex-convict father (when he heard that I was selling drugs) "don't do the crime, if you can't do the time', an old song he would sing. If people would use that aspect, along with some at constructive activities, the government is dragging us down becomes obsolete. I constantly hear about people bragging about how they son just got suspended from school for beating up another child, or people laughing about how their child is up to no good as if its something that will brush off. I also see a person selling dope, and then complaining that they can not get a job that has a cool wage. How about going to school, and getting some skill maybe? Then when they catch a felony the want to complain that its everybody else's fault they can't pass a background check. As an adult, you know what, and where, criminal activity leads to, so the next step would be to just accept your consequences. You are responsible for your actions.
We want to teach our kids to be responsible adults, then we blame the government for not taking care of responsibilities. Hypocritical? Maybe, just a little?
Fact is, in the old days (Jim Crow) the community with little, or no, charity assistance would take it upon themselves to ensure their children will read and write, and learn, to the best of their potential. Parents, who were literate enough to, taught their children, or had somebody to teach their children. Children would crowd in to make shift classrooms, and were taught to take this education as serious as the education given in nice classrooms to whites. And they did!
Here it is a poor education in America still is conducting in a functioning classroom, with electricity, and kids are taught (by the constant complaints, and finger pointing, at the government) by the adults to not respect the institution, the structure, and essentials of learning. They hear us complain for what we should have, but did not work to get, and feel that is what is ahead of them to come. Like the how they say, "hate begets hate", this ever so true with lack of ambition and ignorance.
Its time to take, and claim, responsibility for our lives, our future, and the futures of our children. We can not teach them they can be what ever they want, but never have to be accountable for the things that they do (wrong). We teach them to do good, but show them cutting corners and bad. Then they get in to the street life, and we try not to understand why, but make excuses for why we are sending packages and accepting collect calls when they become adults.
If our schools are lacking funding, and our children are not getting the best advantage to education, why not use that smart phone and google something interesting to teach our children? We complain there's no after school programs, why not gather up the neighborhood kids on your own, and play a big game of tag, flag football, basketball, or anything? If your child has bad grades, why not sit in a classroom and identify your child's struggle? We rather point the same finger we point at "the man" at the teacher, the government, and etc. because we want be responsible for the scholarship, and not the delinquency.
Sure we would have more structured activities if the government would fund them, but instead of complaining about the lemons given for the hungry, let's make a big lemon creme pie and feed them! Until we can stand as a unit and fight the structure with with positive ammunition (statistics, knowledge, and merit), take responsibility for ensuring you impact the choices of your child by feeding their life positivity, education, and encouragement. Let them face their rainy days with an umbrella of hope, instead of a wet blanket of complaints.
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