RE: Kenyan Men Are Weaklings & Cowards -
06-18-2002, 11:31 AM
>Just an observation. I think compared to
>Akatas, Kenyan men tend to be meek,
>unsure of themselves and cowards. They
>also tend to be confused trying to copy
>Akatas.
That's a fucqed up observation. You are a very ignorant young lady. Here is my observation, I hate to sink to your level and generalize though. The majority of akataas who I have come accross are semi-educated and without ambition. Study shows that (and this can be supported by most akataa women), a big percentage of "akatas" are either in jail on homosexual!!!!!!
As far as "copying" akatas goes, you really don't know what you are talking about. Sure, a lot of young Kenyans (male and female) including yourself are fascinated by the "hip hop" era but what does that mean. Please understand that a big majority of urban white kids also "worship" this superficial lifestyle. Does that mean that whites are "meek, unsure of themselves and cowards"??PLEASE READ A BOOK!!
The endangerment of African American men: an appeal for social work action.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
We live in a nation strained by racism, hostility, and hatred. Our
communities and neighborhoods are overcome by violence, fear, and apathy.
Our homes, which were once considered safe havens, have now become the sites
of increasing acting out of frustration and anger. Due to inequities,
oppressive conditions, and uncontrollable stresses, individuals are turning
against themselves, their loved ones, and others to vent their feelings of
helplessness and hopelessness. Many African American men are especially
caught up in this cycle of violent behaviors and victimization and
consequently are becoming an endangered species (Gibbs, 1984, 1988; Staples,
1987). The adverse consequences of this cycle - including major injury and
death - will affect the future of African American men, their families, and
generations to come. Society's level of concern says much about us as a
nation.
Many studies have reported on the extent of violence in the African American
community, citing alarming statistics and predictions. Relatively high
victimization rates of violent crimes have been reported for individuals who
are African American, male, poor, young, or single. According to the Bureau
of Justice Statistics (1985), African American men have an unusually high
likelihood of being murdered; African Americans are more than five times as
likely to be the victims of homicide as white people (Hawkins, 1986).
Homicide is the leading cause of death of African American men between ages
15 and 34, and since 1960, the suicide rate for African American men between
ages 15 and 24 has tripled (Gibbs, 1988). In 1992, of the 23,760 homicide
victims reported, 50 percent were African American and 48 percent were
white, a disproportionate amount considering that African Americans are only
11 percent of the population.
Eighty-four percent of violent crimes perpetrated against African Americans
were by African Americans (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1990). Ninety
percent of those arrested for homicide were men; 55 percent (10,728) were
African American, and 43 percent (8,466) were white (U.S. Department of
Justice, 1993). In 1990, African Americans were 35.7 percent of the prison
population, compared with 50 percent for white people (Criminal Justice
Institute, 1991). These figures are startling but do not examine the
structural forces that engender crime: inadequate education and job
training, unemployment and underemployment, and the inequitable distribution
of wealth and power (Seidman & Rappaport, 1986).
Because the justice system places a higher value on white men than on
African American men, the latter have had disproportionately higher
incarceration and death penalty rates (Poussaint, 1983). Investigations of
crimes against African Americans are given low priority. Crimes against
white people are more stringently punished. Excessive force, police
brutality, harassment, and false arrests against African Americans are
widespread (Feagin, 1986). As Radelet and Vandiver (1986) pointed out,
"Equality for blacks has not yet been achieved in American society, least of
all in the criminal justice system. The idea that all of us are born with an
equal chance of eventually dying in the electric chair remains a myth" (p.
189).
Despite the risks of school failure, family estrangement, homicidal
violence, and stress-related illnesses that beset African American men from
the vulnerable underclass, there is a growing number of middle-class African
Americans who excel in family, community, and national leadership roles
(Bowman, 1989). Since 1970, the number of African Americans earning over
$35,000 a year has risen by almost one-third. Yet there was also a general
decline in middle-class incomes between 1970 and 1984, resulting in an
increase in lower-income families (Malveaux, 1988). Thus, the gap between
economically disadvantaged and middle-class African Americans is growing. A
vast majority of African Americans are excluded from the economic and
political participation that would improve their standard of living. This
loss of human resources and talents to the economy is the high cost of
racism (Tidwell, 1991).
Despite the growth in the African American middle class, there continues to
be a marked differential in the incomes and poverty levels of African
Americans and white people in this country. According to the U.S. Department
of Commerce (1992), African American families had a median income of
$21,550, whereas the median income of white families was $37,780.
Thirty-three percent of African Americans were living in poverty, compared
with 11 percent of white people; and African Americans were more than twice
as likely as white people to be among the working poor.
Why should the profession of social work be concerned by these staggering
data? Is there cause for alarm and justification for taking action to
alleviate the conditions and circumstances that contribute to the high-risk
status and demise of people in our midst? This article attempts to answer
these questions by presenting a history of events that led to the current
crisis for African American men who have underachieved and lack the
opportunities, skills, and power to rise above their places in society.
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