How Did We Get Here????

When I think about Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Frederick Douglas, Barack Obama, Denzel Washington, Cedric Glover (Mayor of Shreveport), and so many other influential and famous African Americans, I wonder how did we get where we are now?  Why do we feel the world owes us something when we haven't worked for it? In the field in which I work, you encounter a lot of this.  Unfortunately, I never hear from any other race regarding rules and regulations.  In everything there are rules.  If you don't want to follow the rules that are in place, move!!  No one is forcing you to remain on a property where you feel trapped or a prisoner.  No, you cannot have fireworks; no you cannot leave your BBQ pits out; no, you cannot have a swimming pool or anything that could be a liability and that could harm children or adults.

I am tired of the ghetto mentality.  Just because you are low income or no income doesn't mean you have to act like an ass all the time.  You do not have to get loud or yell to prove your point.  You do not have to curse, pop your lips or roll your eyes to make a point.  No one is listening to you when you do that.  All people are doing is laughing at you and thinking "you big foolish dummy."  I think about my parents and my family in general and I think about how others act in other families and I wonder where was the breakdown.  There was a time when black people were more proud then this.  They cared about their communities and their families.  They didn't go around acting uncivilized and popping their lips and rolling their necks and eyes.  The only thing rolling your neck and eyes accomplishes with me is making me very dizzy. 

How can we expect anyone to take us seriously when we act like imbeciles and ingrates all the time?? Please excuse me if I use "us" and "we" a lot.  That is just in reference to a group of people.  I don't mean to group everyone in one demeaning category but it is just easier this way.  I apologize in advance.

Moving on, I realize that every one will fortunate as others to have the bare necessities in life.  There are a lot of programs provided by the US Government to assist people with housing, food, child care, jobs, etc.  All of that is abused unfortunately.  I feel that if you are living in a house where you receive some type of subsidy from an agency, you should be grateful for that.  No, it isn't a mansion but it provides a roof over yours and your children's heads.  Usually, the property is maintained by a management company where if something breaks, you call maintenance and it is fixed.  The lawn is manicured.  It is pretty much easy living.  But they have to abide by rules.  No loud music, EASY!!  No DRUGS, not as easy as you think for them to not do that.  Do NOT get arrested for felonies!!  Just abide by the rules that are in place and that are in your lease when you signed it and there will be no problems.  It is simple. I am very disappointed in how we act.  Our children see us doing these things. They see us talking loud, acting silly and cursing just to get a point across and they will most likely grow up the same way.  One day they are "Blessed and Highly Favored" and the next they are calling you everything but a child of God.

I wish we would just rethink things.  Before we start to act foolish and simple, just sit down and think about it.  No one can hear you when you are yelling or cursing.  I don't care if you have an eye problem or you have a pain in your neck.  I wish as a people we would change.  I wish we could be like "some" of our parents, grandparents and generations before that.  They were not only proud but they were humble.  They were respectful, taught their children to be the same way.  At one point, according to the Meriam-Webster Dictionary a quarter of a city in which Jews were formerly required to live or a quarter of a city in which members of a minority group live especially because of social, legal, or economic pressure or a situation that resembles a ghetto especially in conferring inferior status or limiting opportunity.  The origin of ghetto is Italian, from Venetian dialect ghèto island where Jews were forced to live,            literally, foundry (located on the island), from ghetàr to cast, from Latin jactare to throw and the first known use was 1611.  Please view here http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ghetto.

Ghetto as you can see was where you lived but NOT who you are.  You can live in the ghetto and be happy, proud and respectful. You don't have to be slummish or act a certain way. Everyone is afforded the same opportunity to get out of the ghetto.  We can all go to school and finish.  We can go to college.  We don't have to disable our children.  I realize children are born with birth defects but why does everyone in the ghetto have 2 or 3 children who are disabled??  I don't believe it.  Our children can learn to read, write, count money and learn ANYTHING they set their minds to do.  There are grants and scholarships provided to allow everyone to go to school.  You don't even have to leave the comfort of your home to go to college now.  Many schools offer online educations and they are legitimate.  There is no reason for us to behave so poorly.

Maybe someday this will change.  Maybe the mentality of our people will get better.  I wish I knew and I can only pray.  I believe in miracles but this may be one that I just have to let go for now.