Indeed. Why, they might even someday find their picture on the cover of Newsweek.
Posted on 11/20/2006 7:39:55 AM PST by meg88
Memo to young black men: Please grow up
Last week, I was in a studio in midtown where a popular program for black youths was being filmed. I found myself surrounded by black men, ages 18 to 35, and I was appalled. As a father with a daughter nearly 30 years old who has never been close to marrying anyone, I was once more struck by what my offspring describes as "a lack of suitable men." She has complained often about the adolescent tendencies of young black men, as will just about any young black woman when the subject comes up.
Those who believe that America is perpetually adolescent will point at the dominance of frat-boy attitudes among successful white men and will say of the black hip-hop generation, "So what? How could they not be adolescent? They are not surrounded by examples of celebrated maturity. The society worships movie stars, wealthy athletes and talk show hosts. These are not the wisest and most mature of people."
There is more than a little bit right about that. Our culture has been overwhelmed by the adolescent cult of rebellion that emerges in a particularly stunted way from the world of rock 'n' roll. That simpleminded sense of rebelling against authority descended even further when hip hop fell upon us from the bottom of the cultural slop bucket in which punk rock curdled.
Hip hop began as some sort of Afro protest doggerel and was very quickly taken over by the gangster rappers, who emphasized the crudest materialism in which the ultimate goal was money and it did not matter how one got it. The street thug, the gang member, the drug dealer and the pimp became icons of sensibility and success. Then the attitudes of pimps took a high position and the pornographic version of hip hop in which women become indistinguishable bitches and hos made a full-court press on the rap "aesthetic."
At the television studio, as I watched and listened to those young men, each of whom seemed to be auditioning for a lifelong part as a "man-child," I discussed this phenomenon with a black woman in her 40s who is a writer.
She had worked for rap magazines, magazines that had focused on black women and in black television. Her analysis was quite direct and could be profoundly true. Her profession and being the mother of a teenage daughter has made her pay close attention and forced her to give these issues a good deal of thought.
The way she understood it was that these young black men do not see growing up as having any advantages to it. One is either current or old-fashioned and outdated. The only success they think they can believe in is had by either athletes or rappers. Young black men. So they hold on to adolescence and adolescent ways as long as they can.
The writer also said, "I am sure many knew of Ed Bradley but they did not identify with him. He was too sophisticated. They identify with the overgrown boy, who is everywhere and who is getting over. He's got a lot of cash, plenty of girls, lots of jewelry, an expensive car. To them, that's the world. Or it's the world they want to be a part of."
So what can be done to make adulthood seem attractive to these young black men?
Good question.
From one end of the country to the other, adults sleep in the street for nights on end as though they are homeless in order to have choice places in line when PlayStations go on sale. That alone gives us more than an indication of how great a problem we find ourselves facing.
Are you talking about the NBA?
Indeed. Why, they might even someday find their picture on the cover of Newsweek.
Ed Bradley was so sophisticated, mature, and oozing wisdom that, at age 135, he was wearing an earring.
Men and women are responsible to themselves for how they turn out. However, if many of the women who lament the lack of a suitable partner still produce children with these unsuitable men, don't demand child support, don't demand fidelity, etc, then what incentive does an unsuitable male have to become a suitable male in the eyes of these women?
My black girlfriend (I am as white as the pure driven snow) is sick of black men. Everything this article states is spot on with what she has witnessed. My African Queen is perfectly happy with her big white Republican teddy bear.
I think the point he is making is that video games are irrelevant in the bigger picture.
This guy is only wrong in one tiny respect. It ISN'T just black men that suffer from terminal adolescence!
EVRY man under 35 thinks they are still 18 and ACT like it. From idiotic sports fixations, to childish hobbies, to ridiculous hair cuts, to jeans worn EVERYWHERE, to NOT getting married and having a family, to getting married... and divorced a half dozen times.
Men are raised to be punk kids until they suddenly find themselves in their 50's, wondering why they don't have a nice family!
I do feel pity for the Blacks who have gotten caught up the downward spiral of the hip-hop culture (I would have good cause to jump off of a cliff if Lil Kim was my idol). That being said, it is time for Black males to stop wallowing in self-pity and get their acts together - they are the only ones who can change their plight.
With all due respect to the late Ed Bradley, his pieces on "60 Minutes" usually went this way: White men, bad; blck men; good. Not always but usually.
When one's culture says to achieve academically is to "act white" and to do manual labor is to "be a slave", it seems their own people are keeping each other down. There's an old Danish allegory regarding a bucket of crabs, and when one finally reaches the rim in an attempt to get out, the others pull him down.
The difference being "work hard/play hard" versus "working 9 to 5 is for suckers". Some of my friends are 30 year old frat-boy types who are as cravenly adolescent as they were 15 years ago, but they still developed marketable skills, work hard, and hold down well paying day jobs.
I suspect many involved in those stampedes did so for the massive profit (PS3s are selling for around $5000 on EBay), not to acquire the games for themselves to play..
....at least I hope so ;)
It is amazing when news reports consist of reporting about themselves.
Gee, that seems to paint with a pretty broad brush! My son is only 24 but is running a business with another guy he graduated college with......and they are doing very well. And my son-in-law is working full time, working on a Master's degree and supporting our daughter (25) while she completes her PhD.
Maybe I'm just lucky?
Memo to Stanley Crouch:
Your intended audience will never bother to read your memo.
"Men are raised to be punk kids until they suddenly find themselves in their 50's, wondering why they don't have a nice family!"
I must say, that is an interesting observation. I would substitute 35 for 50 and agree with you.
I see far too many 'adults' today acting like spolied brats.
OTOH, I do see young people who are very mature in both thier outlook and behaviour.
But then, those same young poeple seem mostly to have short haircuts and deep tans right now.
From going to a tanning salon 3 hours a week?
Like a woman?
Spend as much time in front of the mirror as a woman?
"So what can be done to make adulthood seem attractive to these young black men?
Good question."
It is a good question and I hope they come up with the correct answers sooner rather than later.
That analysis can be applied to all 60 minute segments.
Short haircuts and deep tan = recent mideast military service.
OIF vets.
Sorry for not being specific.
Q: What's Reagan's plan to end poverty
A: 90,000 teams in the NBA
Did you forget the sarcasm tag?
The guys who fit the 'tanned and short hair' description are in service to this nation.
Mom...and a dad?
The reason Black men (or any person) does not grow up, is that they find that they don't need to.
A guy who can get laid and fed and have a place to sleep without any need of holding a steady job, will see no need to hold a job
The hip-hop "culture" wouldn't be anywhere near the size it is today if not for white executives at recording companies that promote it.
True, but no one is being forced to become part of the hip-hop culture. People need to be accountable for the choices they make.
"EVRY man under 35 thinks they are still 18 and ACT like it. From idiotic sports fixations, to childish hobbies, to ridiculous hair cuts, to jeans worn EVERYWHERE, to NOT getting married and having a family, to getting married... and divorced a half dozen times."
Where do you get the need to generalize and stereotype? Sounds to me like someone has some anger inside about something that needs to be expressed. Get it all out there and maybe you will sleep a bit better at night.
"Men are raised to be punk kids..."
Where are you from? I am from Kentucky, and my father is a minister, and I certainly wasn't raised to be a "punk kid." I speak on behalf of many that I call friends as well. Maybe women are so fed up with the jerks that they feel this sudden urge to throw us all into the same pot, but that is how we end up hurt. We automatically assume and judge everyone based on our past experiences and it's not fair to that to ourselves. One can never be happy with such a mentality.
I heard a great quote yesterday, "Walk like a god, and your goddess will come to you." Many people want to force the hand, but the best things happen to us not when we are looking for it, but when we are just walking through life, and it just happens.
Fixed it for ya'...
Amen,Amen!These young black women play a BIG part in this whole dusfunctional game.
When I see these often foul mouthed young women dressed like street hos complaining about the lack of"good"black men,I just laugh my tail off.What young"brother"in his right mind is going to marry one of those harradins?Be for real,now.
Many of the young black men I know are"chopping it"with the white girls and senoritas.Not that all of THEM are paragons of virtue either but things are trending that way around here.At one of the local high schools,I have even see black boys with Laotian girls and thats a first for me.
Crouch does have valid criticisms of young black rap culture.But anytime I hear these young black men getting the lion's share of the blame,I for one am going to speak up in their defense.
Anecdotal evidence is no evidence at all. Just because you happen to know some men who were raised to emulate traditional mores does NOT mean that your experiences are the norm in this country. And they CERTAINLY aren't the norm in popular culture.
....especially if you are over 12 years old.
So cynical. Just because you know more men that don't emulate tarditional values does not mean it's the norm either. I suppose it's time to start watching the company we keep. If we surround ourselves with fools, then I suppose we will look at everyone as if they were one.
Pop culture is it's own thing. Like a sick fad that most people grow out of eventually.
Sure. Go ahead. So does the pop culture. Golly gee swell. Give them a full pass for anti-social behavior, the inability to speak the King's English (let alone read it), expletives in every sentence, ridiculous crime/murder rates, violence, their celebration of ignorance vs. education, their rampant racism............................sure; jump to their defense all you wish.
Man,you must not have read my post.I specifically SAY that I DO critisize elements of the black male rap culture but I am not going to let black males take ALL the blame.
These women are VERY complicit in the culture they keep bitching about.I see it every day in the streets.
See, now THAT is the point. Pop culture is not being "grown out" of at as early a time as it should. And that is the point of this original post by the writer Stanley Crouch.
He is dead right but only wrong in that he seems only to focus on black men whereas the truth is it's all across the cultural spectrum.
Every little boy wants to be like the bigger boys, and ultimately, like his father or other men. To civilize little boys, they need to be around bigger boys and men, and the bigger boys and men have to have their best interests at heart.
Agemates cannot raise or civilize each other.
There is too much segregating of young people from older ones. They learn what they want to be like and do from their peers or very slightly older boys. There is an obvious lack of stable adult male role models in many black boys' lives (in plenty of white boys' lives too).
Kids just want to have fun 100% of all the time. That is what children do for a living: attempt to achieve that. But once they become accustomed to chores and working with Daddy or Uncle or Big Brother, a boy will try to please. They need their butts lightly kicked when they do wrong, and they need loving approval when they get it right. They will learn to work hard and become men. The military can do it. It's not rocket science to raise a good man.
Here is what doesn't work: No supervision most of the time. No father (unless he died a hero somehow and his sons can still emulate him) around. Permissiveness regarding teen social life, dress, viewing habits, etc. I see far too many uncivilized youths around.
I agree, it's not all the black men's fault. If all these women who are complaining about immature men would just close their legs, those immature men would grow up. IMHO.
I believe the point he is making is that Hip Hop is extremely negative because it portrays the black culture quite disgustingly. Get rich by rapping about shooting cops. The life of screwing ho's and smoking blunts. Why do you think Bill Cosby is disregarded by many in the black community? Because he puts it out there. We get no where in life by blaming all of our problems on "the man." We hate what the man does for us, yet we complain that he doesn't do enough. "The man" does not hold us back, we only hold ourselves back by refusing to take responsibility for ourselves.
You can claim that it is the truth all across the cultural spectrum, but I beg to differ. I am not going to have this conversation because I do not need the race card pulled out, but look at the statistics before you make such bold statements.
Wow.
I guess we aren't going to "have this conversation" because I have NO idea what you are on about. I am completely lost about where you are coming from.
So, I guess we can just part friends, because I just don't think we are talking about the same stuff at all.
PlayStations are NOT the problem.
Black women were handed power over black families back in the 1960's when sweeping liberal welfare policies went into effect ...Policies that replace black men with a white welfare check.
Black men went from being protectors and providers to being entertainment. Women didn't need them for traditional reasons - the "check" provided freedom from reciprocity... So what was attractive switched and the "sexually successful" male quit being the steady and responsible, and became the exciting and entertaining.
If that wasn't bad enough for the black male, affirmative action with it's twofer mentality (a black woman counted as "a woman" and "a black") gave black women the edge in jobs and college.
And knowing this, who do black men vote for? Yep, they go with the dems. Amazing.
Black women were given power over black families in the 1960's when sweeping liberal welfare policies went into effect -- policies that replaced black men with a white welfare check.
Black men - under the welfare system - went from being protectors and providers for women, to being entertainment.
Women didn't need them for traditional reasons - the "check" provided freedom from reciprocity... So what was attractive switched and the "sexually successful" male quit being the steady and responsible, and became the exciting and entertaining.
If that wasn't bad enough for the black male, affirmative action with it's twofer mentality (a black woman counted as "a woman" and "a black") gave black women the edge in jobs and college.
And knowing this, who do black men vote for? Yep, they go with the dems. Amazing.
This is exactly my thought.
"Black leaders" condemn Clarence Thomas, Condi Rice, Walter Williams, Thomas Sowell, and other academic and governmental leaders as "acting white".
The "accepted black leaders" tell young black children that they can't succeed in today's world because everyone is so prejudiced.
What do they expect to happen?
Stanley Crouch bump.
Now, I don't have trouble with "staning in line to buy a game" (although, personally, I wouldn't stand in line at Wal-MArt at 5AM if they were giving away $500 bills....)
Memo to Stanley Crouch:
Your intended audience will never bother to read your memo.
______
Exactly, a teardrop in the ocean.
Now if the top 10 rappers, Michael Jordan, Oprah, LeBron James, Jim Brown, Shaquille O'Neal, Chris Rock etc. all decided to have a press conference to announce they were now conservative Republicans, we might start to see a shift.
Pop culture is MORE dominant than ever, I'm 42 and I remember when MTV was launched. The dominant culture among youth today is "hip-hop culture" (the greatest oxymoron of the 21st century). I live in Bergen County, NJ, one of the richest counties in the country. The fashion and music and attitudes you see in suburban whites is dominated by hip hop.
Saturday Night Live regularly has "rap artists" as their "musical" guest, their lack of talent is on full display, the emperor has no clothes, if it's not studio mixed it sounds like sh!t.
If a female artist wants to stay "current", she has to do a "duet" with a thug spitting street nonsense next to her, e.g. Jennifer Lopez, Gwen Stefani, Nelly Furtado, etc.
I'm not an old fogey, I can stomach some current rap, used to like Public Enemy even though the message was stupid and vile and can take these young white and black males on the basketball court and show an old white man who can jump, and hang in the air, and drain 25-footers with 2 guys hanging on me.
I know once you say "these kids today" which has been lamented for 2000 years you're getting old. I do think as a percentage, more are brainwashed today with this culture everywhere, MTV, Ipods, video games. A lot has changed in the past 30 years. After school we used to have a choice to play baseball, football, basketball, wiffle ball, kill the man with the ball, etc. We didn't have a computer to chat with people, download music, watch videos, porn, video games with a gangster influence, etc.
Look at what they did to MC Hammer, he was the number one selling rap artist in the country. He preached a positive message and the dominant culture ran him out of the industry. He's too soft. He's not a "real" rapper. He's not "street". His audience is (god forbid) white. Hammer then tried to be a gangster rapper, that didn't go over too well. They weren't too nice to Vanilla Ice either, who had a number one album also.
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