2012 May 22 |
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http://www.theatlanticright.com/2009/09/29/outrage-chicago-honors-student-beaten-to-death/
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We have all heard of the culture of victimization so prevalent in African American communities today, leading to Afro American youngsters who want to do well in school and make something of themselves being called “uncle Toms” and worse, but this is shocking nonetheless:

Cell phone footage showing a group of teens viciously kicking and striking a 16-year-old honors student with splintered railroad ties has ramped up pressure on Chicago officials to address chronic violence that has led to dozens of deaths of city teens each year.

The graphic video of the afternoon melee emerged on local news stations over the weekend, showing the fatal beating of Derrion Albert, a sophomore honor roll student at Christian Fenger Academy High School. His death was the latest addition to a rising toll: More than 30 students were killed last school year, and the city could exceed that number this year.

Prosecutors charged four teenagers Monday with fatally beating Albert, who was walking to a bus stop when he got caught up in the mob street fighting, authorities said.

Although America was indeed once a racist society, things have changed dramatically. Whites are no longer African Americans’ biggest problem: they themselves are.

If African Americans truly want to improve their collective lot in life they have to aggressively deal with gangs, the culture of victimization and of self-destruction.

Continue reading at Hot Air.

  1. Posted by Rudi666
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    Rudi666 Why is this post a word for word copy of the HotAir post? I'm sure the mob was aware that the victim was an "Uncle Tom"(?).
  2. Posted by Tully
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    Tully Rudi, do you have problems with the idea that bloggers with multiple-site posting privileges AND their own blogs quite often cross-post their writings to multiple sites? If so, why? Ah, Chicago, land of HopeChange™...
  3. | Quote | Trackback | Link #102682
    Jason Arvak From what I have seen, Rudi has never had a problem several bloggers that he ideologically agrees with cross-posting their writing on multiple blogs. He has even failed to express any objection to some of those writers who routinely use huge chunks of other people's writings with very minimal commentary (only a few words) of their own (a practice which is arguably plagiaristic and is certainly parasitic). So I think it is fair to interpret Rudi's latest comment as merely more ideologically-biased harassment from a common source of such. While it may be ideologically discomfiting for Rudi and others among the lockstep left (after all, this is a problem that cannot be simply laid at the feet of demonically evil white people), the fact is that many black students who seek academic achievement face substantial social disincentives toward doing so from elements of African-American culture that glorify ignorance as some kind of virtue. The speculation that these disincentives may sometimes spill over into violence is hardly unreasonable, especially given the correspondence between the elements that encourage ignorance and those that glorify gang symbolism and violence.
  4. Posted by Jeb
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    Jeb How is this incident in any way related to the victim supposedly being an 'Uncle Tom' or the supposed 'culture of victimization'? From the original description of the incident,
    Prosecutors charged four teenagers Monday with fatally beating Albert, who was walking to a bus stop when he got caught up in the mob street fighting, authorities said. The violence stemmed from a shooting early Thursday morning involving two groups of students from different neighborhoods, said Tandra Simonton, a spokeswoman for the Cook County prosecutor's office. When school ended, members of the groups began fighting near the Agape Community Center.
    This just looks likes someone trying to get political mileage out of a trajic incident related at best tenuously to the point that is attempting to be made. This is something I would expect out of a fever swamp like hot air. You can do better.
  5. Michael van der Galien Because, Rudi, the post at Hot Air is written by me. Idiot.
  6. Posted by AJ
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    AJ Edited by MvdG: sorry dude, we know you're a lefty troll but we can't accept that filth.
  7. Patrick Glenn Jeb, you make a good point. However, the need to gather more facts before we can ascertain motives and really gauge why this happened works both ways: we don't know whether this was a deliberate attack on a studious "Uncle Tom," but we also can't rule out that possibility. Another (related) possibility is the kid was targeted because he looked like an easy mark, which would point to plenty of dysfunctional currents by itself. Even if the kid was a "random" victim who was in the wrong place at the wrong time, this tragedy still speaks to the cyclical dysfunctionality of a particular urban subculture that seems to do everything it can to destroy the hopes and lives of kids like the victim in this case. For too long, we have tended to go beyond compassion to excessive clemency (better word?), an impulse which has had a pernicious legacy, especially in the inner-cities. In open-and-shut cases like the one described above, the justice system response should be stern and unforgiving - and, sorry, it does make a difference that they brutally murdered an unsuspecting honor student versus killing another gang member. That does not mean that we should be callous about the conditions facing kids in difficult circumstances (and I understand that there's a myriad of other factors at play), but society did these kids (both the honor students and the teen thugs) no favors whatsoever by showing misguided "compassion" to past generations of violent teen thugs.
  8. Posted by Tully
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    Tully clean-up on comment #6...
  9. Patrick Glenn AJ: We can see you hard-lefty trolls (agents provocateurs) coming from a mile away. Why don't you run that game somewhere else? You're not even that good at it. Only the full-time hard-leftist activists seem have the time and inclination to play such games, which is a good thing because if I did the same thing on your "home" blogs, you wouldn't see me coming.
  10. Posted by Jeb
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    Jeb Patrick, Read the initial news report. There is absolutely nothing in the statements of the police or anyone else involved that the victim was targeted due to his academic accomplishment. All available evidence points to another victim caught in the crossfire of gang violence.
    Even if the kid was a “random” victim who was in the wrong place at the wrong time, this tragedy still speaks to the cyclical dysfunctionality of a particular urban subculture that seems to do everything it can to destroy the hopes and lives of kids like the victim in this case.
    That particular sub-culture is much more about being poor and urban than sporting a particular skin color. As much hay is made in conservative circles about the left making unrelated or tangentially related incidents primarily about race, it seems that the right is not immune to the same fault. AJ, Please go away.
  11. Patrick Glenn Jeb, I didn't meantion race in my comments. Yet, on a side note, I do wonder if anyone has investigated whether there are significant attitudinal differences among students of predominantly African American versus predominantly non-minority innercity schools - other variables being controlled for - including attitudes about the importance of getting good grades, what types of peer qualities are valued, etc. You're right that a lot of the problems/challenges inherent to low-income urban areas/neighborhoods are not necessarily related to race, except insomuch as many of these areas are populated heavily by minorities. Nevertheless, we cannot be afraid to clearly describe and then try to unravel some of the perncious influences and forces, even if it requires some uncomfortable dialogue, angry accusations, etc.
  12. Posted by Joan Smith
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    Joan Smith We need prayer Dear Lord Help our youth to love one another and themselves. Help adults to lead by example. Help us all!
  13. Posted by Jeb
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    Jeb
    Jeb, I didn’t meantion race in my comments.
    My comments about race were directed to the original post that did try to place blame for this incident on African American culture and its supposed anti-intellectualism and victim mentality rather than your more nuanced position.
    I do wonder if anyone has investigated whether there are significant attitudinal differences among students of predominantly African American versus predominantly non-minority innercity schools
    or of predominantly other minority inner city schools. I haven't seen anything definitive on this and doubt there is or will be anything soon. What little I have seen points to minority status period having more effect than particular minority status and both of those being far smaller contributors than economic and non-ethnic social factors. Poverty, failing schools, poor social and economic mobility, low opinion of education, and distrust of authority all feed on one another and the continuing result is more of the same. As far as anti-intellectualism is concerned it is and has been a strong current in American politics for most if not all of our history. I have seen no evidence that inner city African American anti-intellectualism is any more prevalent than rural white anti-intellectualism. The original post implies that this is a problem specific to African American youth rather than the broader social phenomenon that it is and has been. He does so in an apparent effort to broaden a critique that is not supported by the evidence of the case he cites.
    Nevertheless, we cannot be afraid to clearly describe and then try to unravel some of the perncious influences and forces, even if it requires some uncomfortable dialogue, angry accusations, etc.
    True enough and any thorough airing of all of the thorny issues surrounding this will certainly involve discomfort and some vitriol. The discomfort is unavoidable, the vitriol is merely inevitable.
  14. Posted by AJ
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    AJ watch the tape, see any white kids beating each other? people tend to get around the truth by saying stupid things like, "you just don't have video of other races beating each other to death at school." haha thats because it doesnt happen! 30 black kids in chicago schools were killed last year due to violence at school, how ridiculous. I have black family members, i am not a racist, the term nigger is defined by someone's actions, not the color of their skin, however in this case, every person in the video is black, every kid who got killed in a chicago school last year was an inner city black kid. Sorry but parenting in the inner cities is non-existant and this is the outcome of that.
  15. Posted by Ms. Carr
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    Ms. Carr @AJ AJ sweetheart its more to life than just saying stupid things and making those type of commits,I'm a black woman and raistng 2 boys and doing my best at it and it's hard for them, I teach them right from wrong.It's not a black thing. I grew up in a project and i have not killed anyone i have a 20 yr old daughter in collage and guest what AJ she was raised in a inner city neighborhood so what do you have to say about her up bringings!
  16. Posted by AJ
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    AJ ms carr, i appreciate what you are saying, but are the 1 percent that does it the right way....what do you have to say about 30 inner city chicago black kids that got killed at school last year, either by beatings or shootings? black people fear the police and feel like they won't get justice so they go beat innocent people? the kid who got killed was just standing there minding his own business, and look at the tape, NOBODY tried to help him. This inner city society has melted down so bad that this type of incident is now common place in every big city. It's sad and unless the other 99 percent of inner city parents start being REAL parents to their children this type of violence will continue to get worse. It's disgusting.
  17. Posted by AJ
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    AJ clean up? the truth hurts i guess
  18. Posted by AJ
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    AJ the uncle tom comment is ridiculous also....why would black people beat a kid to death because he is trying to make something of himself? why do black people need to label these kids as if they are doing something wrong??? i thought the black race was trying to kick the numerous stereotypes about them... if a black kid wants to go to school, get good grades and go off to college, why would his peers kill him? were they brought up to hate uncle toms? that type of thinking will keep the black race down and the people who feed that type of thought just don't make sense. your race can't succeed if you kill the people who are trying to do good in this F'd up world.
  19. Posted by Ms. Carr
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    Ms. Carr @AJ I agree if parents spend more time with there kids and knowing there where about that can help a lot.i teach my kids the value of life and not just money.i tell them the bitter and the sweet things of life. and i said the same thing why come nobody called the police that saw the fight!its terrible to even think nobody called because they were scared thats bull.AJ we can go back and forth about this but the real issue is the absent parents, and not reconizing that your childrens have issues within themselves i'm sure these kids parents that are doing these type of crimes seen it first hand! and i can say at home or with other childrens before. there are plenty of red flags.
  20. Posted by Map901
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    Map901 @AJ This is sad to hear and AJ(#6 comment)you are such an IDIOT.You are right, it never ends and you are a proven example that it still exist. JERK!
  21. Posted by gj@epins.com
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    gj@epins.com Hate the Game Boys claimin’ they’re men, fast track to the grave Thinkin’ they’re players, all the time bein’ played Babies have babies, mamas pass blame Sisters and daughters don’t know their real name Rappers proclaim, we just showin’ what’s real Children then copy till the day that they’re killed A system designed to imprison our youth Embellishing lies, disguising the truth Sisters disrobing on video screens Renouncing their rights as African queens Brothers gone wild with lascivious acts Minds chained to slavery, that’s just the facts I’m not hatin’ the players, I’m hatin’ the game Dollars and cents got a lock on their brains Hi tech plantations raping our village Corporate execs continue to pillage Movies corrupting with negative themes Drugs, sex and crime, a genocidal scheme Influencing children, repeating the hooks Keeping them down, re-writing the books Plantations ain’t changed in four hundred years Still whippin’ and beatin’ slaves into fear Fear of lovin’ yourself, men, women and kids Fear of planning a future, educatin’ your peers Fear of seein’ the truth, fear of havin’ respect Fear of claiming a culture of wealth, not neglect I’m not hatin’ the players, I’m hatin’ the game Dollars and cents padlocking their brains Thugs grinnin’ and smilin’ with chains ‘round their neck Gold ‘stead of iron has the same slave effect House negroes happy they don’t have to go Massa he love us, let us sell all his dope We better off now, we got bling, we got flash Fat pockets with cash and the massa just laughs I’m not hatin’ the players, I’m hatin’ the game Dollars and cents got a lock on their brains The dogs in the yard used to keep us at bay Now we’re callin’ our brothers by the same canine name The underground railroad once used to escape Gotta be resurrected to end this slave rape Young poets and writers, rappers too Gotta build new tracks preparing our youth ‘Stead of hatin’ on players who’re tryin’ to stand tall Pick up the challenge, pick up the ball Read ‘tween the lines, ‘cause that’s where truth lies Break out of the box, start savin’ lives Don’t be a slave with a house, car and boat Grinning and shuffling, refusing to vote I’m not hatin’ the players, I’m hatin’ the game Dollars and cents padlocking their brains Ancestors suffered, robbed of their name Raped of their heritage; think this is a game? Strung up and hung from the tallest tree Whipped and tortured in their fight to be free All this abuse to liberate you Give you a chance to start out anew To resurrect families, fulfilling your dreams With culture and values, silencing screams Erasing the nightmare of horrendous attacks Bringing back life with courageous acts Become heroes and heroines to ones you hold dear Leave legacies of love, not those of fear Copyright © 2005 by F. Geoffrey Johnson All rights reserved
  22. Posted by Domminique
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    Domminique OMFG why is this shitt gettin this bad that boy aint do shitt to deserve that