What do you think of black stereotypes?

There certainly is a correlation between minorities and poverty, and also a correlation between poverty and crime. Your statement about blacks “moving into a neighborhood” (believe me, it is not a conspiracy) reflects a couple of realities: many minorities (Vietnamese, Latino, Russian, or African American) feel more comfortable with their “own kind”. And when that happens, those neighborhoods become marked as a minority neighborhood, with many adverse effects.

Because of racial and ethnic discomfort, people will not shop or go to those neighborhoods no matter what group lives there. It is a reflection of inherent distrust in “the other”. That’s also called racism.

I notice you referenced an Asian festival that was for Asians and not others. Why not the whole community? And do you suppose some people who thought the festival was only for Asians may have antagonized others who came to have fun? The antagonism may have been a year ago and people came back this year with the intent of “we won’t put up with that.”

Re read what you wrote, and while I understand your trying to not be offensive, your writing demonstrates the insidiousness of structural racism.

Zenvelo, it wasn’t a fight between Asians and blacks. It was blacks and blacks fighting each other. Each incident wasn’t interracial thing between each other.

Also, there is a Rib/Jazz Fest, Asian Festival, Latino festival, Irish Festival, etc. This is Asian-Pacific Islander month. Why would I mention other festivals of other groups? lol

I wonder what those people think of being constantly called ’‘blacks’’ for a start…

Stereotypes are mixed bag. A lot of the time, not all the time, stereotypes develop from some sort of truth, this goes for all groups, not just black people. Once a stereotype takes hold, and is believed to be valid, then people who buy into the stereotype start to see examples that fit the stereotype and ignore the many many examples around them that don’t support the steretype. It’s like buying a red Ford Explorer, and then seeing the exact same car everywhere on the orad when you never noticed them before.

Most negative stereotypes have more to do with socio-economics and culture than race, which you mentioned, and unfortuneately in the US black people are disporportionately poor.

The example you describe, that is the type of example heard all the time where I live. Black people moved in and the schools started having trouble with violence and even gun related violence. I assume that is true for a particular school they are pointing out, I don’t think it is something people make up. What is unfortunate is these two kids who have a fight have people thinking it is their whole race that is a problem. When a white kid does open fire on a school, no one thinks all white people are violent. If it had been white people getting in a fight at the festival would you think to ask the same Q?

We need to take each person as an individual.

@chelle21689 There never was violence before at the festival? What were the people fighting about?

Keep on running…What the hell kind of answer is that? This is ridiculous, you’re going to make that comment but not answer my question? There are PLENTY OF PEOPLE that get angry if I use the words African American…I know a lot of people who say “I’m not African so I’m not African American!” If I use the word blacks i know some who like it better and some who say “I’m not BLACK I’m brown” So no one is ever happy with which term I use!

This was the first in 18 years that this happened at the Festival

Yeah, I know what you mean. I know a kid who got beat up by black kids and hated them. I bet he wouldn’t hate them if they were his own race (white) lol.It just sucks that it happened to be when a lot of blacks started coming because now I know a lot of older Asians who would think it’s because of the blacks.

Speaking of stereotypes, I think the stereotype of Asians being good at math are more towards East Asian than Southeast lol

@chelle21689 Some people get uptight that people us blacks instead of black people, maybe that is what he is talking about. Same as many people say Asians, which I have a feeling wouldn’t bother you. I agree don’t worry about these things for the matter of this discussion. There are always people who have some sort of PC thing that detracts from the question and answers. I don’t mind when someone points out I might be saying offensive, I want to know, I never want to offend, but just throwing that on Q, not being specific about what is preferable, and not attempting an answer is annoying.

By the way, I’m not uptight or overly PC about it, I just genuinely wonder what they think. :/ Sorry, I’m not intentionally trying to throw off this question.

You keep mentioning statistics proving this; can you link us to these statistics?

@Keep_on_running Do you want to actually be specific about what you think we should call black people so no one is offended since you brought it up? Or, are you going to stand on the side of not grouping people at all by race, ethnicity, etc.? What was your point since you put it out there?

@Aethelflaed Black crime is disporptional to their statistical representation in US, but there are many factors that affect the statistics. I found this wikipedia that has a lot of information, I didn’t read it all the way through.

This shows homocide rates white vs. black.

Try this: http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/homicide/race.cfm

Where I live I see alot of black business owners and others that are doing pretty well. Many military officers and cops. Sure there is the black stereotype still hanging around but it gets used to describe those who still think it is wise to cling to their victim-hood. Other areas will vary of course.

Statistics can be found to prove almost anything & statistics can also be found to disprove almost anything. To me, poverty is the leading cause of problems within any community.

@Linda_Owl. crime rates are declining in the US in the wake of high unemployment rates.

http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2011/preliminary-annual-ucr-jan-jun-2011/data-tables/table-3

What is it with all of these questions today? What do you mean, what do I think? I think they’re hilarious, har har har. Maybe I should ‘lighten up?’ Har har..

Obviously, all stereotypes are fucked up.

Don’t stereotype stereotyping!

Physical:
One has to think of why a neighborhood goes down when predominately poor and maybe less educated African Americans move in. I have thought of that, but I have also seen that to a point with other races that were not affluent. If you never had the pride of ownership, you might not respect your living habitat as much, or know or care of how to take care of it. Many times when African American obtained money or wealth they left the ghetto, and understandably so. African Americans had a habit of victimizing each other rather than helping each other out as they did in the times of the bus boycotts back in the South. It is as if they are all out for themselves than being for the community. If you have the chance to live in a clean area where people have pride you go there. I feel it is more because those in the ‘burbs owned their homes, so they had more of a vested interest in keeping them in the best shape possible, knowing they can’t refer stuff to the superintendant or absentee property owner.

Mental:
Too much anger to embraces the methods, or processes that obtain wealth, because it was “selling out.” The way to obtain money (which is different from wealth), was to push contraband or beat someone out of something, if you were not gifted enough to maybe get s scholarship. Listen to the mindset of rap music; all women are bitches and hos to be utilized, or be a plus to gaining a man dollars and wealth. The important thing is to clock dollars with lots of zeros behind it earned by way of pimping, or dope, no mention of commerce, real estate, or any legitimate path to wealth. The desire for money is there, but only in an artificial surface sort of way, not real wealth where you own something. The mentality of I is all about me, and if you get in the way I will smoke you or bust a cap on you, as oppose to “lets work together.”

In short, some of the stereotypes are not stereotypes. Some of the alleged stereotypes the African American community seems to embrace. In many ways they seem to want to assume they can make up their own rules in the ghetto and those regular rules and laws do not apply, somehow a mini “Wild, wild West” where might and the bigger guns rule. Sad, but all too true, not with all African Americans that live in the ghetto or the “hood”, but way too many, especially those who the media seem to gaze upon anyhow.

@bkcunningham Yeah, that’s like when people say ‘oh simone you’re so intolerant of the intolerant’..um, yeah

It’s ok to ask the question, as that allows people to dispel the myths and ignorance some people are prone to believing.

We’ll start off by saying black people aren’t born any different than asian people, white people etc. Some people tend to point out statistics about black people as if there is some inherent flaw within the actual black people i.e. “Why do black people do this?”

If you take a black child that is just born and give it to a family in Japan, that child will not be the same person it would have been if it was born to a family in Tibet, for example.

Surely anyone with a modicum of intelligence should know this, but I think some people don’t actually acknowledge it or something?

Next, as I’m sure you know, there are areas of poverty in places where there are no black people. These places also have gang violence and shootings.

One could maybe ask: “Why are places with poverty and less educational opportunities prone to violence?” or something like that.

You know I was just being silly. I’m in a good mood today and knew you could understand my good-hearted ribbing. I’m honestly chuckling at the thought of someone saying, “you are intolerant of the intolerant.” Holy moley. If I ever imply that, please slap me firmly, grab my shoulders and shake me while scream, “Wake-up BK!”

@bkcunningham :)

If I could choose best answer I’d give it to blackberry

Every stereotype has one or more grains of truth to it. There’s a stereotype that Italians talk with their hands… because they do. It’s a cultural artifact, just like regional accents/dialects. The problem comes in when you start misattributing cause and effect.
It has been my observation that many “black” stereotypes match stereotypes of the South.

I think black sterotypes, like all stereotypes, are shortcuts to thinking. Instead of truly examining reasons for violence people just choose a scapegoat and, unfortunately, that scapegoat is usually based on the most mundane of reasons. People don’t think so well.

The recent economic situation has once again shown that poverty and need can cause good people to do bad things.

Nope, @filmfann. Crime has gone down according to recent crime stats.

I think stereotypes are useful when you need a fast way of making a potentially life-saving situation. Do you want to be in the middle of a gunfight? Not a lot of people do. So most people will use shorthand to figure out when people look like they might break out the guns at any second, so they can turn around and head the other way. Sure, most of the time they are wrong, and these people won’t be shooting, but if all those wrong guesses enable them to run the one time there really is a gun fight coming, then most people will take that.

Stereotypes work, I’ll bet most people believe. That’s why people use them. Of course, that leads to discrimination based on no evidence except looks. And that discrimination harms people who are innocent.

So there is a huge cost for stereotypes. The question is whether we can keep ourselves safe while not using stereotypes as a way to make safety decisions. One thing is to treat people on the street differently from people in other contexts. The street is more likely to be dangerous. But other situations where you meet people who don’t look like you are probably not as dangerous, so it is possible to give people more of a chance to show who they are.

But stereotypes are useful, I think. They create harm, too. I don’t think they will ever go away. People will all say they are bad, but everyone will use them. I think they are built into us on a level it is difficult to be completely conscious of. We over-estimate the danger because of stereotypes, and yet, that’s a harm we’ll take because the risk of getting hurt badly is a much greater harm than the harm of many people seeing us cross the street when they walk by.

I think that just like with any other race, some are true and some are not.