In his book “A letter to my white friends and colleagues” Steven Rogers tells us how whites have always treated blacks poorly (including himself, a Harvard graduate, oddly enough…he seemed to do well, didn’t he?), and Basically, we should give them money, invest on their banks, support reparations, and otherwise make up for “hundreds of years of mistreatment” by giving them our wealth….and always blame whites and never the black people that fail to succeed because of their culture….and that is really the reason that they fail….culture. Same reason lots of whites and others are poor as well…see the folks in Appalachia for another example of culturally poor.
So: Here’s a few things that the Black community (and pretty much anyone) can do to stop needing handouts from successful (white) people: (hint: most white people have to follow these same rules to gain some modicum of success)
Wealth: Stop being stupid. Want wealth equity? Spend your money wisely. Don’t buy more house or car than you need immediately. Don’t buy expensive fashions that have no value. Flashy shit is expensive: Showy car: You can buy a new Toyota for the same price as a 4 year old Lexus, and they both get you to work. The brand doesn’t mean shit except to show off…. Tattoos: Just don’t. Expensive jewelry? Not until you can spare the money and have 6 months’ worth of expenses in savings. Don’t do drugs. Don’t waste your money. DON’T be short sighted. Try saving some cash instead of eating out or buying that flashy dress, thos expesive sneakers or that sparkly chain. Don’t spend it as fast as you make it.
Kids/Young adults: Don’t do drugs. Don’t break the law. Don’t break the law. (again, DONT BREAK THE LAWS!) Ladies: Don’t have a kid at 15 or 17. Men: “Wrap that rascal”. Don’t break the law and end up with a record. (this is good advice for kids of every race, BTW).
Free or greatly subsidized post-high school education: Use that money to get yourself a degree or certificate that will let you make money….don’t waste it on a bunch of useless, bullshit (these apples to everyone, not just black people) degrees…Finish the degree or certificate program. Don’t do drugs. If you have no skills, don’t expect high pay (again, this applies to everyone, no matter what their race) so you can get a skill that you can earn money with. Education, skills, a work ethic, and the ability to speak understandable english will get you a long way towards prosperity.
Jobs: Use the above certificate or degree to get a job. Show up to work every day…be on time. Don’t expect special treatment because you have more melanin. Don’t do drugs. Don’t have a chip on your shoulder because you are black. Don’t assume that someone got promoted over you because of racism. Don’t make everyone afraid that you will see every joke, every word, as a slight or insult and as some sort of discrimination with which you will make trouble with them at HR. Be able to pass a drug test at any time. Don’t play up your “Blackness” or other differences with outlandish hairstyles or dress. Be kinda like your co-workers and fit in.
Other advice: Don’t buy a huge house. Don’t waste your money until you have enough to waste. Build some savings. Don’t do drugs. Don’t do illegal things so you have hassles with the police. Don’t break the law so you end up with a warrant. Follow the laws of the land and society and community. Follow the rules like everyone else. Pay your property taxes, parking tickets, speeding tickets, other fines, license fees, etc.
If you end up interacting with police, don’t fight, don’t try to run (this is good advice for everyone, no matter what their ancestry), don’t get belligerent….But try not to give the police a reason to fuck with you. If you do a crime, expect to pay the price….Don’t run or struggle and you won’t get shot. This is true for all people of all colors and races. People who don’t follow these rules, no matter what color they are, have issues. You just don’t hear about it in the news when a white guy goes down that path and gets shot by the cops.
Fix your society so other races don’t think less of you. Figure out how to make your part of society as law abiding and decent as the rest of the country’s society so the rest of the country doesn’t assume (often with reason) that you might be a criminal….(Crime and drug use don’t exist in levels elsewhere like they do in predominantly black communities…why is that?) Stop demanding more and more money when your society has gotten trillions of dollars already from white people and failed to fix itself. Stop making excuses for your society and culture’s failures and start fixing your issues. Stop looking for racism where none exists. Face your own failures.
Here is a hint: I never owned any slaves. Nor did my father, nor his father, nor his father nor his father nor HIS father…Same on my father’s mothers side. My Mother’s side also never owned slaves…in fact they were all immigrants. My family NEVER owned a black man. Never. No one alive today was a slave. You were never a slave, nor your daddy, nor his daddy, nor his daddy. (although my Maternal grandfather DID pick cotton for low wages, but that isn’t really important, is it? Similar stories can be told of my Father’s father, who worked shitty jobs and built upon his successes.as well…) Stop using the past as an excuse to beat whites…stop using it to make excuses for YOUR failure, your society’s failure and your community’s failure. I would state that Wite people have done more for Black people that Black people have done for other Blacks.
Success happens when you are smart, forward thinking, and learn from your mistakes. Failure happens when you are short sighted and and unwilling or unable to learn from your mistakes. “Generational family wealth” requires a FAMILY. Your culture doesn’t have families as we define them for the most part. Oddly enough, where the Black nuclear family exists, so does success. Funny that. .
Hint: Black people are not the only race of humans who were downtrodden in this country, who were looked upon as lesser, who were discriminated against. The Irish, the Poles (we still make “Polack” jokes today), Serbs, Chinese, even Jews. All were once considered as lesser races and discriminated against. They did shitty jobs and took a LOT of shit and worked hard and saved their money and grew their wealth and made a place for their people in society. Your folks can make a similar place as well. Except you don’t. Instead, you blame everyone else for your failures your culture and thought processes engender.
I’d be willing to bet that Mr Rogers follows many of my suggestions…and his life is better for it. He may have decided to jump on the Race Baiting wagon to make a few bucks, but I’d bet he lives (and has lived) a smarter lifestyle than many of his fellow Black citizens.
Lest you say that I am racist…well, this is as racist as the book that is being promoted. I blame most problems in the black community on black people. Your guy blames it on whites. If I am racist, then I ask: Is there a double standard?
ETS: Then there is THIS to consider
