Do we really care about our YOUTH?
My answer to this question is NO! I’m sure there will people who say, “Well I know I care, but no one else does the way I do!” Or, I care about my own children!” Before anyone posts a comment like those examples, I’m calling you a big ass LIAR! Especially, if you are of African-American or Latin-American decent. Even if you are Caucasian, you are a LIAR!
This may shock some but not others because basically I’m calling everyone a liar. If each of us look at our homes, we believe our children are doing the right thing in public. They go to school and for the most part follow societies rules. However, those are not the children who are in danger, which results in our community being placed in danger. I’m speaking about the children who are at risk. The children who live in poverty, poor education and poor health care to name some of the problems they have. When these children venture into public with no guidance, parenting or any role model what-so-ever, what type of behavior do you think they will exhibit? When a City, County, State and the Federal Government has turned their backs on them, what type of behavior do you think they will exhibit. What happens is misery loves company, they begin to gather together and find something to hate. removing one of the components of Maslow’s Hierarchy an individual find a way to gain the missing component. We have created more laws to combat this dysfunctional part of our community. Juvenile Detention Centers, Jails and Prisons are an upgrade for many of those detained.
When arecruits a child then feds, cloths and given the illusion of family, that child will become immune to the threat of incarceration. One reason is if they come from nothing, live in the worse places, live in a very dysfunctional house hold, shit, jail is an upgrade. How can this be a deterrent when they are given many amenities some hard-working families can not afford?
So how can we deter this way of thinking? In my humble opinion, it will take the entire country to do this. No tax increases, No new programs, No new prisons, jails or juvenile detention centers. Redistribute the money already being spent and create opportunities. Opportunities are not the same for everyone, if you believe that you are living in a different world. If you speak to the majority of those incarcerated they will say over and over, “I wish I had different opportunities!” Every man who is living a positive life needs to take under his wing one or two young men and show them the way. The same for a positive woman. If their parents have taken them as far as they could, step up and contribute. You might say to yourself, “That’s not my responsibility!” You will take that statement back when/if you get accosted by one of the very youths you could have helped.
Is this modern-day Jim Crow…..The past, Poll taxes to vote, separate but “equal” schools, cheap labor. The present, felons can not vote without paying large amounts of money to have their records expunged, school districts are still separate and unequal and prisons provide cheap labor, these are only a few examples.
I ask you this, has this nation really moved forward or has created conditions to where people of color are incarcerated at a higher rate than their counterparts to keep capitalism strong? Privatizing prisons has created powerful lobbyist who push for stiffer laws, (three strikes), and our politicians follow suit by campaigning on being tough on crime.
We have created a generation of young people who will never be able to function in society unless we do something about it NOW!
I’m jus sayin!
Again, you raise some interesting points, KB. However, I am not certain that in all of history, man has been able to regulate social morals in much of any context. Laws are only somewhat effective at this to – including the religious laws of most all faiths. This type of situation, like most all issues relating to human social paradigms, requires a combination of all of the remedial things you mention going in tandem with each individual assuming responsibility for the quality of life they wish to have within their society. As much as is possible, of course. There is a reason in the Christian bible that Moses led an entire generation around in the wilderness before God allowed the people to enter their Promised Land. Every success story of people who raised themselves up beyond their inherited circumstances, begins with a personal commitment to do so. We all have a difficult “row to hoe” in life – regardless of our inherited station. That’s how life is. But, I have also come to know that each of us has been given something special in order to excel to the maximum of our potential in life too – not just “get by”. Therefore, the key to this journey called life (in my humble opinion) includes seeking to find that existing gift within ourselves too…
Some thoughts in response to your blog….
Americans have a deeply entrenched independent streak. They are committed to self-reliance, distrustful of authority, and have a high regard for their own vision and judgment. Narcissistic by nature, the dominant sensibility of Americans is to see themselves as the example for the rest of the world. Anything that is disparaging of that point of view or that threatens its self-image is met with suspicion, disdain or indifference. Complicating all of this is our history of being a country of immigrants—a people of great diversity in ability, ethnicity, religious faith and experience, but within each diverse group there exists an attitude of us versus them. “Our youth,” as you put it, means those of our group. Those not like us take away from us. In a country where the citizens are likely to see themselves only in terms of their distinct smaller community, there isn’t a sense of the country as a whole. I often wonder how a country with so many distinct cultural identities can ever develop a sense that one American is as much an American as another, despite our differences. The more fortunate amongst us may not see that a redistribution of the nation’s wealth and resources is beneficial to the country as a whole, just as the less fortunate do not envision the benefit of living a constructive life that adds to the country’s collective prosperity. We’re all ensconced in our own little piece of the pie.
I mentioned our narcissistic nature, and our self-image is focused on doing. We believe in maintaining positive images and want to know that things are alright at all times. (I think Americans can often be over confident in their own judgment.) Whether contemplating our financial health or our immune system, the power of positive thinking reigns supreme. Everything will work out if we just have a positive attitude. Stop and think, the worst crises in America were predicted. Whether it was war, natural disaster, economic depression, or social upheaval, at some point brilliant minds have forecasted the impending dangers. Yet, we can’t face up to the fact that we’re doing something very wrong. Self- Image is quite resilient; we don’t relinquish it easily.
Last, Chris made a comment on personal choice. One can say that we choose our own path in life. However, I would qualify that statement by saying life is full of contingencies. Choices are made in the context of accessible psychological and material resources and in the context of our experience. All men are not created equal in terms of their resources. Keith, I would imagine that many of the inmates you encounter at a correctional facility suffer from some mental or social disorder. Society may expect that a person be able to maintain a job, a home and a family, but I’m not convinced that everyone has that capacity. Yet, insurance companies are quick to place severe restrictions on coverage for mental health. Furthermore, society makes decisions about what personalities and figures it will nurture and promote. Walk into any corporate environment, and you will find strong preferences for certain types and profiles. Yes, we can all make good or bad choices; but I find that my choice is counterbalanced with those of other forces.
In my humble opinion, caring for our youth is placed in this context.