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Effect of raps on youth
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To those who say, “Black is Just a Color,” allow me to enlighten you on why “black” is more than just a color, and why black is a lifestyle. Being black in America is a lifestyle that is not chosen, but one that you are born into. The black culture is a culture that thrives off of being strong, beautiful and independent. Black culture somehow despite its undoubtedly incredible come up within the last 100+ years and being amongst the smallest race in the human race, somehow still manages to have the highest number of inmates in prison. Being black is having to fight every day for what we all rightfully deserve, and that is common respect. Excellence in technical terms is being extremely good at something. Being outstanding at something …show more content…
By doing this, it projects a platform that teaches our generation you need to have talent (i.e. rappers, singers, and actors) to be an example of black excellence. “I don’t want my definition of greatness to be dictated to me by the systems used to oppress my people.” There are multiple ways to become successful outside of being a celebrity. Black excellence should showcase education and professions (doctors, lawyers, law enforcement, and etc.) as being a form of success. “In 2017, a research study showed about 33% of African American adults had inquired a college degree which was a 28% increase from …show more content…
“From rags to riches, we made it out the trenches” This quote is a quote used in an article written by Danez Smith. A blogger of the black culture. His article entitled “everything black folks do is excellent,” is an article about the box that black people are unknowingly being put into. Smith considers what we are seeing glorified as black excellence is a category that removes blacks from their history. “Black Excellence can’t only be when we succeed in the “respectable” ways, in ways that requires us to divorce us from other parts of
Ghettos, low-riders, hip-hop, rap, drugs and crime, it has got to be a Black man right? Saggy pants, unintelligible language, lazy, and the lists continue to both stereotype and describe Blacks. Do Black Americans perpetuate their own discrimination? Are Black Americans creating their own low status in society? Black people around the world have been hypnotized into believing all their failures in life are due to discrimination, but are they correct? Blacks are often their own worst enemies, often the cause of their own disasters, and many don’t see that until it’s too late, if ever. Discrimination and prejudice are imposed upon Blacks, often because the culture they live in is not “acceptable” to the dominant society. On the other hand, an understandable reason for Blacks actions is often due to unattainable opportunities towards the American Dream.
Through out history in the United States what it means to be a black person has taken on different meanings. This is a result of forced the segregation that occurred during the post slavery era. Whites wanted to keep the Caucasian race “pure” and in order to do so anyone that had one drop of black blood in them was considered black. This is very different from the way today’s society identifies black people. Presently, a black person is more likely to be identified by the color of their skin or their phenotype instead of their genotype. However, the boundaries for the black community are very permeable and black people come in all shades. Blackness can be defined as the set of beliefs, music, language, morals and ancestry that blacks tend to
It must be noted that for the purpose of avoiding redundancy, the author has chosen to use the terms African-American and black synonymously to reference the culture, which...
Through the thirteenth amendment emancipation was born. Through the language of the constitution— “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime”, the amendment was able to make loopholes for certain social agendas that led to the opposite of what the amendment intended to do. It has been able to metaphorically enslave blacks by creating the ability to have the stereotype of black criminality. Black criminality is the myth that has played throughout our society, that depicts black people as criminals, especially black men. This stereotype has caused people to fear away from black people due to the prejudices that the stigmatization of being black holds. Once the thirteenth amendment abolished slavery, Jim Crow Laws appeared within our society, which orchestrated the myth of Blacks being criminals. This stigmatization of a whole race was created through an anomaly of the thirteenth amendment. Something that seems to start the upward battle of a race of people who had been held back because of the laws of slavery, have now found a new struggle to endure, called black criminality, through the unconscientious decision of the wording of the thirteenth amendment that was made to grant
We still consider a black person as a bad individual in today’s society. In his essay, “Black Men and Public Space,” Brent Staples describes why he had to alter his behavior in order for the public to feel safe around him. Staples uses different examples in order for the reader to comprehend as to why he needed to do this. Staples further gives us details how he is being discriminated throughout all his life. Moreover, Staples tells us his emotions and frustration in how society is prejudice towards black people. I agree he had alter his behavior because of the way society was treating him and how he lived day by day the injustices of society.
In today’s society there are many stereotypes surrounding the black community, specifically young black males. Stereotypes are not always blatantly expressed; it tends to happen subconsciously. Being born as a black male puts a target on your back before you can even make an impact on the world. Majority of these negative stereotypes come from the media, which does not always portray black males in the best light. Around the country black males are stereotyped to be violent, mischievous, disrespectful, lazy and more. Black males are seen as a threat to people of different ethnicities whether it is in the business world, interactions with law enforcement or even being in the general public. The misperceptions of black males the make it extremely difficult for us to thrive and live in modern society. Ultimately, giving us an unfair advantage simply due to the color of our skin; something of which we have no control.
As time goes on, people have gone to great lengths to try to improve relations with blacks, and to fix the errors of the past. Laws have been made to try to give African Americans the same opportunities as whites, but as hard as people try, there is always going to be some ignorant people who will not obey these laws and make no efforts to be friends with them. If parents teach their children at young ages about racism, there might be a chance for the upcoming generations to live in a society where people are not judged by the color of their skin.
...lues of Black America seem to be coming from the group less likely to foster healthy values: ghetto Black America. One must understand my usage of "ghetto Black Americans" in contrast to lower class Black Americans. You have poor people who work hard every day and still find it hard to make ends meet, they aspire for more, they want their kids to have more and they still instill values of respect and hard work in their children. Ghetto Black America is the total opposite, it is not just an economic status but a culture replete with its own lingo, values and propaganda: rap. Several rappers estow the values of that culture by promoting ignorance, eschewing education, misygony, and constant usage of terms like "baby mama" that epitomize the destruction of the black family. It is so pervasive that terms like 'baby mammas" have become every day words in our vocabulary.
If the images of black people in the media are improved, the outlook within the community will improve as well. Not only will positive goals and achievements become more realistic for black people if the media outlets discontinue their practice of equating blacks with aggression, lawlessness and violence, but a greater good will also result for whites, which would be represented by a true autonomy and equality in American society.
...atching MTV music shows or any music channel on television. As we continue to watch these programs, we will then notice that almost all the rap and hip-hop artists being shown are African-Americans. It is the particular lifestyle, and behaviour that is connected to what particular artists chose to vocalize about. This usually can harm the image of African-Americans due to the fact that many artists aid in the misconceptions of their particular race such as the example provided with 50 Cent’s song entitled P.I.M.P. These lyrics and song titles simply reinforce the negative image some individuals may have of both Caucasian’s and people of colour. Rap and hip-hop is one of the most intimate, personal, legitimate and important art form. Instead of perpetuating injustice, and prejudice artists should be addressing these different issues in a different matter.
The Association of Black Psychologist (ABP) (2013) defines colorism as skin-color stratification. Colorism is described as “internalized racism” that is perceived to be a way of life for the group that it is accepted by (ABP 2013). Moreover, colorism is classified as a persistent problem within Black American. Colorism in the process of discriminatory privileges given to lighter-skinned individuals of color over their darker- skinned counterparts (Margret Hunter 2007). From a historical standpoint, colorism was a white constructed policy in order to create dissention among their slaves as to maintain order or obedience. Over the centuries, it seems that the original purpose of colorism remains. Why has this issue persisted? Blacks have been able to dismantle the barriers faced within the larger society of the United States. Yet, Blacks have failed to properly address the sins of the past within the ethnic group. As a consequence of this failure, colorism prevails. Through my research, I developed many questions: Is it right that this view remain? How does valuing an individual over another cause distribution to the mental health of the victims of colorism? More importantly, what are the solutions for colorism? Colorism, unfortunately, has had a persisted effect on the lives of Black Americans. It has become so internalized that one cannot differentiate between the view of ourselves that Black Americans adopted from slavery or a more personalized view developed from within the ethnicity. The consequences of this internalized view heightens the already exorbitant mental health concerns within the Black community, but the most unfortunate aspect of colorism is that there is contention on how the issue should be solved.
The African American community is supposed to be united under the Black race, but that is where the problems come in. Under the ethnicity of African Americans, and have pride in their skin color and are supposed to be joined together, there is a system of separation within the different shades of “Black.” In the black community, there are all kinds of shades of black, yellow, light, brown, dark brown, and other shades. According to Dr. Ronald Hall, a social work professor at Michigan State University, "As a result of having been colonized particularly by Spaniards, the British, etcetera, a lot of people of color internalize and idealize values for lighter skin because that is considered the norm.... ... middle of paper ...
Black people continue to determine the taste of richer White people. "They want to look like us, but they don't want to be us. They don't want to live in our skin. It's kind of a cultural voyeurism. It allows White people to safely tour Blackness without being subjected to the reality of being Black. By taking in our Black culture, they are also taking in some of our political and social ideas. White America has always found Black culture to be exciting, exotic and perhaps more expressive and less restrained than what they identify as their culture. They find our culture to be very exciting and attractive.
I am proud to be black in both ways. I am of African American descent and the darkest person, in my generation, on both sides of my family. Growing up I was the black sheep for being so "dark", proper and into all kinds of music (rock, metal, hip hop, r&b, country, jazz, blues...etc.). I was always asked "why you so dark?, you have white and Indian in both sides of your family!" I always responded, "I cant helped that I was dipped in a dark chocolate bath ad came out fabulous". To be honest, I used to wish I was a lighter, and had long wavy straight hair like my cousins. I got out of that mindset in my transition to middle school and stop talking to over half of my family. During this process I learned
An important psychological shift advocated by the Black Conscious Movement was the redefinition of blackness. No longer would Africans accept the negative label of ‘non-white’, they refused to be regarded as non-persons but demanded to be called positively as black. This definition of ‘black’ was not race or class exclusive rather it sought to incorporate all people who were discriminated against and denied access to white privileges under the oppressive apartheid regime. The definition of blackness is actually somewhat complex, the path to understanding it leads to certain directions. First off, that being black was a mental attitude, not just a matter of skin pigmentation. Secondly, by merely acknowledging that one is black already sets oneself along the road of emancipation.