Black Culture or Systemic Racism?
The traditional liberal view is systemic racism justifies affirmative action. In contrast, the conventional conservative theory states that black people have a toxic culture and too many fatherless homes. A nuanced, unbiased look at reality highlights the fact that systemic racism absolutely still exists; however, there is also some truth to the conservative outlook. Plot twist – a deeper dive into American (and world) history explains that systemic racism has greatly impacted black culture.
Does Systemic Racism Influence Black Culture?
Since its inception, the CIA has destabilized and overthrown hundreds of governments to install governments friendly to American corporate interests (usually over resources since Africa, The Caribbean, Central America, and South America tend to be relatively resource-rich), directly contradictory to the American people’s long-term (and often short-term) interests (11). A few examples of the destabilization of black countries include:
- The country I was born in – Jamaica, in the 1970s, when it was destabilized with drugs and guns facilitated through the CIA.
- The country of my girlfriend’s heritage – Haiti, where America has performed 4 regime changes since only the 1990s.
- The country I grew up in – Turks and Caicos, where (as most locals believe) our first Chief Minister (JAGS McCartney) was killed by the CIA because of the mysterious circumstances surrounding his death that implicate the American government.
Here in America, the FBI and other intelligence agencies have been responsible for targeting and assassinating many of the most positive influencers in black culture – including Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., and Fred Hampton, to name a few. There are also tons of declassified documents showing every black movement in this country, from the Nation of Islam to the Black Panthers, has been infiltrated, heavily influenced, and often radicalized by those same intelligence agencies.
Many white Americans are still unaware that the United States Federal government intentionally targeted, overtly bombed with US Air Force planes, and flattened one of the wealthiest black financial centers, “Black Wall Street” in Tulsa, Oklahoma, during race riots in 1921 (12). Furthermore:
“At the very moment when the civil rights movement secured voting rights and the desegregation of public and private spaces, the federal government unleashed a program that enabled local officials to simply clear out entire Black neighborhoods. Federal subsidies went to more than 400 cities, suburbs, and towns, supported more than 1,200 projects, and displaced a minimum of 300,000 families—perhaps some 1.2 million Americans. While Black Americans were just 13 percent of the total population in 1960, they comprised at least 55 percent of those displaced.” (13)
Outside of that direct displacement, flourishing black towns have seen highways run through them to have their property values tanked (Overtown in Miami), turned into parks (Central Park in New York), and literally turned into man-made lakes (14). In most of the 20th century, “public and private housing industry officials and professionals designated certain neighborhoods as high-risk, largely due to racial demographics, and denied loans or backing for properties on properties in those neighborhoods… Though it is now illegal, redlining’s legacy persists, with ongoing impact on home values, homeownership and individuals’ net worth. Discrimination and inequities in housing practices and home financing still exist.” (15)
Education is supposed to be the great equalizer, but public schools in America are largely funded through property taxes, resulting in black areas receiving significantly less funding and lower quality public schools than even their white counterparts with similar poverty levels (16). On top of halting any progress being made by those black countries, cities, leaders, and organizations, the intense discrimination and psychological damage done by this systemic targeting have resulted in a self-perpetuating inferiority complex and a cycle of trauma difficult to break.
Black Culture
Music and celebrities often strongly influence culture, and record labels and prisons share a lot of common ownership through companies like BlackRock and Vanguard (3,4,5,6). The common ownership may incentivize music executives to invest in music that encourages criminal behavior directly and indirectly through hyper-materialism. Whether or not it’s intentional, music labels invest a lot of money in the music of individuals without any visible or audible talent that celebrates gang culture and promiscuity (which leads to broken homes, making it more difficult to raise children).
Source: Screengrab via Twitter/@sukihanagoat
The above image is an extreme example of a celebrity, which does not exemplify the attitude and sexuality of the average black American, and there are examples of white artists doing similar things (like DJ Flume licking a girl’s butt on stage at the famous ‘Burning Man’ festival (18)), but a large amount of black female artists have become hyper-sexualized. In the past, black music often had an uplifting message; then, it evolved to lyrically gifted black artists telling stories of their struggles (whether it be anger at oppression or what they went through in gang life) while ultimately striving for better. Now, many American Hip Hop artists directly celebrate violence and ‘sugar-daddy’ culture. Nowhere is the promiscuity more evident than in well-known celebrity couple Sean “Diddy” Combs (one of the wealthiest and most prominent figures in Hip Hop) and his girlfriend, Caresha “Yung Miami” Brownlee (member of rap group “City Girls”). In a recent interview, Caresha directly boasted, “I’m a whore. I’m very like, I’m a whore … I’m free with myself” (2). Her lyrical content often directly reflects the previously mentioned over-sexualization of women and consistently promotes using men for their money while avoiding love.
However, promiscuity is not a new theme in music, as seen through controversial white artists like Madonna, and much of the gang behavior practiced in some urban black communities is directly modeled after the Italian Mafia, glorified throughout Hollywood and pop culture. However, the Italian community does not have the level of violence seen in the black community because the Italian community has never faced the systemic racism described, but not limited to, what’s being discussed in this article. Additionally, as seen in the graph below, according to a survey on married individuals between 2010 and 2016, infidelity is also a bit higher in the black community (16% for white couples versus 22% for black couples, though the majority for both were faithful).
In America, divorce rates in the black community (30%) are double the rate of that in the white community (15%), according to Forbes (7). Also, we have a two-tiered justice system where rich and influential people can often avoid accountability for their crimes, and the working class has a completely different experience. At the same time, while the majority of police officers are not racist and likely mean well, there are clear statistical differences in how the law is enforced, and nowhere is this more evident than in the War on Drugs – even though cannabis is used at a lower rate in the black community (45.3% of black adults reporting cannabis use) than the white community (53.6%), black people are arrested for it at 3.64 times the rate (8).
There is tremendous income inequality in urban America, and according to data from the world bank, income inequality is the greatest predictor of the violent crime rate (1). This pattern stems from perceived social status and the ability of men to provide for a family – data indicates that men commit violence for economic reasons and over respect because they derive their social status from societal expectations for them to “provide and protect.”
When there are wealthy men close by, and men do not see a pathway to make enough money to become competitive providers, they resort to illegal and often violent means to make money and place disproportionate importance on respect, making them more likely to behave irrationally by reacting violently to seemingly trivial situations (1). The income inequality in rural versus urban areas leads to a higher crime rate in cities (where most blacks are located and income inequality is the highest) than in the country (where most poor whites are located, and everyone is often poor together). Going to jail for a violent crime (rightly so, as violence is never excusable) removes a man from home, and if he had a family, that would now be a single-parent household.
According to National Library of Medicine data, over a third of divorced couples cite ‘Financial Problems’ as a top reason for divorce (7). All of these factors – income inequality, a racist criminal justice system, and a somewhat toxic culture financed and manipulated by Hollywood and media elites – combine to create a single-parent rate in the black community (about 59%) to be roughly triple the rate of the white community (about 23%), as of the year 2000 (9). This dramatic disparity reinforces a downward cycle because “Children brought up in single mother homes are: 5 times more likely to commit suicide, 9 times more likely to drop out of high school, 10 times more likely to abuse chemical substances, 14 times more likely to commit rape, and 20 times more likely to end up in prison.” (10)
Asian Discrimination – Stop Asian Hate? (The Conservative Perspective)
Some White Americans, Asians, and Asian Americans complain that affirmative action results in discrimination against them, as they are admitted into some of these top-level institutions at slightly lower rates for their comparative test scores than Black Americans (which in part is due to underinvestment in black schools as previously mentioned), and it was Asians in this exact position that brought the suit that overturned Affirmative Action. I am sympathetic to their grievances as the noticeable differences in study time between races reflect that, as a group, Asians work the hardest of any race to achieve those results (17) – I greatly respect that effort and believe a lot can be learned from their discipline.
However, Affirmative Action is meant to help correct the previously mentioned systemic racism, which admittedly was much worse in the past, which Asian and White Americans are not victims of – it is still present and hasn’t stopped today. On top of everything I mentioned, Asians do not have to overcome the unintelligent and lazy stereotype that many black people face. Many studies show that people with black-sounding names receive fewer callbacks than other races – my biological brother is a perfect example of this. His birth name was Shaka, but he didn’t start receiving callbacks for job applications until he changed his name to Dean on his application and just started telling employers that’s his nickname and what he goes by (while being completely honest and giving his legal name upon hiring for background checks, etc.).
With all due respect, Asians chose to immigrate to a country with a pre-existing problem that Affirmative Action is meant to correct, and they do not face the same roadblocks as Black Americans trapped in communities that faced the previously shown immense discrimination. The reality is, Affirmative Action is not perfect as some of the benefits have gone to Caribbean and African immigrants (many of wealthier backgrounds) who are not from the communities Affirmative Action was intended to help. However, the solution should not be to eliminate the program but to fine-tune it so it becomes more targeted on the communities it’s meant to benefit, possibly by introducing income and lineage elements to the admissions process for Affirmative Action.
As seen by the long, but not entirely inclusive, list of ways I mentioned systemic racism has impacted Black Americans, Affirmative Action alone will not solve the problems facing the Black Community as the other items need to be tackled for real progress to be made – some of that requiring legislation and policy change. Some of it also requires a shift in attitude within Black America. However, fairly targeted Affirmative Action that gives people from working-class and middle-class Black American families will help Black Americans overcome stereotypes preventing their admission, make connections and build relationships with the movers and shakers of tomorrow and can use that knowledge to benefit their communities. Even though I am a Black immigrant, I do not believe that I, nor any immigrant, should take preference over correcting a systemic problem in Black America since that problem existed before I or other immigrants arrived.
Black Accountability
Despite the previously mentioned systemic racism, there are some factors within the control of the black community that can make an impact without any policy change:
- Learn and promote positive aspects of black and African history before America, including stories of Mansa Musa & The Mali Empire, The Kingdom of Kush, Ancient Libya, Timbuktu, The Kingdom of Benin, Ancient Ethiopia, Sheba’s cities, Ancient Egypt & more.
- Stop creating toxic music and supporting artists without talent who promote nothing but negativity, and be more open to positive music no matter who’s making it.
- Place great importance on building a stable family unit built on loyalty, trust, and honesty, avoiding creating broken homes at all costs.
- Encourage an overall culture that values intelligence, kindness, and academic achievement, and stop telling well-spoken and academically inclined peers that they’re “acting white.”
- Stop encouraging youth to pursue sports and music as primary careers – most high school athletes and aspiring musicians will never make it professionally, and most of them who do make it file for bankruptcy at some point in their life because very few of them care about academics and learning how to manage their money properly so they don’t prepare for life after sports/music.
- Recognize that time in sports affects time left for study – on average, Asian students spend 2 hours and 14 minutes on homework daily, white students spend 56 minutes, and black students spend only 37 minutes. Education can be the great equalizer, but not if we spend the least time of any race prioritizing it. Results of the comprehensive Sage Journal Study cited below as source 17 show promising results that family structure and cultural differences can help close the gap. However, school resources still play a large role, so legislation is needed to address this problem fully.
- Encourage more youth to pursue STEM careers and blue-collar occupations depending on their academic aptitude.
- Become better educated about the systemic racism in America, and use every opportunity to educate fellow citizens of all races about the struggle so we can foster an empathetic atmosphere to address systemic racism.
- Become aware of how the media is used to manipulate Black America directly and the wider perception of it, and act accordingly.
Most wealth is built and handed down through real estate in the middle and upper-middle class. Large social programs jumpstarted homeownership in white America – ranging from land giveaways in the country’s founding to the New Deal by Roosevelt and the VA Bill that specifically excluded black veterans. Legislation will likely be needed to address this gigantic disparity since homeownership is out of touch for most Americans, given income levels and the relative prices of homes compared to a few decades ago. In the past, one income could support a household; that is no longer possible so saving is exponentially more difficult. Homeownership is just one aspect of the previously mentioned systemic racism that policymakers need to address, with the criminal justice system, and school funding / the education system also being of notable mention. In the meantime, Black America must unite in love, educate themselves and their peers, and control the controllables.
Sources
- “The surprising factors driving murder rates: income inequality and respect” (12/8/2017) – Szalavitz, Maia. The Guardian.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/dec/08/income-inequality-murder-homicide-rates - “Yung Miami Doesn’t Want Her Daughter Living A ‘City Girl’ Lifestyle” (5/8/2023). Corrine, Amber. Yahoo News.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/yung-miami-doesn-t-want-162537404.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAKPhpRHFM2XL6xvVNI27db8bJOv9uGhYh_5qPEBeU_ZDD4s-sXxt3aAT8nc94uZ1mfo9puskXJKFItkbvOn73XwneUJKuO3GP1a0SQd6KZmkg5wvKuUYqMjHWVj_sWcbdsStC-yWCZMzPvZPwM67VKXcxact-KqP8cVtimuBARz1 - “Vanguard Ups Warner Music Stake to 10.4 Million Shares As As Robert Kyncl Takes Over – 7.6% Of The Company” (2/10/2023). Smith, Dylan. Digital Music News.
https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2023/02/10/warner-music-group-vanguard-investment/ - “BlackRock teams with Warner to Launch New $750M Music-Buying Fund via Influence Media” (2/24/2022). Ingham, Tim. Music Business Worldwide.
https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/blackrock-teams-with-warner-to-launch-new-750m-music-buying-fund-via-influence-media/ - “BlackRock Inc. Ownership In Sony”. Fintel
https://fintel.io/so/us/sony/blackrock#:~:text=BlackRock%20Inc.-,ownership%20in%20SONY%20%2F%20Sony%20Group%20Corporation%20%2D%20ADR,percent%20ownership%20of%20the%20company. - “BlackRock and Vanguard are the Biggest Investors in Private Prisons” (7/1/2019). La Monica, Paul R. CNN.
https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/28/investing/prison-stocks-mutual-funds/index.html - “Revealing Divorce Statistics” (5/4/2023). Ramirez, Adam. Forbes.
https://www.forbes.com/advisor/legal/divorce/divorce-statistics/ - “Racial and Ethnic Differences in Cannabis Use Following Legalization in US States With Medical Cannabis Laws” (9/27/2021). Martins, Silvia. JAMA Open Network.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8477268/ - “Single-Parent Families by Race/Ethinicity”. Impact MetroWest.
- https://www.impactmw.org/children-and-families/single-parent-families-by-race-ethnicity
- “Fatherless Single Mother Home Statistics”. Fix Family Courts.
https://www.fixfamilycourts.com/single-mother-home-statistics/#:~:text=Children%20brought%20up%20in%20single%20mother%20homes%20are%3A&text=14%20times%20more%20likely%20to,to%20run%20away%20from%20home. - “Overthrowing other people’s governments: The Master List”. Blum, William.
https://williamblum.org/essays/read/overthrowing-other-peoples-governments-the-master-list - “Commentary: Altus Airmen visit historic Black Wall Street in Tulsa” (3/1/2022). Silver, Cameron. Altus Air Force Base.
https://www.altus.af.mil/News/Article/2951176/commentary-altus-airmen-visit-historic-black-wall-street-in-tulsa/ - “Tearing Down Black America” (2020). Cebul, Brent. Boston Review.
https://www.bostonreview.net/articles/brent-cebul-tearing-down-black-america/ - “5 Black American Towns Hidden Under Lakes And Ultimately From History Books” (7/9/2021). Diakite, Parker. Travel Noire.
https://travelnoire.com/black-american-towns-hidden - “What is redlining: A look at the history of racism in American real estate” (2/8/2023) Martin, Erik. Bankrate.
https://www.bankrate.com/mortgages/what-is-redlining/#:~:text=Redlining%20%E2%80%94%20both%20as%20a%20term,their%20mortgages%20and%20in%20foreclosure. - “White Students Get More K-12 Funding Than Students of Color: Report” (2/26/2019). Camera, Lauren. US News.
https://www.usnews.com/news/education-news/articles/2019-02-26/white-students-get-more-k-12-funding-than-students-of-color-report - “Racial and Ethnic Differences in Homework Time among U.S. Teens” (6/11/2022). Dunatchik, Allison. Sage Journals.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/07311214221101422
