I have lived in the inner-city for three years. On my street are four or five young black men, about 20 years of age, who spend all day hanging out in front of my neighbor’s house smoking. I have witnessed similar situations all over the inner city. I assume they are high school dropouts and have few work skills. That said, what is it about their mothers that they do not force these kids to get some kind of crappy job, or go back to school or do something productive around the house? I would have been kicked out on my butt if I did that at 20. Seriously, African-American readers, is it a cultural thing? Have a lot of young inner city blacks just given up on work before their work lives even begin? Do they just blame racism and call it a day? How do they survive? Just sponge off their mothers and grandfathers? Thievery? Drug sales? SSI checks? I am totally clueless here and have been wondering about this for years. I need to know!
This is looking for a factual answer?
"Just sponge off their mothers and grandfathers? "
I see what you did there. I’ll give you a few extra points for subtly, though. :rolleyes:
Feeling sluggish tonight - that went over my head - have read it a couple times and still don’t get it.
I’m guessing a reference to absentee fathers.
There are a lot of under and unemployed young white men as well, but they typically live in their parent’s basements and sponge off their mother and fathers. The black guys don’t have full basements to hang out in and play WOW all day, so the stoop is the best they can do.
It is cultural in a sense, imagine that no one you know family or friend has ever found success in a career, and the ones that do move away and dissociate with their old community. If someone has success in academics and is LUCKY enough to get to use their skill, they also move away.
Times are tough, toss in various grades of racism, classism, minimal job skills and poor opportunities in the nearby community for them, you get what you see.
since we are talking inner city, yard work, car washing, house painting, alot of the typical young male find something to make a few bucks on the side stuff just does not exist like in the burbs.
That is what is hard to get about “ghetto” areas too, there is literally nothing but low income housing for miles usually. No shops, no restaurants, maybe a snack shop if they haven’t left yet. Perception becomes reality, and the other way around too. Anyone who can leave does, leaving behind those who can’t or won’t.
Around here lot of people who do work use PO boxes in more affluent areas as their home address because no one will hire someone who lives in THAT area.
Then I heard a business owner on the radio saying this trick had been found out, now they make sure to confirm the potential employee’s address.:smack: Because a ghetto really needs more barriers to employment!
Since the OP is soliciting opinions, let’s move this over to IMHO.
Colibri
General Questions Moderator
Yes, hence the bonus points for subtlety. This person who, of course, also lives in the inner city, knows that these young ne’er-do-wells (I think that’s the n-word he was going for) are either mooching off their mothers or grandfathers, because he just knows they have no fathers (or, I presume, doesn’t believe they know who their fathers are).
If the thread is being kept open, it should move to the Pit.
I assumed it was worst than that : the father being also the grandfather.
I have lived, and now work, in Oakland. Since I do in-home care for elderly people there, I’m in a low-income residential area all day. So here’s my take on it:
Yes, a lot of them are getting checks: SSI, welfare, whatever. But you can’t get a welfare check anymore unless you keep up a regular, documented job search. Even then, it ain’t much at all – I’m talking like a $100 rent voucher that goes straight to your landlord, you don’t get much cash. And I venture to say that it’s pretty hard to get SSI these days unless you really do have an issue. However, there is money for, say, the children of veterans if they are in school. Don’t forget, a large number of this generation’s fathers served in the Gulf Wars.
Also, a lot of the young men around here go to school at night, or have night jobs. They will congregate at certain parts of the day only; and never at others. Nightshifts are harder to fill and, sadly, more likely to be filled by people from low-income neighborhoods.
Also, yes, a lot of them sell pot; but I don’t really have a problem with that. They’re always hella mellow to talk to. 
Many young black males do not work. “Lack of job opportunities” doesn’t have much to do with it. The don’t work for the following reasons:
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Many have criminal records, and no one will hire them.
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They were raised in a “gangsta” culture where having a regular job is not considered hip or cool.
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They don’t have to; they mooch off their girlfriends and mothers who have regular jobs or are on public assistance.
What do they do that allows them to sit around smoking all day? I don’t know. What do you do that allows you to sit around watching them sit around smoking all day?
Maybe they are stock traders. Maybe they work swing shift. Maybe they are students. Maybe they take care of the kids. Maybe they are oil painters who get their best work done at night. Maybe the hit the lottery a while back and retired early. Maybe they are sailors on leave. Maybe they are writers who live off royalties.
Seriously, you know nothing about these young men. Certainly not enough to make any kind of speculation about their family life, time management skills, education level, “culture” or work ethic. I live in DC, and when I have the day off, I see young white women jogging, brunching, and otherwise just hanging out. Do you think they are also fatherless, jobless, thieving, spongeing race baiters with a culture of failure? I always just assumed they found some way through life that works for them.
Seriously, what’s with all the white chicks walking around with yoga mats under their arms at 10AM on a Thursday?
Even Sven. Thanks for the intelligent non-answer. I do work. I see them mornings, when I come home at lunch and after work and on weekends. Does that answer your question? As for being stock traders or students, unlikely. They do nothing but hang out in front of the house all day long, every day. That is all they do. Chat up girls. Litter the street with beer cans and cigarette butts. I admitted I knew nothing about these young men, that’s why I posted the question, genius. Just keep ignoring the problem though. I’m sure it will go away.
If you know nothing about them, how do you know it’s unlikely they are day traders, or work nights? How do you know they are there all day? Maybe they work closer to home, so don’t have to leave as early as you do, and get home before you. How do you know it’s them trashing the streets? Maybe it’s a bunch of silver spooon spoiled kids from the 'burbs, cruising the “ghetto” for a thrill in their mommy’s BMW dumping all their trash on the street. You don’t know. You are guessing, and you are assuming the worst about men you know nothing about, other than where they appear to live and their superficial appearance.
Regardless of if you meant it or not (and I know what I would bet), you’re post smacks of racism.
Maybe you should just cut to the chase, and call them “shiftless” so we can get this moved to the Pit where it belongs.
Sure you can argue that the OP doesn’t know for sure the story behind these specific people. But are you denying that many young people do nothing and have no motivation or prospects? Ignoring, defending, or deflecting the problem won’t make it go away. If they can get away with not working, congrats to them, they live an easy life not having to do anything. But it could certainly be argued that this is not good for society, if everyone lived the same way we would have no food, power, water, gasoline, nothing.
Obviously this is a hot-button topic, the realities of this really can’t be discussed without entering Great Debate or Pit territory.
There are many questions that could be discussed about youth, under- and unemployment, refusal to look/find work, etc.
However, the blatant racism of the OP poisoned the well.