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Who Can Black Men Turn To?


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I guess the manhunt for the "Cleveland Killer" or "Facebook Killer" has been called off and the situation resolved.
After mercilessly killing a 74 year old innocent man on live social media and bragging (and probably lying) about having murdered over a dozen other people, the suspect ended up killing himself after being tracked down and surrounded by police in Pennsylvania.

Besides themselves, few people really know what really goes on in the minds of people who "snap" and feel the urge to go on a killing spree, but part of me really believes that this situation could have been prevented.  Which is why when people do things like this, I'm the type of person who likes to dig into the background to TRY and understand why or what may have led to it.

When you look at his previous videos he not only blames his girlfriend ultimately, but he also blames his friends, his own mother, and society in general for not paying attention to his calls for help.

Many people have called this a weak pitiful excuse by a deranged monster who just trying to justify his own evil.  But I've heard this time and time again from other Black men.

I hope people don't take this the wrong way or think it sounds "soft" but but I really feel sorry for Black men in this society.

We don't have many places to turn to when WE need help dealing with problems whether it be legal, financial, or even relationship.

-White people don't care.
-Black women have their own concerns that are just as if not more dire
-Often times we don't have money for the therapists what wealthy Whites have traditionally used as a "shoulder to cry on"
-Unless you have a serious mental illness requiring medical attention, even a hospital won't really help you

-And probably worst of all OTHER BLACK MEN tend to brush eachother off and even belittle eachother as weak and "bitch assed" for even complaining about their problems.

I find it ironic that Black men who know FIRST HAND what other Black men are faced with and how other Black men are treated in this society are often times that hardest and coldest on eachother when it comes to financial and societal hardships.

After being born in poverty, going in and out of jail, and straight catching hell for 30 years a Black man who hits the lottery or finds a rich girlfriend to take care of him will turn right around and look at another who is in the SAME CONDITION he was in just 2 or 3 years ago and with bitter contempt say:

"Man, f*** that sorry ass nigga !
I made it....why the f**** can't he ?"


I actually believe Black men not being able to "grieve" or "lament" their problems is one of the reasons the homicide rate is so high in many urban communities where Black men explode from a lifetime up pent up frustration.


I'm not saying this is an excuse for murdering innocent people nor am I attempting in any way to justify his monsterous behavior, however with so many people in the media and even people in real life chanting the same lines over and over again that he should have sought help before he did what he did......

My question is, where should this Black man have gone to seek this "help"?

Who feels sorry enough for Black men in THIS society to actually sit down and listen to them crying and complaining about how hard it can be trying to survive in a society designed by and for White males?

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Da Lord, @Pioneer1, The Lord our Savior.  That would be the response many might give.

But you pose a good question.  It does not seem as though guys are socialized to seek help, not from their wives, mothers or even there boys.  Sure we can bitch and moan, but we generally don't say, I need "help."  That would be a sign of weakness, and that dude would not be much of a man--not in his own eyes or in the eyes of society at large.

Of course, we already know the system despises, so we can forget about any support in that direction.

Some guys deal with the pressure with drugs or women. 

But the answer to your question is ourselves and our God.  Of course, there are always exceptions but this is the general case.

I feel sorry for that Brother.  I falso feel sorry for that football play that killed himself in jail.

I feel sorry for that Brother they rushed to execute in Arkansas.

Black men garner the least amount of sympathy than any other creature in this country.  Even dogs are treated with more compassion.

 

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Perhaps the lack of sympathy for Black males was by design and in the making for a long time.

Like the Irritated Genie said in a recent interview, before you get ready to wipe out a particular people you must first remove all of the public's sense of empathy for them to the point that if they are slaughtered there won't be any outcry.

To the point we discussed in another thread over how  Black men can be routinely shot down by the police and few outside of our community will even raise an eyebrow over it, but one Asian man is beat up on a plane by  the police and there's an international uproar!



Although I'm not very religious, I personally have a STRONG FAITH in God.

That strong faith has not only gotten me through a lot of things but has prevented me from doing a lot of things that may have otherwise been considered harmful.

A distant second is my linear form of thinking.
I always liked the "direct approach" to solving problems so while a lot of my friends would get drunk, high, or even fight in order to release thier frustrations or forget about their problems.....I'd actually drive way out into the deep suburbs among the trees or go to some very secluded neighborhood and sit there and ponder over my options....even as a teenager.
Because I wasn't the smartest person in the world I didn't alway come up with the best solutions for my problems but the good thing is I never developed the habit of getting drunk or high as a means of escapism and it's saved me a lot of money.


However I recognize that many if not most Black men DON'T have this type of belief and many either believe in a religion that doesn't actually help them or teach them how to solve their day to day problem OR they don't have any type of belief system at all and live life by the moment and react impulsively to each situation they face.

This isn't their fault.
They have been "let down" by a society that teaches children half-truthes and gives them false narratives in school and on television and unless you were blessed to have GOOD PARENTS who were wise and caring enough to tell you how the world really works and what to do to get ahead.....many times you're just shit out of luck.

You're probably not going to like this because it gets into "racial" differences but I sincerely believe that Black men and especially AfroAmerican men.....because of our unique experience and history in America....have a unique psychological make up and we need SPECIAL or UNIQUE help when it comes to dealing with life's issues.
The tools used to help other people deal with thier problems can't be applied to us and expected to work anymore than the unique tools WE NEED to help us deal with our issues can be applied to others.

I've seen so many Black men and women walking around the downtowns of major cities not just in Michigan but all over America these past 5 or 6 years just talking to themselves and looking tattered and tore up!

I remember 25 and 30 years ago you NEVER saw a Black person walking around talking to themselves!

Oh you had your bums and wineheads, but they could atleast hold a conversation while begging for some change; but now.......

I wish I could organize Black psychologists, sociologists, and psychiatrists and hold a series of major conventions in order to map out some sort of broad based strategy to address the problems of the Black American community.

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Pioneer I'm not silly enough not to recognize that the country views "race" completely differently than what science tells us, and treat people who like like me completely differently than people who look like 45.

9780743298834.jpgThere are plenty of people who recognize the pain that Black people are in, there have been many books written on the subject.  Terrie Willams wrote a book a number of years ago called Black Pain: It just Looks Like We're not Hurting, and there have been many others on the subject.

But fixing this problem requires more effort that people are willing to exert.

And people are so doggedly tied to the systems that are causing the problems we are trying to correct.

It is like the author who understands that Amazon's monopoly on books is making them less wealthy, but maintains an Amazon Prime membership and buys all their books from Amazon.

Or the Blogger who complains about a lack of traffic to their blog, but tells readers to visit them on Facebook any chance they get.

There is A LOT of education that has to happen before anything changes, and that is even considering all of the resources arrayed against us.

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Well, obviously all frustrated black men with axes to grind don't go around  killing people. They are stable enough to cope and take things in their stride, managing to survive by balancing the good with the bad. Studies are now showing, however, that both black and white males are struggling with feelings of inadequacy, haunted by a fear of being ignored and of losing their status as the "stronger sex".  The danger stems from the misfits of society, - those afflicted with personality disorders.  Too many men are ego-driven and self absorbed, unable to deal with rejection because of their inflated self esteem. (Rich and famous, white Bill O'Reilly comes to mind.)

But I wouldn't deny that black men are prone to being neurotic. Most can't win for losing and it's difficult for them to rise above their circumstances. Still, they haven't forgotten how to have fun and enjoy themselves.  

 

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I have 750 author profile pages to migrate and I came across Meri Nana-Ama Danquah profile and discovered this video.  She talks about her experience in Vermont where everything was white.

I wonder if the incidence of depression in a place like Ghana is lower because everyone is Black. 

It was one of the things that I never liked about corporate America. We need to see ourselves reflected in things and places that are valued.

I wonder if all the faces on our currency were Black would depression in the Black community be just a tiny bit less...

 

 

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Ofcourse seeing more of "yourself" in your day to day reality will improve your self esteem.

One of the reasons so many Africans and West Indians who migrate to the United States and do so much better as a group than AfroAmericans has less to do with them being inately smarter and more to do with the fact that they come here with a higher sense of self esteem and self-worth.

They achieve greatness because they BELIEVE they can!

Despite the poverty so many were raised in, Africans are born and raised in an environment where everyone of worth and achievement LOOKS LIKE THEM.
The president and politicians are Black
The school teachers and principals are Black
The police officers are Black
The lawyers and judges are Black
The soldiers are Black
The construction workers are Black.

Everyone who runs the society....despite the problems that society may have.....are Black.
So you grow up looking at people who look just like you who are called smart, beautiful, powerful, brave, and any other positive attribute you can think of.

You grow up with the mentality that you can aspire to and achieve the highest positions of the land through effort and skill.

Contrast THAT with the United States where White people basically run the nation and keep it humming and you end up going to them for your every want, need and grievance.  Black folks don't even make thier own toilet paper.
You grow up feeling oppressed,  opposed, limited in your options, and feeling that others who don't look like you are better than you and that you should "know your place" and rely on them.


BTW.....
I look forward to Harriet Tubman's face being on the 20 dollar bill....lol.
I just hope they don't lighten her up or straighten out her hair.

MLK and Frederick Douglass should have BEEN on some currency.

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I forgot where I heard this, but someone suggested that strippers might fell a little different about what they do seeing Harriett Tubman's face stuffed in their crotches...

...something tells me they will get used to it.


Brutha, the strippers I KNOW have had so many REAL FACES stuffed in theIr crotches (among other crevices)....I don't think Harriett's paper face will faze them..lol.

That reminds me......

I need to stop by the store and get some singles so I can "make it rain" tommorow night....lol.

 

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