Racism disection (7)

Numbers don't lie.  In light of Michael's post, there is no denying the truth in his statistics, which linked African Americans to violence and crime.  Facts are facts.  However, is that all that is to be said about the issue?  Can human actions be truly understood simply by compiling numbers and creating statistics?  Of course not; the nature of life has never been, and will never be, that simple.

I am a true believer that all men -and women- are created equally, in the sense that we should all be treated with complete respect, and that one individual is not superior to another simply because of his race or ancestry.  Racism and prejudice are inhumane and wrong, but why is it that so many of us are able to accept the ethnic bias that we are faced with: that certain races are more likely to be dangerous?  The answer is not always just that we were brought up to think that way.  We can see it with our own eyes- more blacks than whites involved in gangs, talking in "ghetto" slang, rapping about drugs, sex, and violence, etc.  This physical evidence, along with statistics and word of mouth, make it easy for an individual to link African Americans to this stereotype.  But then, are we assuming that, when an African American baby is born, he or she is already more likely than a white baby to become a violent criminal?

To simply state that a black man or woman is more likely to commit crime because that is how they are wired is a closed minded act.  After all, as Danielle has pointed out, we all share the same genetic code.  Internally, there are so few differences between the white man and the black man.  Sure, there is some variation, but there is basically just as much between germans, italians, pols, etc.  A more plausible argument, however, is that the defining split between races comes from nurture rather than nature.  

I do not believe that I am capable of making perfect sense out of the origin of the African Americans' negative stereotypes.  If it were that simple, we would not be having this discussion.  Still, the origin is most clearly understood when starting at the present and taking backwards steps.  Lets focus solely on one aspect of this stereotype.  As I previously stated, it is more common to see a black individual in a gang than a white individual.  However, in many areas of the country, and especially those closest to us, it is more common to see blacks living in impoverished "ghettos" than whites, generally speaking.  That being said, it is not more likely that a young black man, living in poverty, would seek a sense of security and a way to protect his family and join a gang?  So why are these people living in ghettos in the first place?  Are they too lazy to get a sound job? Again, not that simple. Taking another step back into the past, we must remember the undeniable oppression that African Americans faced not too long ago in America.  Without going into much detail, because this post could go on for pages, I'd like to assume that everyone is aware of the harsh social divide between the blacks and whites.  This pushed African Americans into seclusion and made it harder for them to make a stable living.

There are so many different possible viewpoints on racism, and so many prominent voices speaking out on the issue, so it is easy to get swept away into believing one side over another.  What I am trying to get at more than anything is simple: always keep and open mind and never take anything for its face value only.