If I Were A Poor Black Kid Article from Forbes Magazine Writer

http://www.forbes.com/sites/quickerbettertech/2011/12/12/if-i-was-a-poor-black-kid/

This is a very interesting article that, though hypothetical, may rub people the wrong way, especially since it comes from the thoughts of a middle aged white man who didn’t share the same experiences. I first must say that this article should be read in a manner of objectivity before personal afflictions become involved. He makes a valiant effort in trying to address the problems that impoverished blacks children are facing everyday. However, he falls short in assessing the fact that in order to help people (even if it is giving a little advice), he must understand a people (culture). Before supplanting the thoughts of people with solutions that seem elementary, a keen understanding of the everyday problems that people face must be addressed. This is something I, myself, struggle with and it is frustrating because I truly want to help people. I grew up not having much, and though I didn’t feel poor I was able to put enough scenarios together to conclude that we were poor.

The issue is that in many cases the problems are ingrained into the mindset. So, it can be easy to say that poor black kids, or any disadvantaged child, could do this or that. However, the problem with this is that if the struggle is with the mentality then these ideas just do not register. First, there must be a breaking of the chain that is wrapped around the minds of impoverished children, and show them that there is something out there for them. In order to do this, we as adults, mentors, and leaders must be willing to get our hands dirty and introduce these unknown variables into their young lives.

Newt Gingrich introduced, which to him seemed to be, a simple solution for solving the issues that poor children face. He said that schools should replace the janitors with poor children (under the supervision of a head custodian) and that should in turn allow them to appreciate the concept of learning to be punctual, punch a time clock and earn some money. But what happened to the concept of an education. I'm for teaching the basic issues of responsibilty and work but it doesn't tackle the poverty issue. It doesn't change status; not even a little. There are so many people with answers but these same people are not personally going in to these communities to make a difference. The idea of children working feeds into the lingering philosophy that poor people pass on generation after generation- the survival philosophy. It is disguised in all types of rhetoric; but even in sheep’s wool a wolf is a wolf and this idea in a way perpetuates that thought process.

Some of the ideas given in the article are great for anybody but how are children to have access to this information if they don’t have the necessary tools? How old are we expecting these kids to be before they start this process? I am learning everyday that before I can start imposing solutions, I must first work through the problem. There must be a strong base so we have something solid to work on.

Remove race from the equation for a second. It could be a poor white kid, a poor latino kid, a poor asian kid and even a poor native american kid; but if the tools are not available and the mentality is not set, you can put food in front of hungry people and if it not cooked right they won't eat. All of the ideas in the world won't help if the thought process is not right. This also applies to the rich black child, rich white, rich latino child, etc.

I truly believe that the problem is in first assessing and truly understanding the problem at hand, and the solution is actually in working through the problem. To change poor children and poor communities, we must change poor ideologies first. 

God Bless

Dismissed Information

Preparing to watch the GOP Presidential debates, I just happened to mention to someone what my plans were and the reply was "it doesn't matter, I'm voting for whoever the Democrat is." This response does not come as a shock for it is the answer many people may give whether outwardly or internally, in regards to political, religious, or many other social concerns. Many times, if ideas do not fall in line with our personal sidings, we develop the tendency to dismiss further intel and understanding in to a matter. To counter the earlier quote, a friend responded, "it should matter  because what if your guy doesn't win? You will need to know what your president stands for?"

That rebuttal leads to the important message that I wanted to extract which is that it is more advantageous to be informed than ill-informed, whether you agree or not with the people or issue at hand. The mentality  that 'if it does not apply to me it is not worth listening to' damages a lot of interpersonal relationships between people, closes many doors of opportunity for people, and also prevents people from expanding themselves mentally.

The true battle is between ourselves and our mindset. It's between the information we attain and don't attain. It's between what we deem important and unimportant.

God Bless

The State of America

The state of America as of now is in a dire situation. I am very optimistic about the future. For throughout history, this country has shown its ability to weather many storms, economically and socially. However, the future is too far and the now is too depressing. The land of the free is simply a place where the fittest survive, while some are surviving to just fit. Is it really freedom when people are not free to work? Is it really freedom when we are locked in despair? Is it really freedom when we are trapped in fear? Is it really freedom when our very own politicians jingle the keys to the lock over our heads just to score political points? Our sovereign rights as citizens are merely punchlines in campaign speeches and political debates. But the real punches are the blows that real people are facing each and everyday. Our brave troops are fighting abroad for us to have the right to call this country the "land of free." They are fighting for our freedom abroad, but who are fighting for us (and the troops) domestically. We are fighting a civil battle over capitalism. Our economic woes are becoming our moral foes. People are starving, housing is being lost, and the essence of our economic power is being devalued, physically and ethically.When will it stop? When greed ceases. I watched a report on the news that said the top 1% wealth increased 275% compared to 40 % by the middle class and 18% by the poor over the last 30 years. I'm an advocate for hard work, as well as for prosperity, but I am also for people having a chance. A chance is not a handout, it is merely an opportunity; and  the opportunity is more valuable than the mighty dollar we are seeking.

As a country, we are fighting an up hill battle.  Among the nations our education is suffering, innovation is declining , and competitively we are losing our edge. Who cares who our leader is if the goal is to theoretically encompass our minds with promise only to not actively stand by their words.We live in a country where the American dream seems to be a dependency scheme. The structure of our country is designed to keep people in their places. Tier by tier. The functionality of this country feeds on this. But even more sadly, we feed into it. We feel we need to suckle from the breast of this nation, because that is what we are sublimally taught from the first day we begin school. We are told we could be anything we want, but are being groomed to be workers, mere employees. We are told we can be property owners, but we never truly own our land but are paying for the right to use "our" land. We are taught that an education -that piece of paper- is something that can't be taken away, but it is something that is being taken away everyday because it is devaluing everyday. That paper is less valuable now more than ever, and if there is no actual knowledge acquired and retained, then that paper is worthless.

There is not enough empowerment going on. They occur in pockets, but lose momentum with the masses. Oppression is the cause- mentally, economically and socially. If oppressed people continue to be depressed, then the dependency mentality will continue to exist, and financially there will be someone who reap the benefits. Do we see it? In some cases, yes; but we are stuck in a glass bottle unable to break through. Many people are now seeing how it feels to be on the other end of the spectrum. When things are going good, there is no reason to look back and gain perspective. But when things crumble, the perspective appears right in front of us. This is the state of America in my eyes, we are now facing perspective.

God Bless

Interesting link on how movements are started

Enjoy!
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/derek_sivers_how_to_start_a_movement.html

Self-Love

So the question was posed to me, "What was my definition of self-love?" I gave a very simple answer via text, as "... I see it as feeling free to do [things] and express yourself without reservation." I felt I could have went further in what I meant, so I will. Now understand that I do realize that people may have different ideas and definitions as to what "self-love" is, so in no way am I saying that my response is the clear cut answer. But I do believe in terms of my own ideas my response lacked in its briefness.

Basically, what I meant from my initial response of freedom "to do [things] and express yourself without reservation" is that in loving yourself you have to be comfortable in your own skin. This comfort allows for you to act in confidence, because internally you have this insatiable desire to uplift yourself regardless of what others may feel or what obstacles may be placed before you. Referencing one of my earlier blogs, self-love allows you to demonstrate humility while maintaining an upheld head. So, without belaboring the point, when I think of self-love I think of being able to look at my reflection in the mirror (removing narcissism) and SMILE for who I am.

??

God Bless

The Technology Divide

I don't have an iPhone, but I have a smartphone. I don't have Facebook, but I have a computer. I don't have an iPod, but I do have a collection of songs on my computer. The point that I am making is that I do have a basic knowledge of what is going on around me in the technological era. However, I am not in synchronization with the trends of every update or upgrade that technology (or by-products of technology) present us with. For me, this could pose as a disadvantage in some aspects, and I do recognize that. I am not anti-technology; for as an engineering major, technology is an entity that I am surrounded by.

The thing that I wanted to point out is that there is a technological divide going on in the world. On the surface level, it can be seen as the haves and have nots. People who are up-to-date on technology versus those who are not. However, the other more important divide is between the people who are aware of the effects of technology versus those who are not.

Advances in the technological era have enthralled the masses with improvements in medicine, transportation, communication, etc., and have made life simpler in many aspects. But little do we know, it is hurting us as well. As things become more convenient, we become more lazy. As information becomes more readily available,we become more inclined to click and paste than to think and research. Better televisions, faster computers, and enhanced graphic video games keep us in the house more. Being guilty of it myself, many of today's extraordinary gadgets divert our attention, whether it is in the car or in the classroom, heading us toward physical ( potentially fatal) and mental danger.

It is my opinion, that for every advancement we make in some areas of technology, we take a step back as a human society. For every enhanced military weapon a country makes, the more dangerous the world becomes. The more entertaining gadgets get, the less interpersonal our relationships with people are. Things are becoming more convenient, but it is catch 22 because though our time frees up, our skill set weakens.

Also, in exchange for the convenience, there is a price to pay. For every self-checkout register or iPhone app to pay for goods, we are signing waivers that say it is ok to not have cashiers. For every online purchase or bill pay we make, we are saying it is ok to not have retail clerks or mail personnel. Basically, what I am saying is that the plan is to keep us distracted from the true "goings on." People are losing jobs, and some of the reason is because technology is getting better, not for the benefit of society, but in order to replace workers. The justification for this will be that there is not enough skilled people for the job. Why? Because of the distraction from the aura of the advancements. The work force is an expensive entity, from wages to healthcare, and to rid companies of that will save and make somebody a lot of money. I had a conversation where it was said that "machines are the perfect slaves," and to our dismay, they are here to replace our "pursuit of happiness" and lead us down the road of unhappiness.

I am not saying that there is anything wrong with enjoying the fruits of this era, but I would like us to be cognizant of the effects that such fruits have. I would like to see us utilize the powers of this era for something more than our sheer entertainment. I would like to see our brains not atrophy from disuse because of convenience. All in all, the true technological divide is the divide that this era has on our minds.

God Bless

Full Circle

From community factions came action. The action produced reaction. The reaction breeded satisfaction. Satisfaction became the distraction. The distraction brought about inaction. Inaction then returned us to the original problem therefore losing traction.

Once upon a time, our communities were filled with leaders and activists who were afflicted with the facts of life causing them to break into different factions, or form groups, for change. They confronted these problems through their actions that produced a community reaction which resulted in change. Their recognition for change sparked revolutions and produced results. People responded; progress ensued. Somewhere down the line satisfaction crept in, and put us on our heels instead of the balls of our feet. Momentum was lost. Satisfaction was the distraction. It took the urgency away, kidnapping the need for continuous revival. In all, the distraction caused a full swing revolution (full circle) which in turn countered the revolution (the movement), meaning that our inaction resulting from the distraction that blossomed from satisfaction, is reversing the effects of the reaction, which is taking for granted and lessening the meaning  of the action and returning us back to the same ol' (though in different times) problems that confronted the original factions.

Let's take back our communities. Let us regain the momentum for change. Let us re-lift our spirits. We must ask ourselves an  important question of "what can and must I do for my community?" Our communities are our nations. We must continue the dream and progress of our ancestors, and become powerful predecessors. We need to change our mentality, and begin to compete in the world that we lag behind in.

God Bless