America has no plan for you, you must do that yourself.
98
Why should "America" have a plan for your life? It is there for you to seize and control. Carpe Diem!
31
Plan on forming your own country and stop blaming others for your problems.
37
The leftist progressive cult formally known as the Democratic party will happily direct every aspect of your life if you so desire.They'll decide where you educate your children and what Doctor you can take them to see.They'll decide what you eat, what you can drive and even where you live,and in the near future how you think and what you speak about.Black America can have all of the above,all they have to do is continue to vote for the same phonies,cronies,hacks and paternal elitists they've been voting for the last five decades.
Trayvon Martin was not killed by the state,but the state failed him none the less.The DA in the Martin case pandered to the mob and the politicians and over charged Zimmerman,resulting in his acquittal.The Baltimore DA did much the same in the Freddie Gray case,seeking revenge instead of justice.
One more thing that goes against Mr.Lebron's and the popular narrative,the odds of a black man being killed by the police is astronomical,this is fact.
Trayvon Martin was not killed by the state,but the state failed him none the less.The DA in the Martin case pandered to the mob and the politicians and over charged Zimmerman,resulting in his acquittal.The Baltimore DA did much the same in the Freddie Gray case,seeking revenge instead of justice.
One more thing that goes against Mr.Lebron's and the popular narrative,the odds of a black man being killed by the police is astronomical,this is fact.
19
Knowing I'll be called a liar and racist, the police do not hunt young unarmed black men and just kill them. Unarmed whites are killed as well, you just never hear about it.......and there is no rioting. Have you ever heard of William Bowers of Castaic, CA? Feel free to Google him.
43
very good, mr lebron. and quite a few racist comments below. and regarding the closing line ie "america's plan," does not anyone recognize ironic humor when they hear it? it's heartbreaking, both because some lack the insight and empathy to recognize higher level writing, ahd because it's just so sad a thing to say.
20
It is not America that needs a plan for your life.
YOU have to make a plan for YOUR life!!
Your chances of dying at that hands of a police officer are the same as getting struck by lightening...how often do you think about that? if by some fluke as a law abiding citizen you are pulled over here is a thought COMPLY with police officer instructions
Try this as a plan:
Step 1 Graduate HS, take you classwork seriously try hard.
Step 2 Either attend college (via Pell Grants if you are poor) or if you feel it is not for you either apprentice or trade school the USA needs plenty of mechanics, electricians, plumbers, welder, machinists, carpenters and many of them after years of hard work actually own their own businesses.
Step 3 Get a job
Step 4 Now get married and start a family.
Notice how nowhere in these step are do this (below is the path Crutcher chose for himself):
1996 Shooting with intent to kill — Dismissed
2001 Petit larceny — Conviction
2004 Driving while suspended — Conviction
2005 Driving while suspended, resisting officer — Conviction
2006 Driving while suspended — Conviction
Driving with open container — Dismissed
2006 Trafficking in illegal drugs — Conviction
2006 Assault on a police officer and resisting - Dismissed
2011 Public intoxication (while in prison for drug trafficking) — Conviction
2012 Public intoxication — Conviction
Obstructing an officer — Conviction
2013 DUI — Conviction
Resisting officer — Conviction
Open Container — Conviction
YOU have to make a plan for YOUR life!!
Your chances of dying at that hands of a police officer are the same as getting struck by lightening...how often do you think about that? if by some fluke as a law abiding citizen you are pulled over here is a thought COMPLY with police officer instructions
Try this as a plan:
Step 1 Graduate HS, take you classwork seriously try hard.
Step 2 Either attend college (via Pell Grants if you are poor) or if you feel it is not for you either apprentice or trade school the USA needs plenty of mechanics, electricians, plumbers, welder, machinists, carpenters and many of them after years of hard work actually own their own businesses.
Step 3 Get a job
Step 4 Now get married and start a family.
Notice how nowhere in these step are do this (below is the path Crutcher chose for himself):
1996 Shooting with intent to kill — Dismissed
2001 Petit larceny — Conviction
2004 Driving while suspended — Conviction
2005 Driving while suspended, resisting officer — Conviction
2006 Driving while suspended — Conviction
Driving with open container — Dismissed
2006 Trafficking in illegal drugs — Conviction
2006 Assault on a police officer and resisting - Dismissed
2011 Public intoxication (while in prison for drug trafficking) — Conviction
2012 Public intoxication — Conviction
Obstructing an officer — Conviction
2013 DUI — Conviction
Resisting officer — Conviction
Open Container — Conviction
81
The correct question is: What are YOUR plans for yourself.
If you don't have one then you will not get anything. To get ahead you have to DESERVE to get ahead. What does that mean? It means you have to acquire the skills or knowledge that other people will be willing to pay you for. If you have an idea for a product, you have to make sure it also is something that other people will pay your for, and that you can produce at a profit.
The political parties are both the province of the rich, with the Democrats as the party of the 1%ers, as they have become known. If you are black, the Democrats assume you will vote for them out of ignorance. They feed disinformation to make you think they really care and that it is somehow some Republican's fault. Republicans always said what you become is your responsibility.
So think about Chris Rock's opening monologue from this year's Academy Awards. In a make believe conversation with President Obama he summed up the Democrat's view of Black Americans:
"Mr. President these are LIBERALS, the nicest people in the world, and they wont hire us"
Think about that for a while.
However in case you really want to know the country's plans for you are to collect taxes from you. If you can't pay it will give you charity in the form of less than subsistence levels of support.
If you don't have one then you will not get anything. To get ahead you have to DESERVE to get ahead. What does that mean? It means you have to acquire the skills or knowledge that other people will be willing to pay you for. If you have an idea for a product, you have to make sure it also is something that other people will pay your for, and that you can produce at a profit.
The political parties are both the province of the rich, with the Democrats as the party of the 1%ers, as they have become known. If you are black, the Democrats assume you will vote for them out of ignorance. They feed disinformation to make you think they really care and that it is somehow some Republican's fault. Republicans always said what you become is your responsibility.
So think about Chris Rock's opening monologue from this year's Academy Awards. In a make believe conversation with President Obama he summed up the Democrat's view of Black Americans:
"Mr. President these are LIBERALS, the nicest people in the world, and they wont hire us"
Think about that for a while.
However in case you really want to know the country's plans for you are to collect taxes from you. If you can't pay it will give you charity in the form of less than subsistence levels of support.
40
America has a plan for you.
7
Better you not wait for America, or anyone else, to figure out what your life's plan should be for you.
62
Oh brother, cry me a river. There are MILLIONS of successful black Americans who somehow made it to adulthood without getting murdered by police. The common denominator in 99.9% of these cases is failure to comply. Why is that? Why the constant mindset that you do not have to comply with an order given by the police? It's so simple really.
102
No, Chris, "America does NOT have a plan for your life." The nation merely provides the environment and conditions for YOU to make a plan/have a plan for your life. Not the country's job or responsibility to have "a plan" for YOUR life. Many blacks have been very successful with their plan for their lives. I wish you well. I think the conditions are there for you to do very well. Like the old saying goes, "If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail." And OBTW, there is a much--much--greater chance of you being the victim of a crime by another black then of a white, or the police (regardless of their race).
31
Your question should be rephrased "what do you have in store for me?" and should be directed at your black brethren, who kill each other in appalling numbers.
As far as trigger-happy police -- who kill whites in greater numbers -- you may thank the terrorism hysteria regularly whipped up by the news media and our craven politicians.
You and I and all Americans reasonably expect freedom from fear. I would suggest your accepting the idea that you too are an American. Embrace the dream.
As far as trigger-happy police -- who kill whites in greater numbers -- you may thank the terrorism hysteria regularly whipped up by the news media and our craven politicians.
You and I and all Americans reasonably expect freedom from fear. I would suggest your accepting the idea that you too are an American. Embrace the dream.
31
A woman, a cop, shoots a Black man. Why on earth would she do that? That she was a woman is mentioned once in this column. Had it been a white man that fact would have been repeated many times. Nevertheless, what do we know about Betty? It might matter. We learn more and more about her target, but we know nothing of her. He was a father, of four. She was...? We don't know because it doesn't matter? Just sayin'. She is dehumanized. We are heading down a very bad road and chances are, it will not have its ostensible result -- that of furthering better racial relationships and Black/"Blue" ones -- but perhaps the more hidden agenda of racial divide and retribution. Heaven help all of us. Why on earth would a woman, always in danger because she is a cop, indiscriminately, with witnesses and cameras, gun down an innocent Black father of four?
11
The risk of being "KILLED" by cop diminishes greatly if the person, black/white/brown/green/ blue or whatever you claim to be, when stopped (or asked to stop) you DO IT.
Right wrong or otherwise, just do it. Better to sort it out in court than from your coffin.
The myth that the blacks are targeted more often than others by cops is dispelled by the current statistics compiled by the FBI/DoJ.
Of course after the whitewashing of facts regarding Hillary' email scandal. Maybe their facts are also wrong.
Right wrong or otherwise, just do it. Better to sort it out in court than from your coffin.
The myth that the blacks are targeted more often than others by cops is dispelled by the current statistics compiled by the FBI/DoJ.
Of course after the whitewashing of facts regarding Hillary' email scandal. Maybe their facts are also wrong.
21
Awesome.
6
Thought provoking column. Mr Lebron should start by getting out of New Haven. It's always at the top of the list of CT's most dangerous cities.
15
Stop caring about the nation's plan for you, as if there is such a thing. Make your own plan. Help to create a plan for Black people yourself.
And even if the claims of BLM were correct, which they are not, the focus of their activism would not make any sense, given the far far far far greater percentage of Black deaths caused by other Blacks.
The vast majority of the ills facing the Black community are self generated, with a huge assist from stupid and counterproductive government policies fashioned by guilty White liberals. Do Asians obsess about "White supremacy"? Hell no! If Whites are so racist, how do Asians excel?
And even if the claims of BLM were correct, which they are not, the focus of their activism would not make any sense, given the far far far far greater percentage of Black deaths caused by other Blacks.
The vast majority of the ills facing the Black community are self generated, with a huge assist from stupid and counterproductive government policies fashioned by guilty White liberals. Do Asians obsess about "White supremacy"? Hell no! If Whites are so racist, how do Asians excel?
33
Do you have a plan for your life?
20
Ask not what your country can do for tou, ask what you can do for your country-JFK
29
If you think a comparison of racial theories from the early 1900's has anything to do with the mess we are in today, you have really missed the point altogether. If only you would have given more balanced examples....if only you wouldn't have given every single black American yet another reason to feel they can't (with apologies and excuses for yourself included, which I found strange and interesting), rather than THEY CAN...if only you wouldnt have started with one point then shifted to sympathy...if only you had offered an answer, rather than encouraging fear and the resulting apathy. Here are a couple of great solutions: Live, to the fullest, the Life you've been given, to find the most happiness, in your pursuit of Life, as you possibly can. Work hard, play hard and DON'T BREAK THE LAW. For every one poor lost soul who came across the wrong side of a police gun barrel, there are MILLIONS of potentially downtrodden black, red, white, female, male, gay Americans working like hell to raise their situations in life. The rest of us are pursuing happiness. Put down the axe and pick up your right to rise. This article moves nothing forward, nor encourages anyone to rise. You are perpetuating the very division that needs to be healed.
If only you might have quoted Dr Martin Luther King Jr, and encouraged all to rise, hope, dream. If only you had used your powerful media presence in the New York Times to uplift. If only.
If only you might have quoted Dr Martin Luther King Jr, and encouraged all to rise, hope, dream. If only you had used your powerful media presence in the New York Times to uplift. If only.
23
What nonsense.
Don't let the truth get in the way of a good narrative as you try to craft another unworthy martyr. Terence Crutcher was in the the prime of his life? Good grief. A PCP user with a long rap sheet who wouldn't comply with police orders...and that's your definition of prime?
Does rationality really matter to you as you claim, Mr. LeBron? The truth is clearly that your uncertain unplanned life is far more at risk from other black males than it is from police. The police, in fact, may be the variable that keeps you from becoming a homicide victim at the hands of another black male. Maybe you could write an article about the irrationality of blaming your woes on the segment of society which has done the most to help the black community.
Don't let the truth get in the way of a good narrative as you try to craft another unworthy martyr. Terence Crutcher was in the the prime of his life? Good grief. A PCP user with a long rap sheet who wouldn't comply with police orders...and that's your definition of prime?
Does rationality really matter to you as you claim, Mr. LeBron? The truth is clearly that your uncertain unplanned life is far more at risk from other black males than it is from police. The police, in fact, may be the variable that keeps you from becoming a homicide victim at the hands of another black male. Maybe you could write an article about the irrationality of blaming your woes on the segment of society which has done the most to help the black community.
35
You have the right not to be harassed or hurt because of your skin color. You have the right to an education that is of sufficient quality that you are poised to succeed.
But America does not plan for any of us. It was specifically founded on the right to self-determination. If you look for America to have a plan for you, you will fail and you will blame it on her.
But America does not plan for any of us. It was specifically founded on the right to self-determination. If you look for America to have a plan for you, you will fail and you will blame it on her.
23
Prof. Lebron extreme negative opinion, printed in this national media does two bad things. First, he disrespects the democracy and freedoms that are our country, a land of opportunities.
Second, he passionately, tells Blacks, People of Color, all minorities; that they targeted for failures and disasters. He preaches that the game of life, in this nation, is "rigged against them" because of their color. Let me tell you, Prof. Lebron, life isn't fair ... you get what you put into it. This land of Opportunity is like American Baseball. We can give it our best everyday, or quit and complain.
Second, he passionately, tells Blacks, People of Color, all minorities; that they targeted for failures and disasters. He preaches that the game of life, in this nation, is "rigged against them" because of their color. Let me tell you, Prof. Lebron, life isn't fair ... you get what you put into it. This land of Opportunity is like American Baseball. We can give it our best everyday, or quit and complain.
25
Only someone sitting in an ivory tower would write something like this. Who, specifically, is "America"? And who has a plan laid out for himself by this "America"?
If the topic were not "race", this wouldn't appear in the Times. I would strongly suggest Mr. Lebron get busy developing his own plan.
If the topic were not "race", this wouldn't appear in the Times. I would strongly suggest Mr. Lebron get busy developing his own plan.
32
America doesn't have a plan for you or anyone else. That's the freedom and responsibility of liberty.
32
America having a plan for you is in fact the problem. Relying on the government to run your life turns out, well, like it has. Very badly. You need to look at less goverment in your life so you make your own decisions. You might start looking at school choice so you can pick a decent school for black children and move up from there. Want to protect yourself by getting a gun. Forget it, the goverment will not let you because the gun laws are aimed at blacks. Want to avoid going to jail? Get the goverment to repeal the draconian drug laws. You are not stupid, you can run your own life.
11
Please educate yourself better. The whole "plan" for Americans was to have no plan at all (aka FREEDOM). The more your government "plans" for you the more control you give it over your life!
90%+ of your people have given up their freedom to vote for the best candidate because the Democrats "plan" for you is to vote Democrat and they insure this by keeping your people on welfare and preying upon your racial fears.
What so many Americans, like yourself, fail to realize is that freedom comes with RESPONSIBILITY. The BLM movement wants the freedom to riot, loot and commit other crimes (including the murder of WHITE police officers) but they want none of the responsibility that comes with such choices.
Take charge of your life and quit letting a political party make plans for you.
90%+ of your people have given up their freedom to vote for the best candidate because the Democrats "plan" for you is to vote Democrat and they insure this by keeping your people on welfare and preying upon your racial fears.
What so many Americans, like yourself, fail to realize is that freedom comes with RESPONSIBILITY. The BLM movement wants the freedom to riot, loot and commit other crimes (including the murder of WHITE police officers) but they want none of the responsibility that comes with such choices.
Take charge of your life and quit letting a political party make plans for you.
13
You (the black author) are not at risk unless you live in a poor, majority black/hispanic major city (most especially if you lead a criminal life), or unless you walk around with an ankle holster and a penchant for pulling a loaded, cocked gun on police. That's it.
17
Get the best education you can and be an American first. People who choose to distance themselves from you is because of their ignorance and it will be their lose.
3
Chris LeBron, are you asking America to give you a cushy job and no responsibilities? If you don't get this did America let you down? Seems like you expect entitlement. Look at R. R. from NY. You have to earn your way,make a plan and follow it.
16
When you have an encounter with the police, please be respectful, civilized and do what you are ordered to do. Guess what! Nobody will shoot you. That is America's plan for you Chris Lebron. Have a nice day!
22
Yes, America has a plan for your life. Tragically, very tragically its not what you want. You see Chris, America fears blacks. America also has empathy for blacks. And America wants to keep you separate and apart while at the same time we want you to aspire and achieve the same things that we do. We hate you and loathe you and also love you too. We're mixed up. Our emotions are all tangled up. We offer education but its not the same as ours. We offer housing but it always winds up as the projects. We want to see you succeed and rise up but we don't want to hear your protests and complaints. We'd like to see you raise families and live in nice homes, just like we do. But we don't want you in our neighborhood. We're happy when you finish high school or college but we don't want you in our workplace. We're disgusted by black on black crime but, what the heck, at least you're not killing us. That's political incorrect isn't it? Worse, it's heartless. You want law and order and an equal justice system. We want public safety and can't understand why you object to stop and frisk. But if we were stopped for walking while being white we'd get it real fast. We want to see you become part of our community but not marry our sons or daughters. We love when you sing. The richness of your voices is beyond our reach. But we don't hear what you're singing. Does America have a plan for you? Yes, but its the antithesis of your dreams. Its your worst nightmare. We want you but at arms length.
10
Stop stop feeling sorry for yourself. Man up take responsibility for yourself and get on with it. A lot of bad stuff happens to people in life, a shame but true. It is what you do when it happens that counts
13
More race baiting from "the Stone".
Amazon that so many "philosophers" and "thinkers" are all race-obsessed liberals. Lord knows that is all that is every addressed in this, the silliest of all NYT features.
Amazon that so many "philosophers" and "thinkers" are all race-obsessed liberals. Lord knows that is all that is every addressed in this, the silliest of all NYT features.
14
Being a White man, I get to hear what a lot of White men and women who wouldn't EVER describe themselves as racists say:
If you would just obey the police nothing bad will happen.
Racism doesn't exist any more in America.
Everyone has the same opportunities. Why should one group be given a step up ahead of everyone else.
I worked my way up from nothing. Why can't "they"?
There's no such thing as "White Privilege". I never experience it.
If you're going to protest, don't riot, do it peacefully (then, when a famous athlete does just that it's) No, not THAT way! It's disrespectful to the flag and the soldiers who died defending it!
ALL lives matter!
I know this list isn't complete, not by a long shot, as I try to explain that few if ANY of them have EVER been stopped or questioned by the police for anything other than an obvious traffic violation, but every Black man I know has.
When even the most illustrious Black American historian, Prof. Henry Louis Gates (who, with the passing of the amazing John Hope Franklin, took that impromtu title) gets hassled by a cop at HIS OWN HOME, it's clear that "Being Black in America" makes one a presumptive criminal, no matter WHAT one has achieved.
I thought it was getting better. I thought our kids were not learning the ingrained endemic racism instilled in my generation and my parents'. How depressing to learn it hasn't.
If you would just obey the police nothing bad will happen.
Racism doesn't exist any more in America.
Everyone has the same opportunities. Why should one group be given a step up ahead of everyone else.
I worked my way up from nothing. Why can't "they"?
There's no such thing as "White Privilege". I never experience it.
If you're going to protest, don't riot, do it peacefully (then, when a famous athlete does just that it's) No, not THAT way! It's disrespectful to the flag and the soldiers who died defending it!
ALL lives matter!
I know this list isn't complete, not by a long shot, as I try to explain that few if ANY of them have EVER been stopped or questioned by the police for anything other than an obvious traffic violation, but every Black man I know has.
When even the most illustrious Black American historian, Prof. Henry Louis Gates (who, with the passing of the amazing John Hope Franklin, took that impromtu title) gets hassled by a cop at HIS OWN HOME, it's clear that "Being Black in America" makes one a presumptive criminal, no matter WHAT one has achieved.
I thought it was getting better. I thought our kids were not learning the ingrained endemic racism instilled in my generation and my parents'. How depressing to learn it hasn't.
11
Here's another example. A black man,john smith,does well in school,stays away from the wrong type of friends, doesn't mess with weapons,graduates from college and gets a good job. Also when he gets pulled over by a police officer he keeps his hands on the steering wheel and keeps his mouth shut and does what he is told,like I do. Many African Americans live this life and want it for their kids but this isn't hyperbole enough for a good NYT article.
20
As the Grey Lady has reported - if you are black male - you are in NO MORE danger that a white male in terms of interaction with the police.
You can take your own "fate" (and yes - you are being melodramatic) in hand by following a few simple life rules that I expect a good professor already knows:
1. Don't carry a gun and refuse to drop it when ordered to.
2, Don't assault people and attack a police officer.
3. Don't choose a profession that is illegal and can send you to jail.
4. In general respect the police and authority - reject the nihilism of gang life.
You can take your own "fate" (and yes - you are being melodramatic) in hand by following a few simple life rules that I expect a good professor already knows:
1. Don't carry a gun and refuse to drop it when ordered to.
2, Don't assault people and attack a police officer.
3. Don't choose a profession that is illegal and can send you to jail.
4. In general respect the police and authority - reject the nihilism of gang life.
18
What a fantastic piece. Thank you for writing it.
4
Yes, Hillary has a plan for you. She wants you to keep working and earning that good salary so she can take a goodly portion of it and give it to those she deems needy. She wants you to save and invest so that when you die you leave your heirs a large inheritance so her government can then take a big chunk of it and give it to those that they deem worthy. Yes, your country has a plan for you...so keep working and start saving.
11
You note blacks killed by the state while ignoring two key facts: the lies surrounding their deaths, such as the lie that Michael brown had his hands up when shot. You also ignore the fact that the vast, vast majority of blacks who die violent deaths do so at the hands of other blacks. You cannot have an intellectually honest discussion while ignoring these facts
24
Better question:
Do you have a plan for your life?
Do you have a plan for your life?
14
"Does America Have a Plan for My Life?"
Perhaps you should be asking if you have a plan for yourself.
Perhaps you should be asking if you have a plan for yourself.
15
At the risk of being called out as a racist, I would say that there is a factor here that no one will discuss. The fact is that - for whatever the reason - there are sections in every mid-to-large size community where police are frequently called because that is where a high percentage of the area's crimes are commited.
These are dangerous, violent places, and police become conditioned to respond accordingly - and that conditioning stays with them, the same way that the behavior of soldiers is altered by exposure to combat situations.
Although the historical underpinnings for the existence the high-crime areas may be sinister, the reasons for unacceptable reactions of police in certain circumstances is more mundane.
And I would add that factually - statistically - speaking, interactions with police are one of the myriad potential occurances that are liable to cut short anyone's life - black or white:
"To date, law enforcement officials have fatally shot 702 people this year, 163 of them black men, according to a Washington Post database tracking fatal police shootings."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2016/09/22/state-of-e...
These are dangerous, violent places, and police become conditioned to respond accordingly - and that conditioning stays with them, the same way that the behavior of soldiers is altered by exposure to combat situations.
Although the historical underpinnings for the existence the high-crime areas may be sinister, the reasons for unacceptable reactions of police in certain circumstances is more mundane.
And I would add that factually - statistically - speaking, interactions with police are one of the myriad potential occurances that are liable to cut short anyone's life - black or white:
"To date, law enforcement officials have fatally shot 702 people this year, 163 of them black men, according to a Washington Post database tracking fatal police shootings."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2016/09/22/state-of-e...
10
First of all "America" has no plans for your life. That's entirely up to you and you have the great fortune to live in a country that essentially guarantees equality to all individuals under the law. While you may well be subject to a greater risk of violence that fact is entirely attributable to your likely being exposed to other black people who have a much greater propensity to commit homicide than do white people in America. But who you hang out with is your choice. And please, let's get beyond this false narrative of white (or black or Asian or Martian) police officers targeting blacks for shooting. The inconvenient FACTS prove otherwise. Criminally suspect whites are shot at a higher rate per capita than blacks..... so I just hope that actual evidence makes you a little more secure about your likely longevity. Given your lifestyle and background, you have about the same chance of dying from a police bullet as you do from bee stings, a lightning strike or a terrorist attack.
18
Have you and your contemporaries ever visited local Boston schools to talk with black boys about your achievements and offered to mentor? That would be a big step to show them your success is achievable in today's society.
14
To answer the question in your headline "I’m Black. Does America Have a Plan for My Life?, the answer is no. You are responsible for your own life plan.
21
Chris LeBron- And you would be at risk walking about many parks in Chicago's South Side and North Haven, CT or Bridgport, at risk of being shot by thugs the same color as yourself. America does not have a plan, it's a work-in-progress, where anyone lawfully contributes. As Booker T. Washington put it, serve a need. Seize the day. Take agency. Never explain, never complain. Get ahead of tomorrow before tomorrow gets ahead of you. America's plan is your plan. Act many more times than you react.
11
Thank You...you have but into words what has been circling in my mind for last 40 years.
7
Dear white people (responding here). Put yourself in this man's shoes? I know several white families with teens with challenges - ADHD, Bi-Polar, Autism.......but do I worry that the police will stop them on the street, misinterpret their intentions and shoot/kill them. No. Why is it so hard to see that young black men in particular have much more to worry about when confronted by the police? Have faith Chris Lebron. I think there are enough like me who do understand and want to see a safer/fairer system for all.
39
Chris...relax, continue working at Yale University, where the murder rate is extremely low, and the mortality rate for individuals of color is equal to that of the Caucasian population.
You're a young man of color, with an undergraduate degree from M.I.T. and an assistant professorship, so you're well on your way toward achieving The American Dream. Don't whine about the lack of diversity in your "professional social circle". Why not try to integrate socially with your white Yale colleagues (60%)...or perhaps with your Asian or Hispanic peers (total:14%)?
You asked an unusual question, especially for someone whose curriculum of academic expertise is philosophy: "will I live as long I intend?". I'm not sure that's a constructive question to ponder...as intent rarely defines ones earthbound longevity.
Lastly, if you're thinking about obtaining a Concealed Carry Permit for your handgun...don't. Just don't.
You're a young man of color, with an undergraduate degree from M.I.T. and an assistant professorship, so you're well on your way toward achieving The American Dream. Don't whine about the lack of diversity in your "professional social circle". Why not try to integrate socially with your white Yale colleagues (60%)...or perhaps with your Asian or Hispanic peers (total:14%)?
You asked an unusual question, especially for someone whose curriculum of academic expertise is philosophy: "will I live as long I intend?". I'm not sure that's a constructive question to ponder...as intent rarely defines ones earthbound longevity.
Lastly, if you're thinking about obtaining a Concealed Carry Permit for your handgun...don't. Just don't.
4
You need a pan for your own life sir, the country doesn't have a specific plan for its citizens.
11
"Life liberty and pursuit of happiness," in Declaration of Independence (DOI),were buzzwords for a revolution, DOI a political convenience to allow France to assist us as sovereign nation rather than rebellions colony, a fine parsing needed for the time
'By their Creator' is religious theist doctrine, anathema today
DOI 1776- France was in rematch against the British: a few years prior, in 'French and Indian wars,' France lost, Washington in uniform for the British
The phrase has deep roots in the ethos of the time,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life,_Liberty_and_the_pursuit_of_Happiness
and means just about whatever, see also partial reference to Locke, and to editing over 'property' and 'estate'
'unalienable' should be seen in context of the English civil wars, 100 years before, where Hobbes in Leviathan offers that people surrender rights to their monarch in return for security
'Unalienable' rejects that surrender
Remainder of DOI is a litany of grievances, a close straight lift from English Bill of Rights, accepted by William of Orange, a remote Stuart, as he acceded to the English throne, English Stuarts having petered out, thus a constrained monarch
=
Numerical analysis shows that Black men are less likely to be shot than white men, by cops
Safest place in America for a black man is in front of a cop's gun, vs his own nabe
=
Trayvon Martin's death was ruled justifiable, by jury, the same system that acquitted OJ
Nothing to with 'your life plan'
Nothing
'By their Creator' is religious theist doctrine, anathema today
DOI 1776- France was in rematch against the British: a few years prior, in 'French and Indian wars,' France lost, Washington in uniform for the British
The phrase has deep roots in the ethos of the time,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life,_Liberty_and_the_pursuit_of_Happiness
and means just about whatever, see also partial reference to Locke, and to editing over 'property' and 'estate'
'unalienable' should be seen in context of the English civil wars, 100 years before, where Hobbes in Leviathan offers that people surrender rights to their monarch in return for security
'Unalienable' rejects that surrender
Remainder of DOI is a litany of grievances, a close straight lift from English Bill of Rights, accepted by William of Orange, a remote Stuart, as he acceded to the English throne, English Stuarts having petered out, thus a constrained monarch
=
Numerical analysis shows that Black men are less likely to be shot than white men, by cops
Safest place in America for a black man is in front of a cop's gun, vs his own nabe
=
Trayvon Martin's death was ruled justifiable, by jury, the same system that acquitted OJ
Nothing to with 'your life plan'
Nothing
4
Do you have a plan to educate low earning single parent raised minority kids in Bridgeport?
Are you and other interested professionals offered pre k to 12 educational concierge services.?
Are you and other interested professionals offered pre k to 12 educational concierge services.?
7
I expect that you will ive to a ripe pld age if you follow these simple guidelines.
1. Eat healthy food...in moderation
2. Get Exercise.
3. Get a good night's sleep.
4. If you are pulled over, and have a permitted gun in the car, follow all the rules they taught you in your Concealed Carry class.
5. If you don't have a permit or the gun us otherwise illegally in your possession, don't brandish it or point it at the cops.
6. Do not try to settle legal issues on the street. Sign the ticket and fight it in court.
1. Eat healthy food...in moderation
2. Get Exercise.
3. Get a good night's sleep.
4. If you are pulled over, and have a permitted gun in the car, follow all the rules they taught you in your Concealed Carry class.
5. If you don't have a permit or the gun us otherwise illegally in your possession, don't brandish it or point it at the cops.
6. Do not try to settle legal issues on the street. Sign the ticket and fight it in court.
9
" because Terence Crutcher was black in America, which happened to be the same condition shared by Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice, Philando Castile"
Also by Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, Barack Obama, Lee Elder, Tiger Woods, et al.
No America does not have a plan for your life, that is your job. You acknowledge your advantages and disadvantages, you plan how to accentuate the former and overcome the latter, and you realize that no matter how detailed your plan may be, it will not work out because random events will occur that will derail it, forcing you to replan.
I agree that Terence Crutcher did not plan to have his life end the way it did. Neither did James Boyd, Patrick Dailey, or Mark Logsdon. That does not change the fact thea each had a plan for his life, one which events forced an end to.
Also by Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, Barack Obama, Lee Elder, Tiger Woods, et al.
No America does not have a plan for your life, that is your job. You acknowledge your advantages and disadvantages, you plan how to accentuate the former and overcome the latter, and you realize that no matter how detailed your plan may be, it will not work out because random events will occur that will derail it, forcing you to replan.
I agree that Terence Crutcher did not plan to have his life end the way it did. Neither did James Boyd, Patrick Dailey, or Mark Logsdon. That does not change the fact thea each had a plan for his life, one which events forced an end to.
6
The government has destroyed the black family better than any KKK grand wizard could ever dream of doing. No fathers, no education and no hope leads to the nihilism we see in the news virtually every day. Add in the race baiting of the grievance industry and you come to where we are today.
What do you want to bet that Professor Lebron is a reliable Democratic voter?
What do you want to bet that Professor Lebron is a reliable Democratic voter?
8
What a maudlin, over-blown, self-defeating mentality. So the police want to kill you? Now I've really heard everything. Be sure to teach your kids that and ruin their lives.
18
This whole police / black lives matter situation reminds me of a narrative by the author Jared Diamond. He was travelling with some natives in New Guinea, and when they set up camp, he camped near a dead tree. The natives looked at him like he was crazy, and camped elsewhere, but he spent the night there anyway, and later it dawned on him why that happened. If you visit a forest and sleep under a dead tree you will probably be OK. If you live in the forest and make a habit of sleeping under dead trees, eventually one will fall on you and kill you.
Police officers believe that black men are more likely to engage them with lethal force. Black men believe that the police are more likely to engage them with lethal force. They look at each other with the same wariness that a New Guinea native looks at dead trees; you will probably survive a single encounter, but if you want to live to be old, you need to be wary.
Is there a protocol for a black man to signal to a police officer that he is not a threat? Is there a way for a police officer to signal to a black man that if he does what he's told during the encounter, he will be treated with respect, and not injured or killed? Can the law stop the petty harassment of blacks, so that the situation does not start with anger? Both sides need to unwind this situation, which will likely continue until they do.
Police officers believe that black men are more likely to engage them with lethal force. Black men believe that the police are more likely to engage them with lethal force. They look at each other with the same wariness that a New Guinea native looks at dead trees; you will probably survive a single encounter, but if you want to live to be old, you need to be wary.
Is there a protocol for a black man to signal to a police officer that he is not a threat? Is there a way for a police officer to signal to a black man that if he does what he's told during the encounter, he will be treated with respect, and not injured or killed? Can the law stop the petty harassment of blacks, so that the situation does not start with anger? Both sides need to unwind this situation, which will likely continue until they do.
6
There's a problem with the headline, "Does America Have a Plan for My Life?"
Since when does a nation have a plan for any person's life? In this context, just what does "America" mean? The headline is as nonsensical as asking, "Is America coming to my birthday party?"
Surely an editor could have demanded better than this vague, lazy copy.
Since when does a nation have a plan for any person's life? In this context, just what does "America" mean? The headline is as nonsensical as asking, "Is America coming to my birthday party?"
Surely an editor could have demanded better than this vague, lazy copy.
14
I fully empathize with the situation in the US to which you allude, and I think we all need to seek redress from the authorities for obvious overreaction. The fact remains, however, you need also ask yourself where danger lies. You are far more likely to be accosted by your brethren than the police. While you may not like that fact it is nevertheless the way it is. Blame history, poverty, substandard education, you name it, black-on-black crime far exceeds police overreach and needs the same attention.
14
I don't think you're being melodramatic, and I do think you are at special risk. I remember when Mayor de Blasio told us of how he had "the talk" with his son about how to interact with police, only to receive tremendous backlash, with officers even turning their backs on him during an event. But they'll never shoot him at a traffic stop.
It seems we can't even talk honestly and openly without an "all lives matter" "blue lives matter" slam down. So thank you for this, devastating as it is.
It seems we can't even talk honestly and openly without an "all lives matter" "blue lives matter" slam down. So thank you for this, devastating as it is.
28
The Caption of the editorial says it all. Every person being must have a plan for their own life. Putting ones faith in the government of one's country no matter which one it is is an unwise choice. Believe in yourself. You can be anything you want to be. Work hard. Stay in school. Love your family. These are all in your control and can guarantee your success. Government dependence on its plan for you is liberal silliness.
7
I'm looking at the feed frim the NYT this morning and wondering if all the staff has lost their collective minds.
To make such bold conclusions about a man turning his life around after two decades of criminal nad sometimes violent behavior, is astounding.
You have a Black officer, and a Black police chief saying this man was armed, and that he was refusing to obey lawful commands, with a video clearly showing his ankle holster exposed, and his hands concealed.
Just like in Ferguson, the media and the DNC are so desparate create a narrative to take the focus off of Hillary's flailing campaign, that they will take a slam dunk justified shooting and create the illusion of injustice.
The fact that they are dishonoring this Black Officer and this Black Police Chief, to me smacks of racism.
To make such bold conclusions about a man turning his life around after two decades of criminal nad sometimes violent behavior, is astounding.
You have a Black officer, and a Black police chief saying this man was armed, and that he was refusing to obey lawful commands, with a video clearly showing his ankle holster exposed, and his hands concealed.
Just like in Ferguson, the media and the DNC are so desparate create a narrative to take the focus off of Hillary's flailing campaign, that they will take a slam dunk justified shooting and create the illusion of injustice.
The fact that they are dishonoring this Black Officer and this Black Police Chief, to me smacks of racism.
10
Perhaps if there were better gun control laws in the US, cops would be less likely to assume that someone is carrying a gun, and therefore less likely to pull a gun themselves. Of course there is an obvious racial bias in the killings. Maybe if more people -- white, black, brown or purple -- would stand up to the NRA and impose some strict gun control legislation, cops would be less likely to assume that everyone has a gun.
The best defense for blacks may be to stop carrying guns. "I'm black -- hands up, no gun."
The best defense for blacks may be to stop carrying guns. "I'm black -- hands up, no gun."
1
It's not just black people who are shot by the police. That can happen to any of us. My family is white, but I grew up hearing about how bad the Chicago police were. My dad rode motorcycles in his younger years and was constantly being stopped for no reason. He always said, "If you want someone shot, just call the police."
4
America's plan for you is pretty simple, it seems. An imagined confrontation? Shoot first, ask questions later.
We reject the premise of the question. It's not America's responsibility to have a plan for your life. It is your responsibility.
7
I'm sorry, but I don't really understand what is written here. What I understand is, that the author defines himself mostly thru his 'blackness'. And he is convinced to be in the same boat as young victims of 'white' brutality (like Travyon Martin), but strangely not of 'black' brutality. Mr. Lebron is a highly priviledged person but obvoiously that isn't enough. What does he want? May be he should tour the country to get a broader idea of average people's life.
9
This piece preaches pure defeatism in the guise of outrage.
4
Your comments are smug and myopic, BobSmith. You miss Dr. Lebron's point.
Let's say Dr. Lebron decides to drive across the country and is on a highway in, say, Tulsa, Oklahoma, or Charlotte, North Carolina. His car breaks down one dark night. State troopers arrive at the scene. They don't see a man with a Ph.D. from MIT and Yale credentials. They don't know his salary. They see a black man in the dark of night while other cars are whizzing by, headlights glaring in both directions. Dr. Lebron, the black man, raises his hand to acknowledge their presence. The officers interpret the gesture wrongly and bam! Dr. Lebron, no different than Terrence Crutcher, is shot dead.
In this circumstance Dr. Lebron IS Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice, Philando Castile, his MIT and Yale credentials notwithstanding. Dr. Lebron's observations do not constitute narcissistic absurdity, as you wrongly assert. Rather his piece, while personal, is an astute and accurate characterization about the daily reality of African-American makes living in the United States.
Dr. Lebron is also right that here is no plan in America to address the systematic violence directed toward black men. There may be racism in Australia, France, and Sweden, to name a few other developed countries But please tell me, BobSmith, why we are not reading weekly news stories about police in those countries mistakenly or intentionally gunning down people of color. You need to "Get real" BobSmith and so do the rest of us.
Let's say Dr. Lebron decides to drive across the country and is on a highway in, say, Tulsa, Oklahoma, or Charlotte, North Carolina. His car breaks down one dark night. State troopers arrive at the scene. They don't see a man with a Ph.D. from MIT and Yale credentials. They don't know his salary. They see a black man in the dark of night while other cars are whizzing by, headlights glaring in both directions. Dr. Lebron, the black man, raises his hand to acknowledge their presence. The officers interpret the gesture wrongly and bam! Dr. Lebron, no different than Terrence Crutcher, is shot dead.
In this circumstance Dr. Lebron IS Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice, Philando Castile, his MIT and Yale credentials notwithstanding. Dr. Lebron's observations do not constitute narcissistic absurdity, as you wrongly assert. Rather his piece, while personal, is an astute and accurate characterization about the daily reality of African-American makes living in the United States.
Dr. Lebron is also right that here is no plan in America to address the systematic violence directed toward black men. There may be racism in Australia, France, and Sweden, to name a few other developed countries But please tell me, BobSmith, why we are not reading weekly news stories about police in those countries mistakenly or intentionally gunning down people of color. You need to "Get real" BobSmith and so do the rest of us.
5
How is there any debate about this?
Its called systemic racism.
And since the end of chattel slavery its been underpinned by:
- white-sheeted terror
- millions of voters electing segregationist politicians
- Jim Crow laws
- red line housing
- the courts
- the police
- and "good people doing nothing to stop it."
Its called systemic racism.
And since the end of chattel slavery its been underpinned by:
- white-sheeted terror
- millions of voters electing segregationist politicians
- Jim Crow laws
- red line housing
- the courts
- the police
- and "good people doing nothing to stop it."
6
With some, the blame is always on the other guy. Not so in the UFC/MMA cage, which provides an example of life. Preparation, plan execution and the grit to get off the floor when knocked down takes individual effort!
1
Mr. Lebron, you have a far greater chance of dying from an anaphylactic reaction to a wasp sting than you do of being shot by the police. Which in no way indicates that police behavior does not warrant investigation. It just means that editorials like yours are completely fatuous. Statistically speaking, if you were in fact to die from a gun, it would be far more likely to be fired by another black man. Yet I do not recall a single editorial in the New York Times decrying this fact.
15
America does not and should not have a plan for any individual, black, white, or other. That is your job. How long you live is influenced greatly by how you act. In total numbers there are more poverty stricken whites in poor family situations, with poor schools than blacks. They have no better options than the blacks. Whites are also susceptible to shooting like Mr. Crutcher, people say oh that horrible, and it barely makes the news. I can use statistics with the best. It is choosing the parameters that allow you to use real data to prove nearly anything you want, including the myth that blacks are more likely to be shot without cause than whites, when in fact the opposite is true.
6
I am not black, and I cannot speak as one.. However, speaking only as an old, white individual retired person - I can only say that I do not want any other person or group to develop "a plan for my life". I do not believe that is what America and freedom is all about. There was a time in my life when I DID have such an arrangement, I spent 20 years in the military and I expected other individuals and groups to run my life and tell me what to do and what was expected of me. I expected that and enjoyed it and made satisfactory progress. But those were exceptional circumstances requiring control of large groups of men by individuals and small groups. It works and is generally accepted. But most young people in America do not seek such careers, and I suspect that if you are black you do not want others to package you and direct you, but let you win or lose on your own.......
7
My plan is to vote for representatives who see the value of every American citizen and who will stand up for education, opportunity, and justice for each one of them. THEN, my plan is the watch them every step of the way, to make sure they do the job as their constituents wish it to be done, not just sit back and let them do whatever they want.
2
Does America have a plan for Blacks? Of course it does. America's plan is: "let's criminalize being black." The resources directed to its implementation, suggests America is serious. Hard evidence emerges every day, from every region that this plan is highly effective.
Half of America explicitly wants this plan; they cheer as blacks are incarcerated, killed, harassed, lynched, beat up, segregated, denied. Most of the other half is content saying weakly: "isn't this just terrible, something should be done . . . a candle light vigil perhaps."
If you don't know this, I must wonder where you have been.
No, I really wonder.
One of the most heartbreaking evidence of hopelessness came to me from the aftermath of Katrina. I saw Blacks concentrated in a stadium acting mostly medieval with each other. As if someone else was going to show up and take care of them. I saw white (often church-affiliated) groups, including Mormons (otherwise casually reviled in this country) rushing to help. I saw no real movement from rich and middle class blacks to help. I am sure some did, but there was no real movement except bellyaching about the republican government. As if you believed a republican administration would help blacks.
Don't black lives matter to you?
You are asking: "we are in this situation, and what is America planning to do about it?"
I think you should know the answer to that.
I wish you well. Kalidan
Half of America explicitly wants this plan; they cheer as blacks are incarcerated, killed, harassed, lynched, beat up, segregated, denied. Most of the other half is content saying weakly: "isn't this just terrible, something should be done . . . a candle light vigil perhaps."
If you don't know this, I must wonder where you have been.
No, I really wonder.
One of the most heartbreaking evidence of hopelessness came to me from the aftermath of Katrina. I saw Blacks concentrated in a stadium acting mostly medieval with each other. As if someone else was going to show up and take care of them. I saw white (often church-affiliated) groups, including Mormons (otherwise casually reviled in this country) rushing to help. I saw no real movement from rich and middle class blacks to help. I am sure some did, but there was no real movement except bellyaching about the republican government. As if you believed a republican administration would help blacks.
Don't black lives matter to you?
You are asking: "we are in this situation, and what is America planning to do about it?"
I think you should know the answer to that.
I wish you well. Kalidan
1
What would MLK do?
He most likely would march. Marching is a symbol of 'a' movement far stronger than loitering. He would not just march while the rage grows inside. He would march in the spring.
Movements need to continue until you win. Peaceful nonviolence is the only thing that works.
He most likely would march. Marching is a symbol of 'a' movement far stronger than loitering. He would not just march while the rage grows inside. He would march in the spring.
Movements need to continue until you win. Peaceful nonviolence is the only thing that works.
Seriously? There were almost 6,000 blacks killed by other blacks in 2015. In 2016 there have been 258 blacks killed by police, the vast majority of those as a result of legitimate police action. Let that sink in. If you can't find even a sentence in your lamentable article to even address this, it's obvious that you are simply ignorant or a fraud.
And to answer your question about what is America's plan for you? Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.
Get involved with your local community and find out why blacks committed 52 percent of homicides between 1980 and 2008, despite composing just 13 percent of the population. Help stop the real epidemic.
And to answer your question about what is America's plan for you? Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.
Get involved with your local community and find out why blacks committed 52 percent of homicides between 1980 and 2008, despite composing just 13 percent of the population. Help stop the real epidemic.
10
Maybe Professor Lebron should talk to millennials, including African-American millennials, who aren't sure whether to vote in this election or think they should vote for a third-party candidate, and thus may help put Donald Trump in the White House. That certainly won't make things better for African-Americans.
2
I believe myself to be "white" & I believe myself to be "rational".
And yet life has taught me that if Henry Louis Gates, Jr. can have an experience like the one described by Chris Lebron, then I too, question "America's plan".
And yet life has taught me that if Henry Louis Gates, Jr. can have an experience like the one described by Chris Lebron, then I too, question "America's plan".
We have 11 million undocumented immigrants in this country. How many are doing jobs which black people and poor white people could be doing instead?
Why not crack down on illegal immigration and make sure that farm workers are paid decently?
Why not crack down on illegal immigration and make sure that farm workers are paid decently?
4
I just hope that the right doesn't construe this as too overdramatic. I understand your plight and I seek to understand it as a white person, but I worry that you voice will be drowned out because of the venomous dialogue that comes from race in our society.
2
Only you can plan your life. The system is imperfect. People are imperfect. Fate is cruel. If the Jews endured the inquisition and the holocaust, if Europe survived the plague, and if Asia survived the Mongol conquest, surely there is a way for you to survive 21st century America. Recognize that every individual faces challenges. Fairness is conceptual, not reality. And the grass always looks greener in the adjacent field. You have a brain and your health, so find your niche instead of hoping others will show it to you.
5
Here is a constructive "Plan" for all Americans
1.obey the law
2. get the best education and work skills possible
3. don't abuse drugs and alcohol
4. don't have children before you can support them
5. don't consider yourself a victim because that gets you nowhere
Anyone who breaks these rules is unlikely to be successful in any country in the world.
1.obey the law
2. get the best education and work skills possible
3. don't abuse drugs and alcohol
4. don't have children before you can support them
5. don't consider yourself a victim because that gets you nowhere
Anyone who breaks these rules is unlikely to be successful in any country in the world.
10
The author is employed by Yale University and is writing on the pages of the New York Times and wonders if America has a plan for him. The Ivy League schools are good at many things, but teaching the meaning of irony is not one of them.
24
Blacks kill approximately 5,000 fellow blacks every year while the police kills approximately 1000 blacks every year (Most of the police deaths are not controversial). I cannot say how many white collar blacks were killed by the police without provocation, but my guess would be close to nil. The biggest victims of Black Lives Matter are law abiding blacks in predominantly black neighborhoods because the police is effectively abandoning policing there. So the right question to ask is do your fellow blacks have a plan for your life.
7
For me, this is also what kneeling for the anthem is about. Can society at large finally see the difference lives that Americans live? Can whites in rural America finally see what life is like for urban blacks who live as they must, but not as they want?
2
if (white) America has a plan for any black person's life I'm sure of only one thing; I don't want to hear it.
1
If there is one thing the eight years of Obama, the ubiquity of the smartphone video feature, and the meteoric rise of Donald Trump have shown, it is that racism is alive and well in the United States of America.
Clearly, if you are black, you need to be extremely careful in where you go and how you behave.
If we were a serious democratic republic, we'd all of us be involved in a monumental and rational discussion over where we are as a country, how we got here, and where we are going. But we're no longer a serious democratic republic, we are an oligarchy, and I honestly think our ruling class doesn't much care.
So, we have Donald Trump, whose own racism in housing is documented, as a serious threat to occupy the White House.
Tell me again which side won the Civil War.
Clearly, if you are black, you need to be extremely careful in where you go and how you behave.
If we were a serious democratic republic, we'd all of us be involved in a monumental and rational discussion over where we are as a country, how we got here, and where we are going. But we're no longer a serious democratic republic, we are an oligarchy, and I honestly think our ruling class doesn't much care.
So, we have Donald Trump, whose own racism in housing is documented, as a serious threat to occupy the White House.
Tell me again which side won the Civil War.
1
"Does America Have a Plan for Your Life?"
A: Apparently it was to attend MIT, become a professor of African-American studies at Yale, and make $ pedaling a factually incorrect and divsive narrative, none of qhich would have happened had you been born white.
"Does America Have a Plan for My Life?" 95+% of individuals killed by police are male (and the majority are White). Should I be terrified of police (as opposed to the thousands of other things that are much more likely to kill me through no fault of my own) because I'm a man? Is there some sort of systemic, institutional sexism that needs to be addressed within our nation's police departments?
A: Apparently it was to attend MIT, become a professor of African-American studies at Yale, and make $ pedaling a factually incorrect and divsive narrative, none of qhich would have happened had you been born white.
"Does America Have a Plan for My Life?" 95+% of individuals killed by police are male (and the majority are White). Should I be terrified of police (as opposed to the thousands of other things that are much more likely to kill me through no fault of my own) because I'm a man? Is there some sort of systemic, institutional sexism that needs to be addressed within our nation's police departments?
13
One step towards understanding would be to STOP saying "the blacks" - as if black people are objects. Recognize our common humanity and say and write "black people" (I'm still not comfortable summing up so many different people into one group, but the author's column topic is how he feels at risk based on his skin color, so it's needed.)
Please acknowledge we are all people.
It's a start.
Please acknowledge we are all people.
It's a start.
7
It is sad, but Black on Black violence accounts for most of the violent deaths of African Americans. Add to this poorly treated or untreated high blood pressure and diabetes mellitus, and you have most of the relatively early deaths of African Americans. Shootings by police are heart-breaking, but the numbers are very small by comparison.
8
Silly and unscientific beyond belief.
"I’m not sure how many days are left in my life." - No one does.
"I am racially black and I live in America, which raises the question: Will I live as long as I intend?" - Again, no one does, but you are more likely to live longer in America than in ANY country in Africa (75.6 Avg Life Expectancy for Black person in America, vs. 55 for black person in Africa).
Can anyone - maybe one of the big brains at teh NY Times - provide some statistical or scientific proof that a black person's life is more tenuous in the United States than anywhere else on Earth?
"I’m not sure how many days are left in my life." - No one does.
"I am racially black and I live in America, which raises the question: Will I live as long as I intend?" - Again, no one does, but you are more likely to live longer in America than in ANY country in Africa (75.6 Avg Life Expectancy for Black person in America, vs. 55 for black person in Africa).
Can anyone - maybe one of the big brains at teh NY Times - provide some statistical or scientific proof that a black person's life is more tenuous in the United States than anywhere else on Earth?
12
I wonder what Chris's plan for his life is. That is far more important than any plan America could come up with for for him or anyone else. I'm a little scared at the idea of "America" planning out someone's life. I believe America is about each person trying as best as he or she can to plan out their lives first. One of the biggest threats to blacks in America, of course, is crime in our inner cities. I don't know where Chris lives, but if he lives in an area with a high crime rate the biggest threat to him is other black men. You can't say it in polite company, I know. If a person in America finishes school, gets an education, and avoids having kids until he or she is married their chances of success are much greater than if they don't do these things. I wish Chris - and all Americans of all races - the very best in their efforts to realize their plan for their life. Your plan is far more important than any plan American could come up with for you. We all need to remember that there are desperate people of all races who would give anything and everything to come to America and have a shot at the American dream.
5
The author could have chosen any of the 700+ police killings this year, but chose this one because the (apparent) victim was Black, without the slightest hint that race played the slightest part in the incident. 23% of these police-involved deaths involved Black males; what would make any rational individual ignore the other 77% and aver that blackness made the slightest difference? We know the names of a handful of high-profile “victims”, because The Narrative insists they were killed for blackness. The other “victims” pass unnoticed, because their deaths don’t support that Narrative.
Because the author simply KNOWS that racism caused these deaths. It’s akin to asking a believer for proof that God exists. In each case, the “proof” is all around us, obvious, and everything the believer sees confirms his faith.
The fact is, that most folks ARE aghast at the apparently inexcusable police conduct in the Crutcher case. Just as they’re aghast when the police inexcusably take the life of someone who isn’t Black. But, curiously, those videos never go viral. The NYT never runs front page stories on those victims or covers their funerals. “The community” doesn’t take to the streets to riot, loot, and burn.
If the author ever finds himself on the wrong side of a gun, it will likely be (illegally) held by a younger version of someone who looks just like him. America’s plan for him is to try to keep him alive, and prevent that from happening. His racial blinders make that difficult.
Because the author simply KNOWS that racism caused these deaths. It’s akin to asking a believer for proof that God exists. In each case, the “proof” is all around us, obvious, and everything the believer sees confirms his faith.
The fact is, that most folks ARE aghast at the apparently inexcusable police conduct in the Crutcher case. Just as they’re aghast when the police inexcusably take the life of someone who isn’t Black. But, curiously, those videos never go viral. The NYT never runs front page stories on those victims or covers their funerals. “The community” doesn’t take to the streets to riot, loot, and burn.
If the author ever finds himself on the wrong side of a gun, it will likely be (illegally) held by a younger version of someone who looks just like him. America’s plan for him is to try to keep him alive, and prevent that from happening. His racial blinders make that difficult.
13
I'm busy working up the plan for my life. Everyone else will have to do the same. Chris Lebron certainly has accomplished much.
7
You have indeed disproved your own point, but others have already explained that. However, it is also clear that most of the black deaths caused by cops are the result of the black person choosing not to respond to the instructions provided by police. When you are told to stop and remain motionless by a cop who is likely suspicious that you are armed and who must therefore protect his/her life as well as well as the lives of other citizens, you had best follow orders. If, Instead, you make sudden moves, drop your hands to your waist, or reach into the car, you are forcing he cop to make an instant decision, and decisions made under such circumstances can easily be wrong. Most blacks shot by police would not be if they simply followed instructions, so the message is respect the police and do what they tell you, and if they are wrong, take the case up after the fact. As an old non-racist white boy, all I can say is that when a cop tells me what to do, I do it (though I may voicing a complaint the whole time). That's how you avoid getting shot. It isn't right, it is distinctly disturbing the way our police have to approach potentially dangerous situations, and the arrogance of many, but when you get stopped is not the time to make protest and ignore instructions. Save that for later and you will not only live, but the courts of America will provide you with legal protection as much as they would for any white person.
8
As Trump continues his attack on all minorities I 'm pretty sure you life could be ended for that very reason. I am white I don't know what it is like being a black person so I don't try. I can only sympathize.
America doesn't owe you a life plan, whether you are black or not.
The conversation on race in America (a conversation that is overwhelmingly dominated by one race in particular -- guess which one) has raised many valid questions about the use of police force and the oppressive cycle of poverty. Now, with this essay, it is becoming absurdly entitled.
A life plan? How about less naval gazing and a sense of personal responsibility? I have worked with disadvantaged immigrant groups who everyday are striving and hustling and doing the best they can with what they have. To read this essay -- which would have better been titled, "Ask what else your country can do for you" -- is truly nauseating.
The conversation on race in America (a conversation that is overwhelmingly dominated by one race in particular -- guess which one) has raised many valid questions about the use of police force and the oppressive cycle of poverty. Now, with this essay, it is becoming absurdly entitled.
A life plan? How about less naval gazing and a sense of personal responsibility? I have worked with disadvantaged immigrant groups who everyday are striving and hustling and doing the best they can with what they have. To read this essay -- which would have better been titled, "Ask what else your country can do for you" -- is truly nauseating.
5
Police in the U.K. don't usually carry firearms. How does that work? If it assumes that their populace is not armed, maybe we could start there.
Fewer trigger-happy citizens, fewer trigger-happy cops ( they're citizens too, after all)?
Fewer trigger-happy citizens, fewer trigger-happy cops ( they're citizens too, after all)?
2
What a backward article. Millions sacrifice all they have to migrate to America for the opportunity to work and enjoy and keep the fruit of their labors. They don't want a government 'plan' or handouts, but to live in a system that allows them to life without fear that the government will confiscate all they worked for. Leave the street corner and get an education. Work hard. Sometimes two or three jobs to start. you won't have time for idle demonstrations (or looting) but you will gain the satisfaction of achievement!
7
“People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in the world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want and if they can't find them, make them.” - George Bernard Shaw
4
"I’m Black. Does America Have a Plan for My Life?"
That is the quintessential liberal question. The conservative question is: "Do I have a plan for my life in America?
Granted, that's a harder question for many blacks in America to answer. But that still has to be the question.
That is the quintessential liberal question. The conservative question is: "Do I have a plan for my life in America?
Granted, that's a harder question for many blacks in America to answer. But that still has to be the question.
4
No, America doesn't have a plan for your life. I know I have a plan for my life. Do the right thing, work hard, keep a roof over my families heads, food on the table, and treat others as I would want to be treated. Period. Grow up, quit pushing this nonsense. This country has already the "discussion" on race. We are all equal. Let's move on and quit letting the media push this garbage.
7
Come on, just because Harvard professor Gates was arrested for trying to enter his very own home, does that prove this author's point? Absolutely! No matter where you get to, there's just that something always there for the racists and the ignorant (which often of course go together) to latch on to.
A brilliantly put together piece of thought and writing that captures so many nuances and so much context around the issues faced by black Americans and by our American society.
With everything going on at Yale on the diversity/sensitivity front, it is encouraging to hear the campus also includes such a sensible and thoughtful voice as that of Professor Lebron. May not just your life, but your stay in the ivory towers be long and full of the type of thoughtfulness and wisdom you capture in this piece.
A brilliantly put together piece of thought and writing that captures so many nuances and so much context around the issues faced by black Americans and by our American society.
With everything going on at Yale on the diversity/sensitivity front, it is encouraging to hear the campus also includes such a sensible and thoughtful voice as that of Professor Lebron. May not just your life, but your stay in the ivory towers be long and full of the type of thoughtfulness and wisdom you capture in this piece.
Mr. Lebron, as a white man - I have no clue what "America's plan for me" is nor do I care. I have my plan and I will act accordingly as long as I continue to believe that plan is in my best interest. As far as the Terence Crutcher killing is involved, you make is sound like Officer Shelby was out hunting for a black man, snuck up on him and shot him in the back of the head. I don't know the circumstances and nor do you - and yes, regardless of the circumstances it was tragic. But don't forget that statistically, Mr. Crutcher was far more likely to die at the hands of his fellow citizens in his own neighborhood than by an officer of the state.
Finally, your article seems to imply that white people walk around with this inherent security that all things will work out they way they plan - you are VERY mistaken. EVERYONE feels the insecurity and fear of "something" happening or not happening and our plans being destroyed, it's how we act on that fear or deal with that insecurity that makes the difference. Many white people will simply give up and say that it's all "societies fault", or their parent's fault, or his fault or her fault - never their own. Those are people who will live their lives as slaves to their fears, perpetually bitter, resentful, frustrated and disappointed. But, that is their choice.
Finally, your article seems to imply that white people walk around with this inherent security that all things will work out they way they plan - you are VERY mistaken. EVERYONE feels the insecurity and fear of "something" happening or not happening and our plans being destroyed, it's how we act on that fear or deal with that insecurity that makes the difference. Many white people will simply give up and say that it's all "societies fault", or their parent's fault, or his fault or her fault - never their own. Those are people who will live their lives as slaves to their fears, perpetually bitter, resentful, frustrated and disappointed. But, that is their choice.
4
True, but it's also good to be aware that you are part of a long line of intrepid social interlopers, many of them violently repelled. At least you're male, and tenure-track. Try being female in the Ivies just after co-education, when a large portion of the American power structure felt obliged to explain to your face, at length, that your presence was not only an insult to tradition but a cruel exclusion of some deserving young man. Hello, problem.
2
I don't have a plan for the writer's life. Moreover, I don't want to associate with people who see the government's role as planning our lives.
9
Come on, just because Harvard professor Gates was arrested for trying to enter his very own home, does that prove this author's point? Absolutely! No matter where you get to, there's just that something always there for the racists and the ignorant (which often of course go together) to latch on to.
A brilliantly put together piece of thought and writing that captures so many nuances and so much context around the issues faced by black Americans and by our American society.
With everything going on at Yale on the diversity/sensitivity front, it is encouraging to hear the campus also includes such a sensible and thoughtful voice as that of Professor Lebron. May not just your life, but your stay in the ivory towers be long and full of the type of thoughtfulness and wisdom you capture in this piece.
A brilliantly put together piece of thought and writing that captures so many nuances and so much context around the issues faced by black Americans and by our American society.
With everything going on at Yale on the diversity/sensitivity front, it is encouraging to hear the campus also includes such a sensible and thoughtful voice as that of Professor Lebron. May not just your life, but your stay in the ivory towers be long and full of the type of thoughtfulness and wisdom you capture in this piece.
4
If current events are any indication of what kind of plans America has for Black lives -- it's to end them as soon as possible.
And if by some horrific chance, Donald Trump gets into the White House, with Rudy Giulliani at his side, this will happen much sooner than anyone could have dared to believe.
And if by some horrific chance, Donald Trump gets into the White House, with Rudy Giulliani at his side, this will happen much sooner than anyone could have dared to believe.
1
i think the terminal illness that threads through crutcher, scott and the rest, setting aside the case of martin and rice as murder, is that they did not follow police instructions when officers had drawn guns.
if you want to explain the predicament of being black, as near as i understand it, it seems to be that if you follow the rules you don't win and if you don't follow orders you might die.
the other group that disproportionately doesn't follow orders issued by officers with drawn guns is the mentally ill, and it's a bit of racism to claim that death by cop is an exclusively black problem. throw in the other victims, and it comes into focus as a systemic problem the militarization of police equipment and tactics, the low standards of recruiting, poor training, and the readiness to hire known problem officers, for example the rice shooter.
my question to the author: are you white? and if you're black, are you black enough? the essay embodies "the predicament of in between." racism is not exclusion (that's exile), it's being surrounded by a society where you can get along but not belong.
i admire the tone of this essay, but it personalizes a systemic problem. that's a flaw in thinking. we all of us live an existential promissory note. skin color can do it, but so can physical disability, deformity, defect and deficiency.
don't kid yourself. enjoy what you have, celebrate the fragility of life, and eat your breakfast. it's the most important meal of the day.
if you want to explain the predicament of being black, as near as i understand it, it seems to be that if you follow the rules you don't win and if you don't follow orders you might die.
the other group that disproportionately doesn't follow orders issued by officers with drawn guns is the mentally ill, and it's a bit of racism to claim that death by cop is an exclusively black problem. throw in the other victims, and it comes into focus as a systemic problem the militarization of police equipment and tactics, the low standards of recruiting, poor training, and the readiness to hire known problem officers, for example the rice shooter.
my question to the author: are you white? and if you're black, are you black enough? the essay embodies "the predicament of in between." racism is not exclusion (that's exile), it's being surrounded by a society where you can get along but not belong.
i admire the tone of this essay, but it personalizes a systemic problem. that's a flaw in thinking. we all of us live an existential promissory note. skin color can do it, but so can physical disability, deformity, defect and deficiency.
don't kid yourself. enjoy what you have, celebrate the fragility of life, and eat your breakfast. it's the most important meal of the day.
Other than a prison or welfare or the military or a cemetery or lousy housing or a sorry public school or unemployment, white supremacist America has no plans for black African American men, women and children. An ugly inhumane malevolent historical politically bipartisan legacy of humanity denying African American enslavement and equality defying African American Jim Crow exceptional hubris mythology that no just moral fair God would ever bless.
4
The writers who attack Mr. Lebron for complaining about the lives of Black people because he has it made may, I guess, have no contact with Black people.
I have a Ph.D. I have a large number of Black friends who hold advanced degrees, Ph.D.s, Masters, LLDs and so on, and have good jobs and who live in good neighborhoods.
All of them, not just one or two or a few, have experiences with being treated badly and with clear racial bias. In stores, in cars, in airports, on the streets. I have seen this happen even when I present.
Being educated and well off does not protect Black people from racism.
I have a Ph.D. I have a large number of Black friends who hold advanced degrees, Ph.D.s, Masters, LLDs and so on, and have good jobs and who live in good neighborhoods.
All of them, not just one or two or a few, have experiences with being treated badly and with clear racial bias. In stores, in cars, in airports, on the streets. I have seen this happen even when I present.
Being educated and well off does not protect Black people from racism.
46
The mean life expectancy of a black male in the US is 71 and that of a white male is 76. This is a significant difference, to be sure. However, most of that difference is due to higher rates of heart disease, diabetes and cancer in the African American population. Perhaps what you should be asking is whether America has produce for you? Stop fueling the race divisions.
4
"I wish I knew America's plan for me." I'm not sure there is an America, nor am I sure there ever really was. There are states, but America is not a state in the internationally recognized sense. It is a federation. Since Reagan preached states' rights (and he wasn't the first to do that, of course), white supremacy has reasserted itself more and more stridently. Germany is a federation too, but it has a long history of being organized around one component state, Prussia. Because it was so warlike, that state was wiped off the map by the victors after WWII. What state in America might we wish to abolish? Some are worse than others, but all have frank racism.
So for now, put aside your concern for America's plan for you. What is your plan to save America from the followers of Trump? Will you get into that fight? Join us. Our fight is for all, not just for old white guys like me.
So for now, put aside your concern for America's plan for you. What is your plan to save America from the followers of Trump? Will you get into that fight? Join us. Our fight is for all, not just for old white guys like me.
3
Why does America need a plan for you? This kind of self-centered thought is exactly what got us to this point. Hard work, goals and respect have allowed other groups (some who arrived with only determination - and had to learn English) to succeed, at least for the next generation. If African Americans continue to ask, "What can my country do for me?" they are setting a poor example for the generation to come and putting walls between themselves and those of us who have struggled to get where we are.
5
The pain of having luck run out, of hopes dashed, of having enjoyment in small achievements diminished and disrupted by unfairness is such a basic human condition that I feel abandoned as I read it attached in this way to a certain group of people that I do not belong to.
Health advice for the author, which every dead man he mentioned failed to adhere to, "follow the orders of the police, comply, and don't yell at tem until you're handcuffed." Then yell all you want. Then file a complaint, or sue if it's deserved. Or heck, sue even if it isn't.
Yes the Crutcher shooting is a bad shoot, and the charges appear to be wholly justified, and undoubtedly there will be bad shoots in the future. However, blacks are not killed at a disproportionate rate. Approximately 31% of those killed by the police are blacks, their percentage of the population is meaningless. To be shot by the police, you have to have contact with the police. Blacks commit 27% of all crime, and 34% of all violent crime, so you'd expect that whatever the race was with those numbers shot by police would be around 30.5%. As it happens, it's exactly that.
Yes the Crutcher shooting is a bad shoot, and the charges appear to be wholly justified, and undoubtedly there will be bad shoots in the future. However, blacks are not killed at a disproportionate rate. Approximately 31% of those killed by the police are blacks, their percentage of the population is meaningless. To be shot by the police, you have to have contact with the police. Blacks commit 27% of all crime, and 34% of all violent crime, so you'd expect that whatever the race was with those numbers shot by police would be around 30.5%. As it happens, it's exactly that.
3
Many here comment that this essay is written by a privileged person, therefore it fails to make a point.
I think that the point made, to those who want to see it, is that if the writer got out of his tower, say on the highway in the South, with a flat tire, wearing jeans, snickers and a hoodie, he may reasonably fear the apporaching of two police cars. I know I would be happy to see them. I know he would not.
I think that the point made, to those who want to see it, is that if the writer got out of his tower, say on the highway in the South, with a flat tire, wearing jeans, snickers and a hoodie, he may reasonably fear the apporaching of two police cars. I know I would be happy to see them. I know he would not.
2
I agree with you. I am an older white woman. I have seen and heard major prejudice against blacks. A trip to Biloxi, Mississippi, when I was about ten years old, cemented cruelty against blacks in my mind. Things are improved since then, on the surface. Unkindness and unacceptance abound in this country, not only toward African Americans. A sad state of affairs.
The ramblings of an Academic. This article will be prime fodder for those that think African-American studies are a joke.
I would think that a prime reason to have African-American studies is to not only introduce students to black history and struggles (past and present) but to also give a Black student a feeling of a way forward.
What this article says is: If you are Black, you will always be a victim. Abandon ye all hope!
America has no plan for your life, just opportunity to seek something than your ancestors. Yes, opportunity has been denied to at times ( to Blacks, Catholics, Jews, Irish, Chinese) -- some groups worse than others. But things have improved although not fast enough and to the extent that they should have.
There are many who have struggled against bias and bigotry not only about skin color but religion, ancestry, gender, body weight, beauty (or lack of), disabilities, hair color or even such insignificant things such feet size. Those people may have not been as successful as they could have been but they did not give up and adopt a fatalistic view of their lives. Their success propels the next generation to accomplish more.
It is not just black people who have their lives and successes disrupted (think Macy's shooting in Washington) but lightening does strike, accidents do happen, and anyone can be in the right or wrong place at the right or wrong time.
Life and its outcomes are not rational but worrying about losing it all is not happiness.
I would think that a prime reason to have African-American studies is to not only introduce students to black history and struggles (past and present) but to also give a Black student a feeling of a way forward.
What this article says is: If you are Black, you will always be a victim. Abandon ye all hope!
America has no plan for your life, just opportunity to seek something than your ancestors. Yes, opportunity has been denied to at times ( to Blacks, Catholics, Jews, Irish, Chinese) -- some groups worse than others. But things have improved although not fast enough and to the extent that they should have.
There are many who have struggled against bias and bigotry not only about skin color but religion, ancestry, gender, body weight, beauty (or lack of), disabilities, hair color or even such insignificant things such feet size. Those people may have not been as successful as they could have been but they did not give up and adopt a fatalistic view of their lives. Their success propels the next generation to accomplish more.
It is not just black people who have their lives and successes disrupted (think Macy's shooting in Washington) but lightening does strike, accidents do happen, and anyone can be in the right or wrong place at the right or wrong time.
Life and its outcomes are not rational but worrying about losing it all is not happiness.
5
The history of America's treatment of people of color has been a national disgrace in xountless ways. For example, it's quite likely that MLK was murdered by the FBI in 1968. Attorney Wm. Pepper represented the King family in a civil suit aqainst the United States gov't in 1999 for the murder of Dr. King (King Family v. Jowers and co-conspiritors)and the jury decided in their favor. This fact was largely ignored by the corporate media. Poveety is a form of violence, it has been said. The powers that be were afraid that Dr. King's planned anti-poverty campaign and protests against tje Viet Nam war would alter the status quo too greatly. Ia America still unready to handle the truth? You decide.
In attempting to be provocative, the author actually highlights a fundamental disconnect between the perceived threats from police and the real risks of being a black male in America. His chances of an early death are tied to proximity to other black men, not police. That is the real travesty.
7
While black men are victims of violence and shooting deaths, including fatal shootings by police; black men are also more likely to commit violent crime, murder, robbery, and assault, considering per capita violent crime statistics—and that is also a part of this special risk factoring.
5
Asking if "America has a plan" for one's life is the fundamental problem here. If you think the state should plan your life, you should move to China or Cuba.
America's fundamental values include the pursuit of happiness, not its static presence, as though happiness comes from material things or 3 squares a day. The history of the entertainment business, to take one example, is full of people with vastly more money and fame than ordinary people who were so unhappy they ended it all.
Happiness, whether one is purple, green, or orange polka-dotted, comes from helping others, taking responsibility, making a contribution to family and community. It doesn't come from a life of self pity.
That is well known to almost everyone, except Mr. Lebron.
America's fundamental values include the pursuit of happiness, not its static presence, as though happiness comes from material things or 3 squares a day. The history of the entertainment business, to take one example, is full of people with vastly more money and fame than ordinary people who were so unhappy they ended it all.
Happiness, whether one is purple, green, or orange polka-dotted, comes from helping others, taking responsibility, making a contribution to family and community. It doesn't come from a life of self pity.
That is well known to almost everyone, except Mr. Lebron.
2
I wonder why Mr. Lebron, the BLM movement, etc. always seem to lay the blame for their perceived slights on the country as a whole. Is America unique among nations in that it has racists within or that blacks are over represented in the legal system? I think not.
Mr. Lebron, if America is so uniquely flawed, please name the country we should emulate. Please name the country where racism is non-existent and the police never make a mistake.
Mr. Lebron, if America is so uniquely flawed, please name the country we should emulate. Please name the country where racism is non-existent and the police never make a mistake.
2
A plan for a life can not only be cut short by being killed. It can be cut short by being incarcerated for years much too long if not for life without the chance of parole. The imprisonment of black people in the U.S. on a scale not seen before is the continuation of slavery in this society and a crying injustice.
3
Thank you for an excellent essay. I think other readers are incorrect to assume that because Professor Lebron has a nice job and an adequate income, that he is somehow "different" from all the black people who get in trouble with the police. When he enters his own home might the police think he is a robber? When he drives can he bask in the assumption that he is safe from interference? If he took advantage of membership in the NRA wouldn't that be an almost assured death sentence?
I'm an old white woman who walks the neighbourhood streets armed with my Fitbit. If I were black, I would not feel so secure.
I'm an old white woman who walks the neighbourhood streets armed with my Fitbit. If I were black, I would not feel so secure.
5
A rather poignant look at a highly educated man's feelings about being Black in America. Mr. Crutcher's story is an amazing testimony in itself, given the apparent reasons for the interaction with police and the absence of any overt threat. I am a white male, but if I were Black, I project that I'd very likely feel quite similarly to Professor Lebron. The behavior of our police, particularly in Mr. Crutcher's case cue us into a serious lack of training in community interactions. This is an unforgivable omission.
7
It is amazing to me that most comments here are about trying to deny racism. That denial is at the root of the deaths of African Americans by police (as well as all the other issues like housing, education, health care, employment, incarceration.) We can't fix something we don't agree exists. America needs to accept responsibility for the oppression of African Americans that started with slavery and continues to the present.
8
Well-written and thought-provoking essay. However, injecting Trayvon Martin and suggesting he was also killed by an employee of the state undermines the argument and raises a host of other issues that I believe are not meant to be part of this discussion.
7
Prof. Lebron's article raises several interesting points in an interesting way, but this sentence brought me up short: "However, while I’m not a big fan of the idea that America has made a lot of progress since Du Bois’s time, I can readily admit that a lot has changed since the beginning of the 20th century."
How can a Yale professor suggest that America has not "made a lot of progress" since W.E.B. Du Bois's youth, when lynchings were common public spectacles, entire black neighborhoods and towns were physically destroyed by white supremacists, and few black Americans ever got to vote, let alone get good jobs or loans? That ahistoric comment undermines the strength of the rest of Lebron's argument. I do understand what he is trying to say about the lack of certainty even a privileged black professional feels -- look at Prof. Henry Gates' encounter with police at his own home, or Lawrence Graham's encounters with racism no matter how privileged his circles. Has Prof. Lebron yet realized that these dilemmas are common to most American women? And we'll see a vivid example of that in tonight's debate, when a brilliant, female public servant has to share a Presidential debate stage with the farcical Donald Trump, whose main credential is reality TV and main debate preview so far has been a threat to seat in front of her a woman with whom her husband had a brief affair decades ago. Now THAT is being reduced to no more than gender, regardless of education or achievement.
How can a Yale professor suggest that America has not "made a lot of progress" since W.E.B. Du Bois's youth, when lynchings were common public spectacles, entire black neighborhoods and towns were physically destroyed by white supremacists, and few black Americans ever got to vote, let alone get good jobs or loans? That ahistoric comment undermines the strength of the rest of Lebron's argument. I do understand what he is trying to say about the lack of certainty even a privileged black professional feels -- look at Prof. Henry Gates' encounter with police at his own home, or Lawrence Graham's encounters with racism no matter how privileged his circles. Has Prof. Lebron yet realized that these dilemmas are common to most American women? And we'll see a vivid example of that in tonight's debate, when a brilliant, female public servant has to share a Presidential debate stage with the farcical Donald Trump, whose main credential is reality TV and main debate preview so far has been a threat to seat in front of her a woman with whom her husband had a brief affair decades ago. Now THAT is being reduced to no more than gender, regardless of education or achievement.
10
In such a thoughtful essay, how is it that a very vital fact is missing. In every single case of these shootings, the black citizens have failed to obey a simple command of the police officer. Stop, stand down, turn off your radio etc.
How in the world does an officer whose job it is to protect all of us know of a citizen's intent criminal or otherwise, or that s/he has a gun, is mentally deranged or whatever. Why is it they can't obey simple commands?
How in the world does an officer whose job it is to protect all of us know of a citizen's intent criminal or otherwise, or that s/he has a gun, is mentally deranged or whatever. Why is it they can't obey simple commands?
26
This is one of the best essays I have ever read on this. It pointedly and gracefully captures the lack of total agency of one's life that is felt by a large portion of our population. The always asking "what if?" and having the answer too often be out of your control, despite your best efforts, must be frustrating and maddening. I will share this essay widely.
5
The plan for the author is the same as the plan for the rest of us. Those who sit, and wait for someone else to make their life for them, end up dependent on the state. The rest move on with their lives and make as much of it as thy can. Then, we all go back where we came from.
One cannot eliminate all risk, all error, all racism, all mental illness, or all bad decision making - on the part of the police and the public. For the author to seize on a small number of police shootings and extrapolate them as though they are the norm across the US is a bit silly, and baseless.
The author gets this, obviously, and I am having a bit of a problem understanding the real point of this article.
One cannot eliminate all risk, all error, all racism, all mental illness, or all bad decision making - on the part of the police and the public. For the author to seize on a small number of police shootings and extrapolate them as though they are the norm across the US is a bit silly, and baseless.
The author gets this, obviously, and I am having a bit of a problem understanding the real point of this article.
47
I have worked with a LOT of successful black men and women in corporate America. They don't see themselves as victims and work hard, raise their kids, etc. My clergyman once said in passing (not referring to blacks/whites, etc.) that "people will tire quickly of listening to constant excuses about your situation". I think successful people (Black and White) don't see themselves as victims, but see America as a land of opportunity.
39
There are millions of poor white people in economically decimated areas of Ohio, West Virginia and all over fly over America who also wonder if America has a plan for their lives. The difference is we don't hear about them in the elitist media, unless they are referred to as "angry white voters" and "deplorables." Yet the media routinely hits on the hardships of blacks again, and again, and again. Perhaps if we pulled together as Americans and elect leaders who actually put Americans first, we can solve at least some problems for everyone. Sorry, but the fact we have to remind leaders that they are elected to take care of people in their own backyard, before refugees halfway across the world or thousands crossing over borders illegally every day, is astonishing.
47
Police officers (black or white) feel more threatened by black men than by white men, and more threatened by a man than by a woman. So the real question that needs to be asked is why are black men perceived to be more threatening.
The answer, in my opinion, is that they ARE more threatening. As others have already commented, black males account for a hugely disproportionate amount of violent crime in the US. You can argue about why this is so and what should be done about it, but the police are not social workers. Until the crime statistics change young black males will continue to be perceived as threatening.
The answer, in my opinion, is that they ARE more threatening. As others have already commented, black males account for a hugely disproportionate amount of violent crime in the US. You can argue about why this is so and what should be done about it, but the police are not social workers. Until the crime statistics change young black males will continue to be perceived as threatening.
64
America's "plan" for Black people?
The plan should obviously be to drive biological science forward as fast and ethically as possible to accelerate mixing bowl phenomenon--not only increase Black White mixing but stir all races and ethnic groups together as thoroughly as possible and watch a new bread rise.
Why should this obviously be the plan? Because our current situation will only increase and become clarified: America is becoming less free, more bureaucratic/surveillance/computer/pure economic "toss people enough of a bone to make them happy" society. And marginalized groups such as Blacks and Native Americans are tossed between trying to integrate and contemplating the Jewish solution--creation of own safe homeland.
White skepticism of people like Blacks, Native Americans, Muslims--generally equator and below people--has probably more to do with whether they are reliable, advanced culture/civilization creating forces or not. Which means we either ramp up science and start mixing people or we will have a nasty middle ground of increasingly bureaucratic/totalitarian America with certain races and ethnic groups shuttling between "proving themselves" in America and their ancestral homelands or where they can make a homeland (Africa, increasingly fortified Indian reservations, Mexican/Southwest Hispanics increasingly talking about "their territory").
It's a small globe we live on--we need to mix and become one or have a Le Corbusier architecture/panopticon nightmare.
The plan should obviously be to drive biological science forward as fast and ethically as possible to accelerate mixing bowl phenomenon--not only increase Black White mixing but stir all races and ethnic groups together as thoroughly as possible and watch a new bread rise.
Why should this obviously be the plan? Because our current situation will only increase and become clarified: America is becoming less free, more bureaucratic/surveillance/computer/pure economic "toss people enough of a bone to make them happy" society. And marginalized groups such as Blacks and Native Americans are tossed between trying to integrate and contemplating the Jewish solution--creation of own safe homeland.
White skepticism of people like Blacks, Native Americans, Muslims--generally equator and below people--has probably more to do with whether they are reliable, advanced culture/civilization creating forces or not. Which means we either ramp up science and start mixing people or we will have a nasty middle ground of increasingly bureaucratic/totalitarian America with certain races and ethnic groups shuttling between "proving themselves" in America and their ancestral homelands or where they can make a homeland (Africa, increasingly fortified Indian reservations, Mexican/Southwest Hispanics increasingly talking about "their territory").
It's a small globe we live on--we need to mix and become one or have a Le Corbusier architecture/panopticon nightmare.
This is more complicated than the author and many commenters are acknowledging.
On the one hand: for those commenters treating the author as a silver spoon Yale asst. professor who has no worries - I can tell you the most terrified I've ever been was in a brutal traffic stop in a car full of Harvard grads - nothing wrong with car or driving - but the black driver and car owner was behind the wheel of a BMW. The officers were shouting that the car must be stolen. It was just his first car after getting a great new job as a lawyer. It was absolutely sickening.
On the other hand: Terence Crutcher's autopsy needs to reveal very quickly whether he was under influence of PCP (a vial was found on the car seat). PCP effects can be terrifying to bystanders - with user psychosis and delusions of super strength. Since Mr. Crutcher had his hands up right before he was shot, my own guess is that he was sober. Possibly he reached inside the window to hide the drugs - he was starting to get his life back together - and was terrified of facing years in jail. If so, we could blame draconian drug laws for his terror - getting caught should mean a year in comprehensive rehab, not years in jail. While many of you could say he shouldn't have had the drug problem to begin with - try living where he had to grow up - and read something about the chemical changes addiction causes in the brain. Learn something.
Racism intertwined with drug laws intertwined with poverty.
It's complicated.
On the one hand: for those commenters treating the author as a silver spoon Yale asst. professor who has no worries - I can tell you the most terrified I've ever been was in a brutal traffic stop in a car full of Harvard grads - nothing wrong with car or driving - but the black driver and car owner was behind the wheel of a BMW. The officers were shouting that the car must be stolen. It was just his first car after getting a great new job as a lawyer. It was absolutely sickening.
On the other hand: Terence Crutcher's autopsy needs to reveal very quickly whether he was under influence of PCP (a vial was found on the car seat). PCP effects can be terrifying to bystanders - with user psychosis and delusions of super strength. Since Mr. Crutcher had his hands up right before he was shot, my own guess is that he was sober. Possibly he reached inside the window to hide the drugs - he was starting to get his life back together - and was terrified of facing years in jail. If so, we could blame draconian drug laws for his terror - getting caught should mean a year in comprehensive rehab, not years in jail. While many of you could say he shouldn't have had the drug problem to begin with - try living where he had to grow up - and read something about the chemical changes addiction causes in the brain. Learn something.
Racism intertwined with drug laws intertwined with poverty.
It's complicated.
3
Prof Lebron's personal essay is elegantly his individual attempt at conveying his non-white -- and thus, threatened -- presence in America. Clearly he wants to speak to a large audience. But in some comments on his point of view, something goes missing: his perspective represents a significant theme that has surfaced in a new way -- we as white Americans are in the swan song of our 'supremacy.' "Black Lives Matter" means dealing with our loss of power -- and while indeed every life matters, I do think I can appreciate Prof Lebron's feeling, and how one can be successful yet still live without a life-plan.
As a lifelong educator, mostly at the elementary level, I was repeatedly stunned as black parents told me in personal and group situations about talks they had with their children regarding living in a white world -- talks my wife and I never had to have with our triplets. Those talks are different from any other talks parents should have to have with their kids. Perhaps Prof Lebron's children won't have to have the same talks with their own children.
As a lifelong educator, mostly at the elementary level, I was repeatedly stunned as black parents told me in personal and group situations about talks they had with their children regarding living in a white world -- talks my wife and I never had to have with our triplets. Those talks are different from any other talks parents should have to have with their kids. Perhaps Prof Lebron's children won't have to have the same talks with their own children.
2
The Washington Post database of fatal police shootings shows that police so far this year have shot and killed 436 whites (including white Hispanics) and 173 blacks. Only a tiny percent of these shootings are controversial. With few exceptions, the thing the whites and blacks killed by police had in common was that they were in the process of committing violent crimes, shooting at officers, brandishing weapons at officers, violently resisting arrest, or acting under the influence of drugs. Terrence Crutcher was a drug dealer. He had served four years in prison for felony drug trafficking. Shortly after his release, he was stopped for driving under the influence and charged with resisting arrest. In the recent incident, he abandoned his SUV in the middle of the road with the engine running. He told passersby the vehicle was about to explode. Alarmed by his weird behavior, they called police. Police found a vial of PCP in the SUV. People should await the result of the toxicology report before concluding that Crutcher had planned to turn his life around. It could be that the police officer who shot Crutcher overreacted, but there’s no reason to suspect she shot Crutcher because he was black.
11
I see considerable progress on all spheres of life - a healthy sign of multi racial society. Let us hold on to the progress we made in our offices, schools, games, markets, politics, ....we have to accept this reality. If we do not accept we can change our society, we can not fight this battle - this is the message Obama also give us on his speeches. Then, we can not ignore this police shooting of black without any criminal reason. This is not a sign of race problem - it is a systemic problem of American policing and war on drugs. The minimal change that can remove most of the issues are (1) stop war on drug immediately - no shooting for drug possession, and (2) complete transparency - al
Police shooting will be investigated by FBI or another new organization controlled by federal law. If Congress can implement this two changes, most of this problem will disappear - I do not think police shoots blacks because they hate black race, the fear black men. Psychologists should find test to measure this threshold of fear and recommend the safe limit for police recruitment.
Police shooting will be investigated by FBI or another new organization controlled by federal law. If Congress can implement this two changes, most of this problem will disappear - I do not think police shoots blacks because they hate black race, the fear black men. Psychologists should find test to measure this threshold of fear and recommend the safe limit for police recruitment.
Prof. Lebron’s article is articulate and insightful as to the dangers of being Black in America. However, he’s also guilty of a rush to judgment against Officer Shelby. It’s sad to see the lynching mentality so brazenly demonstrated by a person who should be deeply aware of the consequences of condemning people without trial. His recitation of the events surrounding the shooting is mostly false. We do not know why Mr. Crutcher’s car was blocking the road or why Mr. Crutcher was concealed off the side of the road when the police arrived. The evidence on hand is that Mr. Crutcher was in fact acting in a dangerous manner, disobeying commands and very high on drugs, often precursors to violence. His hands were not in the air when he was shot but rather the video shows that his left hand was on the car and his right hand was reaching for something in his pocket or waistline. Were his keys in that pocket? If not, what was he reaching for? If they were, of what need did he have for his keys? Did Shelby have a legitimate concern for her safety? Obviously the other officer felt equally threatened because he fired his taser. Why is Shelby accused of acting unreasonably yet the other officer is not? Finally, as for his life’s plans, judging from his extensive criminal record for drug dealing, possession of a concealed weapon, resisting arrest, and public intoxication plus the presence of PCP in his car one might conclude that his planning needed considerable revision.
6
Has America a plan for a life, any life? I hope not. The last thing we need is an administrative state that plans for each of our lives. That the question becomes a serious one is a sign that we are in a situation where there seems to be an expectation that out there is that super state that can tailor lives and events in ways which lead to.... well, who knows.
It is wonderful to hear of the Mr. Lebron's success. The systems are open sufficiently so that individuals who are ambitious enough will find great opportunity. Not everyone will have that ambition but those that do will find ways to move ahead. That is the advantage of being in America, any can make it happen for themselves. And, perhaps with the exception of a few, everyone has some handicap on what happens to them but success lies in the direction of over coming the challenge, not waiting for someone else to provide a plan.
It is wonderful to hear of the Mr. Lebron's success. The systems are open sufficiently so that individuals who are ambitious enough will find great opportunity. Not everyone will have that ambition but those that do will find ways to move ahead. That is the advantage of being in America, any can make it happen for themselves. And, perhaps with the exception of a few, everyone has some handicap on what happens to them but success lies in the direction of over coming the challenge, not waiting for someone else to provide a plan.
11
Police officers are scared as well they should be. Approaching an occupant of a vehicle that might or might not be a threat, might or might not kill you, is a very scary situation. I get it.
But to solve the problem by making a better plan, showing the bigoted racist that they are wrong is like pushing a wet noodle up hill. It ain't gonna happen. the reduction of racism has to start in the womb and before. We have gone a long ways with integration, but integrating racist will cause a lot of tension.
Pre natal care, pre school child care, better education, and most of all, a stronger, growing economy. It all is an effort that will take decades and still exist as long as there is inbred feelings that those that are 'different' from us, skin color, social status, religion, wealth, there will be serous discrimination. We are humans, we are born predators, we will take advantage, even unconsciously. The biggest struggle we have is to fight this dark side of our basic nature. It is a 24/7 obligation and one that will never totally be won.
But to solve the problem by making a better plan, showing the bigoted racist that they are wrong is like pushing a wet noodle up hill. It ain't gonna happen. the reduction of racism has to start in the womb and before. We have gone a long ways with integration, but integrating racist will cause a lot of tension.
Pre natal care, pre school child care, better education, and most of all, a stronger, growing economy. It all is an effort that will take decades and still exist as long as there is inbred feelings that those that are 'different' from us, skin color, social status, religion, wealth, there will be serous discrimination. We are humans, we are born predators, we will take advantage, even unconsciously. The biggest struggle we have is to fight this dark side of our basic nature. It is a 24/7 obligation and one that will never totally be won.
1
"They all shared that condition, terribly minimal and tragically sufficient — blackness."
Racism is so engrained in some of the old guard that no amount of reasoning by anyone will make a difference. Even though many of them will tell you they believe all people are created equal, only the ones who truly believe it, and the most open-minded, have been able to check the passing of their hatred, distrust, and false superiority on to their children. We can only hope that with each new generation we will see exponential progress in equal rights.
Racism is so engrained in some of the old guard that no amount of reasoning by anyone will make a difference. Even though many of them will tell you they believe all people are created equal, only the ones who truly believe it, and the most open-minded, have been able to check the passing of their hatred, distrust, and false superiority on to their children. We can only hope that with each new generation we will see exponential progress in equal rights.
1
Chris,
Two questions and they are meant seriously:
1) Why would a country have a plan for anyone in a free society? Since whole point of freedom is to have choice, by definition, why would or should the government have a plan.
2) Assuming the real question is about the institutionalized limiters of freedom, (i.e. racism, etc) why is it that the most harmful institution to black men and women, the current education system that deprives them of choice? One could argue that the most lethal circumstance to young blacks isn't that their country doesn't have a plan for them but that the institutionalized system that leaves them with an inferior education that limits their ability to have their own plan. Why is this consistently set aside as a "yeah, that too," and not given the priority it should have.
I'd be interested to hear your thoughts these two questions.
Two questions and they are meant seriously:
1) Why would a country have a plan for anyone in a free society? Since whole point of freedom is to have choice, by definition, why would or should the government have a plan.
2) Assuming the real question is about the institutionalized limiters of freedom, (i.e. racism, etc) why is it that the most harmful institution to black men and women, the current education system that deprives them of choice? One could argue that the most lethal circumstance to young blacks isn't that their country doesn't have a plan for them but that the institutionalized system that leaves them with an inferior education that limits their ability to have their own plan. Why is this consistently set aside as a "yeah, that too," and not given the priority it should have.
I'd be interested to hear your thoughts these two questions.
8
Prof. Lebron is pointing out the obvious, that the game of life in America is rigged againt blacks, and especially if one is black and poor. The question is whether many Americas believe thats Okay, or try to make it more fair. Observing America for the last 65 years as a non-white person, I must say that the overwhelming number of Americans want the game to be fair and we are making progress; inspite of the various fear mongering, and promotion of racial hatred, by Trump in this presidential race!
To paraphrase FDR, "The only thing to fear is the fear monger himself"
To paraphrase FDR, "The only thing to fear is the fear monger himself"
2
Regardless of one's race, using and/or possessing an illegal drug such as PCP, which produces hallucinations, delirium, and mania and then disobeying an armed police officer's orders has good possibility of shortening a person's future plans.
28
In an average year cops will kill six times as many whites as they do blacks. Cops get killed too in the line of duty by criminals of both races. And, as has been noted many many times - so I'm certain all the Times' readers and Prof. Lebron know - blacks are killed far more often by other blacks than by whites.
The professor is naive to expect that America will ever have a "plan" for blacks that advances blacks into the mainstream of American society. All the specific "plans" developed under the liberal ethos for many generations have already failed millions. When blacks - or whites - succeed it is very much dependent on the extent to which "opportunities" are advantaged. Mr. Lebron could make an argument that, in certain respects, there are fewer opportunities for those attempting to rise from poor communities, disruptive education, and dysfunctional families. From an economic standpoint - for the less educated - white or black - America is a much harsher country than fifty years ago.
All the more reason for personal initiative. Still - opportunities abound. The plan that matters will not come from the "government" or "white America"; but will be born in any person who desires a better future - and is willing to make the inescapable personal sacrifices - such a future demands.
The professor is naive to expect that America will ever have a "plan" for blacks that advances blacks into the mainstream of American society. All the specific "plans" developed under the liberal ethos for many generations have already failed millions. When blacks - or whites - succeed it is very much dependent on the extent to which "opportunities" are advantaged. Mr. Lebron could make an argument that, in certain respects, there are fewer opportunities for those attempting to rise from poor communities, disruptive education, and dysfunctional families. From an economic standpoint - for the less educated - white or black - America is a much harsher country than fifty years ago.
All the more reason for personal initiative. Still - opportunities abound. The plan that matters will not come from the "government" or "white America"; but will be born in any person who desires a better future - and is willing to make the inescapable personal sacrifices - such a future demands.
13
A Republican campaign manager in Ohio, while being interviewed, recently said that there hadn't been any racism in Ohio until Obama became president and that was the reason for so much unrest. Under President Obama's watch, there was no more unrest, bigotry, shooting, etc, than prior to his presidency but, because of it, a brighter light has been shone on what was already happening. His presidency has given African-Americans a taller stand, given many more a voice (dare I say courage?) to say "this is not right". We need to listen to these collective voices and join the chorus.
6
When I began teaching in Chicago public schools I taught in a school that had a student population tht was 99% African American. The larger community lived in extreme poverty. There was not one super market in the area, only a few corner stores that sold a lot of junk food at high prices. There were no restaurants and a dearth of retail stores. Instead there were boarded up buildings and vacant lots.
I asked students to write and tell me where they wanted to be in the next 5 years (I was teaching freshmen), their goal, their plans, and how they were going to get there. I was shocked at the number of male students who wrote they did not expect to be alive in 5 years. They would either be shot by the police or gangbangers. At the age of 14 it never entered my mind that I would not be alive in 5 years. These young people had no hope for their future. It had a very negative affect on their entire being.
I am a white person, a senior citizen, and my experience tells me that many white people are racists to one extent or another but do not even realize it. In order to change our society where race is concerned we (white people) have to change the way we think about people who look different from us.
I asked students to write and tell me where they wanted to be in the next 5 years (I was teaching freshmen), their goal, their plans, and how they were going to get there. I was shocked at the number of male students who wrote they did not expect to be alive in 5 years. They would either be shot by the police or gangbangers. At the age of 14 it never entered my mind that I would not be alive in 5 years. These young people had no hope for their future. It had a very negative affect on their entire being.
I am a white person, a senior citizen, and my experience tells me that many white people are racists to one extent or another but do not even realize it. In order to change our society where race is concerned we (white people) have to change the way we think about people who look different from us.
8
When a man as esteemed as Henry Louis Gates can be harassed by police when he tried to enter his own home shows America has a long way to go. And this happened in liberal, educated Cambridge, MA. (I guess the police thought he should be living in Roxbury.) However, when considering the fate of black men we cannot always think of them as victims. Recently 60 Minutes had a segment on our nuclear capabilities and the procedure for launching. They visited a nuclear submarine and the Strategic Command Center. The command center is headed by a 4 star admiral (whose name unfortunately can't remember--getting old). Because a decision must be made within a 10 minute time frame, only he and the president can make this decision. These two men have in their hands the power available to destroy civilization. Currently these two men are black. Could W E B Du Bois ever have conceived that a reality such as this would come to be? As a country there are racial issues that need to be addressed, but as a white teacher who has worked at inner city schools I think it does a disservice to young black men and women and other those of other races to ignore the progress and accomplishments the black race has made. To say that Black Lives Matter means to me to expand that vision beyond police killing unarmed black men and sometimes black women. They matter for the reason the black community has given so much to the fabric of this country.
8
Hobbes called life "nasty, brutish, and short." Much of the work of civilization has been aimed at making it less so. While few can accurately predict the character of their own demise, in the modern West we have largely succeeded in establishing a greater sense of security than we enjoyed throughout most of history. Where we have failed, at least inside our "castle walls," is in the state's inability to provide a sense of safety to African Americans (and other minority groups; remember Vincent Chin alongside Tamir Rice).
But most whites don't understand that. Well, perhaps this will help. Watch a few seasons of the popular zombie horror show "The Walking Dead." Consider the repeated attempts by survivors to establish a sense of personal safety, to plan lives, to raise children, with the threat of sudden death-by-zombie around every corner, behind every tree. Then we all might understand how many African Americans rightly feel about our so-called civilization.
But most whites don't understand that. Well, perhaps this will help. Watch a few seasons of the popular zombie horror show "The Walking Dead." Consider the repeated attempts by survivors to establish a sense of personal safety, to plan lives, to raise children, with the threat of sudden death-by-zombie around every corner, behind every tree. Then we all might understand how many African Americans rightly feel about our so-called civilization.
6
I don't think the Founders contemplated an "open path" to any resources. How can one claim some natural right to commodities (like health care) that don't exist in nature?
I think that all citizens of the USA should enjoy the right to pursue education (beyond compulsory), housing and health care (and whatever "happiness" they desire) without interference from state or private entities, restrained only by personal choices as they relate to the broader marketplaces.
I think that all citizens of the USA should enjoy the right to pursue education (beyond compulsory), housing and health care (and whatever "happiness" they desire) without interference from state or private entities, restrained only by personal choices as they relate to the broader marketplaces.
9
I accept that America is a racist society that erects irrational and tragically high barriers to basic success by our black population – barriers that we don’t erect for any other kind of American. And as basic a sentiment like racism is, I recognize how monumental a task it is to expunge it from our collective psyche.
What’s not compelling is Prof. Lebron’s conflation of his situation with that of Mr. Crutcher. Regardless of backgrounds, Prof. Lebron obviously possessed the human capital required to get pretty far, which usually requires the help of others, black AND white – who are willing to give it because we gravitate to young people with talent and capacity and are willing to inconvenience ourselves personally to help them. We’re less willing to inconvenience ourselves personally for people of less talent and capacity because, unlike people like Prof. Lebron, there are so MANY of them – of ALL races and other conditions. This is a totem of human nature that is QUITE beyond my capacity to event ATTEMPT changing.
The female officer who shot and killed Mr. Crutcher is up on manslaughter charges, and we’ll see how it all proceeds. But America isn’t easy in ANY respect; and it doesn’t have a “plan” for ANY of us. We each make or don’t a plan for ourselves; and while intentional barriers that we must all fight to lower complicate some of those plans more than others, a well-regarded professor of philosophy who happens to be black is the least of my worries.
What’s not compelling is Prof. Lebron’s conflation of his situation with that of Mr. Crutcher. Regardless of backgrounds, Prof. Lebron obviously possessed the human capital required to get pretty far, which usually requires the help of others, black AND white – who are willing to give it because we gravitate to young people with talent and capacity and are willing to inconvenience ourselves personally to help them. We’re less willing to inconvenience ourselves personally for people of less talent and capacity because, unlike people like Prof. Lebron, there are so MANY of them – of ALL races and other conditions. This is a totem of human nature that is QUITE beyond my capacity to event ATTEMPT changing.
The female officer who shot and killed Mr. Crutcher is up on manslaughter charges, and we’ll see how it all proceeds. But America isn’t easy in ANY respect; and it doesn’t have a “plan” for ANY of us. We each make or don’t a plan for ourselves; and while intentional barriers that we must all fight to lower complicate some of those plans more than others, a well-regarded professor of philosophy who happens to be black is the least of my worries.
4
I have been watching what has been happening in America for years. I have seen the killings of black people and listened to the justifications. I have been horrified because I know full well that if these victims had been white they would not have been killed or shot at. While it's easy to blame the NRA or the police as a whole for this I think it comes down to something much more basic: how our society sees black people, especially black men. The justifications given on line for the murder of Trayvon Martin were absurd. George Zimmerman followed him, not the other way around. Shooting a person who asks for help because they are black is terrifying. So is being the victim of a police vendetta whether or not you did the crime.
We claim to value human life but we seem to stop at skin color and after birth. We tell children that they can become anything they want to be and then, if they are black, we punish them for being in the wrong neighborhood, or being kids, or growing into young men who resent being treated like criminals first and citizens second. Jim Crow laws may not exist on paper any longer but they continue exist in spirit and that is large part of the problem we have today all through America. The real wonder is that African Americans aren't angrier than they are at how many whites think they deserve to be shot for not blindly obeying the cops.
We claim to value human life but we seem to stop at skin color and after birth. We tell children that they can become anything they want to be and then, if they are black, we punish them for being in the wrong neighborhood, or being kids, or growing into young men who resent being treated like criminals first and citizens second. Jim Crow laws may not exist on paper any longer but they continue exist in spirit and that is large part of the problem we have today all through America. The real wonder is that African Americans aren't angrier than they are at how many whites think they deserve to be shot for not blindly obeying the cops.
14
On the day Keith Scott was killed, six white men were killed by police. Quick name them...
You can't.
Your entire premise is flawed.
You can't.
Your entire premise is flawed.
4
I thought America was supposed to be a place where you made your own plans and others doing so was a bad thing. Guess that was then.
34
As a Black woman, I don't exactly personally fear the police as I am sure my Black male counterpart does. However, I'm a Mother of a Black son & in that regard, I live in fear DAILY for my 16 year old son when he is out of the home.
He is my only child, a good kid but could be perceived as a threat JUST BECAUSE of the color of his skin. What plan does America have for him? I don't know but as a taxpayer, I KNOW I shouldn't have to fear the police, when my taxes are paying their salary but I do.
I KNOW that the average white, Chinese, Indian mother, etc DOES NOT HAVE the same fear of the police for their children as the average Black parent does. That is unfair!
He is my only child, a good kid but could be perceived as a threat JUST BECAUSE of the color of his skin. What plan does America have for him? I don't know but as a taxpayer, I KNOW I shouldn't have to fear the police, when my taxes are paying their salary but I do.
I KNOW that the average white, Chinese, Indian mother, etc DOES NOT HAVE the same fear of the police for their children as the average Black parent does. That is unfair!
19
Hi. I agree with you and I agree it is "unfair". but barring changes in crime statistics, "the war on drugs" and gun ownership or better said availability.. the current "profiling" will not change. The best advice you can give to your son is to particularly careful when dealing with police (and let's face it. 99% of our dealing with police are of unpleasant variety). when dealing with police, follow ALL commands orders, no matter how silly, stupid, or even illegal. Always stop when commanded to stop. Always put hands up and stop if gun drawn. Never move body, never move hands. Your son will never get shot (every single death in the news has something to do with non compliance to police commands). Does this give cops license to shoot? of course, not but that's a different and more complicated discussion. Your son may feel profiled, he may feel humiliated. but he will never get shot..and he will be able to SUE (suing is the quintessential American 'way'). As to your last paragraph, I am afraid so long as most violent crimes are committed by young African American males, they will get profiled that way, as fair/unfair as that may be. Remember that cops don't usually deal with regular people, they deal with criminals and that affects (once again, even if unfairly) their perceptions and mind frame. I think if an African American cop now went to work in Appalachia, he/she would begin to believe after a while that most if not all white people were dumb, inbred and meth heads.
"I KNOW that the average white, Chinese, Indian mother, etc DOES NOT HAVE the same fear of the police for their children as the average Black parent does. That is unfair!"
Indeed. Life is full of unfairness. Another example: when you know your white, Chinese, or Indian child must surpass black applicants for the same school or job by a lot just to be on equal footing for consideration.
Indeed. Life is full of unfairness. Another example: when you know your white, Chinese, or Indian child must surpass black applicants for the same school or job by a lot just to be on equal footing for consideration.
2
The problem with police is ... well it's not with the cops in the HUGE majority of cases.
More whites are killed by cops than black BTW
The problem is 12% of the population committing over half the crimes
More whites are killed by cops than black BTW
The problem is 12% of the population committing over half the crimes
2
The most successful black population in the history of the world is that of American-blacks. They have the highest living-standards of any other comparable black population. What does America offer you? A God-given, protected by your fellow citizens, unique opportunity to "live free and prosper" if you accept the personal responsibility for your actions or inactions both positive and negative.
According to the Bureau of Justice Statics report, blacks are charged with 62% of all robberies, 57% of all murders and 45% of all assaults in America. Despite the overwhelming involvement in crime, according to the Wash Post 50% of the victims of fatal police shootings were WHITE and 26% were black. According to Post, 12% of white and Hispanic homicide deaths were due to police officers, while only 4% of black homicide deaths were the result of police officers. Here is a very important statistic NEVER mentioned in this debate or by the media: According to the FBI, 40% of cop killers are black and according to Wash Post, the police officer is 18.5 times more likely to be killed by a black then a cop killing an unarmed black person. So what is "America's plan for" you? is not the proper question. You should be asking what you can do for your country, especially to change the above horrible statistics. If not that, then at the least you can thank God you are an American.
According to the Bureau of Justice Statics report, blacks are charged with 62% of all robberies, 57% of all murders and 45% of all assaults in America. Despite the overwhelming involvement in crime, according to the Wash Post 50% of the victims of fatal police shootings were WHITE and 26% were black. According to Post, 12% of white and Hispanic homicide deaths were due to police officers, while only 4% of black homicide deaths were the result of police officers. Here is a very important statistic NEVER mentioned in this debate or by the media: According to the FBI, 40% of cop killers are black and according to Wash Post, the police officer is 18.5 times more likely to be killed by a black then a cop killing an unarmed black person. So what is "America's plan for" you? is not the proper question. You should be asking what you can do for your country, especially to change the above horrible statistics. If not that, then at the least you can thank God you are an American.
102
Principia, you really do not understand the racism in the American justice system if you so willingly quote the statistics as proof that African Americans commit more crime than Anglo Americans.
I was a victim of a robbery two months ago. The perps were two white drug addicts. The police detective openly admitted that he "had an idea" who the thieves were but his department hesitates to pull them into the justice system, preferring instead to refer them to drug rehab. This is just one example. You are probably aware of several yourself.
I was a victim of a robbery two months ago. The perps were two white drug addicts. The police detective openly admitted that he "had an idea" who the thieves were but his department hesitates to pull them into the justice system, preferring instead to refer them to drug rehab. This is just one example. You are probably aware of several yourself.
10
Principia,
Your answer bothers me in the same way the use of America in the title does. It is a thing appearing to be real that is not real but in fact an invitation to infer something not said. At best it is lazy at worst it is the basis of all manipulation.
Your post reminds me of how lawyers misdirect and mislead to get past uncomfortable truths. I made a complaint once to the NJ AG office about a prosecutor whom had done some things that were abusive and clearly illegal when I reported a crime.
They responded months later by telling me one of the sentences in my report was true. They never addressed the complaint and when I complained of this they insisted on the fact that they had told the truth about that sentence being true never acknowledging that they were sidestepping the issue eventually acting as if that sentence they had used to misdirect was the complaint.
I get the feeling those stats you are using to misdirect us also serve to help you compensate for feeling not quite right about your sentiment about black people.
While each of us makes individual choices that land us where we are the circumstances of ones life plays a very large role in that. You can see the truth of this is how similar the lives of poor white people and poor black people are. The historical oppression of black people adds another layer to the hardships we all face and that is something, which can only be addressed by the whole of society.
The first step is admitting it exists.
Your answer bothers me in the same way the use of America in the title does. It is a thing appearing to be real that is not real but in fact an invitation to infer something not said. At best it is lazy at worst it is the basis of all manipulation.
Your post reminds me of how lawyers misdirect and mislead to get past uncomfortable truths. I made a complaint once to the NJ AG office about a prosecutor whom had done some things that were abusive and clearly illegal when I reported a crime.
They responded months later by telling me one of the sentences in my report was true. They never addressed the complaint and when I complained of this they insisted on the fact that they had told the truth about that sentence being true never acknowledging that they were sidestepping the issue eventually acting as if that sentence they had used to misdirect was the complaint.
I get the feeling those stats you are using to misdirect us also serve to help you compensate for feeling not quite right about your sentiment about black people.
While each of us makes individual choices that land us where we are the circumstances of ones life plays a very large role in that. You can see the truth of this is how similar the lives of poor white people and poor black people are. The historical oppression of black people adds another layer to the hardships we all face and that is something, which can only be addressed by the whole of society.
The first step is admitting it exists.
Unfortunately at best you are citing statistics out of context. I hope that you just misunderstood what you read, rather then trying to mislead readers.
"Although black men make up only 6 percent of the U.S. population, they account for 40 percent of the unarmed men shot to death by police this year, The Post’s database shows. " Washington Post
"“Over the past year, The Post found that the vast majority of those shot and killed by police were armed and half of them were white. Still, police killed blacks at three times the rate of whites when adjusted for the populations where these shootings occurred. And although black men represent 6 percent of the U.S. population, they made up nearly 40 percent of those who were killed while unarmed.”." Washington Post.
I could go on. But I think the point has been made.
"Although black men make up only 6 percent of the U.S. population, they account for 40 percent of the unarmed men shot to death by police this year, The Post’s database shows. " Washington Post
"“Over the past year, The Post found that the vast majority of those shot and killed by police were armed and half of them were white. Still, police killed blacks at three times the rate of whites when adjusted for the populations where these shootings occurred. And although black men represent 6 percent of the U.S. population, they made up nearly 40 percent of those who were killed while unarmed.”." Washington Post.
I could go on. But I think the point has been made.
1
This article is very well-written but lacks objectivity. Mr. Lebron: you are one of the few lucky ones and yet you complain. Do you know how many whites cannot find a job in academia even though they are talented and bright? Many, Mr. Lebron. And they are unemployed even though they have PhDs. As you very well know, universities are hiring less full time professors and more part-time and temporary faculty. Right now, you are extremely privileged. And you don't have to worry about your lifespan if you don't do one of the following: ignore and walk away from the police like Terence Crutcher did; or assault a police officer sitting in his car like Michael Brown did. Trayvon Martin was killed by a lunatic Hispanic. Instead of writing articles about being a victim, which you are not, why not instead write an article directed to black Americans about what not to do to avoid becoming targets: don't wear hoods or pants falling down, don't put your hands inside your pockets, stay out of dangerous deserted streets, follow instructions instead of assaulting authority, etc. Isn't it a fact that blacks are scared of other blacks as well? Why is it that blacks from everywhere, including Africa, desperately want to immigrate into this country even though whites are so awful? You are also ungrateful to those that supported you. Get real. Yes, blacks still have challenges to overcome, but so do whites. Stop whining and start doing something positive for those who were not as lucky as you.
57
A moving and necessary piece.
I don't think most white Americans realize what it means to be dark complected in this society. My black brother in law has had a gun put to his head twice by police officers. Once leaving a pharmacy where he had purchased some aspirin because as was explained " there had been a robbery in the area"( Washington DC) Another time taking out garbage from a loft in Brooklyn. His brother , the most famous contempory artist in the US , winner of Macdowell grant and former instructor at Art Institute of Chicago, AND Yale alumnus has suffered the same indignities,
It's part of being black. You live under constant threat of how another perceives you
I don't think most white Americans realize what it means to be dark complected in this society. My black brother in law has had a gun put to his head twice by police officers. Once leaving a pharmacy where he had purchased some aspirin because as was explained " there had been a robbery in the area"( Washington DC) Another time taking out garbage from a loft in Brooklyn. His brother , the most famous contempory artist in the US , winner of Macdowell grant and former instructor at Art Institute of Chicago, AND Yale alumnus has suffered the same indignities,
It's part of being black. You live under constant threat of how another perceives you
11
I am a 54 year old white male with no criminal record and no legal violations other than traffic infractions. Police have pointed firearms at me 5 times--once in my teens, twice in my twenties, once in my thirties, and once in my forties. In only one of those cases was the police force innapropriate given what the police thought they knew at the time. All but one case involved traffic stops. If I had been less than polite, carefully compliant, and civil, any one of those instances could have lead to my death. The police have no plan for my death. But they do plan to go home alive each night in spite of accepting the danger of regulating all of our behavior when we are our worst selves.
9
Alter the reality that 12% of the population commit 50% of the crimes, then get back to us
2
We already know thanks to an NYT article published in July of this year that a study out of an ivory tower such as your own revealed no racial bias in fatal police shootings.
What do you hope to gain through your continued self victimization? Pity? Respect? Grovelling at your feet?
I am not sure my destiny in America either. However, I am certain if the both of us obey the law and are compliant with police officers demands then neither of ours will end in a police shooting.
What do you hope to gain through your continued self victimization? Pity? Respect? Grovelling at your feet?
I am not sure my destiny in America either. However, I am certain if the both of us obey the law and are compliant with police officers demands then neither of ours will end in a police shooting.
59
Twenty-six percent of police killings are of blacks. Blacks make up 12.3 percent of the American populations. That reveals racial bias.
5
Can the same be said of the higher percentage of blacks that kill others? Why is so much violent crime committed by such a small percentage of our population?
3
Wrong. That indicates correlation, not causality.
3
This is the most exquisitely written and heartrending op-ed I've ever read. Thank you Mr. Lebron.
10
Only for readers of fiction I suppose.
3
To compare Crutcher and Scott, with their atrocious criminal records, to actual law-abiding fathers is a complete insult to any man who plays by the rules and does the right thing.
57
a criminal record does not make a person any less valuable. sometimes law abiding just means you haven't been caught.
"I'm black. Does America have a plan for my life?"
Yes, America has held a meeting, and we have come up with a plan for your life. We will get it out to you as soon as possible. (On a personal note, as a gay man, I ask one thing of you. Will you please help America to make a plan for my life, and will you personally send it on to me once you've managed to figure out what the plan for me is).
Yes, America has held a meeting, and we have come up with a plan for your life. We will get it out to you as soon as possible. (On a personal note, as a gay man, I ask one thing of you. Will you please help America to make a plan for my life, and will you personally send it on to me once you've managed to figure out what the plan for me is).
44
I doubt America has a plan for anyone's life. Isn't that up to each individual to make his or her own way in life?
A government plan for life? Which department would that fall under?
A government plan for life? Which department would that fall under?
62
It falls under the Justice Department. It is that department's responsibility to ensure that we all are treated fairly and our civil rights are protected. The point of the essay is precisely that this fairness is not distributed fairly, leaving some to fear that no matter how eagerly they take their life plans into their own hands, a force exists that strips them of rights at will.
8
The Department of Happiness.
"And there’s still the small matter of the luck that runs out."
We don't often admit it, but everyone faces that. Car accident, sudden cancer, many things suddenly and unfairly destroy a life plan.
Some people have extra risks. For some, police are a big risk. When police come near, death comes near.
Of course there are other risks too. For those same people, some of those other risks are higher too, violent crime and poverty leading to things like illness without proper treatment are examples. However, those other risks are in addition to the police risk.
Police ought not to be such a risk for some people in a well run society. This is just evil.
That evil is not made acceptable because the same victims face other heightened threats. It is not made more acceptable if the police officer is black, or if the crime is black on black. That black involvement in this or other risks is a distraction from the evil of our police conduct.
Our police should not amount to a roaming threat of death. Some among us should not be force to live on heightened alert to an ever present state sponsored threat of sudden death.
We don't often admit it, but everyone faces that. Car accident, sudden cancer, many things suddenly and unfairly destroy a life plan.
Some people have extra risks. For some, police are a big risk. When police come near, death comes near.
Of course there are other risks too. For those same people, some of those other risks are higher too, violent crime and poverty leading to things like illness without proper treatment are examples. However, those other risks are in addition to the police risk.
Police ought not to be such a risk for some people in a well run society. This is just evil.
That evil is not made acceptable because the same victims face other heightened threats. It is not made more acceptable if the police officer is black, or if the crime is black on black. That black involvement in this or other risks is a distraction from the evil of our police conduct.
Our police should not amount to a roaming threat of death. Some among us should not be force to live on heightened alert to an ever present state sponsored threat of sudden death.
18
I can't envision a solution to the general issue of trigger happy cops when gun ownership is legal in this country. I can empathise with the police fear of being killed on duty--it happens. On an everyday basis, our rational minds can correct for implicit biases that we all have, and over time, and people who strive to do so can expand their experiences to adjust implicit biases. But until then, the decision to fire or not to fire is a split second decision--and for most people, killing someone is not something that is easy to live with. But no, we should not tolerate the high margin of error, the so-called collateral damage--it's unacceptable and scary. But why do some people continue to not take orders from the police? No one likes being yelled at and ordered about--I get it, and I hate such police behaviour. But I'd rather stay alive, so unless I were in shock I would expect myself to comply.
Also, could you please help to counter the below? Don't know what to think. Thanks for the dialogue
http://www.dailywire.com/news/7264/5-statistics-you-need-know-about-cops...
Also, could you please help to counter the below? Don't know what to think. Thanks for the dialogue
http://www.dailywire.com/news/7264/5-statistics-you-need-know-about-cops...
5
I am a white woman in my early 70's, that said I have zero respect for the average police officer. How that happened was a very slow evolving process, the first discovery was being Jewish. The second was average traffic stops, where I was confronted with several very rude, egotistical young men. Finally, the last realization occurred in this election year. If your an uneducated white male, armed the teeth you can impose your well on the Federal Government but if your black a routine traffic stop is indeed deadly. Armed men open carry assault weapons into schools, super markets and sports fields, what has become of our sanity.
This country must have a very important dialogue sooner rather then later, maybe it needs to start with me.
So I am very reluctant to "take orders" from a police officer, this may be very stupid on my part, but it is my protest against stupidity of the Police.
This country must have a very important dialogue sooner rather then later, maybe it needs to start with me.
So I am very reluctant to "take orders" from a police officer, this may be very stupid on my part, but it is my protest against stupidity of the Police.
The article you attach is problematic for so many reasons. For example, the study references the circumstances of the deaths of unarmed black men by cops. How were these circumstances determined? By the cops reports? Or by independent evidence, like video? Second, the statistics are used, in effect, to justify those incidents that are indefensible. If blacks are more likely to be the culprits in crime, does that mean that the deaths of Eric Garner or Tamir Rice are justified? I think not. The problem is in not one case (not one!), did the "good cops" and the system find that the cops were to blame, when we know they were because we can see it with our own eyes. How many cops have been punished for the unnecessary shooting of Tamir Rice (including the cop recently fired from another police force with a notation that he should never be a cop anywhere else)? How many cops punished for the death of Eric Garner? What happened to George Zimmerman (cop wannabe)? Remember the guy killed in the back of a police cruiser during a "rough ride"? What threat did he pose, cuffed and chained in that cruiser? How many cops were punished?
2
You say, "But I'd rather stay alive, so unless I were in shock I would expect myself to comply.". I ask you the question, do you know how the average person responds to dealings with law enforcement officers? Please do some research and perhaps you might change your opinion. Most people, black or white, do not respond positively when they do not know, or believe that they have done something wrong. Their tone of voice, choice of words, gestures, and body language all can convey this. The average person should not be very afraid that any one of these responses may cause them to be harmed by a law enforcement officer. Do you really believe that the burden of not getting killed in these situations rests primarily on the individual who might be killed? It is unreasonable and unfair to hold people to standards of behavior that the rest of society does not ordinarily apply to themselves. You only think that you would comply, if you were "being yelled at and ordered about" by a police officer. May you never find out. Perhaps you believe that if the police is having an encounter with someone then that person must have done something to deserve it. Again, please do some real fact-finding. You may upgrade your opinions. By doing so, you can be part of the solution.
1
Surely the wealthy few disproportionately enjoy the capacity for "private or individual self-determination." I can't help wondering whether the American belief in this ideal isn't part of our national problem. Old age and infirmity will eventually make all of us aware that we can never be truly independent. In the meantime, though, doesn't our individual and collective well-being, in our lifetimes and in those of our descendants, depend on our ability to reach out to one another, rich and poor, black and white, young and aged? Surely the global watchword for the twenty-first century is interdependence.
9
You should move to a Socialist country.
It appears to me that the idea of an American plan is really the idea of what the black man encounters in his pursuit of life, liberty and happiness. Let's leave aside for the moment government initiatives and confine the discussion to personal interactions. One reason there is such a thing as a states rights activist is because people are different in different localities and at different times in history; don't expect the 'plan' to fix that. I will grant this point: class hierarchy is determinant in life (position is everything in life) and black skin in historically white America has been a marker of low estate. As soon as a black breaks through the class barrier, he finds his life much changed. The Jews have been in the belly of many nations. When they were forced to wear the identifying star they did not like it. To this day many assume assimilating names. No black can take off his skin; some have taken on names foreign to American culture. I have no answer, even though a society based on 'from each according to his abilitiey, to each according to his needs' seems a siren call. But this black lives matter business seems to be insisting that we only have a crime problem because we have laws. Where enforcement is not good enough, improvement is indicated. Shall we put all our resources there? Finally, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness can operate apart from material success.
2
The problem I have with this lament is that it suggests no specific action to alleviate the racial injustice in America. Police actions that lead to the unnecessary and tragic death of black men are symptoms of the disease. The disease itself is the severe economic inequality of blacks to whites in America.
Of course, the first thing you do when dealing with sickness is take actions to alleviate the suffering- policies that eliminate bad apples, provide better training, greater transparency, etc., need to be instituted ASAP.
But the disease of inter-generational poverty of a vastly disproportionate percentage of black Americans has not been effectively treated after the 150 years since its beginning.
How about starting with the obvious prescription of equal funding for the elementary education of every child in this country, including those committing the sin of being born in poverty?
Let us end property tax base funding of schools that educate American children in their most formative years- a system that guarantees that poor neighborhoods will have poor schools.
And that is only a first step.
Of course, the first thing you do when dealing with sickness is take actions to alleviate the suffering- policies that eliminate bad apples, provide better training, greater transparency, etc., need to be instituted ASAP.
But the disease of inter-generational poverty of a vastly disproportionate percentage of black Americans has not been effectively treated after the 150 years since its beginning.
How about starting with the obvious prescription of equal funding for the elementary education of every child in this country, including those committing the sin of being born in poverty?
Let us end property tax base funding of schools that educate American children in their most formative years- a system that guarantees that poor neighborhoods will have poor schools.
And that is only a first step.
10
The only answer is charter schools. The Chicago Public Schools are the worst in the nation; the greedy unions are swimming in cash with their "teachers" receiving the highest salaries in the nation for doing the worst job in the nation. Charter and private schools would solve the education problem in an instant, but greedy unions and Democrats care more about their bank accounts than the children
3
More money towards schools wont help when there is little to no parenting at home.
1
If you think inequality in academic outcomes is due to inequality of education funding, then you will believe anything. First, DC schools are funded more than most, but they are a disaster relative to many many lower funded schools. Second, Black America must address the fact that even higher income Blacks score on average, less than lower income Whites. I didn't make that up. Check out http://www.jbhe.com/features/49_college_admissions-test.html and see for yourself. Stop blaming Whitey. Black children need to be encouraged to pick up a book rather than a Lil Wayne album.
America does have a plan for black folk and it's not a very pretty picture. Neoliberalism as a political philosophy has a plan for everyone. "Neoliberalism sees competition as the defining characteristic of human relations. It redefines citizens as consumers, whose democratic choices are best exercised by buying and selling, a process that rewards merit and punishes inefficiency. It maintains that "the market" delivers benefits that could never be achieved by planning."
It favors deregulation of a market already dominated by multi-national corporations. It proudly offers labor competition as efficiency. So African Americans who are struggling to earn $10 and hour must compete with Indians, Chinese and Vietnamese who barely earn $10 a day.
The resulting industrial decline, poverty, food insecurity and generally declining quality of life is simply the stuff of competition. Some win and some loose. Neoliberalism has no time for subjective nonsense like compassion and basic humanity.
So the plan for blacks is two fold; conformity and containment. Conform to this market ideology and give up any idea of the collective condition. Containment is where the police come in. We have monetized our criminal justice system and turned incarceration into a profit making business. The role of the police is to supply the raw material and to contain the unruly masses who challenge their fate. Our dystopian future is here and now, brought to us by our own politicians. Bleak, but honest.
It favors deregulation of a market already dominated by multi-national corporations. It proudly offers labor competition as efficiency. So African Americans who are struggling to earn $10 and hour must compete with Indians, Chinese and Vietnamese who barely earn $10 a day.
The resulting industrial decline, poverty, food insecurity and generally declining quality of life is simply the stuff of competition. Some win and some loose. Neoliberalism has no time for subjective nonsense like compassion and basic humanity.
So the plan for blacks is two fold; conformity and containment. Conform to this market ideology and give up any idea of the collective condition. Containment is where the police come in. We have monetized our criminal justice system and turned incarceration into a profit making business. The role of the police is to supply the raw material and to contain the unruly masses who challenge their fate. Our dystopian future is here and now, brought to us by our own politicians. Bleak, but honest.
17
Everyone has access to our public education system.
1
The sense of victimization by this as express as a proxy for the Black community coupled with a the idea that ones success in life should be outsourced to politicians, activists and government programs pervades this defeatist line of thinking. As a first generation American, my family did not benefit from cultural awareness of what was a path to success, there was not master conveyer belt to success that propelled us forward; we success despite lack of cultural awareness, lack fo language proficiency, a difference in skin color. We work for our children to secure their opportunity and are not burdened with an expectation that the system is fair or promotes our specific best interests. American is a land of opportunity that is imperfect but nonetheless remarkable. I have found that so many in America see their lives through the most pessimistic lens and it cripples their chances. A generation ago, structural limitation in the economy and laws would have made the job of success all the more difficult. Today, the 6' walls are now three feet and can be climbed by most.
63
Mr. Lebron is talking about an unexpected bullet in the back as an inappropriate overreaction to his being Black.
4
@ Chris, as a first generation American, you know nothing of what you speak. From the minute you landed in the States, you had more privilege than many who were born here.
4
" ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country."
70
I didn't read one word in the author's essay that I interpreted as his asking his country to do anything for him other than to stop shooting and in many cases killing people of his race without justification or ramifications. I don't think that's too much to ask of one's government. In addition, I believe that by writing about his experiences and thoughts on the deplorable state of race relations in our country today, he is doing plenty for his country. We need to hear what he is saying.
9
Not sure what your point of the JFK quote is, but Lebron is doing what he can for his country by sharing insights on the real and widespread damage occurring among African Americans. Are you doing what you can for your country?
4
- Chris Lebron
"Does America Have a Plan for My Life"... really!? I'm Black and I never thought, or asked, a question like that; I was too busy taking advantage of, and appreciating, the opportunities that 'America' has available for the people that look.
And the picture that was used for this article is bias; my wardrobe is not limited to jeans and skippies (sneakers). Also, I do not believe that I am at special risk, regardless of the images and stories that the media pushes down the general public's throat, I've experienced more good than bad while living in this country.
By the way, I should have been a statistic: raised in NYC by a single Mother, Father was in Prison for providing for us the best way he knew how, and I grew up in several neighborhoods where anything could have happened.
I thank God for this country. And I hope it gives my children the opportunities and optimism that it gave me.
"Does America Have a Plan for My Life"... really!? I'm Black and I never thought, or asked, a question like that; I was too busy taking advantage of, and appreciating, the opportunities that 'America' has available for the people that look.
And the picture that was used for this article is bias; my wardrobe is not limited to jeans and skippies (sneakers). Also, I do not believe that I am at special risk, regardless of the images and stories that the media pushes down the general public's throat, I've experienced more good than bad while living in this country.
By the way, I should have been a statistic: raised in NYC by a single Mother, Father was in Prison for providing for us the best way he knew how, and I grew up in several neighborhoods where anything could have happened.
I thank God for this country. And I hope it gives my children the opportunities and optimism that it gave me.
280
Maybe you forgot how Henry Louis Gates Jr was arrested in July 2009 for trying to enter his own home. He was well dressed too.
Fortunately he was not shot, but he was arrested and charged for "disorderly conduct " , I guess for trying to argue that the door he was trying to unlock was his own.
James Blake the retired tennis star was tackled for...being black and looking vaguely like a 2 sentence description of a non-violent criminal .
He was dressed nicely as I recall.
We have got to do better training our police officers to not regard every (black) person as a criminal, and how to avoid using lethal force for crimes that are no way at the level of needing violent action.
Hospitals are using positive reinforcement to reward staff for basic things like handwashing to lower infection rates and working to prevent falls in patients.
It needs to go beyond "just do your job"
Perhaps there needs to be positive reinforcement for not using lethal force in police groups.
Reward precincts with group bonuses for x number of arrests for which there was no force needed. This would take the onus off the individual cop to be a macho hero and make them more likely to call for.backup or to use negotiation tactics.
Fortunately he was not shot, but he was arrested and charged for "disorderly conduct " , I guess for trying to argue that the door he was trying to unlock was his own.
James Blake the retired tennis star was tackled for...being black and looking vaguely like a 2 sentence description of a non-violent criminal .
He was dressed nicely as I recall.
We have got to do better training our police officers to not regard every (black) person as a criminal, and how to avoid using lethal force for crimes that are no way at the level of needing violent action.
Hospitals are using positive reinforcement to reward staff for basic things like handwashing to lower infection rates and working to prevent falls in patients.
It needs to go beyond "just do your job"
Perhaps there needs to be positive reinforcement for not using lethal force in police groups.
Reward precincts with group bonuses for x number of arrests for which there was no force needed. This would take the onus off the individual cop to be a macho hero and make them more likely to call for.backup or to use negotiation tactics.
6
Particularly agree with picture being biased. As long as the breadth of being racially black in America is reduced to hip-hop culture - which has come to mean nothing due to crass commercialism and exploitation, in my opinion - obstructive stereotypes will prevail.
5
It is great that you have taken advantage of your situation and made yourself a success. I think what you are missing is dangers many face in normal everyday encounters with the judicial system. In the New Jersey corridor, black men regadless of station in life have been pulled over and frisked and car's searched. Even Judges from New York have reported this harassment. I use that word because the numbers show that the stop and search in this area is primarily minorities. The fact that so many of these incidents are triggered by traffic violations. People ending up dead for changing lanes withour signaling (Sally Bland). Thousands of arrest for resisting arrest with no other charge. No one asks how one can resist arrest without being first arrested for a specific charge. Professor Henry Louis Gates was arrested entering his own house because the officer was suspicious when he entered such a nice house. So what was so suspicious of a famous Harvard Professor was entering his house. It was his race. There is a recklessness by the police in dealing with those not white. It is not always straight out racisim. It is the recognition that no matter how successful you maybe as a black man, there will be no repercussions for hard treatment by the police.
25
Most of these comments ignore what I feel this essay is about, which is why, in situations that would never end with someone like me (a white man) being shot, the same situations keep ending with black men being shot. Yes, some black men like President Obama and Professor Lebron have accomplished things that would not have been open to a black man in the past. Good! But black men like President Obama and Professor Lebron are still are at risk, in a way that I am not at risk, and that should not be.
234
I think we did not read the same article. What I read was an article blaming racism for the problems of blacks in America.
1
They wouldn't be as much at risk, if Blacks did not commit a far higher percentage of the violent crime. Profiling is human nature. Want less profiling.
Get the Black community to commit much less crime. See Asians. Whites do not deny Asians the good life in any way. Consider why.
Get the Black community to commit much less crime. See Asians. Whites do not deny Asians the good life in any way. Consider why.
2
Maybe the better focus is on changing g the way things are. Teach a man to fish.....
1
Mr. Lebron admits he's carved our a space for himself, is well paid for his profession, and enjoys his social circle, lives in a safe neighborhood and obviously hasn't faced discrimination based on his race. He's also recognized fir his "level of credibility in the eyes of American society." It occurs to me that if other people of all coloea focused on pursuing a path in life as positive and secure as Mr. Lebron's, there'd be a lot less discord and discontent, and less tendency to blame others for their lot in life. So, pardon me if I don't get why he's complaining about being black and at risk.
73
He's making the point that money and position do not insulate black men from being singled out solely because of their condition of being black. As a white man with a number of black, male colleagues and friends I can attest to the reality of that. Not that my attestation means anything other than I understood what Prof. Lebron wrote. I am pretty sure that you (and the other commentors disputing this reality) understand his point also but, disingenuously, choose not to acknowledge your understanding.
4
The esteemed Professor Henry Louis Gates was victimized by cops at his own home. Pres. Obama is still questioned on his birth and his allegiance to his country. You are not forgiven for not understanding why there are still complaints.
7
I don't think he said or meant that he has not faced race based discrimination. I would imagine he probably has.
4
America has a problem and I can see it across the oceans sitting in a country where police dont have the best records. But still I can never imagine a scene here where a woman's life would get destroyed for missing to signal a lane change or a man killed for simply no legal reason except the cop was scared.
Even in a developing country like mine police are not authorized to use a gun without warnings and even then only allowed to shoot in the leg.
The police seem to be more interested in securing themselves than the public.Also Stricter gun control could save so many lives.
Even in a developing country like mine police are not authorized to use a gun without warnings and even then only allowed to shoot in the leg.
The police seem to be more interested in securing themselves than the public.Also Stricter gun control could save so many lives.
85
People don't die because of a lane change. They die when the become belligerent to the officer, won't follow requests and begin acting in a threatening manner. If you think you've been treated unfairly, get a lawyer and take it to court. Don't confront he policeman in the street and try to prove you point there. It can cost you your life needlessly.
Did you even see the video of the incredible disrespect and hatred that Sandra Bland gave that officer? Most of us would never dream of fighting with a cop like that.
1
I would focus on the problem of use of deadly force, when something unexpected happens in the eyes of a Police officer. Even in a world without racial prejudice, people who often don't react as expected because of a non-obvious disabilities like being hearing impaired, having a degree of autism, etc. would still be at risk of being "fatally wounded". A combination of both more cautious gun training and accountability of law enforcement would go a long way.
36
Excellent points--some police definitely take it personally and, in my experience, display an exaggerated degree of anger when they feel they are not obeyed. I've witnessed this with an Asian woman no less. Some cops just should not have been hired due to their temperament.
4
What is needed is a weapon which can immobilize a fleeing suspect or one who is (or appears to be) threatening a police officer without killing the suspect.
1
Black America has one foot shackled by institutional racism, and one leg up with systems of employment and education that are taking action to include and advantage them. There must be a unique pain to watching successful black people at the highest levels of government, industry, and academe, knowing at the same time that potential does not equate to possibility for so many. I don't think we'll see an end to this for generations.
13
Excellent point. My thought is that it cannot change until people ask how they can help themselves instead of what "plan" the country has for them. Set boundaries on "entitlements" (maybe changing that word!) and tie payments to people devising their own plans for themselves
1
Change the title from Black to Poor and the same arguments apply. Is being black an additional hurdle that must be scaled? Yes, However is it so high, so insurmountable (like trump YUGE) that it prevents success- or moving up the economic ladder? I agree with President Obama, that poor rural whites and urban blacks have much in common, and therefore vote with that common interest in mind. The issue is poverty. Read how poor whites feel disenfranchised, and left behind in todays world. Then change "white" for "black" and its the same article. The issue with explaining everything through the racial filter is it deflects attention away from the core issue. The bifurcation of our society along economic lines tears at our middle class values. The violation of rights of poor be they white,black or latino is a danger to us all.
42
I can assure you that poor white parents do not give their male white children "the talk" when they reach adolescence.
4
Will leave this right here for you.
http://www.vox.com/2016/9/19/12933072/far-right-white-riot-trump-brexit
http://www.vox.com/2016/9/19/12933072/far-right-white-riot-trump-brexit
So, the country should take the roughly 10 incidents that have occurred nationally in the last 5 years, and that's the end of the story?
I wonder how many other deaths have occurred from different ethnic groups that received zero attention. All lives matter, in every case, there are escalating events that occur why the situation occured. It never comes out until later and is rarely reported with the same vigor as the original incident.
This entire conversation is stoked by the national press as a means to move an anti-law enforcement agenda.
I wonder how many other deaths have occurred from different ethnic groups that received zero attention. All lives matter, in every case, there are escalating events that occur why the situation occured. It never comes out until later and is rarely reported with the same vigor as the original incident.
This entire conversation is stoked by the national press as a means to move an anti-law enforcement agenda.
71
I wonder how many other deaths have occurred from different ethnic groups that received zero attention.
exactly. look at the pogroms of Koreans during the Rodney king trials in LA. There was not even a dept of justice investigation, nevermind a trial of one of these hate crimes.
exactly. look at the pogroms of Koreans during the Rodney king trials in LA. There was not even a dept of justice investigation, nevermind a trial of one of these hate crimes.
3
I don't think so, your argument is too simplistic. I believe the argument has been based around credible statistics. All lives do matter, but if one race is being subjected to over policing tactics that that result in death, then their claim of saying that their lives matter just as much as other races has merit.
5
I think your stats might be off, dude. http://mappingpoliceviolence.org/unarmed/
1
"Finally, one must be able to depend on the absence of arbitrary interference or oppression, by either fellow citizens or the state."
No one can depend on that; not those in Camden or Wausau or Conyers Farm. Not now or at any time in history anywhere in the world.
People wall themselves in their homes and communities in different ways to protect against interference.
The U.S. Constitution rejected the abuses of European feudalism and, although under serious duress, still makes a good effort at limiting government intrusion.
We all plan a life, hope to meet basic goals and strive for larger but there is always an intersection between the unknowable and our own decisions.
No one can depend on that; not those in Camden or Wausau or Conyers Farm. Not now or at any time in history anywhere in the world.
People wall themselves in their homes and communities in different ways to protect against interference.
The U.S. Constitution rejected the abuses of European feudalism and, although under serious duress, still makes a good effort at limiting government intrusion.
We all plan a life, hope to meet basic goals and strive for larger but there is always an intersection between the unknowable and our own decisions.
11
Without at all detracting from the point or power off the article, this comment makes a good point. Government, being composed of people, can be only so rational, and can achieve its goals only imperfectly.
this article, disgracefully, implies that police shootings of blacks is a holding the black community back. It is not. There are many, many other factors that dwarf this. These include: lack of jobs matching the education and backgrounds of urban city blacks, excessive violence in urban areas (more blacks have been killed in inner city violence in Chicago alone so far this year than by police in the entire country), unbelievably high illegitimacy rate (about 70%) that is root of much of the poverty in these areas and the fact that education in the primary and secondary school levels leaves much to be desired. These are the real problems, not police violence. The sooner Mr. Lebron and black community leaders see this (and act accordingly) the better. Considering they even fail to even mention these facts, unfortunately, speaks volumes.
138
I didn't read the article as saying that "police shootings of blacks is a holding [sic] the black community back." Instead, I read it as stating that blacks, whether they live in poverty, the shrinking middle class, or have achieved a level of accomplishment and wealth to put them in the upper class, are all at greater risk of having their lives ended by a police bullet. Now, whether one considers that a fact, a point of view, or an outright falsehood, the author's stance should at least be honestly and accurately understood.
32
Ah Yoda,
You lay out the reasons: poor education, hyper-violence, lack of jobs etc etc. But then you do what many white conservatives do. You pivot to the: "you blacks and your leaders should figure it out - nothing to do with me" excuse.
This country has, for over a century, gone out of its way, to keep its black citizens segregated, away from capital to own business, get decent housing, and the good schools and education that follows. These are things that virtually every European immigrant got access to, within a couple generations.
Your glib call to Mr LeBron and "black community leaders" to fix the problems caused by this country's original sin, sadly says volumes about what you think of African-Americans, that they should be treated as a separate nation, not worthy of the dignity and equity that their citizenship should give them.
You lay out the reasons: poor education, hyper-violence, lack of jobs etc etc. But then you do what many white conservatives do. You pivot to the: "you blacks and your leaders should figure it out - nothing to do with me" excuse.
This country has, for over a century, gone out of its way, to keep its black citizens segregated, away from capital to own business, get decent housing, and the good schools and education that follows. These are things that virtually every European immigrant got access to, within a couple generations.
Your glib call to Mr LeBron and "black community leaders" to fix the problems caused by this country's original sin, sadly says volumes about what you think of African-Americans, that they should be treated as a separate nation, not worthy of the dignity and equity that their citizenship should give them.
12
Wrong. This article is conveying that, even if you prevail over ALL those circumstances you detail, a black man is still at greater risk. The fact that you willfully deny that speaks volumes.
31
Mr Lebron's articulate and logical essay is a compelling point of view that merits discussion, if we are to find a path forward for us all. Obviously, his contrast of the colonists decision to rebel juxtaposed with his observation that for black Americans to hold out hope for change is neither rational nor fair is the canary in the coal mine.
I wish I knew America's plan for black Americans, in all their social and cultural complexity. His observations of the three basic features necessary to exert control over one's life are spot on and must be internalized by all people. The absence of arbitrary interference or oppression by fellow citizens or the state that is the non controllable aspect for the individual; the first two being well within the individual's realm of control.
The culpability of the state just cannot be tolerated where such oppressive tactics occur. Police, courts, legislatures must be held accountable for such actions as the murder of Terence Crutcher, or the murder of innocents by Dylan Roof. Nor can we permit a recurrence of the Jim Crow days of redlining et al.
Unstated, perhaps implied, is that oppression by fellow citizens is not constrained to white on black, certainly not if the violent crime of Chicago, Baltimore or virtually any major urban area is looked at dispassionately. When this side of the issue is put on the table for discussion, then we may have a complete answer to the riddle of America's plan for such people as Mr Lebron.
I wish I knew America's plan for black Americans, in all their social and cultural complexity. His observations of the three basic features necessary to exert control over one's life are spot on and must be internalized by all people. The absence of arbitrary interference or oppression by fellow citizens or the state that is the non controllable aspect for the individual; the first two being well within the individual's realm of control.
The culpability of the state just cannot be tolerated where such oppressive tactics occur. Police, courts, legislatures must be held accountable for such actions as the murder of Terence Crutcher, or the murder of innocents by Dylan Roof. Nor can we permit a recurrence of the Jim Crow days of redlining et al.
Unstated, perhaps implied, is that oppression by fellow citizens is not constrained to white on black, certainly not if the violent crime of Chicago, Baltimore or virtually any major urban area is looked at dispassionately. When this side of the issue is put on the table for discussion, then we may have a complete answer to the riddle of America's plan for such people as Mr Lebron.
9
Terence Crutcher is a ludicrous example to use in this argument. He ran from his still-running car, shouting that it was going to blow up. He was seen by a witness "smoking something". He was incoherent and erratic when a police officer stopped to help him. He repeatedly disobeyed her instructions, including by repeatedly approaching her with his hands in his pockets, to the point of her drawing her gun. He ignored her commands to stop walking, and returned to his vehicle and appeared to put his hand inside the car. PCP was found in the car. He had served a years-long prison sentence for selling PCP. He was not an innocent person seeking help for a crippled vehicle. The officer may or may not have been justified in shooting. Fortunately there are courts which will weigh all the evidence dispassionately. It does not serve justice in any way to confuse the issue of blackness with the issue of compliance, which is exactly what is being done in this article.
120
So if he wasn't an innocent person he was therefore, by your implication, guilty and the consequence for that offense being of course death.
5
None of your points explains, let alone justifies, the use of deadly force by the police. Mr Crutcher may have been high, he may have walked away with his hands up (which you seem to have forgotten but which the videos clearly demonstrate), he may not have paid attention to the cops verbal warnings. But to be shot, right after being tasered, is just not within the purview of human decency.
Sorry, but speaking as a person with zero tolerance of gangbangers and their apologists, your rationales are devoid of logic.
Sorry, but speaking as a person with zero tolerance of gangbangers and their apologists, your rationales are devoid of logic.
5
Based on your description, the shooting of Terence Crutcher was justified. Thankfully that is not what the Commonwealth of Oklahoma thinks and Officer Shelby will soon be tried for manslaughter.
4
The article reminds me of something Mrs. Obama said after her husband was elected in 2008. She was asked in an interview whether she worried about him being assassinated. She said, "He's a black man. He could be shot walking to the corner store." That is a stunning, yet sadly true, response.
What you say rings true based upon stories I have heard from blacks I know, even highly educated, well spoken ones, about being followed in stores or stopped and asked what they were "doing here" by cops in nice neighborhoods. The risk seems greater in the poorest, most gang and drug ridden neighborhoods, but it certainly is not contained there.
What you say rings true based upon stories I have heard from blacks I know, even highly educated, well spoken ones, about being followed in stores or stopped and asked what they were "doing here" by cops in nice neighborhoods. The risk seems greater in the poorest, most gang and drug ridden neighborhoods, but it certainly is not contained there.
99
Mrs. Obama also went to England several years ago and told an audience of Muslim girls, "Your story is my story."
Most middle class Americans will never approach her $350,000 income that she got from being a diversity officer in a Chicago hospital.
Most middle class Americans will never approach her $350,000 income that she got from being a diversity officer in a Chicago hospital.
3
Statistics say that on his way to the corner store, he is about 50 times more likely to be shot by a black criminal than by a police officer. And a police officer walking to the store is statistically more likely to be killed by a black man than the black man is to be killed by a cop. Just saying.
5
The likelihood was greater that Barack Obama would have been shot by another black man. That's a sad truth that is much more relevant to the safety of black men than the much less likely to occur police shooting.
Perhaps it really does matter *which* black men are being shot and *by whom*. Black men being gunned down in inner cities don't seem to matter all that much -- to other blacks.
Perhaps it really does matter *which* black men are being shot and *by whom*. Black men being gunned down in inner cities don't seem to matter all that much -- to other blacks.
5
I don't think anyone can honestly counter the points you make regarding the vulnerability of African American men in our society. But I worry when I see this constant stream of negativity from academics such as yourself. As awful as it is, life for African American men today IS better than it was even 3 generations ago. Yes, your justifiably angry response would be to ask what kind of justice that is? Isn't it more of the same?
So let me clarify what I am actually on about - when there is no hope there is no future. What a lot of you are doing is imply that there is no hope for young black men. You maybe feeling hopeless, tired, worn out and sick of being disappointed in the awful manner that has become the norm. But the younger generation needs hope the same way you had hope when you were growing up. If those hopes are dashed by disappointment later, so be it. But it is their birthright to have hope and optimism and we are not protecting them from sorrow by denying them hope, we are destroying them inside as the criminals and the criminal justice system are on the outside.
I think Mr. and Mrs. Obama are trying to keep that sense of hope highest in their way of addressing this issue, and they need more support, not less. There IS hope for Black men and women, and it is getting better. It is heartbreaking to see the videos of these killings, but heartbreak leads to introspection and eventually to change.
MLK and Malcolm X first had to overcome their self-doubt. We all do.
So let me clarify what I am actually on about - when there is no hope there is no future. What a lot of you are doing is imply that there is no hope for young black men. You maybe feeling hopeless, tired, worn out and sick of being disappointed in the awful manner that has become the norm. But the younger generation needs hope the same way you had hope when you were growing up. If those hopes are dashed by disappointment later, so be it. But it is their birthright to have hope and optimism and we are not protecting them from sorrow by denying them hope, we are destroying them inside as the criminals and the criminal justice system are on the outside.
I think Mr. and Mrs. Obama are trying to keep that sense of hope highest in their way of addressing this issue, and they need more support, not less. There IS hope for Black men and women, and it is getting better. It is heartbreaking to see the videos of these killings, but heartbreak leads to introspection and eventually to change.
MLK and Malcolm X first had to overcome their self-doubt. We all do.
27
You have PH.D from MIT. You are an assistant professor of African-American studies and philosophy at Yale University...one of the best colleges in the U.S. You are published author with many more books to come. Your salary puts you in the top 5%. I can promise you the other 95% ... who don't enjoy your elite perks ...would love to trade places with you...today. America's plan for you ....by any measure ...is going pretty well isn't it? To compare yourself Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice, Philando Castile who were caught in the firm grip of poverty and didn't have one tenth the opportunities you have enjoyed ...is the very height of narcissistic absurdity. Get real.
227
Bob,
Let us not forget that that professor and high profile person Henry Louis Gates jr was profiled and ultimately arrested for trying to break into his own house. I do not know of too many african american males even those of "high status" who have not had some type of negative interaction with law enforcement. Further, all any african american male of any education level has to do to obtain unwanted attention from the police is to don a hooded sweatshirt and run in public.
Let us not forget that that professor and high profile person Henry Louis Gates jr was profiled and ultimately arrested for trying to break into his own house. I do not know of too many african american males even those of "high status" who have not had some type of negative interaction with law enforcement. Further, all any african american male of any education level has to do to obtain unwanted attention from the police is to don a hooded sweatshirt and run in public.
37
@ SM
Nonsense.
A neighbor called the police when she saw two men trying to break into a house. When the police came, Henry Louis Gates refused to show ID, as he decided he was profiled. He then argued with the police and was arrested, which he again attributed to racism.
The only good that came of this is that if burglars ever break into his house, his neighbors will pull up chairs and happily watch them take away everything away.
Nonsense.
A neighbor called the police when she saw two men trying to break into a house. When the police came, Henry Louis Gates refused to show ID, as he decided he was profiled. He then argued with the police and was arrested, which he again attributed to racism.
The only good that came of this is that if burglars ever break into his house, his neighbors will pull up chairs and happily watch them take away everything away.
5
He didn't compare himself to Trayvon or Philandro in terms of wealth and degrees and job titles. His point was that no matter how successful he may be, he is still at risk in ways that other Americans are not at risk, no matter how subtle or blantant - just for being black.
7
Q - Does America Have a Plan for My life?
A - Hi, my name is "The Reality of Race in America". To answer no, not America as a whole, but definitely there is a plan.
Spoiler, It doesn't end well for you. You don't get to choose for yourself, but the law enforcement and justice systems have several options. You either can go to prison for something no White person would even be arrested for, or you wait your turn for law enforcement to Euthanize you, plant a gun on your corpse, and assure us all you were dangerous and noncompliant.
If that's not good enough for you, and you'd prefer something else, and you're the least bit vocal I think the press has a future plan for you. Right wing publications can demonize and vilify you, while Left wing publications beatify you.
If you're even moderately successful, politics has a future lined up for you. There are no end of politicians that would love to use you as anecdotal evidence for any number of crazy theories--that the system isn't rigged after all and other blacks are just lazy or that the system is rigged in favor of minorities through affirmative action.
Whichever of these many exciting pre-planned futures you land with, just rest comfortably knowing you'll never be judged just for your accomplishments. You'll always be black first. Then American. But hey, that's cool right, because you get an entire month of your history once a year to learn about you and other black Americans.
Hope that answered your question.
A - Hi, my name is "The Reality of Race in America". To answer no, not America as a whole, but definitely there is a plan.
Spoiler, It doesn't end well for you. You don't get to choose for yourself, but the law enforcement and justice systems have several options. You either can go to prison for something no White person would even be arrested for, or you wait your turn for law enforcement to Euthanize you, plant a gun on your corpse, and assure us all you were dangerous and noncompliant.
If that's not good enough for you, and you'd prefer something else, and you're the least bit vocal I think the press has a future plan for you. Right wing publications can demonize and vilify you, while Left wing publications beatify you.
If you're even moderately successful, politics has a future lined up for you. There are no end of politicians that would love to use you as anecdotal evidence for any number of crazy theories--that the system isn't rigged after all and other blacks are just lazy or that the system is rigged in favor of minorities through affirmative action.
Whichever of these many exciting pre-planned futures you land with, just rest comfortably knowing you'll never be judged just for your accomplishments. You'll always be black first. Then American. But hey, that's cool right, because you get an entire month of your history once a year to learn about you and other black Americans.
Hope that answered your question.
31
To the author:
At this point it is difficult to discern what it is exactly that displeases you. It seems that you can at least admit that you have it better than approximately 90% of Americans, whether they be white, yellow, brown, black, or etc. However, your social status and the hefty salary that you command puts you in an elite circle within America. So, it seems that unless there is some sort of Bolshevik Revolution anytime soon in the United States in which the "elites" of society are killed or sent to the gulags, you have nothing to worry about.
Having said that, I would be remiss to mention the part with which you and I saw common ground. Towards the end of your aimless essay, you said that you have disproved your own point. I agree.
At this point it is difficult to discern what it is exactly that displeases you. It seems that you can at least admit that you have it better than approximately 90% of Americans, whether they be white, yellow, brown, black, or etc. However, your social status and the hefty salary that you command puts you in an elite circle within America. So, it seems that unless there is some sort of Bolshevik Revolution anytime soon in the United States in which the "elites" of society are killed or sent to the gulags, you have nothing to worry about.
Having said that, I would be remiss to mention the part with which you and I saw common ground. Towards the end of your aimless essay, you said that you have disproved your own point. I agree.
116
What "displeases" him is the fact, and it is a fact, that as a black man he runs a larger risk of being killed by police than a white man does. It's just a fact, and it doesn't take empathy to believe it, just reading ability. Hard to believe that 17 people (so far) have missed his point. For the record, it also greatly displeases me and millions of people of any race.
Further he does not say he has disproved his point. What he says is "I seem to have disproved my own point," and then goes on to say why he hasn't. Anyone who doesn't see the difference, please, for the sake of all of us, take some literacy classes.
Further he does not say he has disproved his point. What he says is "I seem to have disproved my own point," and then goes on to say why he hasn't. Anyone who doesn't see the difference, please, for the sake of all of us, take some literacy classes.
8
I think an even playing field is the only thing people need. What you do with it is your plan. Lets not be patronizing and think we are saviors of any culture. Just give opportunity and people will do the rest
32
One of the problems with living in a segregated world is that white folks, who have no black friends, cannot envision that the ticket for speeding or the broken taillight can turn into a deadly encounter. It's never happened to any white friends of theirs, so how can it keep happening to black people? It must be something that black people are doing, right?
So, when I mention that I know a black man who was hit in a crosswalk by a white woman who was intoxicated, but when police arrived on the scene, despite the black man's broken leg and tremendous pain, they automatically handcuffed him on suspicion that he had attempted to carjack her, I can bet that commenters won't believe me.
That's the way racism and sexism works. When someone who has had experiences tells you about them, but because it's never happened to you or someone who looks like you, you decide that it never happens to anyone. That's how racism works.
And your defenses are up so high that Professor Lebron is telling you something very tender -- that, as a black man, he is starting to believe that he can no longer make plans because it seems that any encounter with the police for a black man is a potential life ender -- and the commenters here are too busy telling him that his experiences are wrong.
Where I come from, when someone tells us about their hurt, we respond with compassion and understanding and a desire to help fix the problem. I don't know which America the rest of you live in.
So, when I mention that I know a black man who was hit in a crosswalk by a white woman who was intoxicated, but when police arrived on the scene, despite the black man's broken leg and tremendous pain, they automatically handcuffed him on suspicion that he had attempted to carjack her, I can bet that commenters won't believe me.
That's the way racism and sexism works. When someone who has had experiences tells you about them, but because it's never happened to you or someone who looks like you, you decide that it never happens to anyone. That's how racism works.
And your defenses are up so high that Professor Lebron is telling you something very tender -- that, as a black man, he is starting to believe that he can no longer make plans because it seems that any encounter with the police for a black man is a potential life ender -- and the commenters here are too busy telling him that his experiences are wrong.
Where I come from, when someone tells us about their hurt, we respond with compassion and understanding and a desire to help fix the problem. I don't know which America the rest of you live in.
8
Well said. Hopefully the presence of a black American President and Attorney General do provide evidence that larger ambitions can indeed be achieved. Meanwhile, the probability of a black man being killed by police remains far lower than being killed by another regular citizen of any color. Each of us here has the opportunity and the responsibility to make our plan for ourselves, and set about improving the probability of it's unfolding. Life is full of uncertainty and any of may benefit from knowing it can end at any time. Knowing that our time is uncertain and unlimited, may we live with meaning and connection, with love and purpose.
43
Author is incorrect.
The Founding Fathers didn't believe that "one must be able to see an open path to basic resources necessary to make good on a plan, such as education, housing and health care." They DID believe that you should not be prevented from acquiring those "basic resources" THROUGH YOUR OWN EFFORT. In evidence, Jefferson's inaugural address: "...a wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government..."
Nor did the FF declare that anyone can "rely on some degree of balance between...effort...and the rewards received..." The author here is suggesting that the government decide the "balance" by taking from one group and doling it out to another.
In addition, the author wants the State to inject interference or oppression, so long as it is not "arbitrary" - something the author neglects to define.
The Founding Fathers didn't believe that "one must be able to see an open path to basic resources necessary to make good on a plan, such as education, housing and health care." They DID believe that you should not be prevented from acquiring those "basic resources" THROUGH YOUR OWN EFFORT. In evidence, Jefferson's inaugural address: "...a wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government..."
Nor did the FF declare that anyone can "rely on some degree of balance between...effort...and the rewards received..." The author here is suggesting that the government decide the "balance" by taking from one group and doling it out to another.
In addition, the author wants the State to inject interference or oppression, so long as it is not "arbitrary" - something the author neglects to define.
97
"The author here is suggesting that the government decide the 'balance' by taking from one group and doling it out to another."
Which, believe it or not, is not a concept first promulgated by Obama. I'm thinking instead of the graduated ("progressive") income tax. Since it occurred to me that I didn't know when or where it originated, I looked it up; I recommend Wikipedias's "Progressive tax", https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressive_tax. It turns out that the concept is older than I realized: "In the early days of the Roman Republic, public taxes consisted of assessments on owned wealth and property." More recently, "The first modern income tax was introduced in Britain by Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger in his budget of December 1798, to pay for weapons and equipment for the French Revolutionary War." In America, "the first progressive income tax was established by the Revenue Act of 1862. This was signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln."
Which, believe it or not, is not a concept first promulgated by Obama. I'm thinking instead of the graduated ("progressive") income tax. Since it occurred to me that I didn't know when or where it originated, I looked it up; I recommend Wikipedias's "Progressive tax", https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressive_tax. It turns out that the concept is older than I realized: "In the early days of the Roman Republic, public taxes consisted of assessments on owned wealth and property." More recently, "The first modern income tax was introduced in Britain by Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger in his budget of December 1798, to pay for weapons and equipment for the French Revolutionary War." In America, "the first progressive income tax was established by the Revenue Act of 1862. This was signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln."
7
After the Declaration, and the successful armed revolution that followed it, the new United States issued another document, the Constitution. This is the fundamental law of the land. The opening words are "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."
These are broader concepts than "you're on your own."
The "Blessings of Liberty" were long and expressly denied, so long that there are still millions of Americans living today who remember when African-Americans could not vote in large parts of the country, when "Help Wanted" ads in newspapers specified "White," as did public accommodations of all kinds. There's no "common defense" when the defenders turn on citizens with tribal violence. There's no "domestic tranquility" when the state arbitrarily harms one group of citizens based on ethnicity or other irrelevant factors. There's no "general welfare" if the government established to promote that may kill you without justification, and with impunity.
A lot of progress has been made. It required a bloody civil war, and a bloody civil rights movement, and progress isn't finished. "There is none so blind as he who will not see." Thank you Chris Lebron for your righteous message.
These are broader concepts than "you're on your own."
The "Blessings of Liberty" were long and expressly denied, so long that there are still millions of Americans living today who remember when African-Americans could not vote in large parts of the country, when "Help Wanted" ads in newspapers specified "White," as did public accommodations of all kinds. There's no "common defense" when the defenders turn on citizens with tribal violence. There's no "domestic tranquility" when the state arbitrarily harms one group of citizens based on ethnicity or other irrelevant factors. There's no "general welfare" if the government established to promote that may kill you without justification, and with impunity.
A lot of progress has been made. It required a bloody civil war, and a bloody civil rights movement, and progress isn't finished. "There is none so blind as he who will not see." Thank you Chris Lebron for your righteous message.
10
Actually your comments display a woeful ignorance of the discussions surrounding the language of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. All of the discord among the founding fathers in the structuring of these foundational documents centered on the moral and political implications of slavery.
Slavery, by definition, was a decision by the founding fathers that government should decide the "balance" by taking from one group and doling it out to another.
The founding fathers were geniuses of political thought in their time.
They were also poignantly aware of the inherent contradictions between the lofty language and aspirational goals of their seminal declarations and the reality of enslaving other human beings for the profit of southern planters.
If only those braying about the intent of the founding fathers bothered to study the history of the times, we might be able to have a good conversation about imperfect people dealing with impossible situations.
Slavery, by definition, was a decision by the founding fathers that government should decide the "balance" by taking from one group and doling it out to another.
The founding fathers were geniuses of political thought in their time.
They were also poignantly aware of the inherent contradictions between the lofty language and aspirational goals of their seminal declarations and the reality of enslaving other human beings for the profit of southern planters.
If only those braying about the intent of the founding fathers bothered to study the history of the times, we might be able to have a good conversation about imperfect people dealing with impossible situations.
2
If the USA were a middling country then the contemporary superpower would certainly make arms, money, technology or whatever available to establish a Black State in North America -- for the sake of freedom or dignity or whatever. And also make more land and freedom available to Native Americans. But barring that scenario for the forseeable future, Black America can slong on.
2
Chris,
An absolutely wonderful essay that I will share with my friends.
I agree that you are at risk, and, I wish you were not. I don't know how to change the fact you are at risk except to offer: I am not afraid of you.
The fact that I want you to succeed, and, am not afraid of you IS PROGRESS. However, progress here, in America, is very, very slow. Also, it seems like maybe it is slipping backwards a bit. I don't know why exactly. Maybe everyone is just scared now, not just blacks? And, that fear is growing something ugly? I am worried this might be true.
Lastly: "I wish I knew America’s plan for me."
Chris, here is the fundamental good and bad about America. America has no plan for ANYONE. If you are rich, like "W", you can go to Harvard, skip class, become an alcoholic, and, become President. That was not his plan, that was his Daddy's plan. America had no plan for "W".
If you are like me (white), you can leave a poor East Texas farm, and, go to a good Texas public school, which is affordable, but, where not even one person will care if you pass or fail.
Then, when you manage to get through that "flunk out" gauntlet, your next stop is a series of jobs in collapsing American corporations, run by people who seem to flock toward failure. Maybe they were the rest of the "W's"? I don't know.
America has no plan for anyone who is not already rich.
An absolutely wonderful essay that I will share with my friends.
I agree that you are at risk, and, I wish you were not. I don't know how to change the fact you are at risk except to offer: I am not afraid of you.
The fact that I want you to succeed, and, am not afraid of you IS PROGRESS. However, progress here, in America, is very, very slow. Also, it seems like maybe it is slipping backwards a bit. I don't know why exactly. Maybe everyone is just scared now, not just blacks? And, that fear is growing something ugly? I am worried this might be true.
Lastly: "I wish I knew America’s plan for me."
Chris, here is the fundamental good and bad about America. America has no plan for ANYONE. If you are rich, like "W", you can go to Harvard, skip class, become an alcoholic, and, become President. That was not his plan, that was his Daddy's plan. America had no plan for "W".
If you are like me (white), you can leave a poor East Texas farm, and, go to a good Texas public school, which is affordable, but, where not even one person will care if you pass or fail.
Then, when you manage to get through that "flunk out" gauntlet, your next stop is a series of jobs in collapsing American corporations, run by people who seem to flock toward failure. Maybe they were the rest of the "W's"? I don't know.
America has no plan for anyone who is not already rich.
130
America does not have a plan for anyone. Entitlement thinking such as this keeps people in poverty and miserable as they wait for someone else to support them. Women got over this year's ago. Stop placing the responsibility on those of us who have chosen to forge our own life. Go elsewhere if it's so bad here
3
Maybe in New York, but I live in a Mid Western Metropolis, in an integrated neighborhood, where I see people of all races succeeding quite well, despite the fact, that we are constantly being tokd how racist we are.
Odd?
Odd?
3
@Michael: First, It seems to me your post actually provides evidence that supports the opposite of what you are arguing. You argue that America does not have a plan for anyone, but than give two examples showing how family wealth, city wealth, and the post-industrial economy structure one's life chances. So it seems to me like America does have a "plan" for everyone, not just people who are "already rich" as you claim at the end of your post.
Second, you use George W Bush as an example. I agree that his family is a great example of how wealth and privilege is passed down aong the political elite. However, you state that Bush went to Harvard. He actually went to Yale. You also bring up that he "became an alcoholic," as if that means he didn't earn success. You should have also stated that he quit drinking in the 1980s. You also forgot that he did do one big thing in politics prior to his presidency: he was the governor of the second largest state in the country. I did not support Bush in almost anyway during his presidency, and agree with you that a lot of his life was handed to him on a silver platter. Yet, I think it is important to not let our negative opinions about a man restructure the facts.
Second, you use George W Bush as an example. I agree that his family is a great example of how wealth and privilege is passed down aong the political elite. However, you state that Bush went to Harvard. He actually went to Yale. You also bring up that he "became an alcoholic," as if that means he didn't earn success. You should have also stated that he quit drinking in the 1980s. You also forgot that he did do one big thing in politics prior to his presidency: he was the governor of the second largest state in the country. I did not support Bush in almost anyway during his presidency, and agree with you that a lot of his life was handed to him on a silver platter. Yet, I think it is important to not let our negative opinions about a man restructure the facts.
1
I think of all the black Americans who were turning a corner...when the banks at the beginning of this century decided to target them, and how the financial crisis of 2008 disproportionally fell on black Americans.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/for-black-americans-fina...
And then I read about the Black Recession... that has been going on since slavery, about how black unemployment rate has always been significantly above peak white unemployment rate:
https://mic.com/articles/91685/the-financial-crisis-hurt-america-but-one...
There are so many ways in which Black Lives Have not Mattered.. its not just the police.. its the economy, its jobs, its the medical establishment, its the chronic stress that black people are under because of all this.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/for-black-americans-fina...
And then I read about the Black Recession... that has been going on since slavery, about how black unemployment rate has always been significantly above peak white unemployment rate:
https://mic.com/articles/91685/the-financial-crisis-hurt-america-but-one...
There are so many ways in which Black Lives Have not Mattered.. its not just the police.. its the economy, its jobs, its the medical establishment, its the chronic stress that black people are under because of all this.
92
So who's been in charge of our cities for the last 60 years? Who's been in the Whitehouse for the last eight years?
How is the open borders policy helping poir Blacks find jobs?
How is subsidizing single parent families helping Black, or any racial groups economic situation, when statistics show that two parent, intact households, offer the best chance for success by a wide margin?
How is the rap music, and Hollywood thug culture helping Black Americans succeed?
Maybe its time to just try something different?
How is the open borders policy helping poir Blacks find jobs?
How is subsidizing single parent families helping Black, or any racial groups economic situation, when statistics show that two parent, intact households, offer the best chance for success by a wide margin?
How is the rap music, and Hollywood thug culture helping Black Americans succeed?
Maybe its time to just try something different?
4
G - Los Angeles
..... and the failure (legal prohibition) to gain access to places like Levittown (or Mr. Trump's properties), for African-Americans returning from WW II.
This prevented acquisition of family capital & put them at a definite disadvantage compared to "white" G.I.s
It takes a while to "catch up".
..... and the failure (legal prohibition) to gain access to places like Levittown (or Mr. Trump's properties), for African-Americans returning from WW II.
This prevented acquisition of family capital & put them at a definite disadvantage compared to "white" G.I.s
It takes a while to "catch up".
8