LeBron James - "Being black in America is tough."

[someEEguy]

I accept that there is some bias in the system that could explain that kind of disparity. I do have some trouble transferring that to violent crimes, especially the most serious like murder.

Regarding violent crime, if I had to guess I'd say subjecting the community to frequent searches/harassment in an effort to fill quotas; poisons the well of goodwill (high profile cases of abuse only act to validate this lived experience). This in turn results in a community too distrusting to aid in the arrest of violent criminals (or call for help with the mentally ill), creating a fertile breeding ground for vigilante justice. That in addition to socioeconomic status and mass incarceration without rehabilitation would be my guess.

Cops might go looking for drug dealers in black neighborhoods more than white neighborhoods, and hence they find more drug dealers who are black by literally catching them in the act.

Regarding drug users/dealers, Police may catch some in the “act” but often they just subject mass amounts of people to searches. Also disparities tend to persist regardless of neighborhood (although the degree may vary).

To better understand the mechanics behind the disparities:

 

[UglyCasanova]

Blacks also commit crimes far more proportionally than whites, which vastly increases police engagements.

I agree with this as well. Not everything is black and white, and there are multiple issues surrounding this that need improving. The police do overpolice the black community, but the black community also suffers from extremely elevated crime rates. These things feed off each other. To ignore one does no service to the other though.

 

[interchange]

I'm not a Lebron fan as a player, and I've never been compelled to care about him as a figure either.

And this is different. His remarks to my eye were poignant, classy, and not motivated for external gain.

To me, it's a comment not just on acts of racism or social injustice. It's a comment on how people work. We are tied to our identities, and by and large we're not very good at thinking rationally when or identity is involved. Americans by and large associate blackness with crime, ignorance, violence, rudeness, etc. And this is no different for black Americans. No matter how successful you are, it's really hard to unseat those demons, and I'm sure facing overt exposure to them in the face of such success makes that all the more difficult. This is inherently human. All of us have our weaknesses in identity, and some serious pathology stems from the least healthy versions. This problem is, for example, why narcissists are never satisfied with the power they achieve and have such a hard time accepting any criticism no matter how small.

 

[jackstar7]

I agree with this as well. Not everything is black and white, and there are multiple issues surrounding this that need improving. The police do overpolice the black community, but the black community also suffers from extremely elevated crime rates. These things feed off each other. To ignore one does no service to the other though.

You're almost there... now why do you think those communities have elevated crime rates?

 

[zinfamous]

Yes, and as we know, they're forced to commit those crimes.

this has nothing to do with the information-devoid argument that you made. It is about crime and punishment, reasoning is something else. Try to stay on topic...(yes yes I know, you must change the subject constantly because you will always be defeated by facts that you don't like)

 

[Aikouka]

I would say a higher arrest record for a group doing the same thing is a perfect example of harsher treatment but maybe I'm being unreasonable here/s

(Emphasis mine.)

Actually, I think you are as you seem to be ignoring the entire point of my post. The point is that there are often times where people present evidence, and it seems okay, but it may not paint a full picture. In the article, it shows a situation that certainly seems suspicious, but there's technically nothing else in that article that proves malfeasance. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if you are right, but that doesn't make it right to push it as concrete proof or the only valid source in an argument.

 

[UglyCasanova]

You're almost there... now why do you think those communities have elevated crime rates?

Poverty, which is why poor white communities do as well. Which goes back to my original post in this thread.

 

[jackstar7]

Poverty, which is why poor white communities do as well. Which goes back to my original post in this thread.

And yet, you ignore the disparity while also noting it. Interesting.

 

[Sunburn74]

Poverty, which is why poor white communities do as well. Which goes back to my original post in this thread.

I think the general point to be made is that there are very few things in America where the addition of "being black" makes that thing an even better experience.

Would you rather be rich or be rich and black?
Would you rather be sick or be sick and black?
Would you rather be poor or be poor and black?
Would you rather be looking for a job or be black and looking for a job?
Would you rather be accused of a crime or be accused of a crime and be black?

And so on. The evidence is pretty clear that in all these examples you'd be better off not being black. There is even strong evidence that if you're a black cardiac surgeon you're going to make significantly less than a white cardiac surgeon of similar skill, position and training. You also are less likely to be promoted to leadership positions and so on and so on (this sort of pay and promotion issue also exists with female cardiac surgeons). Racism isn't just a problem that affects the poor.

The country has come a long way but it's sad that so many think the problem with racism has already been solved and is not worth talking about.

 

[Linux23]

Yes, LeBron James, lecture the rest of us about our white privilege, please!

you're dumb

you don't get it

you're dumb

 

[echo4747]

Have they found out who spray painted his property? I would think its quite possible a security cam might have some footage.. For all anyone knows... it could even have been a black person ( probably not.. but stranger things have happened) who vandalized his property

 

[Roflmouth]

for a variety of reasons lebron is correct. Unfortunately, its hard being black everywhere imln the world.

Unless you're LeBron James.

 

[Roflmouth]

I'll be curious to see when those saying poor is worst are going to actually give a shit about poverty.

Oh, you mean it's just a dodge to avoid an adult conversation about racism? Cool cool.

Adult conversations like liberals shouting "You're racist!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1111111111111111222222222222222" to literally every other person on Earth? Tell us more.

 

[Roflmouth]

Try to keep up. You said you didn't think racial bias transferred to other crimes and I showed you an example of a precinct that shows exactly that.

The topic at hand is about how race plays a part in how people are perceived/treated. A poster made a claim that blacks are arrested more because they do more crimes. I showed him that wasn't true.

No you didn't. Blacks commit crimes vastly out of proportion to their population numbers. Try not to cry.

https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2014/crime-in-the-u.s.-2014/tables/table-43

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

No you didn't. Blacks commit crimes vastly out of proportion to their population numbers. Try not to cry.

https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2014/crime-in-the-u.s.-2014/tables/table-43

Please note that the cited table is for arrests, not commission of crimes. There's very little evidence either way that one race commits crimes in a disproportionate percentage of crimes compared to any other.