I’m Black and grew up in the Hood, just like the folks I write about. I still live in the inner city & my street work is based there.
If we don’t stress individual choice as the PRIME solution we’re throwing urban boys and men into the system or death- period!
Society sin’t going to change how it treats us any time soon and it’s our personal responsibility not to become criminals.
The only variable we control in this scenario is our conduct. The sociological argument is what all of us face in the inner city- myself included.
The difference is whether we choose to engage in conduct that imposes felonies; fines; imprisonment; disqualifying background information; life-changing injuries or death, by joining the dope game.
I’ve lost too many brothers who made that choice and still have most around ( barring death by accident or natural causes ) who didn’t.
Same control group; same environment, different choices- different outcomes.
Urban boys and men can control whether they choose to be drug dealers or addicts- regardless of how society treats us.
Fixed-Gear Hero
“This is what happens when urban boys and men refuse to make peace with America.”
The same country that has a 80% black inmate population. The same country that uses drug laws to harass and belittle minorities in the guise of “the war on drugs”.
These same “urban boys and men” are the majority of the poor in America, perhaps instead of blaming the victim you will understand that their society is engineered so they will fail.
I am not saying this makes it okay or that there isn’t a choice being made, I am just saying too often people ignore the SOCIOLOGICAL perspective which is IMO the only one that matters. Google it if you don’t know what I am talking about.