Dare To Ask Talk And News About Our Differences - This topic has 19 replies, 19 voices, and was last updated 18 years, 3 months ago by
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- I also am from the area and have seen the same types of things. Blacks in the area seem to have an affinity for expensive cars, but home ownership and living in decent housing seems secondary. I think the answer lies in the psychological effects of slavery. During slavery and the Jim Crow era, blacks were not allowed (either through law, discrimination or financial constraints) to own homes, thus we set our sights on things that were realistically attainable at the time. Clothing, shoes, jewelery and cars were things that became our status symbols. This is the same reason many blacks dress to the nines to go to church (church was one of the few activities that black families were allowed to manage and participate in during slavery), whereas many traditionally white congregations(Catholic churches, for example) place less value on your dress during the service.
Blacks have suffered psychologically in many ways from slavery, and you are just witnessing one of the ways it has affected and continues to affect many of the values passed from generation to generation in black culture.
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Name : Angel, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Baptist, Age : 23, City : Detroit, State : MI Country : United States, Occupation : Research, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I would guess that some young black males may not want to leave the hood. Where would they go? The white suburbs? Lots of close relationships with people with a lot in common aren't going to be made there.User Detail :
Name : Chris, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Christian, Age : 23, City : West, State : NA Country : Canada, Occupation : Student, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class,I agree with the fact that Jim crow laws and slavery changed the prorities for black people, and yes since many young blacks get their money thru drugs it's easy for them to go out and spend money on frivolous things like cars and clothes but it's also due to the fact that it takes more than money to buy a home you also have to have credit and be excepted by the community that you are moving into these things still aren't so easy for black people so I have $20,000.00 to put down on the house I still might not be able to get it. Also living in the 'hood' may not be as traumatic for someone who has grown up there and lived there for all their lives like it might be for you.User Detail :
Name : Sherman, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Christian, Age : 34, City : Richmond, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : Contractor, Education level : Technical School, Social class : Middle class,I am a black american living in europe.. I have the answer to your question. The reason some US blacks have a nicer car than their home. I agree somewhat that having a new or functioning vehicle is very important... You need a car that functions to take you to your employment and to get you around in general... This is why on most employment applications, they ask if you have suitable transportation...... I don´t think everyone is riding around in escalades......this car is a gas guzzler and maybe the person you saw driving this car was a rapper, musician,athlete or maybe he or she leases this vehicle. Even in germany you see young turks or other minority groups riding around in Bmw 7 series or Mercedes, and you know they are living at home with relatives..... I think young men like hot rods and fancy automobiles....... so this is not a purely black issue...... In the end I think a person can update his residence...but having good transportation is always important. I always have thought it is better to have a nice flat before buying or leasing that dream car, but I am female......ha ha ha...User Detail :
Name : Leslie22888, City : Stuttgart, State : FL Country : Germany,The converse question might be why don't more 'white' young men drive expensive cars? In my family background (British heritage, lower-middle to middle-middle class, I think) showing off with wealth (or apparent wealth), especially in a flashy manner, is kind of frowned upon--and the fact is, its not so much the cost as the flashiness factor, which reads as tacky. Look at the style differences between typical Norht American northern european type weddings and Greek/Italian/Portugese weddings and you'll get what I'm talking about. Goes for clothes, watches, cars, whatever, flashy isn;t that cool for us, and we knid of know we look dorky doing it--so we choose punk or goth styles, intentionally dorky outfits, when we want to draw attention. Spending money on gadgets, vacations and buying a house or condo (where we can get into credit trouble) is more the norm. We like the nice cars, but we assume that someone who puts all his resources into one is either trying overcompensate for something, or selse has chosen that as his particular thing. Hell, if you live in the city, not owning a car can be a badge of honour in some circles. Seems like lots of people with Black, South-East Asian, Southern European, Latin American backgrounds don't instinctively do things that way. Then again, lots do. Come to think of it, if you're young and in Toronto, as long as you're 'middle-class'--by accent, education, pretensions, and up-bringing--which probably reads as culturally 'white' for a lot of people; your actual race/heritage doesn't matter so much in this context--having no money to spend carries no stigma, its just inconvenient. I don't think it works that way in communities where people do or are assumed to live close to the line.User Detail :
Name : Eric19627, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 33, City : Toronto, State : NA Country : Canada, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,
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