[annonymous]

In a society that portrays the black male as the epitome of serious violence and criminal activity, why isn't anyone publicly questioning the psyche of the white male? In light of the Columbine incident, does anyone dare ask what's going on with the white male? I'm looking at a pattern of violence here: The mass murder in the McDonald's in California, the Royal Oak post office shooting in Michigan, the Oklahoma City bombing and the string of school mass shootings. Tell me, how frequently has a black man been in the news for shooting up a restaurant, post office or school? Caveat: I am not indicting all white men.
Originally R653. Click here to see responses in original archives.

User Detail :  

Name : annonymous, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, Age : 34, City : Detroit, State : MI Country : United States, 

[Andrew]

In general, I'd have to agree that white males perpetrate more mass murders than others. But be careful with generalizations. The man who killed six people and wounded 25 on a Long Island Rail Road train five years ago was a black male who picked that train specifically to get white victims. Rage is multicultural.

User Detail :  

Name : Andrew, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 35, City : Huntington, State : NY Country : United States, Occupation : Reporter, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Chris H.]

Sadly, black-on-black killings are so pervasive they hardly merit mention in the news. If they kill a white person, that merits more attention. Blacks are less than 15 percent of the population and yet make up half of the prison population, and a huge percentage of black young males are either locked up or on probation.

One of the top three causes of death for black males is by gunshot. Not so for white males. The reason a school shooting or a postal shooting gets the attention is that it is so uncommon. In other words, it's news. Blacks killing blacks in the inner city over crack cocaine is old hat, and sadly, I think people tend to think that most of these guys wouldn't be getting killed if they were not in gangs, anyway. Innocent bystanders getting shot in these driveby's is still news. Drugs and gangs have devastated the black community, and I don't understand why they don't do more to stop it.

User Detail :  

Name : Chris H., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 44, City : kokomo, State : IN Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Alma]

If I buy into the stereotype that white males are predominantly violent, I have just copied the same bigoted thinking that says black males are predominantly lazy, prone to drug-dealing and violence and make lousy fathers. Two wrongs don't make a right. The biggest culprit that promotes negative black messages is the American media. I think any time you see statistics that say "60 percent of all crimes are committed by black men" that those tend to be numbers collected in areas where populations are mainly black Americans. Hence the numbers are skewed. Therefore, businesses don't hire blacks, which means black men can't get work, and the sterotype is further encouraged. The picture is starting to change, but, I agree, it's damn slow.

User Detail :  

Name : Alma, Gender : Female, Sexual Orientation : Lesbian, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Methodist, City : Kempner, State : TX Country : United States, Occupation : contract employee, Education level : 4 Years of College, 

[Floyd L.]

It is not true that black crime is not news. It is often the only thing reported as newsworthy about blacks. How else would so many whites be able to quote statistics about it while knowing hardly anything else about blacks? Reputed black crime, regardless of type, has never been kept out of the news in any locale in this country, not because of the horror of it all, but because of its political, racial, economic and psychological importance to so much of America. Indeed, it has such an important role that much activity lumped under 'black crime' is not even viewed as criminal when engaged in by whites. Allegations, fear and the fact of black crime have always paid in America. Recall the many celebrated cases of white murderers falsely accusing blacks, knowing that most whites would readily buy the lie and enthusiastically vent their hysteria on some innocent black.

Criminalization of blacks in America feeds lucrative opportunities and supports comfortable livelihoods for many Americans, most of whom are white, ranging from the real drug beneficiaries through the gun industry and lobby to burgeoning police departments, prison staffs and a booming prison construction industry, with many upstanding, Christian communities now competing to be selected as sites for new prisons. There is no evidence that any of these groups desire to change this lucrative situation. Why cut off the hand that feeds you? The so-called War on Drugs has done nothing to stem the flow of drugs into black communities, but instead has fed the criminalization of black males in those communities. That is the big crime.

White crime never gets the serious airing and scrutiny it deserves because to do so would destroy the picture that has been so painstakingly painted about crime in America. The sad truth is that, by and large for white America, only white deaths are lamentable, black life is not as important as white life and is, for some, probably less important than black death. In this area we are a house divided, and subject to the same fate if we don't wake up and get it together.

User Detail :  

Name : Floyd L., Gender : M, Age : 59, City : Memphis, State : TN Country : United States, 

[Steve B.]

It's interesting how Floyd's assertions don't require a shred of proof. He expects the reader to believe that his eloquent use of the written word is adequate and a fine substitute for the truth. He would have us believe in this and other postings in the Y? Forum that whites, not blacks, are the main perpetrators of crime. And that blacks seldom, if ever, use guns in a crime or any other time, except in drug-related incidents. According to the FBI's Uniform Crime Report, blacks, while making up 12 percent of the U.S. population, commit 40 percent of all weapons violations. White male's demonic worship of guns? Hmmm.

And while we're on the subject, according to the same report, blacks commit 59 percent of all robberies, 42 percent of all rapes, 54% of all murders and 42 percent of all violent crimes combined. Big Lie? Hmmm...

User Detail :  

Name : Steve B., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 42, City : Warrensburg, State : MO Country : United States, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[S.s.]

How sad, it seems that you believe the hype also. It's funny that as soon as we start asking why whites are committing crimes it becomes unnecessary to put us into demographic groups. But as long as blacks or other groups 'seem' to be committing all of the crimes it's o.k. If you are intelligent as your letter seems you know that the statistic only seems higher for blacks because there are less of us. You also know that there are several other factors that play an important role in why so many blacks are violent. But that is in no way to say that blacks are committing most of the crimes. And if you are smart enough you also know that more blacks are arrested for crimes. So, don't believe all of the hype the media wants you to believe. If as many whites that do wrong were actually arrested I think you would rewrite your letter. By the way I have never committed a crime so I am not defending anyone. God Bless!

User Detail :  

Name : S.s., Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Christian, Age : 25, City : Houston, State : TX Country : United States, Occupation : student/Admin Assist., Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, 

[Chris]

White teenagers commit mass shootings & bombings due to the relationships they have with their parents. I have experienced the family aspects of the Black community & learned that Black parents are very open and honest with their children. They tell them what theyve done wrong, what theyve done right, & are open about most every aspect of their lives. Cuz Black parents are so honest with their children the children are open and honest with their parents. Black teenagers can talk to their parents without fear of being sent to a mental institution. They can let their troubles be heard without fear of being expelled from the family forever. They communicate with their parents & have honest discussions leaving little to nothing to hide. White parents are more secretive. They hide their wrongs & put expectations on their children, so great, that the children live in fear of what their parents will do if they find out their faults. White children lack attention & try to find some way to get it. Because of lack of communication between white parents & white children, white children feel trapped, lonely, & that their parents dont love them. Since there is no escape from the ongoing turmoil they face everyday they build up anger, resentment, and disparity. I believe that the two kids at the Columbine high lacked communication with their parents. They felt trapped, like their life would never get better, that they were worthless. I lived with this every day for 2 years in my early teenage years. I attempted suicide 8 times in two months. The only thing that kept me alive was a Black Radio Personality named Renee. Every day I would listen to her on the radio and every day without her knowing, she would give me encouragement to keep living my life the best I could. After about 2 years of constantly living in pain I was transferred to a continuation school. Olympic was the turning point in my life because I could not hide it from my parents. Since then my relationship with my parents has been open. They tell me everything & I tell them everything in return. We talk & have such a better relationship cuz of our honesty. In 3 years I have not thought of suicide. All of my close friends are Black and I also learned from them the way Black teens think about life & suicide. What I learned is that you need to do for yourself because no one will do for you! Suicide (& mass murders) is the easy (and stupid) ways out. There will always be a better day.

User Detail :  

Name : Chris, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 17, City : Martinez, State : CA Country : United States, Social class : Lower middle class, 

[Joe L.]

Although I understand your frustration and acknowledge that our predominantly white society shows very little cultural understanding in cases of ethnic profiling in criminal prosecution, it is a bit misguided and somewhat of an indictment to question the psyche of 'the white male.' Unfortunately, many whites and non-whites have called into question the 'psyche' of the 'type' of teenagers who were involved in the Columbine incident. Eschewing reason, many high schools enacted Jim Crow-esque laws that unfairly profiled and prosecuted certain types of students who had already been castigated socially in the face of wanton 'jockocracy.' The issue at hand: judgmentality. With the extremely poor cultural education and understanding we have as a nation due to isolation and ethnocentrism, we subject ourselves to unhealthy prejudices, and as a result fail to implement reasonable and equitable policies and practices.

User Detail :  

Name : Joe L., Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 22, City : Tampa, State : FL Country : United States, Occupation : Actuarial analyst, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Joseph Howell]

Isn't it easier to blame a group because of their color - rather than understanding 'who these criminals are' or 'why they behave this way'? There is a popular ignorance among news people. They only choose 'a story' instead of finding the truth. I call it the MTV philosophy. When white children shoot up a high school, the media sees 'a story' and they look for a simple answer around it; Usually the attackers 'belong to a hate group', the lone gunman was 'mentally ill', or someone was angry from being 'bullied in their school(s)'. When black children shoot up a high school, the media sees 'a story' and they look for a simple answer around it; Usually the attacks are 'gang related', there was a 'history' of violence, or it was an act of 'anger'. I blame alot of the prejudice in our country towards the ignorance of ourselves. Ignorance as in 'not understanding each other' rather than ignorance as in 'stupidity'. I think we all have a curiousity about everyone, but we make the mistake of allowing a media to describe it to us, or listening to bigoted information from our family and friends.

User Detail :  

Name : Joseph Howell, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : doen't matter, Disability : doesn't matter, Race : doesn't matter, Religion : freethinker, Age : 30, City : Wilmington, State : OH Country : United States, Occupation : artist, 

[Gnikhnic]

There is some truth to the belief that black males are more in tuned to do violent crimes against other blacks, and whites; because of social economic facters that get misenturpeted for being character traits of ones race. However there is no question that in the history of the world, white men or anglo-saxons have committed some of the most horrific genocidal acts known to mankind. Just to name a few: Spearheading the American Indians near exstinction in America, attemted ahnniahlation of the Jews in Europe, and being at the forefront of enslaving African people and stripping them of there heritage for 400 years. Not to mention the creation of weapons of mass destruction(that will someday kill us all). All in all, white males have contributed to the destruction of Africa, and African American men and women in America. There are more black men doing crime to survive than the other small percentage of black men doing crimes out of anger or rage. The bottom line white men want to be in control. And when they don't have that control the most extremist of White men could get genocidal.

User Detail :  

Name : Gnikhnic, Gender : M, Race : Black/African American, Age : 24, City : Charlotte, State : NC Country : United States, Occupation : Student, 

[RaphaelS.]

It is a relief to find someone like Roger of SC, who is open-minded and objective regarding this subject. Just last night, I was posting and reading an online message board. The topic was the NBA brawl that occurred several days ago. It saddened and amazed me just how many people, both black and white, resorted to using racial namecalling and stereotyping to express their opinions. There is still a LOT of hatred in our society -- it's just gone more underground than it was 50 years ago. I do dispute Roger's statistics that state black men are more likely to commit crimes. Before I would believe it, I would first ask whether they have tested a cross-section of socioeconomic backgrounds. It seems reasonable that a black man who grew up in a slum would be more likely to commit a crime than a black man who grew up in the 'burbs, because his environment is more about surviving from day to day and doing what he feels he must do just to take care of his most basic needs. He also may not have the parental influence you might expect from a guy that was blessed with a few more things in life. Conversely, I would also expect a white male who grew up disadvantaged to be just as likely to commit crimes as a black man in a similar situation. So -- if you are to compare black and white, compare them on equal levels, then see what the statistical results are. Last, I would also expect that black males are more often targeted by law enforcement for arrests. Recent studies by the NAACP and the ACLU suggest this to be true (racial profiling). I believe it, because I was once stopped by a cop who ADMITTED that he stopped me because I was black. But I had no recourse in court, because in this state, police can run your tags without any probable cause. It turned out there was a problem with my license that I did not even know about until after he stopped me. However, it still angers me to know that if I had been white, he would never have even bothered to check.

User Detail :  

Name : RaphaelS., Gender : M, Race : Black/African American, Age : 34, City : Baltimore, State : MD Country : United States, Occupation : Web Developer, Social class : Middle class, 

[Nikkole A]

Roger, I so wish it were true that 'most people know enough to realize that isn't real life.' I do agree with Zawadi that media over-reports violent crime committed not only by blacks but by other non-whites as well. In newspapers, the headlines will say 'Black man shoots 3' or 'Native American Youth stabs girlfriend' etc. If the perpetrator is white, that detail is not included. In that case it will say 'Man fatally beats wife' & etc. This contributes to our belief that these individuals (non-whites) are inherently more violent. I believe this contributes to people's fear of being in an elevator with a black person (for example) for fear of being mugged, etc. I agree with you that it is the individual, and not the collective group to be blamed here. I will challenge you on your statistics, however. I believe that it is irrelevant that a greater percentage of black males commit crimes. You begin by saying that it is not the ethnicity but the individual, and then go on to point out how black men are more violent. You seem to contradict youself here. Your usage of the crime stats is also flawed. The higher percentage of crimes committed by blacks can be attributed to a great many things other than ethnicity (blacks being more violent, which seems to be your conclusion). Black men may be more likely to be arrested than whites (racism). Significantly more black males live in poverty and in harsh inner cities, which lack employment and positive alternatives to crime. Let's break it down by socio-economic status and find out whether blacks are more likely to commit crime, or whether poor individuals who see no alternative are more likely to go that route. (Sorry, I don't have these statistics. I hope someone will post them.) I have a BA in criminal justice and am speaking to the causes of crime from a sociological perspective, as well as the flaws in statistical data.

User Detail :  

Name : Nikkole A, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Spiritual, not religious, Age : 31, City : Rapid City, State : SD Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, 

[John]

Fact of the matter is, blacks comprise about 13% of the population, yet are responsible for almost 50% of the murders committed. So if anyone is portraying blacks this way, it is blacks themselves, by committing a disproportionate amount of murders. Next, when white people committ extreme acts of violence it makes the news because it is much less likely to happen. Also, what about the black man that killed 6 members of his family with a hammer this last month?

User Detail :  

Name : John, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Methodist, Age : 22, City : austin, State : TX Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper class, 

[Jesse Humphrey]

I feel the reason a lot of white males have not been protrayed as the sane one. For many of years the white man has killed and robbed. This is not to say African Americans are better nor the Caucasian man is better, but to say the title of their crimes are sugar coated. WHen a black man commits thief they are robbers. WHen a white man commits a thief they embezzle. It is all the same thing taking something that is not theirs rightfully.

User Detail :  

Name : Jesse Humphrey, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Religion : Baptist, Age : 45, City : Glen Allan, State : MS Country : United States, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Author]

Posts