[Samuel]

Zawadi, I am going to agree with everything you said. I feel, however, that you missed the point of my little essay. Not once did I say that doing drugs, even marijuana, was a good thing. I am fully aware of the negative effects of marijuana, and more harmful drugs, and I was in no way attempting to encourage their use. In fact, let me inform you that I do not, and have never, abused illegal narcotics. My point was, and continues to be, this: as with most criminal 'justice' in this society, the prohibition against drugs is enforced with obvious bias, and has done more harm to the more vulnerable communities than the drugs themselves. This is not only evident in the presence of the illegal, violent distribution networks (esp. street gangs) in poorer communities, but also in the startling lack of comprehensive treatment programs. More money is poured into prosecuting and jailing drug users than into rehabilitating them. How many more people would seek treatment if a) it were more readily available and b) they didn't have to fear possible incarceration for revealing their debilitating 'habit?' Also, the federal, state, and local jurisdictions seem to have declared war on crack, which is more prominent in poor, minority communities; they are practically looking the other way from the distribution and use of powder cocaine, which is more commonly abused by middle-class and rich whites. Its like trying to kill a salamander by repeatedly cutting off its tail. So, my point is not that drugs should be tossed around like free candy, or that the morality of the drug issue is irrelevant. If the drug problem is ever to be brought under control, this country is going to have to stop treating it, as you say, strictly as a problem of the 'poor, lazy, stupid, and weak (and, I might add, black).'

User Detail :  

Name : Samuel, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Age : 31, City : Chicago, State : IL Country : United States, Occupation : Firefighter, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Lower middle class, 

[Samuel]

Marijuana, in its unenhanced form, is a relatively mild narcotic. Its effects are, arguably, more calming and less immediately debilitating than those of alcohol. I think the "war" against marijuana and other more potentially harmful drugs displays the American propensity for moral hypocrisy and politically expedient grandstanding. The public, as represented by our legislators, seems to have forgotten the basics of supply and demand, as well as the lessons taught by the outcomes of the first Prohibition (zero decrease in alcohol consumption; the blossoming of organized crime). With ridiculously biased and Draconian federal drug sentencing laws and "three strikes" legislation on the books (hand-in-hand with the explosion of the prison-for-profit industry), the criminalization of the drug culture continues to do far more harm to vulnerable communities than the drugs themselves.

User Detail :  

Name : Samuel, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Age : 31, City : Chicago, State : IL Country : United States, Occupation : Firefighter, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Lower middle class, 

[Samuel]

Don't take this as an insult, but your question seems to underscore a curious social phenomenon I've long suspected exists in our larger culture: The inability of many, if not most whites (not to mention an alarming number of blacks and other minorities as well) to comprehend the extent to which racism (historical and contemporary) has affected the contours of our American society.

To illustrate, I'll turn your first question around: Would there have been a need for a Miss Black America if black women had never been excluded from the "original" pageant in the first place? Has the largely white-controlled mass media's resistance to recognizing the beauty of non-white women contributed as well? Also, ask yourself: Even though America has a huge population of Spanish-speaking citizens and residents of South and Central American origins, why are there separate Spanish-language networks? If you allow yourself to take an honest look at the larger historical picture, you will see that these organizations and individuals are merely trying to fill a basic human desire, the desire to fit in, as they have found largely rejection from the larger (read: white) society. The intent is not to create an atmosphere of exclusion, but to avoid being marginalized.

User Detail :  

Name : Samuel, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Age : 31, City : Chicago, State : IL Country : United States, Occupation : Firefighter, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Lower middle class, 

[Samuel]

I would have to say that, based on personal experience, the answer to your question is yes. I have often been accused of possessing the same traits you have described, and I happily plead guilty. The question that accompanies the assessment is usually not "Did you go to college?" but "Where did you go to college?" In a society that was allegedly formed to eliminate class divisions, or at least lessen their importance, it is disturbing to see that something so basic as education has remained a tool for class segregation.

Should a formal (and usually very expensive) education be believed to be the only source of personal enrichment, along with acquisition of skills and knowledge? Conversely, why should someone who displays an apparent wealth of knowledge and culture be assumed to possess a certificate of "higher learning?" I work in a field where my comrades hail from all ranges of socioeconomic and educational backgrounds, yet we all wear the same uniform and are expected to perform with the same level of dedication and courage when called upon. I doubt that if we're pulling someone's child from a burning building, the grateful parents will wonder whether we received a doctorate in physics from the University of Chicago.

Education and personal enrichment can come from various sources; or, as Forrest Gump might say: "Educated is as educated does."

User Detail :  

Name : Samuel, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Age : 31, City : Chicago, State : IL Country : United States, Occupation : Firefighter, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Lower middle class, 

[Samuel]

There is an old saying: 'History is written by the conquerors.' This has been the case throughout humanity. The aforementioned saying aptly implies that those who write history do so to justify their own place in the societies they have come to dominate. How can such flawed and biased repetition of historical misinformation continue in the 'Information Age?' I suggest you read Professor James W. Loewen's Lies My Teacher Told Me. In addition to other historical myths, Loewen dissects the Columbus story (as taught in American schools) and relates many of the possible reasons why truths have been replaced with groundless suppositions and outright lies. I believe you'll find the core of the answer you seek lies within the wording of your question.

User Detail :  

Name : Samuel, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Age : 31, City : Chicago, State : IL Country : United States, Occupation : Firefighter, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Lower middle class, 

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