Stop saying African Americans have no culture!

[E Irizarry R&B Singer]

Of course African Americans have a culture: a rich history in-fact; from Hip-hop to Jazz music, Black literature from notables such as James Baldwin and Maya Angelou, to Mowtown, to Duke Ellington, to Sammy Davis Jr. African Americans have contributed a lot to American society...

Now, if you're talking about how African Americans have been robbed of their cultural identity--unlike, say, Asian Americans--who still cling strongly to their roots in Asia--than I would agree; many African Americans would have great difficulty identifying with their kin in Africa, for example.

That's not to say Asian Americans don't have cultural issues to deal with: they do! In fact, many Asian Americans have many self-identity issues to deal with--especially with so many not being able to speak their parent's tongue, or not knowing anything about their culture back home. Too many Asians are 'White-washed' and unable to perceive themselves as an 'Asian' person in a White-dominated society like the United States.

You are slightly off-the-mark here. What about the Asian Americans that call themselves "Asian" over what nationality that they and/or their ancestors are from? e.g. "Well, I'm Asian so there". Like - that doesn't explain which country in Asia that person is from. Most Asian Amreicans who claim that they are straight up Asian or "AZN" more than anything else does not know where their roots stem from!!

[E Irizarry R&B Singer]

They ignore the fact that there are far more whites on welfare than blacks. They ignore the fact that these successful blacks have worked, studied and prepared themselves harder and better than they have. Their egos cannot bear this fact.

There are some blacks who are below you. There are some on your level. And there are some so far beyond where you could ever dream of being. Just get over it.

When you talk about these things, absolute numbers are meaningless unless each group happens to be equal in number. Stick to percentages to avoid it being apples vs. oranges. What percent of African American's receive some sort of welfare, what percentage of Asian Asian Americans, what percent of Jewish Americans, what percent of white Americans, and what percent of Hispanic Americans?

Of course some blacks will be above most whites. I doubt many here will make it to office of President of United States. But then again, isn't Obama also half white lol?

Anyway, for generalizations and group to group comparisons, why not stick with stats (means, bell curves, and standard deviations)? Even though most Filipinos are pretty short, there are some who are taller than me too, the ones which are like 3 or 4 SD above the mean male height here which means they make up a very small percentage of the total population in Phils. An average guy can whip and average girls a** in a fight. But I can find a few girls who can probably beat-up majority of guys too.

Why is it so taboo to have these discussions? I mean, it is possible to base them just on facts and avoid extending into the subjective realm. At least in medicine it's acceptable to discuss differences between broad race and ethnic categories for the sake of disease prevention.

@SkateboardStephen,

My answer will not be a direct contribution to the thread, but nevertheless, it'll answer part of Rock's question.

@Rock,

Per bold, I'm surprised that you even realize that Obama is half White and not Black by the Jim Crow slave a.ss law. That's good that a non-Black knows that. I guess living in Chicago and living "here" on HA has been pulling the wool off of your eyes sotospeak.

[Cornfed]

They ignore the fact that these successful blacks have worked, studied and prepared themselves harder and better than they have.

Or they have sat around being given stuff for being intrinsically racially inferior, which is of course what affirmative action applies. No-one is keeping tabs on how many Anglo-Saxon, Greek or whatever other such people are in which positions. It is only races the powers that be deem worthless that are the targets of AA. Or are you seriously denying that affirmative action exists?

[Contrarian Expatriate]

They ignore the fact that these successful blacks have worked, studied and prepared themselves harder and better than they have.

Or they have sat around being given stuff for being intrinsically racially inferior, which is of course what affirmative action applies. No-one is keeping tabs on how many Anglo-Saxon, Greek or whatever other such people are in which positions. It is only races the powers that be deem worthless that are the targets of AA. Or are you seriously denying that affirmative action exists?

The biggest beneficiary group of Affirmative Action is White Women. So with your logic, even though you are pretty low on the achievement and wealth totem poles, you are artificially higher than what you ought to be since your mother benefited from Affirmative Action. At the same time, you seethe when "racial minorities" are simply better than you.

You can fight it all you wish, but some of us are better than you Cornfed. Take one look at the women I've been with and take another look at the women you have (if you have). That is a clue but I'm sure you'll blame the Zionist Conspiracy for deeming you too unattractive and lowly to be loved by women.

[Cornfed]

The biggest beneficiary group of Affirmative Action is White Women.

You’re absolutely right. That sucks as well, as I've written about at length.

o with your logic, even though you are pretty low on the achievement and wealth totem poles, you are artificially higher than what you ought to be since your mother benefited from Affirmative Action.

My mother's degree predates affirmative action. She could have later benefited from AA and probably would have become became a high ranking academic, but instead chose to do the right thing and raise a family while educating others, which was sub optimal for us. So I haven't benefitted from AA at all. Quite the reverse.

You can fight it all you wish, but some of us are better than you Cornfed.

Out of millions of you, I'm sure you are right in several cases.

[tre]

I don't support Affirmative Action. The best, most talented and smartest, regardless of race or sex, should be hired first....period. Affirmative Action empowered females of all races, which strengthened feminism to the point where its a serious disease. I don't think it helped black men overall...it might even have weakened them. Men of different races have different strengths and weaknesses. If government were to use Affirmative Action across the board, then an equal percentage of white men, Asian men, etc., would HAVE to be included in basketball, track and field, boxing, etc.. This would ruin sports, just as it ruins everything else. Black men obviously have many strengths. Some are dominant (physical), but I think they can compete in most anything if they are willing to work for it. I think giving special privileges to anyone based on sex or race is damaging. It will insure that feelings of entitlement and hate remain forever. Government knows this and uses it to "divide and conquer". The government pushes racism and has no intention of seeing it end. Look at the attitude of the general population of America in regard to the people of the middle east. I can't count how many times I've heard and read "we should just nuke them all". It's terrible...

American Culture is dead and was replaced by something designed to destroy society....slowly but surely. The sad part is....it's working very effectively.

[E Irizarry R&B Singer]

I don't support Affirmative Action. The best, most talented and smartest, regardless of race or sex, should be hired first....period. Affirmative Action empowered females of all races, which strengthened feminism to the point where its a serious disease. I don't think it helped black men overall...it might even have weakened them. Men of different races have different strengths and weaknesses. If government were to use Affirmative Action across the board, then an equal percentage of white men, Asian men, etc., would HAVE to be included in basketball, track and field, boxing, etc.. This would ruin sports, just as it ruins everything else. Black men obviously have many strengths. Some are dominant (physical), but I think they can compete in most anything if they are willing to work for it. I think giving special privileges to anyone based on sex or race is damaging. It will insure that feelings of entitlement and hate remain forever. Government knows this and uses it to "divide and conquer". The government pushes racism and has no intention of seeing it end. Look at the attitude of the general population of America in regard to the people of the middle east. I can't count how many times I've heard and read "we should just nuke them all". It's terrible...

American Culture is dead and was replaced by something designed to destroy society....slowly but surely. The sad part is....it's working very effectively.

And LGBT benefits from Affirmative Action too. Left-wing liberals love Affirm. Action.

[tre]

I don't support Affirmative Action. The best, most talented and smartest, regardless of race or sex, should be hired first....period. Affirmative Action empowered females of all races, which strengthened feminism to the point where its a serious disease. I don't think it helped black men overall...it might even have weakened them. Men of different races have different strengths and weaknesses. If government were to use Affirmative Action across the board, then an equal percentage of white men, Asian men, etc., would HAVE to be included in basketball, track and field, boxing, etc.. This would ruin sports, just as it ruins everything else. Black men obviously have many strengths. Some are dominant (physical), but I think they can compete in most anything if they are willing to work for it. I think giving special privileges to anyone based on sex or race is damaging. It will insure that feelings of entitlement and hate remain forever. Government knows this and uses it to "divide and conquer". The government pushes racism and has no intention of seeing it end. Look at the attitude of the general population of America in regard to the people of the middle east. I can't count how many times I've heard and read "we should just nuke them all". It's terrible...

American Culture is dead and was replaced by something designed to destroy society....slowly but surely. The sad part is....it's working very effectively.

And LGBT benefits from Affirmative Action too. Left-wing liberals love Affirm. Action.

True. Pushing Affirmative Action is a very strong political move....unfortunately.

[skateboardstephen]

I don't know who is saying that African Americans have no culture. This is total news to me. They have a very powerful culture with a great impact on the world. Who said that to you and where did you hear that?

This statement is something that Brits like to say about all Americans- Americans have no culture, bla bla blah. But it's an opinion and it's wrong.

I will give you my opinion, though. There's is culture but unlike with US Jews who send their kids to Israel or US Greeks who send their kids to Greece to visit, there's definitely not enough effort to re-connect with Africa even though all means are available-- for example most student exchanges, internships, etc in Africa are mostly done by white Americans not black ones.

There are many black studies at colleges but not enough African studies for people to relearn the lost heritage plus most do not seem to be interested. An average black person in the US is not that keen on Africa in terms of language study, music, literature, etc.

Yes, agreed, robbed if their heritage, so much is trule but now all systems are go, people can go and live in Ghana, Nigeria, etc and absorb the life there and rediscover themselves. But this almost never happens. What's worse, many Black Americans look down on Africans and snub them, and African students in the US end up making friends with white people mostly. Seen it so many times.

You didn't know?Racist Latinos and people from the Caribbean as well as some Africans are notorious for saying that we don't have a culture.When Latinos do this it burns me up because they themselves come from Slave colonies yet they try to insult African Americans by saying things like "I know what country i come from" "Blacks have no nationality"..Mother f***er you were brought to Dominican Republic,Jamaica,Puerto Rico,Cuba etc. as Slaves as well...What the f**k you mean i don't know what country i come from??I'm from the U.S. that's my nationality. Or they say "I know my own language"..Do these dumb asses know that they speak Spanish,Portuguese and French as a result of their colonization just like African Americans speak English? Or they seem to think that their languages are superior and ridicule African American vernacular yet they themselves don't even speak proper Spanish or standard English.Portuguese is full of Slang and colloquialisms and creoles.

[Moretorque]

I like some black people but do not care for the culture here in the US they create, as Bill Orielly stated it is degenerate and that is coming from a degenerate.

Some of the greatest works and most talented people are black but as a whole when I read the statistics on the American blacks I was shocked and realized at that moment as stated by Henry Kissinger you will be grateful when the UN comes in and restores order.

With the type of behavior I read as a culture in the stats there is no way to have a first world order living environment with a high percentage of blacks who chose to act like that in a culture.

[skateboardstephen]

I like some black people but do not care for the culture here in the US they create, as Bill Orielly stated it is degenerate and that is coming from a degenerate.

Some of the greatest works and most talented people are black but as a whole when I read the statistics on the American blacks I was shocked and realized at that moment as stated by Henry Kissinger you will be grateful when the UN comes in and restores order.

With the type of behavior I read as a culture in the stats there is no way to have a first world order living environment with a high percentage of blacks who chose to act like that in a culture.

Well statistically a country like Brazil has murder rate that is 5x times that of the United States but how come i never hear people like you saying that Brazilians(regardless of race) and their culture is inferior or that they have no culture because of the high rate of crime?I'm not giving the violence that goes on in the African American community a pass but i noticed that African Americans are held to this higher standard when it's convenient to do so, while the same negative connotation is not attached with Hondurans,for example.The UN to restore order in the U.S. are you kidding me?

[Moretorque]

I am just wondering if in the US if we can ever get the country to function as it was designed to with the documents, I know no other countries or their environment. The stats on the blacks here in the US at present in my book are plain terrible.

I was joking about the UN but Kissinger made that statement.

[mguy]

When you talk about these things, absolute numbers are meaningless unless each group happens to be equal in number. Stick to percentages to avoid it being apples vs. oranges. What percent of African American's receive some sort of welfare, what percentage of Asian Asian Americans, what percent of Jewish Americans, what percent of white Americans, and what percent of Hispanic Americans?

Of course some blacks will be above most whites. I doubt many here will make it to office of President of United States. But then again, isn't Obama also half white lol?

Anyway, for generalizations and group to group comparisons, why not stick with stats (means, bell curves, and standard deviations)? Even though most Filipinos are pretty short, there are some who are taller than me too, the ones which are like 3 or 4 SD above the mean male height here which means they make up a very small percentage of the total population in Phils. An average guy can whip and average girls a** in a fight. But I can find a few girls who can probably beat-up majority of guys too.

Why is it so taboo to have these discussions? I mean, it is possible to base them just on facts and avoid extending into the subjective realm. At least in medicine it's acceptable to discuss differences between broad race and ethnic categories for the sake of disease prevention.

Because statistics are easily skewed if the operators are missing. "what percentage of blacks are in welfare?" AND "other factors that explain this" (ie, grew up without dad, went to crappy school, etc) this will never be expressed as a complete percentage.

For example, "Filipinos are short on average" IF "you go to the province" AND IF "you are in area with a malnourished class" .. but you might not ever find yourself in that environment so you might conclude otherwise.

You have to put it into context then apply a meta to it. Things cannot be so broadly defined.

[zboy1]

I am just wondering if in the US if we can ever get the country to function as it was designed to with the documents, I know no other countries or their environment. The stats on the blacks here in the US at present in my book are plain terrible.

I was joking about the UN but Kissinger made that statement.

Asians suffer in the USA as well...but not in the way most people think; for example, Asians have a huge suicide rate in the USA. Also, Asians are so conformist and materialistic, that we're expected to be super-successful in life, so that explains why there is such a high-rate of mental illness among Asians in America, because of the overwhelming pressure put on Asians to succeed.

But, for some reason, Whites see this as a sign of success, and don't feel threatened by Asians as they do the 'scary' Latinos or Blacks. All races suffer in different ways...

[Moretorque]

I am just wondering if in the US if we can ever get the country to function as it was designed to with the documents, I know no other countries or their environment. The stats on the blacks here in the US at present in my book are plain terrible.

I was joking about the UN but Kissinger made that statement.

Asians suffer in the USA as well...but not in the way most people think; for example, Asians have a huge suicide rate in the USA. Also, Asians are so conformist and materialistic, that we're expected to be super-successful in life, so that explains why there is such a high-rate of mental illness among Asians in America, because of the overwhelming pressure put on Asians to succeed.

But, for some reason, Whites see this as a sign of success, and don't feel threatened by Asians as they do the 'scary' Latinos or Blacks. All races suffer in different ways...

Everybody has issues but righting those issues start in the home and most Asians have a mother and father in the home to rear them. This is so key in keeping a well functioning society with morals. You can read the statistics on children who come from a single parent to see the connection.

Asians educate themselves and in general promote a advancing society in all fields to go forward as a species. The blacks forget it, it pisses me off because some black people are just so incredible but as a whole they are a mess. I try and have some confidence in the human race to snap out of it but when I read the statistics on blacks I am like your best bet is to invest in cages and prisons.