The Cookout

[MR-D-ROB]

Despite all that we as black men have to endure here in America, a majority of us are making it.
If you look at the way the media paints it they would have you believe that the majority of us are destitute. While it is true that it is more likely for a black man to end up in a bad situation the majority of us don't.

"Nearly 6 in 10 black men reach the middle class or higher by middle age, a nearly 20 percent increase compared to 1960. And the share living in poverty has dropped from 41 percent to 18 percent over the same time period."

Despite a portrait of race relations that is painted especially about black men, truth is that most black men will not be incarcerated, are not unemployed, and are not poor.

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, one in three black men can expect to go to prison in their lifetime. While those numbers are horrible considering we aren't the larger portion of the population that still means that 66% the majority do not end up in prison.

The vast majority of middle-class black men (93%) are free of health issues in their fifties, yet about three-in-ten of the same-age black men in poverty have health issues that limit the type of work and other activities they can do.

There are also things about these black men that are less easy to observe: These men scored higher on the Armed Forces Qualifying Test (AFQT), a test measuring their general knowledge. And when it comes to what is driving their lives, themselves, or their environment, these teenagers or young men scored higher on an agency scale that tapped whether they believed they had control over their lives rather than being driven by fate or their environment.


Marijuana is always touted as a talking point by politicians. Truth is the majority of African Americans do not use marijuana. In 2020, around 27 percent of African Americans (both male and female) aged 18 to 25 reported they had used marijuana in the past month. For those above age 26 this percentage dropped to 13.3%.

So while a majority of black individuals decide to not involve themselves with such activity a small margin does and that is what the media shows and highlights.

Decisions to involve one self in illegal behavior have an effect on later life outcomes.

By midlife, only 28% of black men who had contact with the criminal justice system when they were young have moved into the middle or upper class, compared to 52% of black men who had no contact with the criminal justice system at a younger age.

As of Jan 1, 2023, the average annual pay for an African American in the United States is $78,967 a year. Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $37.96 an hour.



____________________________________________

My point is this. Don't let the negative stereotypes portrayed in the media get you down. Don't let politicians playing on those stereotypes in hopes of getting a vote change how you see yourself. Despite everything the majority of black men are doing well. Your focus should be on being part of that statistic. Not letting politicians tell you life is hopeless unless they help you.

Politicians have done very little to help black men specifically. Most anything that was done was something done for everyone. It's just simply a matter of if one chooses to take advantage of those things or not.

Myself for example. I grew up in rural Louisiana. The area was very racist. There were few good jobs and the ones that there were it was difficult as a young black man to get a foot in the door. I knew that if I stayed there odds were I'd end up either dead, in jail or destitute.

I took and scored high on the ASVAB and went into the Army. I never really planned to stay in the Army. While I was in I ran into lots of racism. One sergeant I had was racist and didn't like me. He tried his best to get me kicked out. Luckily I was restationed. I finished out my 4 year term on Active Duty. I served another 3 years in the Army Reserves.

I took advantage of everything available to me from that. I was able to get VA disability afterwards which guarantees me a monthly check for the rest of my life (so long as the US government stands). I used my GI Bill benefit to go to college and get my nursing license. I used my civil service preference to land several federal government jobs (as I write this I am serving in my 9th federal government appointment). I used the VA Loan benefit to buy a house in a good neighborhood.

I'm not sitting here waiting on politicians to do something. I'm doing it myself!


Four Facts About the Economic Well-Being of Black Men in America

 

[ART]

What if they (the white media and others) try to spin this in a way to where they're all like, "See, these Negroes are doing just fine. Looks like they don’t need reparations after all."

 

[MR-D-ROB]

What if they (the white media and others) try to spin this in a way to where they're all like, "See, these Negroes are doing just fine. Looks like they don’t need reparations after all."

Personally I don't. Not in the form of cash payments. I mean I'll take it if they give it.

It's not a priority for me though.

You posted the below:

* cash reparations first and foremost,
* land + funding for development (especially since land and property were stolen from us, often violently),
* funding for things such as our own on-code Black police forces that we run and control,
* a law that prohibits non-Black people from adopting Black children,
* no taxes for FBA / ADOS / Freedmen people,
* a Federal Hate Crime Law designed to protect Black people and punish any anti-Black racist attackers/murderers/terrorists/harassers.

They can do everything above except cash payments and I'd be cool. The only thing I would add is police reform.

I feel that way because in all honesty cash payments are realistically going to get passed. That's just the reality.

I'd be fine being tax exempt. That puts money in my pocket. I'd be fine if they gave all black Americans healthcare subsidies. That puts money back in my pocket.

I'm not sitting out here destitute waiting for a government pay out in the form of reparations. I'm realistic. If they put something on the table that will benefit me I'm all ears!

 

[Boss Hog]

Personally I don't. Not in the form of cash payments. I mean I'll take it if they give it.

It's not a priority for me though.

You posted the below:

* cash reparations first and foremost,
* land + funding for development (especially since land and property were stolen from us, often violently),
* funding for things such as our own on-code Black police forces that we run and control,
* a law that prohibits non-Black people from adopting Black children,
* no taxes for FBA / ADOS / Freedmen people,
* a Federal Hate Crime Law designed to protect Black people and punish any anti-Black racist attackers/murderers/terrorists/harassers.

They can do everything above except cash payments and I'd be cool. The only thing I would add is police reform.

I feel that way because in all honesty cash payments are realistically going to get passed. That's just the reality.

I'd be fine being tax exempt. That puts money in my pocket. I'd be fine if they gave all black Americans healthcare subsidies. That puts money back in my pocket.

I'm not sitting out here destitute waiting for a government pay out in the form of reparations. I'm realistic. If they put something on the table that will benefit me I'm all ears!

I’m with you I think it could be deflection. Our median income will be 0 by 2053.

 

[MR-D-ROB]

Personally I don't. Not in the form of cash payments. I mean I'll take it if they give it.

It's not a priority for me though.

You posted the below:

* cash reparations first and foremost,
* land + funding for development (especially since land and property were stolen from us, often violently),
* funding for things such as our own on-code Black police forces that we run and control,
* a law that prohibits non-Black people from adopting Black children,
* no taxes for FBA / ADOS / Freedmen people,
* a Federal Hate Crime Law designed to protect Black people and punish any anti-Black racist attackers/murderers/terrorists/harassers.

They can do everything above except cash payments and I'd be cool. The only thing I would add is police reform.

I feel that way because in all honesty cash payments are realistically going to get passed. That's just the reality.

I'd be fine being tax exempt. That puts money in my pocket. I'd be fine if they gave all black Americans healthcare subsidies. That puts money back in my pocket.

I'm not sitting out here destitute waiting for a government pay out in the form of reparations. I'm realistic. If they put something on the table that will benefit me I'm all ears!

I meant to say

"I feel that way because in all honesty cash payments aren't realistically going to get passed. That's just the reality."

 

[MR-D-ROB]

I’m with you I think it could be deflection. Our median income will be 0 by 2053.

That very well could be the case. I am not sure how true that stat is. I hear TD HipHop Media quote that "Our median income will be 0 by 2053" quite often.

I believe the point should be to not be part of that statistic. We should be aiming for being better off whether we get reparations or not.

Maybe we will get reparations. Maybe we won't. I can't control what the government does.

But I am 100% for sure getting money. That part I can control.

Just remember median speaks to roughly half. Just be sure you aren't part of that median!

 

[Sapphire]

Some are doing better but most aren't and we can see that. We know because we see what the system is doing. Any time the housing market crashes or the economy takes a hit, it hurts even the upper class whites, you know it will have a bad trickle-down effect and they love when it does this. We all know who it ends up hurting the most.

I am glad black men and women can make something for themselves in America, it gives me hope but you really need to get focus on making something outside of whites and government cause they will always kill, steal, and destroy anything the black man creates.

 

[MR-D-ROB]

Some are doing better but most aren't and we can see that. We know because we see what the system is doing. Any time the housing market crashes or the economy takes a hit, it hurts even the upper class whites, you know it will have a bad trickle-down effect and they love when it does this. We all know who it ends up hurting the most.

I am glad black men and women can make something for themselves in America, it gives me hope but you really need to get focus on making something outside of whites and government cause they will always kill, steal, and destroy anything the black man creates.

We aren't as hopeless as they make you think.
I mean just look at the statistics I quoted. These are not just off the cuff numbers.
They are researched from reputable sources.
According to those numbers most black men are doing well. It's the minority of them who aren't!


I agree with you that white supremacists will try to destroy what we gain. You just have to put yourself in a place where they can't!

 

[Sapphire]

We aren't as hopeless as they make you think.
I mean just look at the statistics I quoted. These are not just off the cuff numbers.
They are researched from reputable sources.
According to those numbers most black men are doing well. It's the minority of them who aren't!


I agree with you that white supremacists will try to destroy what we gain. You just have to put yourself in a place where they can't!

Do you think these numbers would be different though if we didn't include rappers, sports players, and actors?

I overlooked the health part as well. I know most older black men are healthy or without health issues. I see way more obese white men than black men, especially when they are over the age of 40. Black women though... something needs to change there. Many of the ladies are unhealthy and very overweight, especially after the age of 35.

 

[MR-D-ROB]

Do you think these numbers would be different though if we didn't include rappers, sports players, and actors?

I overlooked the health part as well. I know most older black men are healthy or without health issues. I see way more obese white men than black men, especially when they are over the age of 40. Black women though... something needs to change there. Many of the ladies are unhealthy and very overweight, especially after the age of 35.

I haven't researched women.
However as far as men athletes, rappers, and actors are far less than 1%.
You could remove them from the equation and the numbers wouldn't change.

Most black men that are in the middle class are working regular positions and jobs. We're doctors, lawyers, electricians, plumbers, HVAC technician, x-ray technician, pharmacists, nurses(like yours truly), police officers, business men, real estate agents, investors and many other occupations.

The problem is that a lot of people think exactly how you said in the first sentence, that "

these numbers would be different though if we didn't include rappers, sports players, and actors?

That isn't remotely true. Athletes, actors, rappers and all other entertainers are such as small percentage of the population altogether that their effect on statistics like this are irrelevant.

We need to be teaching our young men that being an entertainer isn't the only route to success.

I'm a nurse. I was only $326 from making $100k last year. There are ways to be successful and most black men are doing it.

 

[Sapphire]

I'm a nurse. I was only $326 from making $100k last year. There are ways to be successful and most black men are doing it.

Damn! Good on you, for real! This is great. That is one of my goals to eventually have a 6 figure year between my main job and side hustle. This is before or after tax?

 

[MR-D-ROB]

Damn! Good on you, for real! This is great. That is one of my goals to eventually have a 6 figure year between my main job and side hustle. This is before or after tax?

Before.
If I kept the same schedule as I have now I'd likely go over $100k this year.

My calculations are at $98.7k. So it

Problem is I'm exhausted already. I'm giving thought to cutting back on my part time from twice a month to once a month.

I'd still make around $90k by my calculations.

I just want to spend more time with my family now.
Besides it's not like a $90k income is that bad!

 

[Sapphire]

Before.
If I kept the same schedule as I have now I'd likely go over $100k this year.

My calculations are at $98.7k. So it

Problem is I'm exhausted already. I'm giving thought to cutting back on my part time from twice a month to once a month.

I'd still make around $90k by my calculations.

I just want to spend more time with my family now.
Besides it's not like a $90k income is that bad!

You can afford to spend time, so do. So many people are not able to. I know way too many people working overtime or two jobs and they never get to spend time with family.

 

[Deleted member 1946]

I was watching a video by Dr. Claud Anderson and Dr. Boyce Watkins that showed how much harder it is for us to make it.

 

[Deleted member 1946]

Despite all that we as black men have to endure here in America, a majority of us are making it.
If you look at the way the media paints it they would have you believe that the majority of us are destitute. While it is true that it is more likely for a black man to end up in a bad situation the majority of us don't.

"Nearly 6 in 10 black men reach the middle class or higher by middle age, a nearly 20 percent increase compared to 1960. And the share living in poverty has dropped from 41 percent to 18 percent over the same time period."

Despite a portrait of race relations that is painted especially about black men, truth is that most black men will not be incarcerated, are not unemployed, and are not poor.

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, one in three black men can expect to go to prison in their lifetime. While those numbers are horrible considering we aren't the larger portion of the population that still means that 66% the majority do not end up in prison.

The vast majority of middle-class black men (93%) are free of health issues in their fifties, yet about three-in-ten of the same-age black men in poverty have health issues that limit the type of work and other activities they can do.

There are also things about these black men that are less easy to observe: These men scored higher on the Armed Forces Qualifying Test (AFQT), a test measuring their general knowledge. And when it comes to what is driving their lives, themselves, or their environment, these teenagers or young men scored higher on an agency scale that tapped whether they believed they had control over their lives rather than being driven by fate or their environment.


Marijuana is always touted as a talking point by politicians. Truth is the majority of African Americans do not use marijuana. In 2020, around 27 percent of African Americans (both male and female) aged 18 to 25 reported they had used marijuana in the past month. For those above age 26 this percentage dropped to 13.3%.

So while a majority of black individuals decide to not involve themselves with such activity a small margin does and that is what the media shows and highlights.

Decisions to involve one self in illegal behavior have an effect on later life outcomes.

By midlife, only 28% of black men who had contact with the criminal justice system when they were young have moved into the middle or upper class, compared to 52% of black men who had no contact with the criminal justice system at a younger age.

As of Jan 1, 2023, the average annual pay for an African American in the United States is $78,967 a year. Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $37.96 an hour.



____________________________________________

My point is this. Don't let the negative stereotypes portrayed in the media get you down. Don't let politicians playing on those stereotypes in hopes of getting a vote change how you see yourself. Despite everything the majority of black men are doing well. Your focus should be on being part of that statistic. Not letting politicians tell you life is hopeless unless they help you.

Politicians have done very little to help black men specifically. Most anything that was done was something done for everyone. It's just simply a matter of if one chooses to take advantage of those things or not.

Myself for example. I grew up in rural Louisiana. The area was very racist. There were few good jobs and the ones that there were it was difficult as a young black man to get a foot in the door. I knew that if I stayed there odds were I'd end up either dead, in jail or destitute.

I took and scored high on the ASVAB and went into the Army. I never really planned to stay in the Army. While I was in I ran into lots of racism. One sergeant I had was racist and didn't like me. He tried his best to get me kicked out. Luckily I was restationed. I finished out my 4 year term on Active Duty. I served another 3 years in the Army Reserves.

I took advantage of everything available to me from that. I was able to get VA disability afterwards which guarantees me a monthly check for the rest of my life (so long as the US government stands). I used my GI Bill benefit to go to college and get my nursing license. I used my civil service preference to land several federal government jobs (as I write this I am serving in my 9th federal government appointment). I used the VA Loan benefit to buy a house in a good neighborhood.

I'm not sitting here waiting on politicians to do something. I'm doing it myself!


Four Facts About the Economic Well-Being of Black Men in America

This shows you are resilient.

 

[Deleted member 1946]

I’m with you I think it could be deflection. Our median income will be 0 by 2053.

No. The median Black wealth will be 0 by 2053. Not median income.

 

[Deleted member 1946]

I haven't researched women.
However as far as men athletes, rappers, and actors are far less than 1%.
You could remove them from the equation and the numbers wouldn't change.

Most black men that are in the middle class are working regular positions and jobs. We're doctors, lawyers, electricians, plumbers, HVAC technician, x-ray technician, pharmacists, nurses(like yours truly), police officers, business men, real estate agents, investors and many other occupations.

The problem is that a lot of people think exactly how you said in the first sentence, that "


That isn't remotely true. Athletes, actors, rappers and all other entertainers are such as small percentage of the population altogether that their effect on statistics like this are irrelevant.

We need to be teaching our young men that being an entertainer isn't the only route to success.

I'm a nurse. I was only $326 from making $100k last year. There are ways to be successful and most black men are doing it.

Way to go in getting your income up. You did it without making excuses. There are so many paths in becoming successful as you have said.

 

[Deleted member 1946]

Before.
If I kept the same schedule as I have now I'd likely go over $100k this year.

My calculations are at $98.7k. So it

Problem is I'm exhausted already. I'm giving thought to cutting back on my part time from twice a month to once a month.

I'd still make around $90k by my calculations.

I just want to spend more time with my family now.
Besides it's not like a $90k income is that bad!

You should do this. Be around those you want to.

 

[Deleted member 1946]

That very well could be the case. I am not sure how true that stat is. I hear TD HipHop Media quote that "Our median income will be 0 by 2053" quite often.

I believe the point should be to not be part of that statistic. We should be aiming for being better off whether we get reparations or not.

Maybe we will get reparations. Maybe we won't. I can't control what the government does.

But I am 100% for sure getting money. That part I can control.

Just remember median speaks to roughly half. Just be sure you aren't part of that median!

I hope we don't have to share our reparations with undeserving folks. I have seen so many folks try to tie themselves to us.

 

[MR-D-ROB]

I was watching a video by Dr. Claud Anderson and Dr. Boyce Watkins that showed how much harder it is for us to make it.

That I agree with.
We have to far better to be successful. We have to work twice as hard as other races to get the same level of success!
I see that at work every day!

 

[MR-D-ROB]

Way to go in getting your income up. You did it without making excuses. There are so many paths in becoming successful as you have said.

I honestly just feel some people are sitting around making excuses, waiting for a reparations check which in all honesty is likely never going to come.

Maybe reparations come, maybe the don't.
Either way that's not the determination of how my life will look.

I can't control politicians. I can't control the system of white supremacy. I can't control how people feel about reparations.

I can control my contribution to my success.

 

[MR-D-ROB]

I hope we don't have to share our reparations with undeserving folks. I have seen so many folks try to tie themselves to us.

I don't forsee reparations as realistic.
I know Prof. Black Truth and Jason Black and Phillip Scott all talk a big game. They talk about how much progress has been made towards reparations.

Truth is that all sounds good but that's all it is. Talk. These are just summer random dudes on YouTube.
The only one of those three that has enough numbers to gain even a bit of sway is Phil Scott. He's the only one with over a million subscribers. And even with that he's no competition for the system. The vote blue no matter who machine.

It's up to us to make our success. I'm not against reparations. I hope we get it. We are owed it. Even more I feel we are owed reparations not for slavery but for the trauma we are forced to endure. Seeing our young men and women killed. Having to work twice as hard to get success.


I'll explain some of my experiences.

I applied to nursing school in my home state. Even though I had the GI bill to pay for it they wouldn't even allow me to take the entrance exam. They told me it was a six month wait just to take the entrance exam.

I had to move all the way to Texas to get into nursing school.

When I started the process of buying my house I got the initial approval. The first company dragged their feet. Even though I had the VA loan they lagged the process nearly causing me to lose our on the home. My loan officer at this company was a white guy.

I had to work with my real estate agent to change to a different mortgage company where a young black lady was my loan officer. She was fast efficient and the process went smoothly.


We shouldn't have to go through this craziness. But we do. And for that we're owed reparations. This stuff is traumatizing, demoralizing, stressful and hard on our mental health.


If we get reparations that's awesome. However I'm not waiting around in the meantime. I'm out here making my own pillars of success.