I “Still” Have a Dream
America is the land of the free. This great land was created with the idea to give men and women an equal opportunity for striving for greatness; no matter gender nor religion. Blood sweet and tears were poured into building America, countless live scarified so we could be proclaimed a free county. Although we are a triumph nation, but are methods started becoming exceptionally cricked. Therefore, what exactly happens when the land of the free becomes a land of incarnation and segregation? What happens to those specific individuals that are falsely accused of irrational crimes? The prison systems in America are at an all-time high, police brutality is frightening on the rise, and mass shootings and dangerous gangs are snowballing. What does America do? They victimize and idolize a group and individuals not because of their morals but their ethnicity. African Americas are experiencing a mass incarceration and America does not realize the fact. Americans understand there is as social problem, but the majority our blind. I will be proving if this so-called mass incarceration is a myth created by the African American culture or is this a myth. There are a tremendous amount of confounding factors in America that have place the importance of equality on the back burners. Slavery, discrimination, and unequal rights are only a start the unequal justice in America. I believe there will be a continuous of unfair justice in America and the abolishment of slavery was only the tip of the iceberg.
The early 1990’s was a brutal time in history, crime was on the rise, and drugs were overflowing the streets. President Clinton and first lady Hillary appeared to understand the struggle of “living black”. The slogan “it’s a black thing you wouldn’t understand” and it seemed President Clinton understood African Americans. Apparently, soon after we all seen this was incorrect. 1996 changed the face of the Clintons with one word. ‘Superpredators’. The urban dictionary defines ‘superpredators’ as a term used to refer to dangerous youth in which rehabilitation seemed improbable. The term is considered a racist term as it was used almost exclusively concerning African American youth. Clinton declared, "is to take back our streets from crime, gangs and drugs." Boasting of the administration's putting more cops on America's mean streets, she called for "an organized effort against gangs, just as in a previous generation we had an organized effort against the mob. We need to take these people on ... They are not just gangs of kids anymore. They are often the kinds of kids that are called ‘superpredators’. No conscience. No empathy. We can talk about why they ended up that way, but first we have to bring them to heel.” – Hillary Clinton 1996.
The Clintons Residentiary was full of hardship and incompetent actions. But, first we must speak on ‘the war on drugs’. In 1969, President Richard Nixon declared that drugs in America were the number one enemy as his administration officially launched what would be known today as the U.S. ‘war on drugs’. My foremost used rhetical analysis will cover how the war on drugs furthermost turned African Americans into criminals or ‘superpreadators’. As heroin practice and the crack epidemic was on the rise, the Nixon administration focused most of its resources on these particular narcotic, especially to reduce crime linked to drug use. Nancy Reagan had a different perspective on drugs. The ‘Just say no’ was a slogan created in 1982. The drug outbreak was destroying the American neighborhoods and Nancy wanted to stop it at a young age. Cocaine versus crack cocaine was a huge dividing factor from drug abuse to race abuse. During the drug war, the crack epidemic was dangerous and spiraling out of control. I will later in the paper breakdown how cocaine versus crack cocaine turned from a drug problem into a racial factor in promising larger prison numbers.
During President Clinton term, he aimed to clean the American streets and make us all law-abiding citizens. The law at matter was the comprehensive ‘Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994’, which provided funding for tens of thousands of community police officers and drug courts, banned certain assault weapons, and mandated life sentences for criminals convicted of a violent felony after two or more prior convictions, including drug crimes. The mandated life sentences were known as the “three-strikes” provision. Clinton wanted to persuade the criminals and law-breakers to stop imminently or receive jail time. More police officers and additional jails were on an upsurge, Clinton intended for this law effective immediately. Thus ‘The war on drugs’ were continued.
Music is a huge focal point for African Americans to show their true interest and culture. Music is defined as vocal or instrumental sounds (or both) combined in such a way as to produce beauty of form, harmony, and expression of emotion. Music is used in all races to express one’s self true intentions. Music can also make you happy. Music is powerful in many other ways that could take your feelings away. The important thing that the music can point out injustice factors in American, socials problems in American, and shine light on problems that people do not to converse. Rap and R&B and both majority African American influenced. These two genres of music are increasing with popularity every year the more all types of races continue to listen. However, also another African American genera is not mainstream. Gangster rap. Voguer, gang violence, and the ideology of crime is the basic of gangster rap. I will be analyzing how ‘gangster rap’ is provoking mainstream America to believe African Americans are criminals.
NWA the proclaimed legends of ‘gangster rap’ Niggas with Attitude are the declared reasoning behind ‘superpredators’. Fuck the police was a hit record that aimed at terrorizing the police in California. I want to analyze it from the perspective of an average ‘white American’ and how White citizens and White Police officers must have been offended about this song. Fuck the police was a violent and provoking song that basically started a war. From a White citizen I would not feel comfortable with crooks and gangs running around my neighborhood nor city. I want to dissect gangster rap and how negatively influenceable It can be on the younger generation. Another song that gives the imagination that African Americans are crooked is the song, 10 crack commandments by Biggie Smalls. This is a horrific song that describes the basic steps needed to become a successful drug dealer. This song is a perfect example of being a criminal, in no sense should it be okay to sell drugs. 10 crack commandments is an especially special because it is during the crack epidemic, this is exactly the reason behind ‘the war on drugs’.
I will also be using two other songs that abolish the myth of ‘superpradtors’. With these two songs I want to show how ‘the war on drugs’ and the three strikes policy permanently hurt the social economic of the Black race. G Herbo is a Chicago gangster rapper who effortlessly and beautifully describes his rough child hood in the uncaring streets of Chicago. He recently created an album titled “Humble Beast”. A song that greatly caught my attention was the song “Malcolm”. Malcolm dramatically paints a picture of living in the slums and the challenges that face a young African male in America. Herbo describes the young man’s life as a movie terribly gone wrong instance after instance. Faced with poor living conditions, a drug overcame mother and not much family to help with his development into a man. Without correct parental control, Malcolm loses control to the persuasive streets of Chicago. He describes as this man’s heroes as drug dealers and murders. I love this song because G Herbo does not judge Malcolm, but simply understand his struggle. I want to analyze how living in poor conditions and drug infested neighborhoods can easily turn an individual to crime but not making them a criminal. This song masterfully describes the hardships of living in Chicago and the dangers. Herbo paints a picture of why Malcolm makes the criminal choices and why is it not as easy as the white America portrays.
Brenda’s got a baby by 2Pac is a sick and twisted song that describes a newborn baby that was rescued from a trash compactor in Brooklyn when two maintenance men heard the baby’s cries just as they were about to start the crushing machine’s motors. Brenda was recently molested by a man in her neighborhood and because of drugs, poverty, and her father being incarcerated her parents were not involved in her life. She made terrible mistakes and was punished in the end; the interesting part is the molester was never found. Brenda’s story was in the news but justice was never found. 2pac begins unfolding Brenda’s hardship and the decisions she has to make now a single mother with no family or father for the baby. 2pac tells this story because in the 80’s it was more important to find drug dealers than help with the poverty of the inner cities, especially African America neighborhoods.
“Living Black” is a novel that attempts to break down stereotypes of the poor black American neighborhoods. As America may classify these ghettos as dysfunctional and underprivileged neighborhoods there is real poverty. Taken place in the streets of North End of Champaign, Illinois only miles away from the most notorious streets of Chicago. The Arthur doesn’t input his own desires and opinions. As describe in the book “teen moms aren’t desired, school dropouts aren’t ridiculed, and parolees and ex-cons aren’t scorned” (Fleisher 4). I really admire this book because Mark Fleisher shows the daily life’s in these cruel neighborhoods through his interviewers with Ma and Burpee.
Mark Fleisher cleverly dissect the everyday life of an African American male living in America, the land of the free. He divides his book into eight chapters each cleverly diving deeper into the social problem in America. Although both individuals are both criminals in their own ways it does not answer the question are African American male’s criminals, it only gives the stories of these particular individuals and the life they we giving. Fleisher gives a tremendous number of examples and different situations. He makes you understand there is a problem in America without persuading the reader in any directions. Religion, social life, and dreams are only same examples that white American and black American may come to equal terms with. I believe since African American males are the minority in the typically white American we as a race are under looked and not appreciated. We have not been giving the respect to worked to deviously for. Fleisher breaks down all these reasoning behind why African American males may be misunderstood and punished for our differences.
Another huge rhetical analysis I will cover is over a Netflix original movie called 13th. 13th is a novel prize winner for several categories. 13th is a 2016 American documentary that explored the intersection of race in American. Why is race such a huge contribution in the way American life is conducted. Justice, mass incarcerations and wrongful punishments have increased the need for more prisoners. 13th is cleverly titled after the thirteenth amendment to the united states of America. The thirteenth amendment is purely responsible for the freedom of slaves. 13th takes the viewer though a time laps of history and achievements. Are darkest times of Americans.
DuVernay’s documentary brings some extremely discouraging facts into the argument. Are African Americans criminals? Using the numerical factors of our prison numbers DuVernay persuades the viewer to deeper understand race in America. Stating that the United States may only have five percent of the world’s population, but carries twenty-five percent of the world’s prisoners is clearly a problem. But why, why does America need so many prisoners? Are Americans this devious being that the majority will spend time behind cell doors? Dissecting what exactly does the 13th amendment cover? And lastly how has the social development from the civil war continued to dismissions African American males.
I also want to include some of my own personal instances when I felt it was harder for a young African American boy growing up in poverty. I want to show you how all of my examples and analysis actually correspond with my own life. I will not lie and try to persuade you my life was extremely hard like the individuals living in Chicago, but the differences I felt growing up in Macon, Ga. In my high school it was clearly separated and normally different races did not collide. What made up the groups from the preppie richer kids or the thugs and drug dealers that lived on southside. How did the teachers act toward us and did race place a part on sports teams? Leaving basketball and football mainly to African Americans and the baseball and soccer to mostly White Americans. What perspectives of life is learned living as an African American. African American have the same equal rights as every other race, and equality is the only factor for a greater America.
Works cited
Fleisher, Mark S. Living Black : Social Life in an African American Neighborhood. University of Wisconsin Press, 2015. UPCC Book Collections on Project MUSE. EBSCOhost, p roxy.kennesaw.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=1083551&site=eds-live&scope=site.
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America is the land of the free. This great land was created with the idea to give men and women an equal opportunity for striving for greatness; no matter gender nor religion. Blood sweet and tears were poured into building America, countless live scarified so we could be proclaimed a free county. Although we are a triumph nation, but are methods started becoming exceptionally cricked. Therefore, what exactly happens when the land of the free becomes a land of incarnation and segregation? What happens to those specific individuals that are falsely accused of irrational crimes? The prison systems in America are at an all-time high, police brutality is frightening on the rise, and mass shootings and dangerous gangs are snowballing. What does America do? They victimize and idolize a group and individuals not because of their morals but their ethnicity. African Americas are experiencing a mass incarceration and America does not realize the fact. Americans understand there is as social problem, but the majority our blind. I will be proving if this so-called mass incarceration is a myth created by the African American culture or is this a myth. There are a tremendous amount of confounding factors in America that have place the importance of equality on the back burners. Slavery, discrimination, and unequal rights are only a start the unequal justice in America. I believe there will be a continuous of unfair justice in America and the abolishment of slavery was only the tip of the iceberg.
The early 1990’s was a brutal time in history, crime was on the rise, and drugs were overflowing the streets. President Clinton and first lady Hillary appeared to understand the struggle of “living black”. The slogan “it’s a black thing you wouldn’t understand” and it seemed President Clinton understood African Americans. Apparently, soon after we all seen this was incorrect. 1996 changed the face of the Clintons with one word. ‘Superpredators’. The urban dictionary defines ‘superpredators’ as a term used to refer to dangerous youth in which rehabilitation seemed improbable. The term is considered a racist term as it was used almost exclusively concerning African American youth. Clinton declared, "is to take back our streets from crime, gangs and drugs." Boasting of the administration's putting more cops on America's mean streets, she called for "an organized effort against gangs, just as in a previous generation we had an organized effort against the mob. We need to take these people on ... They are not just gangs of kids anymore. They are often the kinds of kids that are called ‘superpredators’. No conscience. No empathy. We can talk about why they ended up that way, but first we have to bring them to heel.” – Hillary Clinton 1996.
The Clintons Residentiary was full of hardship and incompetent actions. But, first we must speak on ‘the war on drugs’. In 1969, President Richard Nixon declared that drugs in America were the number one enemy as his administration officially launched what would be known today as the U.S. ‘war on drugs’. My foremost used rhetical analysis will cover how the war on drugs furthermost turned African Americans into criminals or ‘superpreadators’. As heroin practice and the crack epidemic was on the rise, the Nixon administration focused most of its resources on these particular narcotic, especially to reduce crime linked to drug use. Nancy Reagan had a different perspective on drugs. The ‘Just say no’ was a slogan created in 1982. The drug outbreak was destroying the American neighborhoods and Nancy wanted to stop it at a young age. Cocaine versus crack cocaine was a huge dividing factor from drug abuse to race abuse. During the drug war, the crack epidemic was dangerous and spiraling out of control. I will later in the paper breakdown how cocaine versus crack cocaine turned from a drug problem into a racial factor in promising larger prison numbers.
During President Clinton term, he aimed to clean the American streets and make us all law-abiding citizens. The law at matter was the comprehensive ‘Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994’, which provided funding for tens of thousands of community police officers and drug courts, banned certain assault weapons, and mandated life sentences for criminals convicted of a violent felony after two or more prior convictions, including drug crimes. The mandated life sentences were known as the “three-strikes” provision. Clinton wanted to persuade the criminals and law-breakers to stop imminently or receive jail time. More police officers and additional jails were on an upsurge, Clinton intended for this law effective immediately. Thus ‘The war on drugs’ were continued.
Music is a huge focal point for African Americans to show their true interest and culture. Music is defined as vocal or instrumental sounds (or both) combined in such a way as to produce beauty of form, harmony, and expression of emotion. Music is used in all races to express one’s self true intentions. Music can also make you happy. Music is powerful in many other ways that could take your feelings away. The important thing that the music can point out injustice factors in American, socials problems in American, and shine light on problems that people do not to converse. Rap and R&B and both majority African American influenced. These two genres of music are increasing with popularity every year the more all types of races continue to listen. However, also another African American genera is not mainstream. Gangster rap. Voguer, gang violence, and the ideology of crime is the basic of gangster rap. I will be analyzing how ‘gangster rap’ is provoking mainstream America to believe African Americans are criminals.
NWA the proclaimed legends of ‘gangster rap’ Niggas with Attitude are the declared reasoning behind ‘superpredators’. Fuck the police was a hit record that aimed at terrorizing the police in California. I want to analyze it from the perspective of an average ‘white American’ and how White citizens and White Police officers must have been offended about this song. Fuck the police was a violent and provoking song that basically started a war. From a White citizen I would not feel comfortable with crooks and gangs running around my neighborhood nor city. I want to dissect gangster rap and how negatively influenceable It can be on the younger generation. Another song that gives the imagination that African Americans are crooked is the song, 10 crack commandments by Biggie Smalls. This is a horrific song that describes the basic steps needed to become a successful drug dealer. This song is a perfect example of being a criminal, in no sense should it be okay to sell drugs. 10 crack commandments is an especially special because it is during the crack epidemic, this is exactly the reason behind ‘the war on drugs’.
I will also be using two other songs that abolish the myth of ‘superpradtors’. With these two songs I want to show how ‘the war on drugs’ and the three strikes policy permanently hurt the social economic of the Black race. G Herbo is a Chicago gangster rapper who effortlessly and beautifully describes his rough child hood in the uncaring streets of Chicago. He recently created an album titled “Humble Beast”. A song that greatly caught my attention was the song “Malcolm”. Malcolm dramatically paints a picture of living in the slums and the challenges that face a young African male in America. Herbo describes the young man’s life as a movie terribly gone wrong instance after instance. Faced with poor living conditions, a drug overcame mother and not much family to help with his development into a man. Without correct parental control, Malcolm loses control to the persuasive streets of Chicago. He describes as this man’s heroes as drug dealers and murders. I love this song because G Herbo does not judge Malcolm, but simply understand his struggle. I want to analyze how living in poor conditions and drug infested neighborhoods can easily turn an individual to crime but not making them a criminal. This song masterfully describes the hardships of living in Chicago and the dangers. Herbo paints a picture of why Malcolm makes the criminal choices and why is it not as easy as the white America portrays.
Brenda’s got a baby by 2Pac is a sick and twisted song that describes a newborn baby that was rescued from a trash compactor in Brooklyn when two maintenance men heard the baby’s cries just as they were about to start the crushing machine’s motors. Brenda was recently molested by a man in her neighborhood and because of drugs, poverty, and her father being incarcerated her parents were not involved in her life. She made terrible mistakes and was punished in the end; the interesting part is the molester was never found. Brenda’s story was in the news but justice was never found. 2pac begins unfolding Brenda’s hardship and the decisions she has to make now a single mother with no family or father for the baby. 2pac tells this story because in the 80’s it was more important to find drug dealers than help with the poverty of the inner cities, especially African America neighborhoods.
“Living Black” is a novel that attempts to break down stereotypes of the poor black American neighborhoods. As America may classify these ghettos as dysfunctional and underprivileged neighborhoods there is real poverty. Taken place in the streets of North End of Champaign, Illinois only miles away from the most notorious streets of Chicago. The Arthur doesn’t input his own desires and opinions. As describe in the book “teen moms aren’t desired, school dropouts aren’t ridiculed, and parolees and ex-cons aren’t scorned” (Fleisher 4). I really admire this book because Mark Fleisher shows the daily life’s in these cruel neighborhoods through his interviewers with Ma and Burpee.
Mark Fleisher cleverly dissect the everyday life of an African American male living in America, the land of the free. He divides his book into eight chapters each cleverly diving deeper into the social problem in America. Although both individuals are both criminals in their own ways it does not answer the question are African American male’s criminals, it only gives the stories of these particular individuals and the life they we giving. Fleisher gives a tremendous number of examples and different situations. He makes you understand there is a problem in America without persuading the reader in any directions. Religion, social life, and dreams are only same examples that white American and black American may come to equal terms with. I believe since African American males are the minority in the typically white American we as a race are under looked and not appreciated. We have not been giving the respect to worked to deviously for. Fleisher breaks down all these reasoning behind why African American males may be misunderstood and punished for our differences.
Another huge rhetical analysis I will cover is over a Netflix original movie called 13th. 13th is a novel prize winner for several categories. 13th is a 2016 American documentary that explored the intersection of race in American. Why is race such a huge contribution in the way American life is conducted. Justice, mass incarcerations and wrongful punishments have increased the need for more prisoners. 13th is cleverly titled after the thirteenth amendment to the united states of America. The thirteenth amendment is purely responsible for the freedom of slaves. 13th takes the viewer though a time laps of history and achievements. Are darkest times of Americans.
DuVernay’s documentary brings some extremely discouraging facts into the argument. Are African Americans criminals? Using the numerical factors of our prison numbers DuVernay persuades the viewer to deeper understand race in America. Stating that the United States may only have five percent of the world’s population, but carries twenty-five percent of the world’s prisoners is clearly a problem. But why, why does America need so many prisoners? Are Americans this devious being that the majority will spend time behind cell doors? Dissecting what exactly does the 13th amendment cover? And lastly how has the social development from the civil war continued to dismissions African American males.
I also want to include some of my own personal instances when I felt it was harder for a young African American boy growing up in poverty. I want to show you how all of my examples and analysis actually correspond with my own life. I will not lie and try to persuade you my life was extremely hard like the individuals living in Chicago, but the differences I felt growing up in Macon, Ga. In my high school it was clearly separated and normally different races did not collide. What made up the groups from the preppie richer kids or the thugs and drug dealers that lived on southside. How did the teachers act toward us and did race place a part on sports teams? Leaving basketball and football mainly to African Americans and the baseball and soccer to mostly White Americans. What perspectives of life is learned living as an African American. African American have the same equal rights as every other race, and equality is the only factor for a greater America.
Works cited
Fleisher, Mark S. Living Black : Social Life in an African American Neighborhood. University of Wisconsin Press, 2015. UPCC Book Collections on Project MUSE. EBSCOhost, p roxy.kennesaw.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=1083551&site=eds-live&scope=site.
YouTube videos
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