I know there are plenty of young people doing great things. We can site the charter school in Chicago that will be sending 100% of their young men to college. There are many other examples we can site.
But can we be real for a minute?
Have we lost an entire generation of young black men?
SERIOUSLY!
Can you HONESTLY say that we haven't?
The above photo was taken in Times Square in NYC. Every year during the New York International Auto Show,teens get together and start "wilding"......that's the term they use.During the event this past weekend,at least 4 people were shot and 33 were arrested.
Last week in Washington D.C. 9 people were shot in a drive-by. The suspect is a 14 year old juvenile with 9(NINE) convictions. There were other reports I was going to post but I think you get the point.
But have we lost a generation?
Many young men,would rather paint,put rims and a sound system in an old car instead of saving that money,buying a new car or getting that OLD car fixed.
They would rather LOOK good instead of doing the smart thing. Many would rather show "they ain't no punk" instead of walking away from an altercation. And nowadays the young girls are just as out of control as the boys. In the classrooms teachers are being threatened by students. When the parent is called to the school,they're just as out of control as the child.In some cases,the PARENTS are scared of their children.
What do we do?
Have we lost a generation?
Excellent post Mod! As a School Psychologist, this is the very question that my colleagues and I frequently ask each other. Unfortunately there are soooooo many young black males and females that appear to be going down the wrong path. But...as you point out, their parents are often just as unruly (if not more). My personal and professional belief is that kids are typically only as "good" as the home/community in which they live. Unfortunately, so many of our homes/communities are filled with adults behaving badly. So, if we want our kids to do and be better...we as adults need to model that very expectation. Again, wonderful post & I thank you for encouraging discussion in our community.
ReplyDeletePeace,
G
www.theparentingpundit.com
I agree 110% G and thanks for responding.
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