The Crack Epidemic:The Degradation, of the Black Community.

The African-American community in the United States was and still is a strong community. But within these communities there are also communities that are fading, causing harm to one another and themselves. One of the major reasons for this occurrence is from the use of drugs. One drug in particular that created a downfall in the African-American communities was, “crack cocaine.” Even though this drug destroyed many communities, one female in particular made sure there cause of this outbreak would not stay hidden in the shadows. Maxine Waters had always held the African-American communities close to her, ever since she gained political power. She made a stand in the L.A riots, supported Castro when he helped with the Civil Rights, and is against any threat to the African-American communities. Maxine Waters spoke out against all terrors including the domestic threats such as the CIA, (At the time.) Maxine Waters issued an investigation on the CIA to see if they were buying crack cocaine from an outside source. The CIA director however denied the allegations that they were buying and or supplying anyone with the drugs. However thanks to the investigation CIA inspector general released a statement saying they did buy the drugs from a outside source. She gave reason for people to believe that the CIA distributed crack cocaine to the African American community. Between 1984 and 1994, the homicide rate for Black males aged 14-17 more than doubled and homicide rates for Black males aged 18-24 increased almost as much. In stark contrast, homicide rates for Black males 25 and older were essentially flat over the same period. By the year 2000, homicide rates had fallen back below their initial levels of the early 1980s for almost all age groups. Crack is strongly correlated with a range of social indicators. You find that the rise in crack from 1984-1989 is associated with a doubling of homicide deaths of Black males aged 14-17, a 30 percent increase for Black males aged 18-24, and a 10 percent increase for Black males 25 and over, and thus accounts for much of the observed variation in homicide rates over this time period. The rise in crack can explain 20-100 percent of the observed increases in Black low birth weight babies, fetal death, child mortality, and unwed births in large cities between 1984 and 1989. In contrast, the measured impact of crack on Whites is generally small and statistically insignificant.

Brittney Griner V.S. the Double Standard

Over the past few years the basketball comuntiy has had a young woman dominate the women’s college level. Brittney Griner  stands 6'8" tall, Griner wears a men's US size 17 or 18 shoe and has a wingspan of 86". She is the dominating center for Baylor, and has been the lighting rod of personal attacks from trollers on the internet. Claiming that she is a man because of the oubburst of emotion she displays when making an exceptional play, yet we celebrate when Lebron James glares down someone he dunks over,or how Kevin Durant has his own ad campaign, stating that he is “Not Nice”, in reference to his demeanor on the court in the wake of his lost in the finals. So why is it that people have a problem with Griner, when glorify Durant, and Lebron?

It’s a double standard how we expect female basketball players to play an aggressive game such as basketball, and not show off, or celebrate like the men do. Consider former NBA center Shaquille O'Neal, who burst onto the scene in the 1990s, a physical specimen the likes of which we had never seen on a basketball court. Shaq was different, and we celebrated him for it. Fans posed for pictures holding his size-23 sneakers, gawking at the oversized Reeboks as if the shoes had just arrived via time machine. He was 7-foot-1 and 325 pounds, and he was nearly unstoppable.

Shaq's presence in the low post forced defenders to take risks. Some opponents doubled him, daring his teammates to score. Other squads employed the "Let him beat us" philosophy, putting one defender on Shaq and locking down on everyone else. And when the game was on the line in the fourth quarter, most teams tried the Hack-A-Shaq strategy, rolling the dice by sending him to the foul line, where he shot just 52.7 percent for his career.
Like Shaq, Griner makes opponents uncomfortable because they can't do things the way they normally would in practice. She keeps coaches awake at night, worrying about how disruptive she is on both ends of the floor. She can turn and score over either shoulder -- sometimes by dunking the ball -- and on defense she eats up space with her 88-inch wingspan. She is the second-leading women's scorer in Division I women's history, with 3,203 points, and the all-time leader in blocks, with 736.
"Because of her skills and her unique abilities, Griner has added a dimension to the game that hasn't existed up to this point," UConn coach Geno Auriemma said during last year's Final Four.
But whereas Shaq was hailed for being big, bold, different, Griner is sometimes viewed in a harsher light, with skepticism bordering on suspicion. When people called Shaq a freak of nature, it was a compliment; when directed at Griner, the term often carries a cruel edge, punctuated with the refrain of "She's a dude!"
Such wary appraisals are not unique to Griner, of course. This is what Joe Fan does to any female athlete who doesn't fit neatly into one of two boxes: the cool, tough-talking guy's gal such as Ronda Rousey, or Lindsey Vonn or the unattainable beauty like Maria Sharapova, or Anna Kournikova

Urban Violence in America: Can Our Music Save Us?

Kendrick Lamar is an inspirational artist that attacks the ideas of what make a person "Real" in Urban America. He is an up incoming artist unlike Chief Keef, or Gucci Mane. Artist such as these only further the degeneration of the communities that they risen from. By preaching living your life on the edge by making money in the street, and taking the lives of your peers if the intervene with you life style. Kendrick was born in Compton and was often faced with gang violence, and the reality that he wasn't expected to live past 21. He often said his music saved his life and he tries to save the "Bastards of the Ronald Reagan Era".

It amazes me that music like this isn't played on the radio more often, but the garbage that floods urban America becomes anthems for our youth. The media corporations, use music to influence people to with artist that promote violence, and the theme "Live Fast, Die Young",Urban Violence at it's worst. Lil Reese has risen to stardom with the help the of JoJo murder, and behind a of video him beating and stomping of a female camera at a party a few years ago. His reaction to the assault however was what was shocking, and he was never charged following the attack.

I wasn't able to find a censored version of his song that people said was directly related to the two incidents related above.



It's no reason why this flood the neighborhoods, and cities in the cars, and iPods of teens today.

Sweeping the issues under the table

In today's society the media depicts racial issues in TV shows today. We are constantly overwhelmed with harmful and solicitous images and ideas. Especially young children and teens that spend most of their time on the internet and on the television. People now are still astonished by the interesting topic on racial statuses in TV shows. For example in 1968 there were disputes about what they called "breaking the racial barriers" in Star Trek when they displayed an interracial kiss between the fictional characters. Other TV shows and/or movies are "The Wizard of Oz". Notice that they've made a white version and a black version to get others input or perspective on two different types of cultures which perhaps in my case I found that the two movies were completely different. Also in the movie "Crash “portrays the intersecting lives of a diverse cross-section of LA residents. They had one scene where there had been a woman of color who had got in a car crash and a white police officer who wanted to help her out of the car before it caused a ruckus but she refused. The media today is deceiving people because the competition among producers and advertisers gets tougher as they try to come up with new ways to catch people’s attention. There are some television shows and movies that attempt to create an atmosphere to change the prospective of people towards social issues such as racial discrimination. These shows provoke criticism and tend to mislead the picture of reality.

The Other Side to the Sandy Hook Story

            In the wake of the Sandy Hook Massacre, our nation discussed the matter of gun control. However, many people he voiced their opinions, of why the big movement all of the sudden.  Why did what happen at Sandy Hook Elementary make us want to take such a stand and improve gun control? Because it took place in a white middle class area, and white children were the victims. Princeton University Professor Cornell West had a problem with the sudden urgency in getting guns off the street after the tragedy. “We can’t just shed tears for those on the vanilla side of town,” West said.” They are precious, but they are no less or more precious than our poor brothers and sisters on Indian reservations — who are killing each other — or be they black or brown or what have you. But it’s a good thing that we now have a discussion on gun control. We need one on drone control. Not a peep, not a mumbling word when black folk get shot,” West added. “But now, Newtown, Connecticut, vanilla side — low and behold we got a major conversation. That’s wonderful. Each life is precious, but it just upsets me when we’re so deferential.”

Rush Limbaugh also agreed with Professor West, and his video talking about the inner city youth who are entrenched in a gang war in Chicago is below. He goes on to say the Chicago averages 41 deaths a month, and that their on course for over 500 deaths this year. He then goes on to say how you won’t hear about the stories because the violence takes place in poor black neighborhoods so we don’t care as much about them as we do the middle class white children.

I also agree with the West, and Limbaugh. I think it is a shame how the media picks, and chooses what stories to tell, and which to go untold. There is no way that you can say that what happened at Sandy Hook Elementary wasn’t devastating, but what is taking place in Chicago is horrifying. I think that reason why those kids end up killing each other is because they don’t value their lives, and why would they if they brothers, and sisters are dying every night and they don’t see them on the news.  I truly believe that if we were to show that we care and let them see themselves on the news, the nations reaction would get to some of these troubled youth and save a few lives!