Do our schools routinely focus all students on the dark periods of history that apply to their ethnic group as a way of solidifying a group identity?

What would be wrong with starting the little ones with a basic “we are all Americans” approach. Given our multicultural nation, maybe stories about famous Americans of various times and of various ethnicities. Then (5th grade?), a tour of world history – in which the subject of slavery would first be broached.

The next year or two, American history, warts and all. Is that hiding something? Or is it simply giving a fighting chance for the primary identification to be American, rather than black whose great-great-great….grandparents might have been enslaved, but who has no personal experience of such? This is a pipe dream. The political value of an entrenched victim mentality is too high.

Isn’t it important that children learn history – not so that they can use it as an excuse but so that they are not doomed to repeat or propagate it?

Good posts by Heliotrope…Innocence Project notwithstanding, there are very few cases of actual innocence and a lot of cases of prosecutors probably preserving the public safety by removing criminals from the streets whatever way they can.

How to dismantle entrenched mythology? My local news had a story today. A big picture of fresh-faced, adorable pre-school children, obviously celebrating. Then…you read the story: an all-black pre-school celebrated Juneteenth, complete with quotes from earnest teachers about the importance of teaching these little ones about slavery and where their ancestors came from and what they suffered. Professional victim school.
There is a difference between teaching facts and inculcating a viewpoint destined to create an identity inseperable from one’s race.

I guess it is a generational thing. I see people in bad neighborhoods finally break through and get out of the place. I see others who move out but take the “hood” with them.

I am a dedicated vounteer out of Christian brotherhood. I do not like social engineering. I believe that public housing and urban renewal set our progress back for probably two generations.

I have seen community policing work well and I have seen it fail. I think this is because there is no simple dynamic at hand to deal with constantly ebbing and flowing social pathologies.

Finally, I have encountered too many people who would rather suffer than consider the possibility of lessening the weight of the chip on their shoulders. Everyday I walk into encounters where my skin color is the first issue. I’m just wearing my God-given equipment. But for too many, they can read my mind, my heart and my intentions by my pigment. Add a police uniform to that, and what do you get?

Are we still on for coffee?

And as an educated black woman, I do consider myself a successful productive citizen.

Obstacles that many minority groups and poor whites come up against are not ‘mythology’.

Sometimes I wonder why I bother to respond.

How does one go about dismantling entrenched mythology? I tend to think that success is the preferred way, but this dynamic is difficult when folks refuse to grab a toe-hold on life and are provided with crutches to enable their refusal.

Psychiatrists often counsel people that their view of reality is actually a series of “snap shots” in their mental album of their life experiences.

I think this true, but only if you let your view of reality blind you to what you can observe around you if you are willing to keep an open mind.

I have found “victims” to be pretty closed minded and too ready to wallow in their own sad world. I call them Eeyores….as in Winnie the Pooh.

Since psychiatrists mostly deal with “victims”, I suppose that is why they came up with the limited (in my opinion) definition of reality.

Thank you for the utterly thoughtful reply and yes, your response affirms what I have seen, though my perspective is always greatly enhanced by input from folks that I greatly admire for the force of their intellect.

I have done significant research on the criminal justice system despite apparently emerging “uniformed”-(smiles).

I hardly know where to start dismantling the urban myths in the US.

Living in the Middle East, it became very apparent how selectively introducing “facts” gives birth to a smoldering anger that serves no one.

On a trivial note, I remember once reading a post about “driving while black.” After reading the 321 hear-my-shocking-story responses, I was stunned that any of the posters thought that their situation was unique in any way and it hit me that most had no clue about what it is like to grow up “white.” Ergo, many bask in the luxury of being able to attribute “human life with all of its warts/travails” to being black.

Oh well…

Hello? Hello? Didn’t Nifongo say “Color me gone on the 13th of July”? Twenty four days from now? And wasn’t Nifongo suspended “with pay”, pending the hearing? If he’s gone on his own terms in 24 days, isn’t a hearing after 30 days rendered moot?

Seems to me the Hudson order is more symbolic than substantive. Seems to me it gives a disgraced public official a paid vacation to head down to the beach….

TaterCon

I have done court watches on judges, defense lawyers and Commonwealth’s Attorneys who are accused of bias or incompetence. Sometimes, those watched are the ones who have asked to be watched.

I have seen my share of accused get “shuffled through the system.” But, unfortunately for them, they were so patently guilty that it was a favor to the taxpayer.

In Offender Aid and Restoration we have to “triage” the prisoners, because those who will not help themselves are a drag on a valuable resource.

I spent two weeks recently at the state police academy and our work revolved around officers, black, white and Hispanic being personally maligned and falsely accused within certain communities. Every narcotics officer reported having a reputation for stealing and selling drugs having affairs at the point of a gun.

All this is to say that the urban myths about the justice system are firmly rooted and deeply held by those who choose to believe them.

Unfortunately, cops, lawyers, judges, and Commonwealth’s Attorneys do just enough stupid stuff that they stoke the fires. We just had a cop/teenager interracial oral sex incident that will go down as living proof for generations.

And there are some rotten apples that turn up, as well.

I always approach things from the perspective that people do not set out to fail. Occasionally, I find people who are candidates for “retroactive abortion.” But mostly, I find people believe in their work and sometimes make a mistake.

Specifically, in our community, the urban legends are hogwash. In a neighboring county, we have a sheriff who is a real Wyatt Earp. But his instincts are fantastic and most of his problems come from arresting his own inbred cousins. But he is Hell on wheels.

I suspect you research and my experience coincide: A lot of rumors and whining and very little evidence and even less proof.

I don’t know about studies on this subject, just personal observation. I live in CT. Almost every morning on the news there is a story about another shooting or stabbing in Hartford, New Haven or Bridgeport. 80-90% of those crimes are committed on and by black people. I don’t know if that is all the crime committed in CT every day, but that’s what we hear about. I live is a smaller city where I have friends on the police force, the majority of thier time is spent answering calls in the projects. The impression that I get is that the jails hold a larger percentage of the black population because a larger percentage of the black population is committing crimes.

You brought up a point of great importance and I would like to hear your point expanded. On virtually every website that has focused upon the Duke case (or even the Hilton case), there is the oft repeated refrain that black/poor men are routinely treated with injustice in the justice system.

After a significant number of interviews with police, prosecuting and defending attorneys, and criminal justice experts, what has emerged is a picture of defendants who may not have “perfect process” but are also guilty. From every conversation, the picture actually emerges of criminals plea’ing out for lack of “compelling” corroborating evidence (no one would snitch or the benefits of pursual were not commensurate with the likely outcome). The picture emerges of individuals who are thrown in jail for a “minor” offense but only while having rap sheets the size of novels/novellas.

Yet, the notion persists that untold innocent individuals are thrown in jail and accused of crimes they did not commit.

What are your thoughts on this? Studies?