YBPGuide - Latest Comments in Young, not so gifted and black

Re: Young, not so gifted and black

ETS — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 19:54:04 -0000

Kay, my wife and I were just talking about this just this morning. When I posted the above pic, it was all the green that spoke to me. I live in the desert, so grass is pretty much gold here. : )

My wife is very much an environmentalist and she - both of us, in fact - wishes there was more emphasis on taking care of the Earth in black communities.

We were talking about how some cities are making developers include "green space" in their projects. And I was wondering if developers knew why this was important or if they resent city councils because "that grass" could have been used for another house or something.

It's amazing how many of our societal issues are connected to the environment.

Re: Young, not so gifted and black

Kay — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 19:41:48 -0000

I think others have summed up the main issues, but I wanted to bring up urban design. We have designed ourselves out of space. Part of the reason the boys (and even girls, now) are so antsy in class is that we don't have fields and yards for them to run in anymore. Contemporary houses barely have back yards, and inner cities have multi-unit dwellings with no yards at all and very few parks to go to. Kids are cooped up, spending time in front of the tv, the computer, or video games. Then, told they need to keep sitting still in class all day. That's fine for sometimes, but I think we've forgotten that what kids really need is wide open space to play.

* My favorite places to be as a kid were either in some random field/creek and in my grandparents yard, which doubled as a semi-truck graveyard. As a well-mannered girl, my favorite places still involved spaces and freedom. I couldn't imagine being a high-energy boy and being denied that. It must be terrible.

Re: Young, not so gifted and black

K.B. — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 08:32:10 -0000

I agree that it's a combination of parenting issues and an outdated education system. Many boys don't learn how to sit down and be still at home, and then they don't do it at school either. Many teachers don't know how to work with kids that resist discipline. I still believe it takes a village to raise a child and parents and schools need to step their game up.

On the flip side, I see plenty of young men everyday at my job that are on their way to doing great things in the world. They are sometimes misunderstood because they are a bit playful, but I see their potential and drive, and they'll be ok.

*Side Note: Those summer evenings playing ball with my neighbors and/or cousins was the best. I really miss that.

Re: Young, not so gifted and black

Ronda — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 21:44:46 -0000

There are a combination of factors that are contributing to the demise of young black males. It’s bad parenting, an antiquated educational system, the media, lack of male role models, gangs, etc. This country needs to make a concerted effort to address this issue, rather than just right reports about it. This issue isn’t new.

On another note, I remember growing up in country and going fishing with my family. We sat on five gallon buckets and used worms that we dug up in my grandma’s yard as bait. Those were the days:0)

Re: Young, not so gifted and black

G. Biddle Kelley — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 20:16:38 -0000

This is tight...
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Re: Young, not so gifted and black

Jason McClain — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 19:40:10 -0000

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