New Pew Poll Shows Hopelessness in Many Black Americans
November 16, 2007The Pew Organization released an interesting poll recently. The poll reflects the hopelessness that many poor blacks (in particular) feel and I was surprised to see that many of the downtrodden blacks in this country actually view successful blacks as being of a different race. Huh?
The danger in that belief is that it means that such people do not believe that a black person is capable of being successful or of rising above their present condition. If they attribute black success to a thought that those who have achieved in the areas of education, career, etc. are some mutant race, then we are in trouble. Where do you go from there?
African Americans see a widening gulf between the values of middle class and poor blacks, and nearly four-in-ten say that because of the diversity within their community, blacks can no longer be thought of as a single race.
The new nationwide Pew Research Center survey also finds blacks less upbeat about the state of black progress now than at any time since 1983. Looking backward, just one-in-five blacks say things are better for blacks now than they were five years ago. Looking ahead, fewer than half of all blacks (44%) say they think life for blacks will get better in the future, down from the 57% who said so in a 1986 survey.
November 17th, 2007 at 1:39 am
My question is do you need a poll to tell you that their is hopelessness in the black community?
You can go to some parts of Baltimore City and see it in the faces of the masses, usually going to thier dead end jobs with no chance of advancement. You can even go to the Baltimore City schools and look at the kids not learning any skills that will make them compettive on the global scale, heck compettive on the local scale, and you can see that the future looks bleak.
Do you need to spend thousands of research dollars to tell me that the majority of blacks are living or feel that they are living in hopeless situations?
Questions or research with out solutions is like spending hours watching the grass grow. Pointless in my opinion.
bobmarley1
November 17th, 2007 at 7:59 am
I don’t believe the Pew research council does anything beyond polls. My guess is that their goal is to offer the research and then the social scientists, etc. can run with it.
Lynn
November 18th, 2007 at 12:32 am
It should be entitled “Survey of the Hopeless and the Helpless” as many of the individuals they are referring to in this survey have no desire to do better and are content being members of the “Give me Club.” When Bill Cosby says it though most people cry shame on him and condemn him like he is some sort of madman.
November 18th, 2007 at 1:16 am
many of the individuals they are referring to in this survey have no desire to do better and are content being members of the “Give me Club.”
Thanks goodness that I have a blog where a great majority are not afraid to tell it like it is. You go girl!