culture

  The demographics of crime. I keep hearing from the experts how it is caused by poverty, a lack of education and a feeling of hopelessness. Yeah, I can see that. Crime is the easy way out. That's the simple truth about that, it appears to be the easiest way to change your circumstances. Now add in leaders that sympathize with that choice, in some cases being enablers, and how can you expect things to get better. At least here in Maryland there is talk of making it impossible to charge anyone under the age of thirteen with a crime. Does anyone really believe that a child of thirteen, or even younger doesn't understand right from wrong? Maybe I was the exception, but I knew by the time I was five that stealing was wrong, I knew that hitting someone else was wrong, and I knew that shooting someone with a gun was wrong. Yup, I knew those things by the time I was in kindergarten. That isn't to say I didn't try lifting a piece of bubblegum from the 5&10 or hitting someone else when I got mad at them. I did both, but in my defense, I never shot anyone although I had access to shotguns and a rifle. But I suppose that was because I wasn't poor, uneducated and didn't feel hopeless. Either that or I simply had parents, siblings, friends and strangers correcting the error of my ways at every turn. You know it does take a village to raise a child. Hey, I didn't even live in the village! But I'd suggest neighborhoods are pretty much the same in that regard.

 You know it's cliche, but it's also true, you don't really learn to appreciate something until you have to earn it. Whether you earn it through work, or simply doing the right thing even when no one is looking, you gain an appreciation, an understanding of right and wrong and civic responsibility. When the village is involved in shady practices, calling it culture, there should be no surprise when the children behave as they do. It's what they see in the streets and hear in the music. Who are the role models? The gangstas. These are some lyrics these kids are growing up with: "I used to love her, too bad I had to put a slug through her/Dumped her body in the trash like I never knew her/Blood runnin down the gutter into the sewer/Her body stunk for weeks like horse manure" (Esham) And those lyrics are very mild compared to others I read. But I'm told it is a cultural thing that I just don't understand. Yeah, you're right about that, I don't understand why parents would let their children listen to that stuff. But it's what's playin' in the neighborhood. 

 But you're not supposed to talk about that stuff, tell the truth about it. That's just profiling. When people act outside of the law, outside the cultural norms, it does create problems. The problem is for those acting within the law and societal norms. Now declaring those actions as a cultural thing doesn't change the fact that those actions are simply wrong. They can't be excused as cultural expression. That is the excuse, the reasoning behind many social injustices in the past. People of all races kept slaves at different times in history. That was the cultural norm. Only the slaves saw an issue with that. Women couldn't vote for first 93 years of this country's existence. It was the normal thing. But over time that culture changed, evolved to include those groups. It is what was once described as the melting pot. The goal is to establish one culture. That isn't to say other cultures shouldn't exist, be recognized, celebrated or respected. It is saying we can only have one culture in a nation, in this case, the American culture. 

 Do we really want a culture where violence and crime are the normal thing? Where we glorify the thugs and scoff at the lawmakers? A society where you simply appropriate whatever you want from those that earned it. What sort of culture is that? Strangely enough that culture has as its' goal to be included in the very culture they are rebelling against. They proclaim all they want is equality. When they are equal, then they should get a bit more, be recognized and honored for that achievement. And what is the achievement? Adopting the cultural norms of the nation they are living in. But that is what you're not supposed to say. You are not supposed to propose any such theory. Culture begins in the home, that's the bottom line. Want to stop the incidence of crime and violence? That needs to begin at home.

 But there has been resistance to this since the start, the adoption of the American culture. There was a name applied to those that attempted to do so. Uncle Tom. At first it was applied to those folks considered to bow down to their masters. Today it means anyone that appears to betray their culture or heritage. It's a sign of weakness. 

 That's the perception anyway. And that is where the understanding of culture goes off track. Culture changes and evolves over the years. It isn't a fixed thing. The Native American could not live as their ancestors did today. Indeed, I suspect few would choose that lifestyle. Yes, there will be some attempting to live in a teepee and hunt wild game to survive. There are those that would build a log cabin in the wilderness too. I expect they would use a chain saw instead of an axe though. What culture promotes violence and crime? The truth is it isn't a culture at all, it is simply the easy way out. A shortcut to perceived success. Justified by the past and encouraged by the by the present. A cultural thing? I don't think so.