+tommy2chips
tommy2chips: “Statistically, Blacks do kill and attack more than any race. I live in the Baltimore area, it is bad.”
Hi, Tommy. I was a Brooklyn cop when Shawn Jay Z Carter raps about attempting destroy his community by selling dope to people living and working in the community and neighborhoods I served.
I personally witnessed the emotional pain and physical violence Shawn Carter is responsible for causing, and its aftermath, leaving peaceful community residents fearing for their safety on a 24/7 basis, which are the hours drugs were/are being sold.
During the twelve years I served this community I met hundreds of peaceful people who were just as shaken, upset and disturbed as I was by the daily displays of violence.
I was lucky, at the end of my workday I could leave the community, returning to a more peaceful residential community were concerns for me and my family’s safety were significantly lower.
However, virtually all of my civilian co-workers, mostly loving, competent moms living in this community were not as fortunate. They were burdened with stresses and challenges my parents did not face to any significant degree.
I can recall only a few times when my mom said, “Knute, I do not want you hanging out or playing with those “Smith or Jones” family kids. If I learn you are hanging out with them, you’ll be grounded with no TV.” (at the time our TV was a 13″ B&W Motorola with rabbit ears)
The added stresses and challenges my peaceful co-workers faced was preventing their children from being negatively influenced by abused/neglected/unsupervised children being raised and nurtured by immature teens and young women who irresponsibly begin building families before they acquired the skills, maturity, PATIENCE and means to independently provide for their family of developing children.
In his 2015 Grammy Award winning performance of “I” Kendrick Lamar raps about experiencing depression since he was an adolescent.
In a January 20, 2011 LAWeekly interview Kendrick, born in 1987, the same year songwriter Suzanne Vega wrote a song about child abuse and VICTIM DENIAL that was nominated for a Grammy award, he told the interviewer:
“Lamar’s parents moved from Chicago to Compton in 1984 with all of $500 in their pockets. “My mom’s one of 13 [THIRTEEN] siblings, and they all got SIX kids, and till I was 13 everybody was in Compton,” he says.”
“I’m 6 years old, seein’ my uncles playing with shotguns, sellin’ dope in front of the apartment. My moms and pops never said nothing, ’cause they were young and living wild, too. I got about 15 stories like ‘Average Joe.'”
Tommy, Kendrick describes the emotionally abused/damaged children that responsible peaceful, caring, loving moms living in this community, on a daily basis struggled to keep their kids from being influenced by.
In school Kendrick, his brothers and sisters, his cousins, his neighborhood friends, elementary and JHS classmates were being taught peaceful values, to respect their neighbors and our society’s rules and laws.
Only to return home after class to “living wild” caretakers and a neighborhood atmosphere that was disregarding all the peaceful values he was being taught in elementary school.
In her book, “Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome: America’s Legacy of Enduring Injury and Healing (PTSS)”, researcher Dr. Joy DeGruy’s does an excellent job relating how “Cognitive Dissonance,” a debilitating mental condition, causes people’s minds to experience confusion and ambivalence.
Tommy, I wonder how little Kendrick and his elementary school classmates reacted when their elementary school teacher introduced the DARE presenter and they learned about the real dangers of drugs, how they harm people, including their parents, other family members and neighbors?
Kendrick’s description of his young life certainly explains why many kids grow up confused, perhaps resentful for being introduced to a life of hardship and struggle. As they mature they realize mom and/or dad introduced them to life of struggle, totally unlike the safe, mostly happy, life they were aware many Average Joe American kids were experiencing.
In his 1990s raps Tupac describes loving/hating his mom, despising his dad, contemplating suicide when he wakes in the morning, and committing harmful anti-social acts against his peaceful neighbors because of the painful life his drug addicted mom introduced him to.
Because they live thousand of miles apart, I can safely say Shawn Jay Z Carter was not the poison dealer Tupac’s mom purchased drugs from.
Recently Baltimore mom Toya Graham’s teen son Michael and many of his teen classmates were observed/recorded acting with depraved indifference for human life toward peaceful people attempting to protect their peaceful community members from the anger and frustration of children experiencing Cognitive Dissonance, in that these children are aware their moms are responsible for introducing them to a life of pain and hardship they would not have experienced if their moms had made better choices when building a family.
In her song about child abuse, 1988 Grammy nominee Suzanne Vega correctly notes that many victims of child abuse will not identify and often protect their abusers.
In my mind it is understandable that many victims of emotional child abuse understandably will not blame their moms or other caretakers for the hardships they are experiencing. Yet being young immature humans they somehow need to vent their simmering rage and resentment, which results in peaceful people living and/or working in their community becoming victims of their rage, frustration and resentment.
Tommy, early in my police career when I was assigned to a Brooklyn community a few of my training officers advised me to be prepared to experience “culture shock.” When I asked what is meant by “culture shock,” I was told, “You’ll find out.”
I did find out what “culture shock” is, though it was not a culture of violence and harmful anti-social activities many were insinuating I would be shocked by.
The aspect of this Brooklyn, NY community that shocked me to the core was witnessing children being emotionally scarred by a “culture of child abuse/neglect” that Kendrick Lamar raps and speaks about some twenty-five years after I first witnessed the “Culture of Child Abuse/Neglect” that today CONTINUES emotionally damaging many developing children and their communities.
Tommy, if Ms. Graham and Kendrick’s mom had built smaller families they could easier care for, provide for and supervise, do you believe Michael and Kendrick would have matured into teens whose minds were tainted with anger and frustration, feeling a need to vent these negative emotions, often in a violent fashion?
Victims of Child Abuse:
Read popular American rapper Tupac Amaru Shakur (Lesane Parish Crooks; June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996) lyrics to learn about his love-hate relationship with his mom, his great disappointment with his dad, and about Tupac’s frequent suicidal thoughts.
Read about how Tupac’s drug addicted mother accepted proceeds of the harmful anti-social acts Tupac raps/writes about committing against his peaceful neighbors. I have to tell you, reading Tupac’s lyrics brings back a lot memories of the horrific emotional child abuse I witnessed during the nearly twelve year I provided police services to Shawn Carter’s community.
Shawn “Jay Z” Carter (born December 4, 1969) is another victim of child abuse/neglect who raps/writes about the physical harm and fear he caused to his peaceful neighbors and community.
Reading Shawn “Jay Z” Carter describe the pain he caused to his neighbors and community, brought back painful memories, causing me experience much of the same anxiety and pain I experienced from personally witnessing the physical and emotional pain young Shawn Carter caused to individuals as well as an entire housing complex and surrounding neighborhoods.
In 1987, the same year emotionally depressed 2015 Grammy winner Kendrick Lamar was born, songwriter Suzanne Vega wrote a song about child abuse and VICTIM DENIAL that was nominated for a Grammy.
Suzanne nailed it, parents and caregivers do the most horrific things to their kids, yet many kids will defend their abusers, blaming themselves for their “blues,” bruises and injuries before admitting a parent/caretaker harmed them.
“Yes I think I’m okay I walked into the door again Well, if you ask that’s what I’ll say
“Here are 3 more important things that the NAACP is currently dealing with:
1) The HIV epidemic… 2)Economic Opportunities… 3)Racial Profiling…”
Marcy Houses – undated
I am curious. Why is it so few of my fellow American with voices choose to ignore America’s expanding and shameful National Epidemic of Childhood Abuse and Neglect, Poverty, that for more than two generations has deprived untold numbers of American kids from experiencing and enjoying a fairly happy American kid childhood with Safe Streets to travel and play on.
Early Childhood Abuse and Neglect that often leads depressed, sometimes suicidal (NY Times May 18, 2015 – Rise in Suicide by Black Children Surprises Researchers) children to develop into depressed, angry, frustrated, unpredictable, sometimes suicidal teens and adults lacking empathy and compassion for others, though needing to vent their pent up negative emotions, often causing emotional and physical harm to peaceful people…instead of venting their anger, resentment and pain on the immature single moms and/or dads who introduced them to a life of pain and struggle by irresponsibly building a family before acquiring the practical skills, PATIENCE and means to successfully raise and nurture a developing young child who matures into a fairly happy responsible teen and adult.
Early in my police career when I was assigned to the Brooklyn community Shawn ‘Jay Z’ Carter raps/writes about attempting destroy by selling poison to depressed people living and working in his community, and rapping about engaging in extremely harmful anti-social behaviors designed to protect his drug operation from rival gangs in adjoining neighborhoods, a few of my training officers advised me to be prepared to experience “culture shock.”
When I asked what is meant by “culture shock,” I was told, “You’ll find out.”
I did find out what “culture shock” is, though it was not a culture of violence and harmful anti-social activities many were insinuating I would be shocked by.
The aspect of this Brooklyn, NY community that shocked me to the core was witnessing children being emotionally scarred by an American Sub-Culture of Child Abuse/Neglect,” aka Poverty that 2015 Grammy winner Kendrick Lamar raps and speaks about some twenty-five years after I first witnessed the “American Sub-Culture of Child Abuse/Neglect” that today CONTINUES emotionally damaging many developing children and their communities.
I personally witnessed the emotional trauma and physical pain a young, neglected, unsupervised, Shawn ‘Jay Z’ Carter is responsible for causing, and its aftermath, leaving a community populated by mostly peaceful people fearing for their safety on a 24/7 basis, which are the hours Shawn’s crew/gang were selling community harming substances.
During the twelve years I served this community I met hundreds of peaceful people who were just as shaken, upset and deeply disturbed as I was by the daily displays of violence and other anti-social activities mostly caused by teens and adults who were victims of childhood abuse and neglect.
I was lucky, at the end of my workday I could leave the community, returning to a more peaceful residential community where concerns for me and my family’s safety were significantly lower.
However, virtually all of my civilian co-workers, mostly loving, competent moms living in this community were not as fortunate. They were burdened with stresses and challenges my parents did not face to any significant degree.
The added stresses and challenges my peaceful co-workers faced was preventing their children from being negatively influenced by abused, neglected, unsupervised children being raised and nurtured by immature, “living wild” teen moms and young women who irresponsibly begin building families before they acquired the skills, maturity, PATIENCE and means to independently provide for their family of developing children.
In his Grammy award winning Rap Performance titled “I”, Kendrick Lamar writes, “I’ve been dealing with depression ever since an adolescent.”
During a January 20, 2011 LAWeekly interview (Google search) Kendrick, born in 1987, the same year songwriter Suzanne Vega wrote a song about child abuse and VICTIM DENIAL that was nominated for a Grammy award, told the interviewer:
“Lamar’s parents moved from Chicago to Compton in 1984 with all of $500 in their pockets. “My mom’s one of 13 [THIRTEEN] siblings, and they all got SIX kids, and till I was 13 everybody was in Compton,” he says.”
“I’m 6 years old, seein’ my uncles playing with shotguns, sellin’ dope in front of the apartment. My moms and pops never said nothing, ’cause they were young and living wild, too. I got about 15 stories like ‘Average Joe.'”
It seems evident to me Kendrick identified the source of his depression, the roots of poverty, the child abuse/maltreatment that prevented him, his brothers, sisters, cousins, neighborhood friends, elementary and JHS classmates from enjoying a fairly happy safe childhood.
Seems the adults responsible for raising the children in Kendrick’s immediate and extended family placed obstacles in their children’s way, causing their kids to deal with challenges and stresses young minds are not prepared to deal with…nor should they or any other children be exposed to and have to deal with.
It seems evident to me these PARENTAL INTRODUCED obstacles and challenges cause some developing children’s minds to become tormented and go haywire, not knowing OR NOT CARING ABOUT right from wrong…because as they mature, young victims of child abuse realize their parents introduced them to a life of pain and struggle, totally unlike the mostly safe, happy life the media showed them many American kids were enjoying. RESENTMENT
I wonder how little Kendrick and his classmates reacted when their elementary school teacher introduced the DARE presenter and they learned about the real dangers of drugs and how they harm people, including their parents? Cognitive Dissonance
I cannot speak for anyone else, but if I was raised in Kendrick’s family I would most likely be silently peeved at my parents. particularly my mom who had the final say on whether or not I was born, for being immature, irresponsible “living wild” adults who deprived me, my sisters and brothers of experiencing a safe, fairly happy Average Joe or Josie American childhood.
I have a feeling most Americans would have been just as shaken and disturbed as I was when witnessing on a daily basis children and teens being abused, neglected and unsupervised, which often resulted with them venting their anger and frustrations on their peaceful neighbors.
I am sad when people with voices, much like Mr. Joyner, ignore the core reason for many of the social issues causing real concerns for my peaceful neighbors of African descent…and in my opinion the primary reason for racial profiling by my Americans neighbors from all backgrounds.
Let’s be honest, there is a population of moms who need to do a much better job of loving and nurturing their and society’s children.
Peace…
Take Pride In Parenting; End Our National Epidemic of Child Abuse and Neglect; End Community Violence, Police Fear & Educator’s Frustrations
This video depicts horrific examples of men who were victims of childhood abuse and neglect, conditioning a young teen to embrace ‘The Street’ culture Baltimore Mom of The Year failed to protect her teen son from…not to mention representing the fear peaceful people living and WORKING in the community experience knowing depressed, angry, unpredictable teens and young adults need to vent their angers and frustrations for being introduced to a life of pain and struggle by irresponsible, “living wild” single moms and/or dads.
A little girl, catching a cool breeze from an air conditioning unit in the yard, was blindsided by another child about her same age, who had evidently had some practice with fighting fierce. The small victim wasn’t alone, as there were plenty of nearby witnesses, who could have protected her but didn’t because they were too busy recording the brutal beat down and encouraging it. | Written By Amanda Shea
Depraved Indifference for Human Life?
What I see in this recorded act of criminal child abuse, is adults conditioning children to embrace the cycle of child abuse, child maltreatment and violence passed down from generation to generation by depressed Americans who are content living in the poverty they are primarily responsible for fueling when irresponsibly birthing children from selfishness, instead of the love between two committed adult partners.
Nationally Popular Victims of Early Childhood Abuse and Neglect
Read popular American rapper Tupac Amaru Shakur (Lesane Parish Crooks; June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996) lyrics to learn about his love-hate relationship with his mom, his great disappointment with his dad, and about Tupac’s frequent suicidal thoughts.
Read about how Tupac’s drug addicted mother accepted proceeds of the harmful anti-social acts Tupac raps/writes about committing against his peaceful neighbors. I have to tell you, reading Tupac’s lyrics brings back a lot memories of the horrific emotional child abuse I witnessed during the nearly twelve year I provided police services to Shawn Carter’s community.
Shawn “Jay Z” Carter (born December 4, 1969) is another victim of child abuse/neglect who raps/writes about the physical harm and fear he caused to his peaceful neighbors and community.
Reading Shawn “Jay Z” Carter describe the pain he caused to his neighbors and community, brought back painful memories, causing me experience much of the same anxiety and pain I experienced from personally witnessing the physical and emotional pain young Shawn Carter caused to individuals as well as an entire housing complex and surrounding neighborhoods.
In 1987, the same year emotionally depressed 2015 Grammy winner Kendrick Lamar was born, songwriter Suzanne Vega wrote a song about child abuse and VICTIM DENIAL that was nominated for a Grammy.
Suzanne nailed it, parents and caregivers do the most horrific things to their kids, yet many kids will defend their abusers, blaming themselves for their “blues,” bruises and injuries before admitting a parent/caretaker harmed them.
“Yes I think I’m okay I walked into the door again Well, if you ask that’s what I’ll say
And it’s not your business anyway”
Victim of America’s expanding and shameful *National Epidemic of Child Abuse and Neglect,* aka *Poverty*, that for decades has deprived untold numbers of emotionally abused and neglected young developing children from experiencing and enjoying a safe, fairly happy American kid childhood!
It is good to see Kendrick smiling, despite the horrific acts of child abuse he, his siblings, neighborhood friends, elementary and JHS classmates were exposed to, causing Kendrick to rap about being a depressed adolescent in his 2015 Grammy Award winning performance of ,”I”.
In a January 2011 LAWeekly interview Kendrick, born in 1987, the same year songwriter Suzanne Vega wrote a song about child abuse and victim denial that was nominated for a Grammy award, he told the interviewer:
“Lamar’s parents moved from Chicago to Compton in 1984 with all of $500 in their pockets. “My mom’s one of 13 [THIRTEEN] siblings, and they all got SIX kids, and till I was 13 everybody was in Compton,” he says.”
“I’m 6 years old, seein’ my uncles playing with shotguns, sellin’ dope in front of the apartment. My moms and pops never said nothing, ’cause they were young and living wild, too. I got about 15 stories like ‘Average Joe.'”
I grew up enjoying the sounds of Earth, Wind and Fire.
Had EW&F written music that characterized females, aka our moms, sisters, grandmas and daughters, as witches and bhores, as many of today’s music performers characterize women, I’m pretty certain I would have thought these guys were troubled human beings, much like I believe many of today’s performers are troubled victims of early child abuse that causes them to demean females.
Good to see Kendrick rubbing elbows with peaceful composers and talented musicians who write music that makes a large segment of our human population want to smile, dance, love and respect women.
Victims of Child Abuse:
Read popular American rapper Tupac Amaru Shakur (Lesane Parish Crooks; June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996) lyrics to learn about his love-hate relationship with his mom, his great disappointment with his dad, and about Tupac’s frequent suicidal thoughts.
Read about how Tupac’s drug addicted mother accepted proceeds of the harmful anti-social acts Tupac raps/writes about committing against his peaceful neighbors. I have to tell you, reading Tupac’s lyrics brings back a lot memories of the horrific emotional child abuse I witnessed during the nearly twelve year I provided police services to Shawn Carter’s community.
Shawn “Jay Z” Carter (born December 4, 1969) is another victim of child abuse/neglect who raps/writes about the physical harm and fear he caused to his peaceful neighbors and community.
Reading Shawn “Jay Z” Carter describe the pain he caused to his neighbors and community, brought back painful memories, causing me experience much of the same anxiety and pain I experienced from personally witnessing the physical and emotional pain young Shawn Carter caused to individuals as well as an entire housing complex and surrounding neighborhoods.
In 1987, the same year emotionally depressed 2015 Grammy winner Kendrick Lamar was born, songwriter Suzanne Vega wrote a song about child abuse and VICTIM DENIAL that was nominated for a Grammy.
Suzanne nailed it, parents and caregivers do the most horrific things to their kids, yet many kids will defend their abusers, blaming themselves for their “blues,” bruises and injuries before admitting a parent/caretaker harmed them.
“Yes I think I’m okay I walked into the door again Well, if you ask that’s what I’ll say
Hi. I spent nearly twelve years providing police services to a Rap Hip Hop influenced Brooklyn, NY community, most all my civilian co-workers were competent, responsible loving moms, most all lived in this community. Ms. Jackson’s calm, well spoken words remind me of many of my co-workers.
Sadly these caring moms, their families and peaceful neighbors were potential victims of harmful anti-social acts committed by depressed, frustrated, unpredictable angry teens and adults, who as children were emotionally abused, neglected and/or maltreated by MANY immature teen and young moms living in this community. Moms who irresponsibly built small or large families before acquiring life experiences, practical skills, PATIENCE, and the means to independently provide for their children.
A question or observation I often heard in this community, “Do you see how she is raising that child!?”
In his 2015 Grammy Award winning rap performance, “I”, American Rap Performance Artist Kendrick Lamar reveals, “I’ve been dealing with depression ever since an adolescent.”
In a January 2011 LAWeekly interview American rapper and 2015 Grammy winner Kendrick Lamar, born in 1987, the same year songwriter Suzanne Vega wrote a song about child abuse and victim denial that was nominated for a Grammy award, he told the interviewer:
“Lamar’s parents moved from Chicago to Compton in 1984 with all of $500 in their pockets. “My mom’s one of 13 [THIRTEEN] siblings, and they all got SIX kids, and till I was 13 everybody was in Compton,” he says.”
“I’m 6 years old, seein’ my uncles playing with shotguns, sellin’ dope in front of the apartment. My moms and pops never said nothing, ’cause they were young and living wild, too. I got about 15 stories like ‘Average Joe.'”
Ms. Jackson correctly speaks about holding parents accountable. How does society hold accountable Kendrick Lamar’s immediate and extended families, as well as his depressed neighbors for depriving Kendrick, his siblings, cousins, neighborhood friends, elementary and JHS classmates from experiencing the safe, some-what happy life he is aware most American kids are enjoying?
Seems to me Kendrick identified the source of his depression, the roots of poverty, the child abuse/maltreatment that prevented him, his brothers, sisters, cousins, neighborhood friends and elementary school classmates from enjoying a fairly happy safe childhood.
Seems the adults responsible for raising the children in Kendrick’s immediate and extended family placed obstacles in their children’s way, causing their kids to deal with challenges and stresses young minds are not prepared to deal with…nor should they or any other children be exposed to and have to deal with.
Perhaps these obstacles and challenges cause some developing children’s minds to become tormented and go haywire, confused not knowing right from wrong, OR CARING ABOUT right from wrong.
I’ve met depressed, frustrated kids like Kendrick. I’ve arrested them, witnessed their pain and sadness, learned the roots of their pain and sadness when I met their caretakers, mostly single moms. I’ve watched young teens tearfully express their anger at their moms, for introducing them to a life of pain and struggle, totally unlike the mostly safe, happy life the media showed them many American kids were enjoying.
I wonder how little Kendrick and his classmates reacted when their elementary school teacher introduced the DARE presenter and they learned about the real dangers of drugs and how they harm people, including their parents?
I am not certain how society holds accountable caregivers who, let’s be honest, according to Kendrick Lamar inflict egregious criminal acts of maltreatment and long-lasting emotional child abuse on their children, causing many children to experience “Cognitive Dissonance, ” a debilitating mental condition researcher Dr. Joy DeGruy describes in her book, “Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome: America’s Legacy of Enduring Injury and Healing (PTSS)”.
Read popular American rapper Tupac Amaru Shakur (Lesane Parish Crooks; June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996) lyrics to learn about his love-hate relationship with his mom, his great disappointment with his dad, and about Tupac’s frequent suicidal thoughts.
Read about how Tupac’s drug addicted mother accepted proceeds of the harmful anti-social acts Tupac raps/writes about committing against his peaceful neighbors. I have to tell you, reading Tupac’s lyrics brings back a lot memories of the horrific emotional child abuse I witnessed during the nearly twelve year I provided police services to Shawn Carter’s community.
Shawn “Jay Z” Carter (born December 4, 1969) is another victim of child abuse/neglect who raps/writes about the physical harm and fear he caused to his peaceful neighbors and community.
Reading Shawn “Jay Z” Carter describe the pain he caused to his neighbors and community, brought back painful memories, causing me experience much of the same anxiety and pain I experienced from personally witnessing the physical and emotional pain young Shawn Carter caused to individuals as well as an entire housing complex and surrounding neighborhoods.
In 1987, the same year emotionally depressed 2015 Grammy winner Kendrick Lamar was born, songwriter Suzanne Vega wrote a song about child abuse and VICTIM DENIAL that was nominated for a Grammy.
Suzanne nailed it, parents and caregivers do the most horrific things to their kids, yet many kids will defend their abusers, blaming themselves for their “blues,” bruises and injuries before admitting a parent/caretaker harmed them.
“Yes I think I’m okay I walked into the door again Well, if you ask that’s what I’ll say
“Yeah when black men start defending their women instead of putting us down.”
KnutesNiche replies to Alina Lane:
Hello Alina.
Have you ever wondered why, during the 60s talented Motown musicians wrote lyrics expressing their love, admiration and fondness for women?
Yet less than a generation later, my Motown friend’s children and grandchildren were writing rap hip hop performance lyrics characterizing women as B-dogs and broom riders, or less than human creatures not deserving of respect?
Alina, what’s up with that? Why the change in attitude toward women during the generation following the civil rights era when my Motown friends were making me, my friends and neighbors smile and dance to their sounds?
Alina Lane replies to KnutesNiche:
“How am I suppose to know?
I was born in 1994. I enjoy music from the 60’s & almost all old school music. But in my generation all I seen is black men always belittling black women & degrading is. The whole already hates us & to have black men add to that. That’s fvcked up.
Knute replies to Alina:
Hi. Alina.
Alina, the roots of disrespect some or many black men and women show for each began growing in the 60s, when well-intentioned social program designed to help victims of human ignorance known as racism allowed people, mostly single moms to build families before acquiring skills, maturity, PATIENCE and the means to independently care for their developing children.
Shawn ‘Jay Z’ Carter, born in 1969, and Tupac Shakur, born in 1971, are examples of men born during America’s post civil rights era, both are men who resent their moms and/or dads for introducing them to a life of poverty, a life that caused them struggle and experience hardship that caused them to become depressed children.
A seriously emotionally depressed Tupac writes about waking in the morning with thoughts of suicide suicide in his ‘That Just The Way It Is’ rap. In his ‘Dear Mama’ rap he writes about loving/hating his mom, and despising his dad for the life of hardships they introduced him to.
In his Brooklyn’s Finest rap Shawn Carter indirectly reveals the child abuse/neglect he experienced when he writes about selling harmful drugs to his neighbors and using his Mack_Milli automatic firearm to protect his Marcy Houses drug operation and cause fear to peaceful people living and working in the surrounding neighborhoods.
Alina, I was a Brooklyn cop during the period Shawn raps about selling drugs and shooting people. This is not comic book fantasy Shawn raps/writes about, they are his personal experiences with child abuse that leads to violence.
I witnessed the fear, emotional and physical damage Shawn writes about him and his crew/gang of depressed, angry, frustrated friends causing to peaceful people. All this damage was caused because Shawn’s mom irresponsibly allowed him to run wild, harming, and sometimes killing their neighbors.
If Tupac’s raps are not convincing enough, please read the January 20, 2011 LAWeekly interview with 2015 Grammy Award winner Kendrick Lamar which Kendrick says:
“Lamar’s parents moved from Chicago to Compton in 1984 with all of $500 in their pockets. “My mom’s one of 13 siblings, and they all got six kids, and till I was 13 everybody was in Compton,” he says.
“I’m 6 years old, seein’ my uncles playing with shotguns, sellin’ dope in front of the apartment. My moms and pops never said nothing, ’cause they were young and living wild, too. I got about 15 stories like ‘Average Joe.’?”
In a October 2012 LAWeekly interview Kendrick reveals:
“My school was a 10-minute walk from where I stayed. I was in first grade, and my mom walked me there and said, ‘I want you to walk home by yourself.’ And I was, like, ‘You gonna be at home?’
She was, like, ‘Yeah,'” he remembers.
“That was my fear, that she wasn’t going to be home.” Sure enough, he arrived to an empty driveway. What he takes from this story, however, is a lesson: Don’t rely on someone always being there for you.
Alina, if I had not witnessed on a daily basis with my own eyes the emotional abuse/neglect/maltreatment Kendrick speaks about, I would have difficulty understanding and empathizing with Kendrick.
Though I have seen the damage kids sustain when their moms irresponsibly introduce life into our world and then proceed to emotionally damage developing life by failing to provide adequate emotional support and guidance to their children.
In other words, Alina, there is a population of American moms who need to do a much better job of raising their kids if we expect them to begin writing music praising and loving women, as my Motown friends did in their music.
Alina, most all my civilian co-workers were moms living in this Brooklyn community. In my opinion they were competent at their jobs in the precinct house, and caring, competent moms who were burdened with the stresses of preventing their children from being influenced by the depressed, emotionally damaged kids running wild and disrupting their children’s education in school.
Alina, kids born post civil rights had a lot of human ignorance to deal with as they tried to develop into peaceful, fairly happy teens and adults.
First, kids like Shawn, Tupac, Calvin “Snoop Dogg” Cordozar Broadus Jr.(born October 20, 1971), O’Shea “Ice Cube” Jackson, Sr. (born June 15, 1969) had to deal with emotional stresses of being part of an American population emotionally damaged by slavery and racism.
Then these young children had to deal with being raised and nurtured by depressed caregivers themselves dealing with the profound effects of being disrespected and treated as less than human by a small population of wealthy Americans who selfishly fed propaganda to an ignorant/unenlightened American public. Propaganda promoted by so-called educated Americans who informed a population of ignorant, poorly educated people of a new, developing nation that black people were inferior humans, therefore treating them poorly was acceptable.
Until recently I believed racism was one of many human ignorance we naively embraced as our human species evolved.
However, after watching a one-hour and twenty-minute lecture in which researcher Dr. Joy DeGruy talks about the investigation into violence she conducted for her book, “Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome: America’s Legacy of Enduring Injury and Healing (PTSS),” I have questions as to whether or not racism is a human ignorance, or a tool of deceit created by America’s forefathers to justify slavery and treating black people as less than human, much like many of today’s rappers and hip hop performers characterize their black brothers and sisters in their performance lyrics.
Alina, I became sad and angry listening to Dr. DeGruy describe the horrible acts some Americans engaged in to further demonize slaves in the minds of less educated Americans who witnessed the emotional and physical abuse slaves experienced.
Though my anger was tempered by the fact there were many Americans whose natural compassion, empathy and intelligence told them slavery was wrong. Many Americans calling themselves Abolitionists, placed their reputations and in many instances their lives at stake to save their fellow human beings from the emotional and physical damage they experienced by being treated as less than human or people not equal to other Americans compassion and respect.
Alina, if you watch Dr. DeGruy’s entire presentation I have few doubts that you too will become angry. It is quite natural for most human beings to be horrified when learning about fellow peaceful humans being harmed and/or treated as less than human.
Hopefully your anger will be tempered knowing our society, aka human species, has evolved, actively addressing our past human ignorance by creating laws to educate and protect people from human ignorance.
Another aspect of Dr. DeGruy’s presentation that enlightened me was talk about “Cognitive Dissonance” and it’s effects on human thinking and development.
On my WordPress pages I write about what I learned from Dr. DeGruy, using my “common sense” that Dr. DeGruy speaks about, to relate how Cognitive Dissonance affects today’s adult and developing Americans.
Particularly kids like Kendrick Lamar who in their elementary school classrooms are being taught peaceful values and to respect their neighbors, while in their homes they are being taught or exposed to values that deprive them of experiencing the safe, happy life the media and TV tell them a majority of their American classmates experience.
The mind-harming lessons many of today’s developing children are learning in their home environments is the reason many teens and adults are creating raps characterizing females as “witches and bhores,” or less than human people, people not deserving of respect.
Sadly, modern day slvve masters, beginning with but not limited to record producers/promoters like…
James “Jimmy” Iovine (born March 11, 1953)
Marion “Suge” Knight, Jr. (born April 19, 1965)
Sean “Puff Daddy”, “Diddy”, “P. Diddy” John Combs (born November 4, 1969)
Shawn “Jay Z” Carter (born December 4, 1969)
Curtis ’50 Cent’ James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975)
Kanye Omari West (born June 8, 1977)
…have no interest in speaking about the child abuse/neglect Kendrick was bold enough to share with his fans. These men became famous and wealthy promoting rap hip hop performances that demean other black teens and adults, as well as characterizing females, aka moms, sisters, grandmas and daughters, as less than human “witches or bhores.”
As far as these rap hip hop producers are concerned, it is in their best interests to promote propaganda that “whitey” continues preventing many of our black American friends, neighbors and co-workers from thriving and flourishing in our society.
The marketing strategy and philosophy in Rap Hip Hop industry/world is to incite children, teens and young adults..incite anger in developing children, keep our growing population of younger fans angry by inciting more anger…and they will purchase our Rap Performance American Art products.
The same applies to older black Americans who were kids when the painful stings of racism affected their lives, preventing them from experiencing the safe, relatively happy lives they witnessed most American kids and adults enjoying.
I appreciate educators, authors, doctors and researchers educating today’s society about our past, describing how human ignorance/racism personally harmed them, a population of American people and our nation.
However, when reading and listening to these older Americans who experienced the struggles caused by racism, I witness very few writing or talking about healing.
Even Dr. DeGruy who in her video-taped lecture speaks about healing, does not offer a method for easing the wounds of racism. Though like many older Americans who were affected by pre-civil-rights ignorance, I can sense their lingering anger and resentment.
I understand residual anger and resentment. Employing the human empathy my parents, community and educators schooled me to embrace (sometimes through discipline) I too would feel resentment toward anyone I believed willfully stifled my freedoms and opportunity to pursue and enjoy my peaceful vision of Life, Liberty and Happiness.
Though much like the rap hip hoppers and their promoters/producers, many Americans who speak and write about the racist human ignorance of our past have have an economic incentive to keep the dwindling flames of racism flickering.
Alina, in the early 90s Tupac rapped about the childhood pain his parents and community caused him to experience. In 2011 and 2102 Grammy Award winner Kendrick Lamar, communicating in plain English, told a reporter about the child abuse his parents and neighbors subjected him to.
Alina, why is nearly everyone in our society ignoring the clear, unambiguous descriptions of child abuse Tupac and Kendrick lament they were victims of during critical periods in the young lives?
I mean Holy Smokes, what more do these men and many other American rappers who directly or indirectly describe in their lyrics being victims of or witnessing child abuse, have to do for OUR society to hear them?
Alina, when Kendrick was a child witnessing the madness around him, knowing it was wrong, he felt helpless, unable to voice his opinions about ending the madness his teachers told him, and in his heart, he knew was wrong and harmful. Madness that prevented him, his siblings, neighborhood friends, elementary and JHS classmates from experiencing a safe, fairly stress and cognitive dissonance free childhood.
As an adult Kendrick found his voice and in January of 2011 he revealed the torment and depression his parents, extended family and neighbors caused him to experience. Torment that causes many children to develop into teens and adults who often express their anger, frustrations and resentment bu committing harmful anti-social acts against the peaceful neighbors and communities. Much like a young Baltimore teen who was irresponsibly introduced to a life of hardship and struggle by Baltimore mom and grandmother Toya Graham.
Alina, do you have an opinion for why Ms. Graham’s son and dozens of his classmates engaged in acts of depravity and violence against the people trying to protect his mom and sisters from the anger and frustrations of children born to immature women who make irresponsible choices when building their families?
Claudia Valentine observed, “Poverty and crime create a vicious cycle.
Hello, Claudia.
I spent nearly twelve years observing people creating and living in poverty that often leads depressed, angry, frustrated people to committing harmful anti-social against their peaceful neighbors.
I met the victims of poverty, depressed teens/adults who committed harmful anti-social acts that emotionally harmed and physically injured victims and neighborhoods.
After spending six years focusing her research on violence, Dr. Joy DeGruy wrote a book titled, Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome: America’s Legacy of Enduring Injury and Healing (PTSS) which revealed to me more about the human ignorance that enslaved and emotionally harmed many generations of peaceful Americans.
I did not read Dr. Degruy’s book, though I did watch the entire one-hour and twenty-minute video of her lecture that someone was kind enough to post on YouTube.
Listening to Dr. DeGruy describe how “Cognitive Dissonance” plays a role in perpetuating racism/human-ignorance and how it affected victims of human ignorance, further enlightened me about the sadness and horrors of our past.
Thanks to Dr. Degruy, I learned that Cognitive Dissonance is the mental stress or discomfort experienced by an individual who holds two or more contradictory beliefs, ideas, or values at the same time, or is confronted by new information that conflicts with existing beliefs, ideas, or values.
Thanks to Dr. Degruy I have a better understanding of a an emotional, growth harming mental stress that I believe relates to why some kids living in poverty grow-up confused, angry, frustrated and need to vent these negative human emotions as the mature into teens and adults.
In his 2015 Grammy award winning Rap Performance titled “I”, Kendrick Lamar writes, “I’ve been dealing with depression ever since an adolescent.”
In a January 2011 LAWeekly interview Kendrick, born in 1987, the same year songwriter Suzanne Vega wrote a song about child abuse and victim denial that was nominated for a Grammy award, he told the interviewer:
“Lamar’s parents moved from Chicago to Compton in 1984 with all of $500 in their pockets. “My mom’s one of 13 [THIRTEEN] siblings, and they all got SIX kids, and till I was 13 everybody was in Compton,” he says.“
“I’m 6 years old, seein’ my uncles playing with shotguns, sellin’ dope in front of the apartment. My moms and pops never said nothing, ‘cause they were young and living wild, too. I got about 15 stories like ‘Average Joe.’”
Seems to me Kendrick identified the source of his depression, the roots of poverty, the child abuse/maltreatment that prevented him, his brothers, sisters, cousins, neighborhood friends and elementary school classmates from enjoying a fairly happy safe childhood.
Seems the adults responsible for raising the children in Kendrick’s immediate and extended family placed obstacles in their children’s way, causing their kids to deal with challenges and stresses young minds are not prepared to deal with…nor should they or any other children be exposed to and have to deal with.
Perhaps these obstacles and challenges cause some developing children’s minds to become tormented and go haywire, not knowing OR NOT CARING ABOUT right from wrong though knowing their parents introduced them to a life of pain and struggle, totally unlike the mostly safe, happy life the media showed them many American kids were enjoying.
I wonder how little Kendrick and his classmates reacted when their elementary school teacher introduced the DARE presenter and they learned about the real dangers of drugs and how they harm people, including their parents?
Claudia, I am not a hater, I was a toddler when Motown music was in its infancy, Motown and me grew up together. Motown musicians wrote and composed awesome music celebrating life, love, peace and unity. I ‘felt’ their music, danced to their music, celebrating life right along with these talented musicians, their producers and their millions of admirers around our tiny blue orb.
As far as this young developing American suburban kid was concerned, black people were okay in my book. As I matured I was happy to learn the human ignorance of our past was being addressed and laws were being written to educate and protect ALL my American neighbors from human ignorance.
Anínesah Rodriguez correctly observed, “The African American man has been through so much hate and discrimination since the establishment of this country, and I would have to admit that considering the circumstances they are doing…”
Hello, Aninesah.
For hundreds of years African people in the USA were victims of human ignorance causing them horrible emotional trauma that Dr. Joy DeGruy writes and lectures about.
Fortunately, not everyone embraced beliefs of superiority. During the period I attended grade school in NY, society addressed the issues of racism by creating laws intended to educate and protect people from human ignorance.
Unfortunately well-intentioned social policies meant to help people were abused by many depressed African-American people who began building families without first acquiring the skills and means to independently provide for their children.
Tupac and Shawn Jay Z Carter, both born right after the social policies were established, are early victims of single moms who irresponsibly began building families they could not care for.
These men wrote rap lyrics directly or indirectly describing the pain and child abuse they suffered because their parents failed to do their job of being a loving, caring, stable people/or person they could rely on to make wise decisions for them.
As a result of being abused and neglected children, Tupac and Shawn Carter clearly describe the emotional pain and physical damage they caused to peaceful people living and working in their communities.
Some two decades later 2015 Grammy winner Kendrick Lamar is born, maturing into a young adult who raps and speaks in public about the child abuse/neglect he was exposed to as a kid…child abuse that deprived Kendrick of living a fairly safe, peaceful childhood he witnessed on TV most American kids were enjoying….child abuse that caused Kendrick to resent his parents, resentment and disappointment that Kendrick clearly defines in two LAWeekly interviews.
Anínesah, in this excerpt, Kendrick clearly defines who and what, TODAY in 2015, continues harming many Americans kids born into struggling communities.
“Lamar’s parents moved from Chicago to Compton in 1984 with all of $500 in their pockets. “My mom’s one of 13 [THIRTEEN] siblings, and they all got SIX kids, and till I was 13 everybody was in Compton,” he says.”
“I’m 6 years old, seein’ my uncles playing with shotguns, sellin’ dope in front of the apartment. My moms and pops never said nothing, ’cause they were young and living wild, too. I got about 15 stories like ‘Average Joe.'”
I personally spent nearly a dozen years witnessing many kids in a Brooklyn, NY being subjected to emotional abuse and neglect by their mostly single caretakers.
Therefore I can totally understand why Tupac raps about wanting to commit suicide…and twenty years later Kendrick Lamar raps about experiencing childhood depression.
If I was raised by either of their parents I’d be peeved to high heaven at them for introducing me and my siblings to life in a community populated by many who are suffering from the “Cognitive Dissonance” Dr. Joy DeGruy writes and lectures about.
The emotional damage done to many kids is: >>> “wild” parents slowly conditioning their children to accept “The Street” culture that causes emotional harm to developing toddlers, children and teens who just want to live a safe, fairly happy life, much like Kendrick wanted to live but was deprived of experiencing because his parents were victims of the Cognitive Dissonance Dr. DeGruy writes and lectures about.
Thanks to immature moms irresponsibly building small and large families they cannot reasonably expect to flourish and thrive, peaceful people become victims of abused, depressed children who mature into teens and adults lacking compassion and empathy, or deciding their life sucks so what is the point about caring for others.
During this May 14, 2015 chat about poverty with OReilly, Tavis Smiley talks about becoming successful while his NINE brothers and sisters continue to struggle.
Let’s be honest, Aninesah. As young Tavis’s mind matured he no doubt recognized his mom acted irresponsibly when at eighteen-years-old she choose to begin building a large family before she acquired the maturity, patience, skills and means to nurture and care for her children.
Same for young Micheal Graham-Singleton of Baltimore, whose mom Toya Graham, at the tender age eighteen-years-old began building a large family that she intentionally introduced to a community populated with depressed, struggling people…the same depressed struggling people she witnessed when she was a child in the community.
When considering her level of education and the nature of the community she was going to raise and nurture her children in, why would a loving, responsible mom/person build a large family she could not possibly expect to thrive and prosper.
I have no doubts there were many occasions Michael Graham-Singleton silently asked himself, “Why did my mom have so many kids she can’t properly care for, did she want us to experience pain, struggle and hardships?”
Aninesah, I was a toddler when Motown was in its infancy, we grew up together as virtual friends. My Motown friend wrote and composed awesome music that made me and most all my neighbors smile and dance, wanting to celebrate life.
Despite the social tumult during that period of American history when Americans were addressing and attempting to correct a human ignorance known as racism, I had no beef with black people because they were writing/composing music about peace, love and unity.
Fast forward to the early 1980s when I applied for a career with the NYPD.
Early in my police career when I was assigned to a Brooklyn community a few of my training officers advised me to be prepared to experience “culture shock.” When I asked what is meant by “culture shock,” I was told, “You’ll find out.”
I did find out what “culture shock” is, though it was not a culture of violence and harmful anti-social activities many were insinuating I would be shocked by.
The aspect of this Brooklyn, NY community that shocked me to the core was witnessing children being emotionally scarred by a “culture of child abuse/neglect” that Kendrick Lamar raps and speaks about some twenty-five years after I first witnessed the “Culture of Child Abuse/Neglect” that today CONTINUES emotionally damaging many developing children and their communities.
Anínesah, today in 2015 I believe a vast majority of Americans recognize that all human beings are born with a capacity for achieving greatness that improves their lives and contributes to improving the quality of lives for our neighbors.
However, reading online blogs it is clear some or many of today’s Americans embrace stereotypes that lead to racial prejudice. Stereotyping and prejudice are human attitudes the human species is still struggling with as we continue to evolve as a species of animals blessed with intelligence that allows us to improve ourselves as we evolve.
Sadly, and this is just my opinion, Anínesah…I believe until my fellow Americans from all backgrounds can somehow educate and convince many American young teens and women of African descent to become more responsible when building families, many Americans will continue to embrace racial prejudice and stereotyping.
Me, I am sad many children and grandchildren of my Motown friends have for over thirty years been writing rap and hip hop performance lyrics that demeans people of color.
I am sad the beautifully composed music and messages of peace, love and unity my Motown friends shared with our entire world, is today being ‘sampled,’ or exploited by young rap and hip hop performers and their producers who characterize females as “witches and bhores,” or essentially less than human creatures not worthy of their respect.
I am sad I spent nearly a dozen years of my adult life (a life that from the very beginning was raised and nurtured to embrace compassion and empathy; instilled through love and discipline) witnessing on a daily basis toddlers, children, teens being emotionally abused and maltreated by their irresponsible, immature caregivers who were mostly single moms.
I was sad for my civilian co-workers, most all married or single-moms living in the community were burdened with the added stress of preventing their children from being influenced and harmed by “The Street” culture Baltimore grandmother Toya Graham was struggling to prevent her son Michael from becoming immersed in.
After witnessing Michael’s young teen friends and school classmates acting in a depraved manner, showing an indifference for human life toward people trying to protect their peaceful neighbors from the emotional and physical harm caused by depressed kids raised by immature, “wild” parents who neglect their children’s emotional needs, I believe Ms. Graham may have lost her struggle to keep her son from being influenced and harmed by “The Street.”
Watching video of children pelt police with bricks and boulders told me someone failed these kids in a major way.
The anger Michael’s teen friends and school classmates were venting came from years of frustration after being born to a life of struggle and hardship by a young immature mom who at the time in her young life selfishly looked out for her own well being, disregarding the pain and struggle she witnessed other kids suffer when she was a child and younger teen growing up in the community. I have met and/or arrested several adolescents who emotionally expressed outrage at their moms for giving them life. On my blog I write about one child I met who reminds me of Kendrick, he just wanted to be a regular kid with regular parents.
I am sad kids like Michael Graham-Singleton lay in bed at night, get up for school, play with their friends, all while filled with a simmering rage and resentment for being introduced to a life of poverty filled with hardship, pain and struggle…a life that caused Tupac Shakur to wake in the morning wondering if he should “blast” himself. A life that is most likely responsible for the rise in suicide among black kids and young adults recently reported in the NYTimes.
I am sad the simmering rage and resentment these children’s minds are being tormented by was vented on police, most all of whom were raised and nurtured to respect life by their caregivers, communities and educators.
Unfortunately, spending a significant amount of time dealing with on a daily basis the simmering rage and resentment many abused/neglected kids are emotionally harmed by, can slowly erode compassion and empathy when trying to protect one’s self from potential grave harm that depressed, unpredictable teens and adults often cause to peaceful people living and working in the community.
I am sad Ms. Graham, Tavis Smiley’s mom, Kendrick Lamar’s “wild living” parents for whatever reasons, built large families of human beings who experience the hardships of poverty.
I am sad that each one of the moms I just mentioned, made poor decisions that resulted in them failing to raise a family of somewhat happy children who all mature into somewhat happy adults raising their own somewhat happy family of children.
Frankly, Anínesah, I am angry at moms who selfishly make poor choices. Not only are they introducing children to a early life of struggle and pain, they are creating depressed angry children who become a real and imminent threat to safety and security of their peaceful neighbors and entire community.
Anínesah, you shared, “The African American man has been through so much hate and discrimination…”
No sane person will dispute my Motown friends and their predecessors were emotionally damaged and victimized by hundreds of years of human ignorance. I’m sure some of the ignorance lingers today.
Though I believe the emotional damage many of my Motown friend’s kids and grand-kids are experiencing and expressing in their Rap Hip Hop performances is a direct result of teens and young women becoming moms before they acquire the skills, maturity and patience required to nurture a child wearing a somewhat what happy face as a teen and adult, until they become old and cranky like me. 🙂
Anínesah, I am offended and tired of hearing women being referred to as witches and bhores, any ideas for changing that attitude?
backtolbc observed. “The black man’s skin is not your enemy.”
Hello, B.
During the 60s when I was a kid growing up in a middle-class NYC suburb, loving music, including Motown that was maturing right along with me, I learned about racism.
As I matured I was glad Americans were addressing our human ignorance that for generation harmed many of our fellow human beings.
I was happy to see American society was creating laws to educate and protect all American from human ignorance, actively attempting to end generations of disrespect and pain my dark complected Americans brothers and sisters experienced, including my Motown friends who always made me smile.
However, as I evolved as an individual, gathering more life experiences I noticed a new form of disrespect developing and being directed at my Motown friends.
This new source of disrespect for my black American neighbors was coming from my Motown friend’s children and grandchildren.
During the 60s’-70s mega-talented musicians wrote, composed and produced Motown sounds celebrating life, love, peace and often unity.
Today and for the past thirty years many of their children and grandchildren write lyrics for another genre of American ‘music’ that began around the same time society was establishing well-intentioned social programs intended to help heal the pain caused by racism/human-ignorance.
This is the period when the new form of disrespect began to brew. Well-intentioned social programs were understandably taken advantage of by some depressed people, mostly single moms, who built large families before acquiring the skills to raise, nurture and independently care for their kids.
In the 80s, around the same time a young Shawn ‘Jay Z’ Carter was a midteen harming his peaceful neighbors by developing the drug trade he raps/writes about, I was a Brooklyn cop witnessing the fear, emotional harm and physical damage Shawn Jay Z Carter raps/writes causing to peaceful people living and working in the Marcy Houses, as well as the surrounding neighborhoods.
I also witnessed the child abuse, neglect and maltreatment caused to Shawn (and his crew of teens/young men) by the life of struggle and hardship his depressed mom introduced him to in late 1969, during the post-civil rights era when depressed women and teens were irresponsibly building families they introduced into depressed communities.
In his 2015 Grammy award winning Rap Performance titled “I”, Kendrick Lamar writes, “I’ve been dealing with depression ever since an adolescent.”
In a January 2011 LAWeekly interview Kendrick, born in 1987, the same year songwriter Suzanne Vega wrote a song about child abuse and victim denial that was nominated for a Grammy award, he told the interviewer:
“Lamar’s parents moved from Chicago to Compton in 1984 with all of $500 in their pockets. “My mom’s one of 13 [THIRTEEN] siblings, and they all got SIX kids, and till I was 13 everybody was in Compton,” he says.”
“I’m 6 years old, seein’ my uncles playing with shotguns, sellin’ dope in front of the apartment. My moms and pops never said nothing, ’cause they were young and living wild, too. I got about 15 stories like ‘Average Joe.'”
Seems to me Kendrick identified the source of his depression, the roots of poverty, the child abuse/maltreatment that prevented him, his brothers, sisters, cousins, neighborhood friends and school classmates from enjoying a fairly happy safe childhood.
Seems the adults responsible for raising the children in Kendrick’s immediate and extended family placed obstacles in their children’s way, causing their kids to deal with challenges and stresses young minds are not prepared to deal with…nor should they or any other children be exposed to and have to deal with.
Perhaps these obstacles and challenges cause some developing children’s minds to become tormented and go haywire, not knowing OR NOT CARING ABOUT right from wrong though knowing their parents introduced them to a life of pain and struggle, totally unlike the mostly safe, happy life the media showed them many American kids were enjoying.
I wonder how little Kendrick and his classmates reacted when their elementary school teacher introduced the DARE presenter and they learned about the real dangers of drugs and how they harm people, including their parents?
backtolbc, as an adult Kendrick Lamar had the fortitude to let his voice be heard, he’s clearly identified who and what behaviors prevented him, his siblings, neighborhood friends and many of his elementary and JHS classmates from growing up feeling safe, loved and adequately cared for, totally unlike many other American kids his TV told him were enjoying a safe, decent, fun life.
In my opinion, Kendrick reveals why many rap hip hop performers write rap performance lyrics characterizing females as “witches and bhores, or inferior beings not worthy of respect.
Kendrick indirectly reveals why, for the past three decades my Motown friend’s children and grandchildren been calling females, aka their moms, sisters, grandmas and daughters, nasty foul names?
Because they resent their mothers for introducing them to a world filled with pain and struggle. This is the new form of disrespect peaceful people have to contend with.
Tupac’s “Dear Mama” and “That’s Just The Way It Is” are two raps in which Tupac revealed who prevented him from experiencing a safe childhood life.. It was his mom, hooked on the poison that Shawn “Jay Z” Carter proudly raps about selling to depressed people like Tupac’s mom.
Sadly, an entire $$entertainment industry$$ has been built on the human ignorance of people who are enamored by rap beats, yet do not take a critical look at what inspired the lyrics to many popular or underground rap performances.
Because of the big money currently being made by rap producers and performers, I do not anticipate more rappers like Kendrick speaking about the child abuse they were forced to cope with. It is more fun to be making money, relying on human ignorance to keep the cash flowing.
Frankly, backtolbc, I am not happy all the good work my Motown friends did to establish before our world that they are peaceful, loving people, has been seriously tainted by moms who abused/neglected their kids, causing their kids to resent them, deflecting and venting their anger and frustrations at mom, by harming their peaceful neighbors.
Child Abuse/Neglect Leads To Poverty, Resentment And Crime
Tavis Smiley, born September 13, 1964, to an eighteen-year-old single mom, who later married an physically abusive man, building a family of TEN children. In May 2015, during a discussion about poverty with OReilly, Tavis mentioned that today, his NINE brothers and sisters continue to struggle.
American rapper Jeffrey “Young Thug” Williams (born August 9, 1992) grew up as one of 11 (ELEVEN) children in the projects of Atlanta.”
This is an Excerpt from YOUNG THUG’s American rap performance art he titled, “Trigger Finger.”
[Hook:] Oh no no, no nooo I can’t take no hoooe To my mama place, I can’t take no ho to my mommy place.. Plus My trigger finger just itchin’ [x4] My trigger finger just itch, trigger finger just itch My trigger finger just itch, trigger finger just itch
That 40 on my waistline I got that 40 on my waistline So don’t play with my cause I don’t play with you Out my respect I’ll come lay with you if that’s okay with you Choppers, AK’s, Hand Grenades We take that kill shit no payback
But ill kill you and listen close no mistake that But we don’t play basketball, bvtch there’s no take back And all my nivvas strapped [strapped = possess a firearm] up everyday No cannon but you know everyday is payday And if you ever ever ever play its gone be mayday Take a nivva bird by my goddamn self, I don’t really need no foreplay
In a January 2011 LAWeekly interview American rapper and 2015 Grammy winner Kendrick Lamar, born in 1987, the same year songwriter Suzanne Vega wrote a song about child abuse and victim denial that was nominated for a Grammy award, he told the interviewer:
“Lamar’s parents moved from Chicago to Compton in 1984 with all of $500 in their pockets. “My mom’s one of 13 [THIRTEEN] siblings, and they all got SIX kids, and till I was 13 everybody was in Compton,” he says.”
“I’m 6 years old, seein’ my uncles playing with shotguns, sellin’ dope in front of the apartment. My moms and pops never said nothing, ’cause they were young and living wild, too. I got about 15 stories like ‘Average Joe.'”
Knowing she was introducing children into the same depressed, struggling environment she was raised and nurtured in, Baltimore single-mom and grandmother Toya Graham built a family of SIX children, one of whom was observed acting with depraved indifference for human life toward people trying to protect peaceful people in Ms. Graham’s community.
Does anyone besides me see the common denominator these struggling American families have in common?
I spent nearly twelve years providing police services to a Rap Hip Hop influenced Brooklyn, NY community, most all my civilian co-workers were competent, responsible loving moms, most all lived in this community.
Sadly these caring moms, their families and peaceful neighbors were potential victims of harmful anti-social acts committed by depressed, frustrated, unpredictable angry teens and adults, who as children were emotionally abused, neglected and/or maltreated by MANY immature teen and young moms living in this community. Moms who irresponsibly built small or large families before acquiring life experiences, practical skills, PATIENCE, and the means to independently provide for their children.
A question or observation I often heard in this community, “Do you see how she is raising that child?”
I am not a hater, I was a toddler when Motown music was in its infancy, Motown and me grew up together. Motown musicians wrote and composed awesome music celebrating life, love, peace and unity. I ‘felt’ their music, and danced to their music, celebrating life right along with these talented musicians, their producers and their millions of admirers around our tiny blue orb.
As far as this young developing American suburban kid was concerned, black people were okay in my book. As I matured I was happy to learn the human ignorance of our past was being addressed and laws were being written to educate and protect ALL my American neighbors from human ignorance.
Understandably, some people harmed by racism took advantage of well intentioned social programs that resulted in them building small or large families they could not possibly expect to thrive and survive when considering their lack of skills and the nature of the communities they birthed their children in.
This is very short, non-inclusive list of children born to depressed people who, I am sorry to say, failed their children, causing their kids to mature into teens and adults who rap/write about committing harmful anti-social activities against their peaceful neighbors.
Early victims of emotional child abuse, neglect and or maltreatment:
Tupac Amaru Shakur (born Lesane Parish Crooks; June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996)
Curtis ’50 Cent’ James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975)
Shawn “Jay Z” Carter (born December 4, 1969)
Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), better known by his stage names The Notorious B.I.G., Biggie or Biggie Smalls,
Jonathan “Lil Jon” Smith (born January 17, 1971)
Christopher “Ludacris” Brian Bridges (born September 11, 1977)
O’Shea “Ice Cube” Jackson, Sr. (born June 15, 1969)
Jeffrey “Ja Rule” Atkins (born February 29, 1976) Hollis
*note: I spent years personally witnessing the emotional and physical damage Shawn ‘Jay Z’ Carte raps/writes about causing to peaceful people living and working in his Brooklyn, NY Marcy Houses community, and the surrounding neighborhoods.
I believe these men…
James “Jimmy” Iovine (born March 11, 1953)
Marion “Suge” Knight, Jr. (born April 19, 1965)
Sean “Puff Daddy”, “Diddy”, “P. Diddy” John Combs (born November 4, 1969)
…are responsible for exploiting victims of child abuse by encouraging victims to write about, for monetary profit and notoriety, their self harming and community harming life experiences. Not one of these rap producers have a vested interest in getting help for their performers who obviously are among the most emotionally damaged people in America.
These men as well as many other adults, including rap hip hop lyricists and producers Shawn ‘Jay Z’ Carter and Kanye Omari West (born June 8, 1977), are promoting the emotional and physical harm that rappers write about causing to peaceful struggling and working people >>> for the sole purpose of lining their own pockets with cash that many clueless Americans offer them.
Sadly, today’s young people across or globe are growing up listening to many of my Motown friend’s children and grandchildren writing lyrics that demean women, essentially characterizing their moms, sisters, grandmas and daughters as ‘witches and bhores,” or in other words, relating their beliefs that females are subhuman people undeserving of respect.
I was fortunate to witness a period of American history when our society actively moved to eradicate the disrespect my Motown friends and generations of their emotionally damaged American predecessors endured.
Sadly as I continued maturing, learning and evolving as an individual human being, I witnessed a new form of disrespect developing in our society for my Motown friends …
This new form of disrespect for black Americans was coming from their children…children who as they matured and evolved, realized their moms and/or dads made poor choices by introducing them to a life of struggle and hardship, depriving them, their siblings, neighborhood friends and elementary or junior high school classmates of experiencing the safe, mostly happy life many other American children were enjoying.
Frankly, I witnessed countless innocent kids being subjected to some horrific emotional and/or physical abuse by their immature single-mothers. When I place myself in these kid’s shoes, I can imagine I would be just as angry for being deprived of a safe, some-what happy childhood.
This is my theory for why many of my Motown friend’s children and grandchildren write lyrics demeaning their moms, sisters, grandmas and daughters. If you have another I would look forward to reading it.
In a 2011 LAWeekly interview, rapper Kendrick Lamar has shared with our world his personal experiences with child abuse and his genuine observations about who is perpetuating poverty that results in children being deprived of experiencing a safe consistent life.
Thanks to Kendrick, himself a victim of child abuse/maltreatment, there is no point to offering MY theory for why child abuse leads to kids growing up depressed, lacking or willfully disregarding the compassion and empathy they are being taught to embrace by their school teachers.
There is no point to offering MY theory about who is primarily responsible for creating/driving today’s poverty that often irreversibly harms many of our American children who develop into depressed teens and adults.
There is no point to offering MY theory for why many children and adults are in denial about the child abuse they experienced and try to cope with into and throughout their adult lives.
Though In 1987, the same year emotionally depressed 2015 Grammy winner Kendrick Lamar was born, songwriter and Grammy nominee Suzanne Vega wrote a song about child abuse, offering her theory that many child-victims of abuse will not admit they were abused, nor will abuse victims identify their abusers.
“Yes I think I’m okay I walked into the door again Well, if you ask that’s what I’ll say
And it’s not your business anyway”
Unlike Kendrick Lamar, very few of us are willing to take a critical look, openly acknowledging the shortcomings or the poor choices made by the people who gave us life.
Knowing he developed a fondness for alcohol while serving in Korea as a young mechanic, my mom married my dad when he returned home. Fortunately dad was a peaceful, functional liquid drug addict, a hard working good provider for mom, sis and me.
Until he cheated, which resulted in a Mexican sanctioned divorce and three of us asking government welfare people to help us while mom recovered from the nervous breakdown she experienced after the trauma my dad caused her.
After their divorce, most all of my parent’s friends followed the same divorce path, dropping like flies…one morning I woke up at 3AM listening to my seemingly loving neighbors, verbally battling loud enough to wake me. After mom was forced to sell our home, repaying the welfare people and thanking them for their help, I learned from a former neighbor that my 3AM battling next-door neighbors experienced a contentious divorce.
Seems to me there are generations of young people from all communities across our nation who yesterday and today continue making poor choices that ultimately harm many of our nation’s children.
Do I resent my mom for marrying a man who abused a harmful drug? Considering the popularity of alcohol at the time my folks got hitched, I can understand mom not realizing how harmful alcohol is. In my opinion, despite making a poor choice in selecting a life partner to build her family with, my mom did her best for sis and me. Including forbidding us to befriend children in the neighborhood whose parents were doing a poor job of raising their kids.
Fortunately, there were only a few irresponsible parents in our neighborhood who allowed their children to run wild. About fifteen homes away from our front door, a liquid drug loving NYC cop religiously built a family of TEN children who experienced very little, if any discipline. Most all the kids were disruptive, a constant source of trouble in our schools.
This one family was responsible for causing most all the emotional and physical trauma in our middle-class suburban neighborhood. In the early 70s two of his older boys were arrested for possessing heroin. Lovely family.
While I may not resent my mom for the poor choice she made by falling in love with and marrying a drug abusing life-mate, there are many kids who do resent their moms for the choices they made…choices that cause them to experience unimaginable turmoil and frustrations that eventually needs to be released.
Baltimore teen Michael Graham-Singleton, his friends and classmates were video recorded venting their pent-up anger, frustration and outrage at one group of authority people their depressed moms, “wild” dads, depressed neighbors and ignorant or self-absorbed community leaders are conditioning them to believe are responsible for their hardships and struggle.
I give Kendrick Lamar much credit for boldly identifying who caused his depression. More victims of child abuse need to speak up and allow their voices that were stifled and ignored when youngsters, to be clearly heard now that they are adults.
Sadly, too many people with credible public influence, experience fame and bankable riches from hiding or ignoring the truths about the most horrific black on black crime no one wants to address:
Maternal apathy and child abuse.
Any thoughts, criticisms or possible solutions for greatly reducing the child abuse and/or Cognitive Dissonance many Americans rappers directly or indirectly rap/write about personally experiencing or witnessing their siblings, neighborhood friends and classmates have to cope with as they try to listen to their elementary school teachers, focused on developing into peaceful, thriving, somewhat content American citizens with a potential for accomplishing much more…or simply finding employment they like and raising a family of peaceful children who continue the cycle of happy human beings enjoying all the wonders our physical world offers us?
Jeffrey “Young Thug” Williams (born August 9, 1992)
Jeffrey “Young Thug” Williams (born August 9, 1992)
“Young Thug grew up as one of 11 children in the projects of Atlanta.
He’s always been a guy who values connections. Young Thug sees those he works with as close as the family he always knew.
So for those wondering if there is some sort of romantic intentions behind the way Young Thug behaves regarding his male friends and male recording artists he admires, you’d have to hear Young Thug reflect on his family life and experience growing up.
That experience is definitely alluded to within all the vague lyrics and piecemeal phrases and sentences which dot the music here and there on a Young Thug song. Growing up in a big family, not having much, wasn’t easy. Some either fell victim to crime or to a criminal lifestyle, including Thug. But within that struggle, close bonds were formed. And he appreciates family and keeping people close.
Despite armed security, Young Thug’s recording sessions are open doors for family and friends. Fader reported on how it looks during one of Young Thug’s recording sessions.
“Midway through the session at Metro’s, two of Thug’s sisters, Max and Dora, stop by on their way back from the skating rink. The family remains close, and is pretty thrilled by Thug’s success.”
Along with his sisters, Young Thug’s recording sessions include friends he grew up with and close associates. If there was any question why he’s known to idolize certain people, it is probably just an extension of idolizing the peers he grew up with, and all the close connections he had. He hasn’t changed that way of looking at things just because he’s had success in the music industry.
So, if you are wondering why he has openly expressed love for Gucci Mane and expressed an overbearing and uncomfortable admiration for Lil Wayne, it may not be what you think. Though his behavior is hard to classify, it’s not hard to understand for people who know him well.”
Commentator: “It seems they [police] are insulting everyone on the planet, including their co-workers.”
Insulting everyone on the planet?
Seems these cops aren’t much different from rapper Lil Wayne, who not only insults people for dissin’ him or his crew, he whips out a shotgun or his AK auto weapon he raps about in “Respect Us.”
Yeah, it is sad when decent people who were raised and nurtured to respect life, become cops and witness hoards of young men like Lil Wayne disrespecting and threatening the lives of peaceful people in the community.
Sadly, some citizens who become police officers are not mentally tough enough to deal with the multiple challenge of dealing with teens and adults who were nurtured in a culture of child abuse…the culture of abuse and neglect Lil Wayne and most American rappers describe in their performances.
Not making excuses for poor behavior, just offering a possible reason for why some cops become emotionally damaged after witnessing so much sadness and grief many kids have to contend with as they try to mature into peaceful people….in many cases a process of maturity that is impeded by their parents or community member who have adopted “The Street” life Baltimore grandmother Toya Graham speaks about.
Anínesah Rodriguez correctly observed, “The African American man has been through so much hate and discrimination since the establishment of this country, and I would have to admit that considering the circumstances they are doing…”
Hello, Aninesah.
For hundreds of years African people in the USA were victims of human ignorance causing them horrible emotional trauma that Dr. Joy DeGruy writes and lectures about.
Fortunately, not everyone embraced beliefs of superiority. During the period I attended grade school in NY, society addressed the issues of racism by creating laws intended to educate and protect people from human ignorance.
Unfortunately well-intentioned social policies meant to help people were abused by many depressed African-American people who began building families without first acquiring the skills and means to independently provide for their children.
Tupac and Shawn Jay Z Carter, both born right after the social policies were established, are early victims of single moms who irresponsibly began building families they could not care for.
These men wrote rap lyrics directly or indirectly describing the pain and child abuse they suffered because their parents failed to do their job of being a loving, caring, stable people/or person they could rely on to make wise decisions for them.
As a result of being abused and neglected children, Tupac and Shawn Carter clearly describe the emotional pain and physical damage they caused to peaceful people living and working in their communities.
Some two decades later 2015 Grammy winner Kendrick Lamar is born, maturing into a young adult who raps and speaks in public about the child abuse/neglect he was exposed to as a kid…child abuse that deprived Kendrick of living a fairly safe, peaceful childhood he witnessed on TV most American kids were enjoying….child abuse that caused Kendrick to resent his parents, resentment and disappointment that Kendrick clearly defines in two LAWeekly interviews.
Anínesah, in this excerpt, Kendrick clearly defines who and what, TODAY in 2015, continues harming many Americans kids born into struggling communities.
“Lamar’s parents moved from Chicago to Compton in 1984 with all of $500 in their pockets. “My mom’s one of 13 [THIRTEEN] siblings, and they all got SIX kids, and till I was 13 everybody was in Compton,” he says.”
“I’m 6 years old, seein’ my uncles playing with shotguns, sellin’ dope in front of the apartment. My moms and pops never said nothing, ’cause they were young and living wild, too. I got about 15 stories like ‘Average Joe.'”
I personally spent nearly a dozen years witnessing many kids in a Brooklyn, NY being subjected to emotional abuse and neglect by their mostly single caretakers.
Therefore I can totally understand why Tupac raps about wanting to commit suicide…and twenty years later Kendrick Lamar raps about experiencing childhood depression.
If I was raised by either of their parents I’d be peeved to high heaven at them for introducing me and my siblings to life in a community populated by many who are suffering from the “Cognitive Dissonance” Dr. Joy DeGruy writes and lectures about.
The emotional damage done to many kids is: >>> “wild” parents slowly conditioning their children to accept “The Street” culture that causes emotional harm to developing toddlers, children and teens who just want to live a safe, fairly happy life, much like Kendrick wanted to live but was deprived of experiencing because his parents were victims of the Cognitive Dissonance Dr. DeGruy writes and lectures about.
Thanks to immature moms irresponsibly building small and large families they cannot reasonably expect to flourish and thrive, peaceful people become victims of abused, depressed children who mature into teens and adults lacking compassion and empathy, or deciding their life sucks so what is the point about caring for others.
During this May 14, 2015 chat about poverty with OReilly, Tavis Smiley talks about becoming successful while his NINE brothers and sisters continue to struggle.
Let’s be honest, Aninesah. As young Tavis’s mind matured he no doubt recognized his mom acted irresponsibly when at eighteen-years-old she choose to begin building a large family before she acquired the maturity, patience, skills and means to nurture and care for her children.
Same for young Micheal Graham-Singleton of Baltimore, whose mom Toya Graham, at the tender age eighteen-years-old began building a large family that she intentionally introduced to a community populated with depressed, struggling people…the same depressed struggling people she witnessed when she was a child in the community.
When considering her level of education and the nature of the community she was going to raise and nurture her children in, why would a loving, responsible mom/person build a large family she could not possibly expect to thrive and prosper.
I have no doubts there were many occasions Michael Graham-Singleton silently asked himself, “Why did my mom have so many kids she can’t properly care for, did she want us to experience pain, struggle and hardships?”
Aninesah, I was a toddler when Motown was in its infancy, we grew up together as virtual friends. My Motown friend wrote and composed awesome music that made me and most all my neighbors smile and dance, wanting to celebrate life.
Despite the social tumult during that period of American history when Americans were addressing and attempting to correct a human ignorance known as racism, I had no beef with black people because they were writing/composing music about peace, love and unity.
Fast forward to the early 1980s when I applied for a career with the NYPD.
Early in my police career when I was assigned to a Brooklyn community a few of my training officers advised me to be prepared to experience “culture shock.” When I asked what is meant by “culture shock,” I was told, “You’ll find out.”
I did find out what “culture shock” is, though it was not a culture of violence and harmful anti-social activities many were insinuating I would be shocked by.
The aspect of this Brooklyn, NY community that shocked me to the core was witnessing children being emotionally scarred by a “culture of child abuse/neglect” that Kendrick Lamar raps and speaks about some twenty-five years after I first witnessed the “Culture of Child Abuse/Neglect” that today CONTINUES emotionally damaging many developing children and their communities.
Anínesah, today in 2015 I believe a vast majority of Americans recognize that all human beings are born with a capacity for achieving greatness that improves their lives and contributes to improving the quality of lives for our neighbors.
However, reading online blogs it is clear some or many of today’s Americans embrace stereotypes that lead to racial prejudice. Stereotyping and prejudice are human attitudes the human species is still struggling with as we continue to evolve as a species of animals blessed with intelligence that allows us to improve ourselves as we evolve.
Sadly, and this is just my opinion, Anínesah…I believe until my fellow Americans from all backgrounds can somehow educate and convince many American young teens and women of African descent to become more responsible when building families, many Americans will continue to embrace racial prejudice and stereotyping.
Me, I am sad many children and grandchildren of my Motown friends have for over thirty years been writing rap and hip hop performance lyrics that demeans people of color.
I am sad the beautifully composed music and messages of peace, love and unity my Motown friends shared with our entire world, is today being ‘sampled,’ or exploited by young rap and hip hop performers and their producers who characterize females as “witches and bhores,” or essentially less than human creatures not worthy of their respect.
I am sad I spent nearly a dozen years of my adult life (a life that from the very beginning was raised and nurtured to embrace compassion and empathy; instilled through love and discipline) witnessing on a daily basis toddlers, children, teens being emotionally abused and maltreated by their irresponsible, immature caregivers who were mostly single moms.
I was sad for my civilan co-workers, most all married or single-moms living in the community were burdened with the added stress of preventing their children from being influenced and harmed by “The Street” culture Baltimore grandmother Toya Graham was struggling to prevent her son Michael from becoming immersed in.
After witnessing Michael’s young teen friends and school classmates acting in a depraved manner, showing an indifference for human life toward people trying to protect their peaceful neighbors from the emotional and physical harm caused by depressed kids raised by immature, “wild” parents who neglect their children’s emotional needs, I believe Ms. Graham may have lost her struggle to keep her son from being influenced and harmed by “The Street.”
Watching video of children pelt police with bricks and boulders told me someone failed these kids in a major way.
The anger Michael’s teen friends and school classmates were venting came from years of frustration after being born to a life of struggle and hardship by a young immature mom who at the time in her young life selfishly looked out for her own well being, disregarding the pain and struggle she witnessed other kids suffer when she was a child and younger teen growing up in the community. I have met and/or arrested several adolescents who emotionally expressed outrage at their moms for giving them life. On my blog I write about one child I met who reminds me of Kendrick, he just wanted to be a regular kid with regular parents.
I am sad kids like Michael Graham-Singleton lay in bed at night, get up for school, play with their friends, all while filled with a simmering rage and resentment for being introduced to a life of poverty filled with hardship, pain and struggle…a life that caused Tupac Shakur to wake in the morning wondering if he should “blast” himself. A life that is most likely responsible for the rise in suicide among black kids and young adults recently reported in the NYTimes.
I am sad the simmering rage and resentment these children’s minds are being tormented by was vented on police, most all of whom were raised and nurtured to respect life by their caregivers, communities and educators.
Unfortunately, spending a significant amount of time dealing with on a daily basis the simmering rage and resentment many abused/neglected kids are emotionally harmed by, can slowly erode compassion and empathy when trying to protect one’s self from potential grave harm that depressed, unpredictable teens and adults often cause to peaceful people living and working in the community.
I am sad Ms. Graham, Tavis Smiley’s mom, Kendrick Lamar’s “wild living” parents for whatever reasons, built large families of human beings who experience the hardships of poverty.
I am sad that each one of the moms I just mentioned, made poor decisions that resulted in them failing to raise a family of somewhat happy children who all mature into somewhat happy adults raising their own somewhat happy family of children.
Frankly, Anínesah, I am angry at moms who selfishly make poor choices. Not only are they introducing children to a early life of struggle and pain, they are creating depressed angry children who become a real and imminent threat to safety and security of their peaceful neighbors and entire community.
Anínesah, you shared, “The African American man has been through so much hate and discrimination…”
No sane person will dispute my Motown friends and their predecessors were emotionally damaged and victimized by hundreds of years of human ignorance. I’m sure some of the ignorance lingers today.
Though I believe the emotional damage many of my Motown friend’s kids and grand-kids are experiencing and expressing in their Rap Hip Hop performances is a direct result of teens and young women becoming moms before they acquire the skills, maturity and patience required to nurture a child wearing a somewhat what happy face as a teen and adult, until they become old and cranky like me. 🙂
Anínesah, I am offended and tired of hearing women being referred to as witches and bhores, any ideas for changing that attitude?
Ghetto women become moms because of the benefits of being a mom. Take away, or seriously reduce, the welfare payouts, remove the incentives, and the problem will be reduced.
One of the current scams is for teen mom to declare she “cannot take care of” her kids, and gives them up to foster care. Grandma volunteers to be foster mom (relatives are given preference). Foster care pays grandma per child, and this is not subject to TANF time limits.
In New York, foster care rates include: $746/month for a child over 12 (this goes up to $1,818/mo if the child is deemed “special needs”, which provides an incentive to get the child to qualify as such), plus up to $83/mo for clothing allowances, plus likely eligibility for food stamps, Section 8, etc, etc.
Dr. Joy DeGruy Clearly Describes A Potentially Life-Scarring Mental Condition Experienced By Many Kids Who Are Victims of Child Abuse/Neglect.
Hello. I try to calmly relate my experiences providing uniform and investigative police services for more than a decade to the Brooklyn, NY community Shawn Jay Z Carter joyously raps about attempting to destroy with his gangs/crews/posse’s 24/7 poison drug peddling trade enforced and protected by semi-automatic ‘Mack Mills’ Shawn raps/speaks using to terrorize and dominate his peaceful neighbors.
Though I am told my writings are not always sensitive. I apologize if my frustrations seep into the my accounts of personally witnessing child abuse, as well as how abuse/neglect adversely impacts the lives of developing newborns, infants, toddlers, children, teens and their communities.
While doing online research into child abuse I came across this video, opened it, spied a face and heard a gentle voice I grew up hearing and respecting. I knew Gil Noble to be a accomplished and credible NYC news reporter and interviewer so I decided to watch the segment with Dr. Joy DeGruy.
After this talk I was still curious about ‘cognitive dissonance’, wondering how it might relate to victims of child abuse? So I looked further, locating this video in which Dr. DeGruy speaks about the six years of research she conducted for her book, “Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome: America’s Legacy of Enduring Injury and Healing (PTSS)”.
wiki-cognitive-dissonance
When I learned she has an interest in selling her book, I immediately thought I was about to hear the same old retread talk about slavery and racism. As I listened I realized I was wrong, Dr. DeGruy was saying some things I can definitely relate to my life experiences and the years of child abuse I witnessed. Abuse that caused me to experience and deal with emotional trauma.
Opening her talk Dr. DeGruy stated, “I did about six years of research specifically looking at violence. My area of focus is violence.”
This statement immediate drew me in because I spent twelve years providing uniform and investigative police services to a Brooklyn, NY community where on a daily basis I witnessed the aftermath of depressed children, teens and adults committing emotionally and physically harmful, anti-social acts against their peaceful neighbors.
A little peek at my background. I was a toddler when Motown was in its infancy, we grew up together, virtual friends. As a public school kid growing up during that tumultuous, exciting/disturbing era in American and world history, (I looked forward to periodic bomb shelter training) I listened to very appealing, well produced music shared by talented black music artists while contemporaneously learning about racism and slavery.
I was trying to figure out why I was being taught All Men Are Created Equal and all peaceful men have an absolute right to enjoy their vision for Life, Liberty, (Love) and Happiness, yet there seemed to be a number of freedom loving Americans having a problem with black people who were writing music that made me smile and who fought/sacrificed in wars to help preserve our/my freedom. What’s up with them, why are some of my American neighbors upset with my Motown friends?
It was not making sense until I actually began living life, experiencing and learning of the many human ignorance some of my fellow humans embrace, as well as the human proclivity for being wary of and questioning the character or background of people who are not like them, or from totally different cultures.
As I acquired life experiences, evaluating them for usefulness, tucking them away in my aging sometimes corrupt memory files, I realized the scope of racism, the pain it caused, would most likely take generations to subside, and a few more generations to heal the wounds caused by human ignorance.
The doctor spoke about trauma caused by racism/slavery, how it affected the actual victims and subsequent generations as horror stories of slavery and racism are passed down from generation to generation.
Dr. DeGruy correctly suggested figuring this out is not rocket science, common sense should tell the average person that creating laws ending slavery and racism did not wipe away the trauma experienced by people who for more than two hundred years were thought of and treated as less than human. As an average teen in the early 70s learning more about our world, human ignorance, bigotry, I realized it would take generations to heal those deep wounds.
Listening to the doctor describe HOW supposedly educated, mostly wealthy people profiting from slavery demonized slaves, characterizing them as less than human made me think. “Were these educated Americans genuinely embracing human ignorance, or were they aware slaves are just as competent as any other human? Were educated, wealthy Americans demonizing slaves before a poorly educated/ignorant American public as a means to keep human compassion and empathy from interfering with their profits as the public witnessed how slaves were being treated by slave-masters?”
Listening to Dr. DeGruy’s presentation expanded my understanding of racism. Now I am not sure if human ignorance fueled slavery/racism, or did educated wealthy people taking advantage of a poorly educated and trusting public, create propaganda to assuage the public and continue exploiting humans for free labor? Hmmm…
Regardless, emotional damage was done to my Motown friends and their predecessors. Despite suffering centuries of horrific emotional damage, my friends wrote and composed beautiful sounds, many artists embracing love, peace and unity that made me, many of my friends and neighbors smile, wanting and needing to dance celebrating the joys of the life we were introduced to.
Dr. DeGruy shared how emotional trauma caused by racism and slavery affected the actual victims and subsequent generations as the horror stories of slavery and racism are passed down from generation to generation.
During this educational, insightful/revealing presentation, Dr. DeGruy speaks about “social learning theory,” emphasizing these words, “Hello, social learning theory….you learn from those in your environment.”
This is where I pressed the pause button when my mind began processing too many thoughts at once, all stirred by the doctor’s comment about social learning.
My first thought was about Grammy Award winning American rapper Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987), who in 2015 was awarded a Grammy for writing a rap performance that included these lyrics, “I’ve been dealing with depression ever since an adolescent.”
Upon reading Kendrick’s words about experiencing depression when he was a kid, my child-abuse memory folder auto-opened, immediately browsing the hundreds, perhaps more, of depressed kids I met or observed during the twelve years I conducted layman’s research into child abuse/neglect.
Abuse and neglect that often lead to children not embracing compassion or empathy, or intentionally ignoring empathy and compassion because, “My life sucks, why should I care about yours!?”
I’ve met many depressed children who developed into depressed teens and adults, often violently venting their anger and frustrations on their peaceful neighbors and communities. Most of the faces have faded with time, though many of the situations that caused me to meet or regularly observe these kids are still somewhat vivid.
Including some very vivid memories of Brooklyn’s Marcy Houses during the period young Shawn Jay Z Carter raps about utilizing his “Mack-Milli” automatic firearms to protect him and his crew of equally emotionally abused/damaged/neglected teens from rival drug/contraband dealers in nearby public housing developments.
I became stressed and depressed from personally witnessing muzzle flashes, hearing gunshots and interviewing innocent or not-so-innocent victims of gunfire or other emotionally debilitating and physically harmful activities Shawn and many rappers write about.
I cannot begin to ‘fully empathize’ with the ever-present fear for their safety every single person living and working in Marcy was forced to endure/cope with while Shawn profited from the 24/7 Brooklyn drug trade he clearly raps he was actively promoting, thus further harming emotionally damaged people born and nurtured during the post civil rights era, as Shawn was. In my opinion Shawn Carter often joyously writes/raps about callously harming the children of my Motown friends. Not cool!
However, as a human being I can empathize with the caution and extra care peaceful human beings residing in the houses or surrounding neighborhoods must exercise to protect themselves and/or their families from the activities of abused/neglected teens.
In a January 20, 2011 LAWeekly interview published online , 2015 Grammy Award winner Kendrick Lamar clearly explains what caused his early childhood depression and why he continued to experience depression into adulthood.
“Lamar’s parents moved from Chicago to Compton in 1984 with all of $500 in their pockets. “My mom’s one of 13 [THIRTEEN] siblings, and they all got SIX kids, and till I was 13 everybody was in Compton,” he says.”
“I’m 6 years old, seein’ my uncles playing with shotguns, sellin’ dope in front of the apartment.
My moms and pops never said nothing, ’cause they were young and living wild, too. I got about 15 stories like ‘Average Joe.'”
Kendrick speaks about experiencing Childhood Trauma, witnessing MASS CHILD ABUSE & MALTREATMENT, Human OPPRESSION, violent felon family & community members who intentionally & recklessly ignored the well being of their children, depriving these kids from enjoying a home environment where they feel safe, loved & cared for.
In school little Kendrick & his Elementary School classmates are being taught to be good citizens & to respect their neighbors.
While at home, under duress of being harmed if they open their lil mouths, families & communities are teaching their children anti-social ‘people and community’ harming values that often results with kids experiencing during a critical period of their childhood development a mentally debilitating condition known as Cognitive Dissonance.
In this one paragraph, it seems evident to me Kendrick identified the source of his depression, the roots of poverty, the child abuse/maltreatment that prevented him, his brothers, sisters, cousins, neighborhood friends, elementary and JHS classmates from enjoying a fairly happy safe childhood.
Seems the adults responsible for raising the children in Kendrick’s immediate and extended family placed obstacles in their children’s way, causing their kids to deal with challenges and stresses young minds are not prepared to deal with…nor should they or any other children be exposed to and have to deal with.
It seems evident to me these PARENTAL INTRODUCED obstacles and challenges cause some developing children’s minds to become tormented and go haywire, not knowing OR NOT CARING ABOUT right from wrong…because as they mature, young victims of child abuse realize their parents introduced them to a life of pain and struggle, totally unlike the mostly safe, happy life the media showed them many American kids were enjoying. RESENTMENT
I cannot speak for anyone else, but if I was raised in Kendrick’s OPPRESSIVE family and community environment I would most likely be silently peeved at my parents, particularly my mom, for being immature irresponsible “living wild” Violent Felon embracing adults who deprived me of enjoying a safe, fairly happy “Average Joe” American kid childhood.
Though like many victims of child abuse, most likely I would deny my parents harmed me, seeking to blame others for the pain my parents caused to me.
I wonder how little Kendrick and his classmates reacted when their elementary school teacher introduced the DARE presenter and they learned about the real dangers of drugs and how they harm people, including their parents? Cognitive Dissonance
In a October 2012 LAWeekly writer Rebecca Haithcoat interviewed Kendrick Lamar where he speaks about being a SIX-YEAR-OLD child emotionally neglected and abandon by his mother.
No small wonder why Kendrick raps & speaks about childhood & adult depression, as well as experiencing suicidal thoughts.
Kendrick Lamar Talks About ‘u,’ His Depression & Suicidal Thoughts (Pt. 2) | MTV Video News April 2015
American talk show host, author, liberal political commentator, entrepreneur, advocate and philanthropist Mr. Tavis Smiley was introduced to life by a young woman who was eighteen-years-old when she began building her family of ten children?
During a discussion about poverty Tavis revealed to Bill OReilly his NINE brothers and sisters to this day (May 2015) still struggle with poverty, and that he is the only one of his sisters and brothers to enjoy a prosperous American life?
Does any one have doubts that as he matured, a young maturing Tavis regularly questioned the choices his mother made for him, his brothers and sisters? SILENT RESENTMENT
Growing up witnessing the negative influences of “The Street” culture in her community, Baltimore grandmother Toya Graham, while still a teen begins building a family of SIX children, one of whom, her teen son Michael Graham-Singleton, was observed trying to cause grave harm to humans attempting to protect peaceful people from harm.
In a CNN interview, apparently denying reality or showing little concern for her credibility, Ms. Graham strongly denies reality, adamantly imploring, “At no time is my son a thug.”
If teen mom and Baltimore Mom of The Year Toya Graham had built a smaller family she could more easily provide for, nurture and supervise, would her depressed, angry young teen son be in The Street attempting to cause grave harm to peaceful people attempting to protect Ms. Graham’s peaceful neighbors?
After nearly twelve years of rigorous, often intense daily research of people I witnessed suffering depression from the effects of child abuse, my layman’s opinion is Kendrick Lamar’s description of his immediate and extended blood relative family, as well as the environment he was exposed to while trying to develop into a human being able to compete in our competitive world, pretty much explains why poverty and pain continues to harm so many children and their communities…poverty and pain caused by selfish, irresponsible, immature young women who really need to stop harming their kids and communities, beginning by responsibly building smaller families they can better care for and supervise.
Holding off building a family until acquiring some practical skills and life experience while still a teenager would also be very helpful in easing the pain and struggles of Childhood Abuse & Neglect, aka Poverty, many immature moms irresponsibly subject their children to.
I realize criticizing women and not criticizing men seems unfair.
Like it or not, agree with me or not, women are the givers of human life. In most ancient and modern societies women are the primary caregivers and nurturers responsible for raising and socializing society’s young.
In America, each woman has an inalienable right, as well as responsibility to determine when she is prepared for motherhood. Married or not, men do not make that decision.
Getting back to ‘Cognitive Dissonance‘. As children mature, I am curious if cognitive dissonance plays an active role in emotionally harming Kendrick, his friends and schoolmates living in similar homes and environments?
In school, children interact with mature, responsible adults educating them about society’s rules, respect and how to peacefully succeed/prosper in America.
At home children witness on TV the peaceful fun life many American kids are enjoying, while slowly being conditioned to accept the pain and hardships of the community harming “The Street” hustle life embraced by their immature, “wild” parent(s) and neighbors.
I’ve met, detained, and/or arrested more than a few child/teen/adult victims of abuse/neglect who voiced their resentment/anger/disappointment with their moms and/or dads for introducing them to a life of hardship, pain and struggle.
When venting their anger, frustration and rage at parents who emotionally abuse(d) and neglect(ed) them, I’ve observed countless children/teens/adults frequently resorting to violence that harms their peaceful neighbors.
Dr. DeGruy states she focuses on violence. I’ve experienced violence, witnessed how it negatively impacts the lives of peaceful people and their community. I did not like witnessing people harming each other or themselves…especially during what seemed to me like a never ending raging flood of violence.
In my life I witnessed some extremely saddening/maddening scenes of humans sharing physical violence causing physical injuries that heal with time.
Though witnessing emotional violence committed against a kid who just wanted to be a kid enjoying a fairly happy young life, was often more difficult to bear, knowing emotional wounds often scar developing children for life.
The life-scarring emotional wounds incurred by emotional abuse and violence at the hands of irresponsible “living wild” caregivers are responsible for what many refer to as “black on black crime.”
Without these wounds, in my opinion, most all of these kids would develop into fairly well adjusted people capable of achieving greatness. Sadly many parents actively thwart their kids from becoming peaceful teens and adults with unlimited potential for helping themselves and all American communities.
This young teen boy I arrested is a victim of “emotional violence” and “black on black crime.”
I am not certain if this young college woman is affected by ‘Cognitive Dissonance,’ though I would like to learn Dr. DeGruy’s theory for why she exhibits multiple personalities?
Tupac Amaru Shakur born Lesane Parish Crooks; (June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996) is a more well known/popular victim of child abuse/neglect, rapping/writing about the emotional damage he sustained as a result of being irresponsibly introduced to life by depressed, immature caregivers who caused him great emotional harm.
It seems obvious Tupac’s caregivers and Kendrick’s caregivers have experienced “cognitive dissonance.” Especially their moms who in my opinion have to realize they are introducing their children to a life of pain and struggle, yet they do so anyway at great peril to the emotional development of their children.
Kids are not stupid. For many kids, as they mature their thinking becomes more sophisticated, some earlier than others. They realize their single-moms or parents are selfish, immature people who irresponsibly birthed them before bothering to acquire the skills required to successfully raise, nurture and provide for them. Many kids realize they were introduced to life by women many pejoratively characterize as “Welfare Queens.”
I’m certain there are many depressed, frustrated children who resent their moms and dads for exploiting social policies that lend aid to immature, struggling caregivers, assisting them in building large families of brothers and sisters who struggle right along with them. All because their immature, often depressed, often poorly educated mom acted irresponsibly by introducing them to a family with too many mouths to feed.
I am certain that everyday there are thousands of emotionally damaged American children silently thinking, “Mom, why did you have so many kids when you cannot feed, clothe and keep a watchful eye on all of us?”
Today, living/surviving in American urban communities, there are many child victims of abuse/neglect/maltreatment who deny they are/were being abused, choosing to protect their parental/caregiver abusers. I have no doubts, many of these kids do not even realize they are victims of emotional abuse/neglect.
I have met caregivers who have no clue they are subjecting their children to abuse/neglect. On my blog I write about a few moms I met who lacked most or all skills required to raise and nurture a fairly happy, peaceful child. This is one of many totally clueless moms I witnessed “cluelessly” harming their children. I named her Boom-Box Mom.
Previously I mentioned kids ‘silently’ think about the anti-social conduct they witness their caregiver(s) engaging in, or they silently think about the poor choices their parents made that resulted in them not experiencing the fun, safe, mostly happy life many other American kids enjoy.
In 1987, the same year Grammy winner Kendrick Lamar was born, singer/songwriter Suzanne Vega wrote “Luka”, a song about child abuse that garnered three Grammy nominations, including Record and Song Of The Year for her Top 5 hit about child abuse.
Suzanne nailed it, parents and caregivers do the most horrific things to their kids, yet many kids will defend their abusers, blaming themselves for their “blues,” bruises and injuries before admitting a parent/caretaker harmed them.
“Yes I think I’m okay I walked into the door again Well, if you ask that’s what I’ll say
And it’s not your business anyway”
When questioned, most kids will clam-up rather than say an ill word about their parental abusers.
However, I’ve met a few child abuse victims whose level of frustration with their caregivers pushed them to make poor choices causing the police to become involved…and subsequently reveal their true feelings, as the young teen I arrested in the “/victim-of-abuse/” story I linked to this writing.
The depressed, emotionally damaged teen I arrested is not alone. After spending several months reading rap performance lyrics penned by many popular American rappers I recognize they too are victims of, or witnessed friends who were victims of some pretty horrible childhood abuse.
Dwayne “Lil Wayne” Michael Carter, Jr. (Born September 27, 1982) is an example of a damaged kid who at twelve-years-old was exploited, and in my opinion subjected to child maltreatment by American Rap Hip Hop producers.
Dwayne “Lil Wayne” Michael Carter, Jr. (Born September 27, 1982)
The year he officially entered adulthood, eighteen-year-old Dwayne released “Lights Out” (2000), featuring a performance he titled, “Shine,” (feat. Baby, Hot Boys)
“I like them modelin bitches, I love them swallowin bitches Where them hoes, there they at, I’m ’bout to follow them bitches (let’s go)”
During the 1960s ALL my Motown friends wrote and recorded lyrics praising, admiring, wooing, lamenting, loving and respecting the MATERNAL HALF of our population.
What happened to post civil rights era children that causes many of them to view women differently than my Motown friends?
What trauma did children experience or were children exposed to that inspires many kids born in the 1970s and beyond to characterize women, aka moms, sisters, grandmas and daughters, as less than human bitches, and whores unworthy of respect?
Tupac and Kendrick have answered this question in their rap lyrics and/or interviews. Both men clearly describe how their caregivers have failed them and their siblings, as well as thousands of children living in Poverty, aka Child Abuse & Neglect because their mothers irresponsibly introduced them to a life of hardship and struggle.
Recently I learned of YouTube broadcaster David Carroll, a prolific video producer and speaker who states he has been studying “the black man” for more than twenty years.
While I find myself agreeing with many of Mr. Carroll’s observations and conclusions, I also believe his decision to engage in demeaning “name-calling” weakens his messages and position as an educator.
In fact, David Carroll’s juvenile name-calling mirrors the behavior of many of those he chooses to criticize, giving his video productions a similar feel to many rap performances I’ve read in which rap performers constantly offer demeaning put-downs, characterizing their neighbors in demeaning terms, often using words that portray their male and female community members as “bitches” or less than human.
Unfortunately I did not save one eye-opening production David offered, and I have no desire to rummage through the dozens of vids he uploaded to Net.
In this video David Carroll blames SINGLE moms for causing their boys to develop into teens and men who embrace the nonsensical drama some or many black adult males have adopted into their lives. If you are not familiar with their drama, read their rap lyrics.
This David Carroll observation made perfect sense to me in that I have witnessed black teen and adult males acting much like their mothers who refer to other females as bitches and whores, or aspeopleless than human, not deserving of respect, compassion or empathy.
Sadly many children develop into adolescents who had a ‘Yin’ in their lives, but were not exposed to a ‘Yang’.
Unlike many living in the community, I was fortunate in that I could request a transfer to a more friendly, less depressed, stress filled community, which I did.
Initially I intended to spend my entire career serving the same community. I preferred interacting and dealing with my fellow citizens, I wanted to be a cop preventing and investigating crimes, not a boss telling cops how to act, often held partially responsible when subordinates act out of line. I never participated in promotional exams, I liked public service oriented police work.
Spending so much time in the community, I viewed it as my second home. For my own safety and to better serve the community I felt becoming very familiar with people in the community’s neighborhoods, learning the back alleys and abandon building drug, stick-up kid’s hangouts, developing contacts and informants, gaining a rep as a fair cop, was the career plan best suited to me.
Sadly, the levels of child abuse and violence I witnessed on a daily basis slowly, insidiously took an emotional toll on me. I worked with guys who spent thirty years serving this community, they didn’t bat an eye, often laughing or joking about the aftermath or actual violence they witnessed. I’m told joking about constantly being exposed to horrendous events is a way some people cope with those events. Though I cannot recall any cops laughing or joking when a child/kid was the victim of a crime(s).
Something cops do not laugh about is witnessing the body of a murdered fifteen-year-old child rolled into a old carpet and disposed of in an abandon lot after she sold drugs for her dealer, became hooked, ripped-off her dealer and paid the ultimate price for stealing from her dealer.
I was not assigned to investigate this case, though I recall the close proximity of the dead child’s body to the Marcy Houses where Shawn Jay Z Carter proudly raps about profiting from causing pain to people.
Marcy Houses – undated
For me, yeah, some human events were amusing but the majority were saddening, maddening and/or sickening.
I thought I had a thick skin but this community proved me wrong as I could no longer watch large numbers of depressed people harming each other, especially the innocent little kids that many in the community talk about loving, but do little in the way of actually showing their love or protecting children from harm.
Sadly, my civilian co-workers, most all competent moms living in the community, as well as the majority of loving, caring parents raising kids in this community, could not request a transfer to a safer, more stable environment to raise and nurture their children in.
Getting back to Dr. DeGruy comments about violence and healing. Listening to the words Dr. DeGruy shared I did not hear any references to how ‘Cognitive Dissonance‘ affects children in TODAY’S struggling communities.
I did not hear any words about how we heal people coping with ‘Cognitive Dissonance‘ caused by their caretakers and “The Street” life prevalent in many struggling American communities.
What I did hear is Dr. DeGruy offering a historical lesson that opened my eyes to matters and events I was ignorant to.
Though I did not hear Dr. DeGruy offering solutions to quelling violence or healing those damaged through no fault of their own.
Perhaps in future writings and speaking engagements Dr. DeGruy will relate how “Cognitive Dissonance” negatively impacts developing children Like Kendrick and Tupac? Children who sustain long-lasting emotional damage caused by depressed and/or immature people who irresponsibly build families before they have acquired the skills and means to provide for their large or small families.
Early in my police career when I was assigned to a Brooklyn community a few of my training officers advised me to be prepared to experience “culture shock.” When I asked what is meant by “culture shock,” I was told, “You’ll find out.”
I did find out what “culture shock” is, though it was not a culture of violence and harmful anti-social activities many were insinuating I would be shocked by.
The aspect of this Brooklyn, NY community that shocked me to the core was witnessing children being emotionally scarred by a “culture of child abuse/neglect” that Kendrick Lamar raps and speaks about some twenty-five years after I first witnessed the “Culture of Child Abuse/Neglect” that today CONTINUES emotionally damaging many developing children and their communities.
Take Pride In Parenting; End Our National Epidemic of Child Abuse and Neglect; End Community Violence, Police Fear & Educator’s Frustrations
Robert K. Ross, MD, President and CEO of The California Endowment
After watching Dr. Ross’ presentation one of the questions all concerned, compassionate Americans should seriously be asking ourselves, our elected, civil, social, community and religious leaders is, “What real substantial changes in our society’s attitude and laws need to occur to prevent Child Abuse and Neglect that often causes young kids to mature into depressed, frustrated, angry, unpredictable, sometimes suicidal teens and adults as a result of experiencing the emotional and/or physical trauma of an abusive childhood?”
At 2:12:25 in this documentary about Mafia hitman and victim of Early Childhood Trauma/Abuse, Richard “The Iceman” Kuklinski, Dr. Park Dietz explains why young Richard most likely developed into a emotionally disturbed, paranoid, cruel, heartless teen and man who did not give a frig about anyone else, including his wife and kids.
Is Jaye DeBlack incorrect about his assessment of many SINGLE MOMS and how they are emotionally harming a substantial population of our nation’s children by irresponsibly building families out of selfishness – instead of caring and love between two committed adult partners?
This video depicts horrific examples of men who were victims of childhood abuse and neglect, conditioning a young teen to embrace ‘The Street’ culture Baltimore Mom of The Year failed to protect her teen son from…not to mention representing the fear peaceful people living and WORKING in the community experience knowing depressed, angry, unpredictable teens and young adults need to vent their angers and frustrations for being introduced to a life of pain and struggle by irresponsible, “living wild” single moms and/or dads.
A little girl, catching a cool breeze from an air conditioning unit in the yard, was blindsided by another child about her same age, who had evidently had some practice with fighting fierce. The small victim wasn’t alone, as there were plenty of nearby witnesses, who could have protected her but didn’t because they were too busy recording the brutal beat down and encouraging it. | Written By Amanda Shea
Depraved Indifference for Human Life?
What I see in this recorded act of criminal child abuse, is adults conditioning children to embrace the cycle of child abuse, child maltreatment and violence passed down from generation to generation by depressed Americans who are content living in the poverty they are primarily responsible for fueling when irresponsibly birthing children from selfishness, instead of the love between two committed adult partners.
Nationally Popular Victims of Early Childhood Abuse and Neglect
Read popular American rapper Tupac Amaru Shakur (Lesane Parish Crooks; June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996) lyrics to learn about his love-hate relationship with his mom, his great disappointment with his dad, and about Tupac’s frequent suicidal thoughts.
Read about how Tupac’s drug addicted mother accepted proceeds of the harmful anti-social acts Tupac raps/writes about committing against his peaceful neighbors. I have to tell you, reading Tupac’s lyrics brings back a lot memories of the horrific emotional child abuse I witnessed during the nearly twelve year I provided police services to Shawn Carter’s community.
Shawn “Jay Z” Carter (born December 4, 1969) is another victim of child abuse/neglect who raps/writes about the physical harm and fear he caused to his peaceful neighbors and community.
Reading Shawn “Jay Z” Carter describe the pain he caused to his neighbors and community, brought back painful memories, causing me experience much of the same anxiety and pain I experienced from personally witnessing the physical and emotional pain young Shawn Carter caused to individuals as well as an entire housing complex and surrounding neighborhoods.
In 1987, the same year emotionally depressed 2015 Grammy winner Kendrick Lamar was born, songwriter Suzanne Vega wrote a song about child abuse and VICTIM DENIAL that was nominated for a Grammy.
Suzanne nailed it, parents and caregivers do the most horrific things to their kids, yet many kids will defend their abusers, blaming themselves for their “blues,” bruises and injuries before admitting a parent/caretaker harmed them.
“Yes I think I’m okay I walked into the door again Well, if you ask that’s what I’ll say
And it’s not your business anyway”
Victim of America’s expanding and shameful *National Epidemic of Child Abuse and Neglect,* aka *Poverty*, that for decades has deprived untold numbers of emotionally abused and neglected young developing children from experiencing and enjoying a safe, fairly happy American kid childhood!
CURRENTLY THIS PAGE IS UNDERGOING AN OVERHAUL, dated 7/12/16
Hello. I try to calmly relate my experiences during the 80s-90s when I provided uniform and investigative police services to the Brooklyn, NY community where preteen American child named Shawn Carter, born 1969, later known as “Jay Z‘, a popular urban storyteller and recording artist, is reported to have shot his substance abusing sibling for stealing property.
However, I am told my writings are not always sensitive. I apologize if frustrations, anger and disappointment seeps into the my accounts of regularly witnessing a significant number of developing newborns, infants, toddlers, children and teens being irresponsibly raised, nurtured, socialized and poorly supervised by SELFISH, immature, apathetic MATERNAL CAREGIVERS failing to recognize that placing ABOVE ALL ELSE the EMOTIONAL WELL BEING of their child(ren) will most likely result with a fairly or wonderfully happy child maturing into a reasonably responsible teen and adult respecting themselves, their peaceful neighbors and the authority responsible for maintaining peace in all American neighborhoods.
Early in my police career when I was assigned to young Shawn Carter’s Brooklyn, NY community a few of my training officers advised to be prepared to experience “culture shock.” When I asked what is meant by “culture shock,” I was told, “You’ll find out.”
Soon I did find out what “culture shock” is, though it was not a culture of violence and harmful anti-social activities many were insinuating I would be shocked by.
The aspect of this Brooklyn, NY community that shocked me to the core was witnessing significant numbers of children being emotionally scarred by a Culture of Child Abuse/Neglect, aka Poverty” that Kendrick Lamar, born 1987, a popular American urban storyteller, as well as a victim of horrific CRIMINAL Child Abuse, Neglect & Maltreatment, raps and speaks about some twenty-five years after I first witnessed the Culture of Child Abuse/Neglect that today CONTINUES harming many developing human beings and American communities.
Grammy Award Winner Kendrick Lamar, a tormented, emotionally ill/disturbed popular American urban storyteller performs at the 2015 BET Awards.Kendrick Lamar – Victim of Family and Community Gang/Gun Violence
After being assigned to assigned Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant I spent the next twelve years of my life regularly witnessing the grief, emotional trauma as well as physical pain (or worse) young Shawn Carter and his crew/posse/GANG were responsible for causing to peaceful people living or working in Brooklyn’s Marcy Houses and surrounding neighborhoods/communities. Neighborhoods where morning, afternoon, evening and late night gun battles often erupted between competing drug peddling crews/posse/GANG’s.
At least two or three times a month schedule changes resulted with me sleeping in the station house dorm, where I made sure I slept on a lower bunk away from a window, JUST IN CASE an errant or deliberate gunshot decided to seriously disturb my rest period.
It was during these sleepovers I learned I was ignorant to the FACT that many of my peaceful American neighbors had the option at bedtime of counting nearby or distant gunshots in addition to sheep, Gummy Bears of my personal favorite, thatched wooden baskets filled with Newfoundland puppies.
Newfoundland puppy – believed by many to be the most kid friendly critter on our tiny blue orb.
I’d like to offer my perspective and evidence for why I believe Shawn Carter and many of his crew/gang members are victims of child abuse/neglect.
During the 1960s laws were created to EDUCATE & PREVENT Americans from being harmed by systemic racism. Society created well-intentioned, though flawed social assistance policies that understandably, many depressed, emotionally ill, discouraged, justifiably peeved, angry Americans took advantage of.
Sadly, Shawn and Tupac are two of many American kids introduced to life by depressed, emotionally ill, discouraged, peeved, angry Americans I witnessed emotionally harming, neglecting and failing to supervise their children during the dozen years I was responsible for protecting peaceful Brooklyn residents from the anti-social acts committed by abused, neglected, depressed children maturing into emotionally damaged teens and adults who often vent their anger and frustrations by harming their peaceful neighbors, often resulting with police and our CJS becoming involved in their lives.
The peaceful people I was attempting protect from harm included my civilian co-workers and their families, most all moms residing in the community, facing stresses and challenges that for the most part my parents did not have to deal with. The moms I worked with struggled to keep their kids safe from the negative influences presented by depressed, angry, frustrated children who were emotionally abused and neglected by their irresponsible “Living Wild” (Kendrick Lamar’s characterization of his parent’s lifestyle) parents or caregivers.
In this poorly titled “crime” documentary about NYC gangs in the 70s, proud gang member Little Carmen tells the interviewer, “Like our family wasn’t really there for us, so our family was the gang.”
Sadly, it appears an overwhelming majority of RESPONSIBLE, caring, concerned, loving Americans refuse to recognize that Little Carmen and most of the people appearing in this documentary are victims of America’s expanding Culture of Childhood Abuse, Neglect & Maltreatment.
Countless times I witnessed peaceful struggling or working people and their families fearing for their safety as they were forced to experience and witness the bloody aftermath resulting from Marcy Houses teen and young adult drug dealers using their deadly weapons to maintain their reputations as violent dangerous young men who should not be messed with.
I personally witnessed the pain, helplessness and fear peaceful people experienced after they were confronted by young, depressed, unpredictable, angry, frustrated victims of child abuse, maltreatment and neglect, much like Shawn ‘Jay Z’ Carter and the depressed young people in his crew experienced during a critical period in their childhood development.
My experiences serving a Brooklyn, NY Rap Hip Hop influenced community for nearly a dozen years revealed to me why Shawn’s background was so tough, but you don’t want to hear a cop describe the pain and misery I witnessed children suffer when born to a immature, irresponsible and/or apathetic mother.
So I’ll ask you to read the lyrics to Mr. Tupac Shakur’s ‘Dear Mama’ to learn who is responsible for children like Shawn Jay Z Carter maturing/developing into young teens and men that vent their anger and frustrations upon peaceful people in many struggling communities. Take your time, read and comprehend what Tupac is saying about his childhood and how his caregivers failed him. Learn how Tupac’s mom accepted ill-gotten proceeds of harmful anti-social acts Tupac writes/raps/admits committing against his peaceful neighbors and their community.
http://www.kidsmatterinc.org/for-families/abuse-and-neglect-resources/emotional-abuse
https://knutesniche.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/tupac-thats-just-the-way.png
Recognizing Preventing Child Abuse/Neglect 
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