Detroit liquor store owner shot dead

[poobert]

Most started by working low wage jobs, 16 hours a day 7 days a week along with other family members and pooling it together to open a business. They didn't have any special family financing. They opened stores in some horrible areas and the whole family worked all day. Its not possible for most Detroiters since they can't even shovel their sidewalk or mow their grass.

I really hate to agree with this guy...
but working in your fathers' store 7 days a week keeps you busy and keeps cash in your pocket. The family unity is also absolutely tribal. You see the opposite in the rest of Detroit with no father and total idleness, sitting around, blaring music, looking for trouble. Then we see the results. It's the elephant in the room, frankly. Dancing around it with amorphous phrases like "access to special financing" is idiotic.

[Zacha341]

Yep. Alot of it boils down to values, VALUES, V-A-L-U-E-S!

Dysfunctional homes, families, lack of leadership, work ethic and lack of appropriate values in general all make up the 'elephant'. Couple this with a complete distortion of delayed gratification or understanding of how one gains wealth and self worth from effort and choices or taking pride in simple accomplishments. Instead the 'bling' factor too often rules...

Case in point a friends teen age son being called a 'chump' as he walks by on his way to his McDonalds job last summer as his peers [[sic) 'chill' sitting on their porch dreaming of long cash and fancy high profile cars they could never insure. Never less pay a car note on. Now there are even less jobs for teens - even the fast food ones, as adults with degrees are competing for these jobs.

Eroding family unity abounds - not just in the urban setting, but the outworking here in Detroit is highly connected to homicides from the drive to get the fast cash and street cred: 'respect'.

I really hate to agree with this guy...

but working in your fathers' store 7 days a week keeps you busy and keeps cash in your pocket. The family unity is also absolutely tribal. You see the opposite in the rest of Detroit with no father and total idleness, sitting around, blaring music, looking for trouble. Then we see the results. It's the elephant in the room, frankly. Dancing around it with amorphous phrases like "access to special financing" is idiotic.