Quote Originally Posted by sirrealone View Post
The part that never makes sense to me is why people don't have more pride in their homes. Whether you get a home for $15,000 or $150,000, what difference does that make in whether you keep your yard mowed and free of dandelions, you keep your snow shoveled, and you keep your kids inside at 3am? If you move in and the homes around you all adhere to those standards [[which aren't anything new), then where is the breakdown in applying those same fundamental principles to your own home?

It's your home. It's the first and only thing that many see that represents you. It's where you spend the majority of your time. It's what keeps your family safe and sheltered. If you can't take pride in your home, how do you expect anybody to believe that you take pride in anything about your life?
To me, it's simply a lack of respect for anything...up to and including human life, for some people. And in order to have respect for others, you need to have respect for yourself. These seems to be lacking in a lot of our society..not just blacks. The adults are not teaching their children from an early age about respect, empathy or compassion for others.

I don't know if it's a lack of religion in their lives, a lack of quality parenting time, a lack of caring, or a sense of hopelessness or helplessness, or a combination of these things. But it's much more deep-seated than simply a black/white thing. It crosses all racial lines, and all income levels. I have seen so-called "rich white" kids be just as disrespectful as they black kids...sometimes even worse, because they feel they are "entitled".

As my mother [[God rest her soul) used to say..."Things are going to hell in a hand-basket!" And that was many years ago. Sure wish I had the answer!