Counter-Points

One of the major problems I think with-in the African American community is how does it define itself. Being part of culture with such a rich and full heritage, gives self pride. But we do suffer from mis-definition and a label of how to define itself. Many years back I wrote on my own search of black self idenity. A feeling at cross between worlds at the time it's funny now a little seems to have changed with some regards. In our culture it's the gangster/thug counter culture and the afro-centric positive influences. In my early 20's I was more effected by the more negative counter culture than  the more positive one. I later had my own personal rebirth of sorts and began to lean towards more positive self awareness/ also addressing harsher truths with in our communities and became more grounded in my own values. With the ganster/gang culture was initially established with in the African American community for blacks to  help self-govern our communities. Because of exploitation the corruption of outside influences like the police within certain communities. They much later became like influences like they were placed to protect the community from. The gangster culture today is a part of popular culture, music, fashion, visual media. That part of urban culture effects and influences culture on a global level, much because of the music it spawned, the gangsta rap. As a people I do think hate seeing our youth gravitating toward the more negative part of what we today identify with. I think as African Americans we have a harder time relating with wider culture our selves. Judged by preconceived notions of who we are, our places and roles with in society that we allow wider society to set upon ourselves we feed into and box those stereotypes. By acting how others would expect to behave and especially with our youth using the more negative to define itself. It continues to erect the very barriers that we've work hard to try and demolish creating a self defeating cycle.